Cataract

Please feel free to ask advice on health issues, but remember, this is not a substitute for taking your rabbit to the vets if it is sick.
Post Reply
User avatar
Rabswood
Posts: 793
Joined: 11 Oct 2011 20:10
Location: Sheffield South Yorkshire UK

Cataract

Post by Rabswood »

I think Mr Snow my special needs REW mini lop has developed a cataract. He is quite an old boy though. He is indoors for the winter since losing his wifey bun Treacle a few months ago and an unsuccessful bond attempt with 3 other bunnies.

The eye looks like it has an opaque covering.
Mummy to the Rabsville Bunnies

Pledge a Pound Jewellery10% Pot Total £4.00
Donated via paypal 8/11/13

Image
Oxo Rabswood a little fighter!
sdf76
Posts: 8808
Joined: 16 Oct 2011 20:40
Location: gloucestershire

Re: Cataract

Post by sdf76 »

best to get him checked out with the vet as I think there can be other causes though if he's an elderly bunny a cataract is quite likely. Coco is 10yrs (will be 11yrs in Feb '13 ) and is partially sighted due to age related cataracts in both eyes but he still gets around OK. He did have a fully sighted wifebun Kitty though she recently passed away aged 10yrs, but he seems to be managing well without her.
sue :)
Coco my 13yr old (bridge) bunny
Honey61
Posts: 1687
Joined: 09 Oct 2011 17:36

Re: Cataract

Post by Honey61 »

Teddi has cataracts in both eyes which are very dense & my vet told me that he cannot see the back of the eyes at all now.
He does have some light recognition though, if you stand with your back to the light & wave frantically he cottons on you are there :) He is also deaf as a post, but you should see him shift .... he races at full pelt from room to room & very, very rarely does he run into anything :))

I would definitely get Mr Snow checked, but as cataracts develope, buns do learn to adjust & will cope amazingly well :D

Just don't move the furniture about too often :))
sdf76
Posts: 8808
Joined: 16 Oct 2011 20:40
Location: gloucestershire

Re: Cataract

Post by sdf76 »

Yes I agree with Honey61- try not to move things around too much in the garden/house. I always speak to Coco as I approach so I don't startle him. If we want to walk around Coco I speak to him and stroke his head first then move my feet slowly. Coco tends to pounce on any sudden movements near him (we think for protection) and sometimes he will stand on your feet, which is his smart way of making sure you don't tread on him. :)

I use a white plastic cup to measure the pellet amount then tip it into a plastic beaker to shake his pellets in so he can hear when it's teatime. I also noticed the other day when I couldn't find the beaker that he just sat there after I had put food into his dish and placed it on the floor. I then went and found the white cup and silently made the motion of tipping pellets into the dish and he leapt to the food. He clearly was able to see the movement of the white cup.

My friend Mary who is blind, says she can see shapes and shadows and the outlines of people and recognises my voice. She says she can see anything white and also the colour blue stands out. Colours are less vivid with cataracts in humans. I guess the same applies to rabbits.

Also we now add a little warm water to Coco's ss pellets so he can smell them easier and he seems to enjoy them soft just as much. He likes coriander and any strong smelling herbs or vegetables. And he runs fast in the garden too.

don't forget- hearing and sense of smell are the main senses for a rabbit in the wild so while sight is important it is perhaps not as essential as it would be to us humans.
but do get Mr Snow checked out as it may not be a cataract.
sue :)
Coco my 13yr old (bridge) bunny
Post Reply