A four-year-old neutered male pet rabbit presented with a swollen left eye and clear ocular discharge. The owner was also concerned about the animal's recent weight loss. Its cage mate had died suddenly 3 weeks prior to presentation and was not examined by a veterinarian either pre-or post-mortem. The two rabbits were housed in an outdoor elevated enclosure with wire mesh bottom and sides. Upon presentation, the rabbit weighed 5.8 lb (2.6 kg), in contrast to its last examination body weight of 6.5 lb(2.9 kg) 2 years prior. It was bright, alert and responsive. The coat was in excellent condition, and the physical examination was normal with the exception of the left eye. The eye demonstrated moderate conjunctivitis with clear discharge. Fluoresceinstain of both eyes was negative for corneal ulcers. Because the owner declined a thorough diagnostic workup, the rabbit was treated empirically with neomycin and polymyxin B sulfate and dexametha-sone ophthalmic suspension (2-3 drops in the left eye q8hfor 10 days).
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