Snout is the much‑loved male dwarf rabbit of a family. He had taken advantage of an unguarded moment, slipped out into the garden and was only found again after two days. By then he had an injury to his right eye, which could have been caused by a piece of old barbed wire or another animal. His owner disinfected the eye with an ointment and watched the rabbit for a day before bringing him to the clinic. Snout’s eye was infected and discharging pus. The rabbit was very subdued and would not eat, and the family were very worried. When Snout was brought into the consultation, he had an ulcer on the cornea of the right eye, a rupture of the anterior chamber, glaucoma and white pus seeping from the eye. The eye was enormously swollen, up to the apex of his head. Snout could not close the right eye, and his left ear hung down. Such swelling is very painful, so it was no wonder he was “a bit too quiet”.
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Could such an eye still be saved? Or should it be removed on the spot? Or should the rabbit be euthanised? Normally in such a case one would either remove the eye or have the animal put to sleep. The owners decided against these procedures. They did not want to spend the large sum of money for an operation and wanted to wait a few days for everything else until their children were at holiday camp. They hoped to spare them the distress of a terminally ill rabbit. They asked me for painkillers for their rabbit. I could not comply with this request, because rabbits cannot tolerate most painkillers. They are too toxic. So only homeopathy remained.
During the repertorisation I found an important subheading: EYE – Glaucoma – Injuries; under which there was only one remedy, namely Physostigma. Clarke writes in his encyclopaedia: “In glaucoma it was used with extraordinary success to reduce intraocular tension, and particularly where the glaucoma had been caused by injury.”
Phatak writes: “Glaucoma, especially after injury.” Further study of the materia medica gives us the following information about Physostigma: “Disturbed accommodation, a sense of contraction of the eyelids, cannot close the lids. Persistent pain at the vertex of the head.” (We cannot, of course, ask that in this case). Also “pain above the eyes” and “contraction of the pupils and of the accommodation muscle.” Additionally I examined the major rubrics relating to eye injuries more closely: EYE – Injury, after; EYE – Glaucoma – Injury, after. The following remedies were considered here: Aconitum, Arnica and Physostigma, of which Physostigma appeared to be the indicated remedy.
Prescription: Physostigma C30
Note: Nowadays I tend to prescribe lower potencies, not higher than C6 or C12, so that I can repeat the remedies more often.
Follow-ups
The next day: Snout is eating again and moving about more; he is no longer sitting motionless in the corner. The swelling of the head has subsided. The eye is still cloudy, swollen and discharging a white pus. Physostigma C30 is repeated.
A day later: The eye is less swollen, it now looks like a pouch filled with watery jelly. The swelling at the vertex of the head is gone. Physostigma C30 is repeated. The eye continues to improve: the swelling is subsiding and the rabbit has become more lively. The eye is still cloudy.
Over the following days the glaucoma subsides. Snout remains lively and eats well, and the idea of euthanising him is abandoned. A new remedy should heal the remaining complaints; for this the following rubrics are consulted: EYE – Ulcers – Cornea; EYE – Ulcers – Cornea – Deep; EYE – Ulcers – Cornea – Scars, through. This last rubric includes the following remedies: Cadm‑s, Euphr., Sil.
T.S. Hoyne writes in his book ‘Practice of Homeopathic Medicine’ about Euphrasia: “Clouding of the cornea after eye injuries. The patient often complains of corneal clouding after eye injuries. In the case of Euphrasia it is an inflammatory conjunctivitis and is associated with corrosive and purulent discharges, whereas Arnica is a good remedy for conjunctivitis following injury and is usually accompanied by a sensation as if bruised.”
A few days later I gave two remedies alternately: two days of Euphrasia, then Mercurius corrosivus, always alternating, taking into account the rubric EYE – Ulcers – Cornea – Deep: ars, euphr, Kali‑bi, Merc‑c; merc‑i‑f, merc‑i‑r, sil. The response was very good. The discharges decreased, a scab formed over the wound and Snout could finally close the eye again.
A red ring of small capillaries formed around the pupil, a sign that the tissue was being reperfused and that the healing process was proceeding in the right direction.
Snout was on the road to recovery, but the ear still hung down. After a few weeks of alternating Euphrasia and Mercurius corrosivus, both ears returned to normal. The ulcer had become distinctly smaller and was still surrounded by capillaries. The eye was now blue.
A month later the ulcer had completely disappeared, though a few capillaries were still visible. Several weeks later the eyes were completely healed. The pupillary reflex had returned, indicating that he could see with that eye again. one very happy rabbit!
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Photo
Shutterstock: lion head rabbit; Viorel Sima
Category: Cases
Keywords: eye injury, cannot close eyelids, swelling at the apex of the head, quiet, not eating.
Copyright: Interhomeopathy
