Sterile saline solution for rabbits

Sterile saline solution is great over-the-counter (OTC) product to have on hand in a first aid kit for rabbits. It can be used to flush foreign matters out of eyes and wounds before you head for a veterinarian for further care. You can find them in most human pharmacies in the contacts or first aid aisles. For other items that a rabbit owner should have in their personal rabbit first aid kit, please see the WabbitWiki article here.

Please note that the sterile saline solution mentioned here is different than normal saline solutions used for nasal irrigation and made at home. Normal saline is not sterile and not meant for eye use due to the higher salt concentrations. It will deeply irritate the eyes and may make the issue worse.

Sterile saline solution should not contain other disinfectants. If marketed for contacts, the packaging will often note this point as well.

The following are a few brands that are safe to use with rabbits. This is not a comprehensive list – if you find another sterile saline solution that is preservative-free and meant for eye use, that should be safe for rabbits. As you can see with the examples below, they should all have similar if not identical ingredients on the packaging.

Walgreens Saline Solution

Ingredients: A Sterile, Isotonic, Buffered Solution That Contains Boric Acid, Sodium Borate, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Preserved With Polyaminopropyl Biguanide (0.00003%) And Edetate Disodium (0.025%).

Equate Sensitive Eyes Saline Solution

Ingredients: A Sterile, Isotonic, Buffered Solution That Contains Boric Acid, Sodium Borate, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Preserved With Polyaminopropyl Biguanide (0.00003%) And Edetate Disodium (0.025%).

Bausch & Lomb Sensitive Eyes Saline Solution

Ingredients: A sterile, isotonic, buffered solution that contains boric acid, sodium borate, potassium chloride, sodium chloride, preserved with polyaminopropyl biguanide (0.00003%) and edetate disodium (0.025%).

Walgreens Sterile Soothing Eye Wash

Ingredients: Active Ingredients: Purified Water (99.05%), Preserved With: (Edetate Disodium 0.025% ,Sorbic Acid)
Inactive Ingredients: Boric Acid, Sodium Borate

up & up™ Saline Solution for Sensitive Eyes

Ingredients: A Sterile, Isotonic, Buffered Solution That Contains Boric Acid, Sodium Borate, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Preserved With Polyaminopropyl Biguanide (0.00003%) And Edetate Disodium (0.025%).

CVS Health Saline Solution for Sensitive Eyes

Ingredients: A Sterile, Isotonic, Buffered Solution that contains Boric Acid, Sodium Borate, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Preserved with Polyaminopropyl Biguanide (0.00003%) and Edetate Disodium (0.025%)