Watering eye

[Aspens mommy]

Aspen’s eye has been watering and she keeps it closed most of the time. At first i thought maybe she scratched it but it isnt getting better. I am going to make her an appt. but i was just wondering what to expect and to see if anybody else had something similair happen? Do bunnies show any signs of pain?

Also if an exotic vet isnt on the HRS recommended veterinarians is it alright to still take aspen there?

thanks

[LittlePuffyTail]

I’m pretty sure that not all the rabbit vets are listed on the HRS site but I suggest asking the vet a few questions before taking your bun there because some vets say they take rabbits but know very little. Ask some questions like “how many rabbits the clinic actually sees” Some other members will probably have good suggestions for other questions to ask.

I know a bunny who started watering in one eye and the owner put off taking her to the vet and it turned into a pretty serious infection. If it is an infection, you’ll be catching it early so I’m sure she will be fine. I’m not sure of any other reasons for a watery eye. Good luck at the vet and let us know what the diagnosis is.

[Beka27]

oh poor thing! yes, it’s good you’re taking him in to be seen. he might not be in pain exactly but he’s probably pretty uncomfortable. i personally hate when i have an irritant in my eye… ouch!

here’s a link to the HRS article on finding a vet… i’d suggest you ask some of these questions during the exam to get a feel for the vet. the article also includes what the “right” answers should be… http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/vet.html

the problem with some vets is that they advertise as an exotic vet, but they really don’t have any experience with rabbits, or the experience they have is very limited. this is frustrating b/c you might spend money on the exam but you won’t necessarily get the answers you need…

were there no HRS recommended vets in your area at all? what you can also do is contact your local HRS chapter or rabbit rescue and ask if they have any exotic vet recommendations in your area that might not be listed… http://www.rabbit.org/chapters/index.html

[MooBunnay]

hmm, if Aspen is keeping her eye closed most of the time, there is definitely something wrong with it, so it is a good idea to get to the vet. Occasionally my bunnies get a runny eye, but I have never had it to the point where they would not open their eye. Usually I recommend washing their eye with a gentle saline solution, but in this case, I would not recommend that unless a vet does as well, because I am not sure if that would make things any better.

Good luck at the vet, and I hope that Aspen is feeling better soon!

[BinkyBunny]

Awe, poor Aspen. It probably feels irritated and/or uncomfortable. Rabbits are very good at hiding even excrutiating pain, so they can hide mild pain and discomfort even better. It’s very good that you want to make sure you get a rabbit savvy vet, and looking for an “exotics” vet is a great place to start. I think the link that Beka gave you about what questions to ask will help make sure they are rabbit savvy.

As far as what to expect  – I can tell you what happened with my bunny when she went to a very rabbit savvy vet.   They first did just a general examination of  the eye with their equipment – gently opened the lid to see around the eye. Then they put a flourescent liquid in it that helped them view any scratches and lesions.   They felt around her face and jaw.  They do this to feel for any obvious external abnormalities that may indicate abscesses that could irritate or push against the eye.  (Though sometimes this can be coming from within and that can only be done with an x-ray, but they usually won’t do this unless regular treatment isn’t working)

  They then took  a look at her teeth to make sure there wasn’t anything sourced from there as many times eye problems (even on one side) can actually be due to a tooth problem. Sometimes my vet will try and smell Rucy’s breath (abscesses smell bad and many times you can tell when one is brewing by smelling her breath)  

They also flushed out her eyes/ducts to make sure there wasn’t anything blocking them.  They may not do all of that if they can spot the source of the problem or see that it is an infection right away.   (Rucy just has had teeth issues as well as a blocked tear duct due to scar tissue)  Usually if it’s just an eye infection they’ll give antibiotics via oral injections and/or they’ll give eye drops.   If there is a scratch there is a similar procedure. Sometimes they’ll give pain meds to prevent to offer some relief and prevent the bunny from bother with their eye making which would make it worse.

Hope that helped.  Others might have additional information about their experiences.

Keep us updated. 

Sending healing vibes!

[xParadise]

My rabbit had this problem too, her eye was watering non-stop and she held it closed all the time. I also noticed yellow discharge around her eye, so I took her to the vet immediately. As BB said, they put some fluorescent drops in her eye and used a flashlight to get a good look. What had happend is she had actually poked her eye quite badly (all I can think of what it would be is the hay maybe? She got pretty crazy throwing that stuff around haha). So he gave me some eye drops, antibiotics and a pain reliever for her (he charged a really decent price too.) and her eye was completely healed in a week! She really like the taste of the antibiotics too! So definitely take your bun in, because if you leave it too long it can do permanent damage. Hope she’s okay!

[Aspens mommy]

Thanks everyone is really helpful. I hope its nothing serious but will keep everone posted! Thanks again

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

{{ Aspen }} let us know how it goes!

[KatnipCrzy]

Other members here have already described what to expect- and those responses are what you could expect to happen.  The fluorescent dye that Binky Bunny mentioned checks for scratches on the surface of the eye- only damaged areas of the eye will retain the stain.  If they do this test on your bunny- your bun may have a little yellowish discharge from the eyes/nose- as the dye get flushed out of the buns eye naturally thru tears or drains thru the tear ducts.  But that is completely normal after using the dye.

Also- even if the vet is not on the HRS approved list they can still be a good rabbit vet.  From my understanding it is adopters or rescue members that suggest a rabbit vet to be listed- and if you do not have a large rescue near you there might not be any vets listed.  I work at a vet clinic and we do see bunnies- and honestly we don’t see A LOT of bunnies- but we would see more.  I think it depends on the area that you live in and how popular bunnies are as house pets and if they are being promoted as house pets.  And to be honest- I can only think of 1 or 2 of our clients that only have 1 bunny- so most of our bunny patients are a few select owners.

[Aspens mommy]

ok so Aspens appointment went good. She is really healthy. Nothing looked wrong with her eye her teeth were perfect. She didint have any discharge coming from her eye or nose so that was good.  The vet said it may be from the stress of another rabbit being around. They gave me an antibiotic Enrofloxacin(Baytril) and an eye ointment. so in ten days if she isnt better then i have to take her back. Sound right?

[dlscanne]

Well, if it makes you feel better I just had the same problem with my new baby rabbit, Winston. I took him to the vet and it was pretty much the same prognosis for him. I gave him the ointment for 10 days. After 24 hours his eye stopped watering, but seem red, swollen, and irritated. I was about to call the vet again, but then I made a judgement call that it seemed like he was irritating it himself by scratching. In about three days, he was good as new!

Of course, as luck has it, about a week later his OTHER eye started watering! AH! But, this time I just gave him one dose of ointment and left it alone, and he’s been fine ever since.

I realized that he had been snooping around under my entertainment center (my other rabbit is too big to get under there), and it was very dusty. I swept it out thoroughly, and that seems to have been the problem.

Now, definitely you should run through the whole course of meds, and don’t forgo the vet if he seems like he needs it but I’m just suggesting that maybe he is just getting into a dusty area! I spent about a month stressing until I realized that was the cause.

[dlscanne]

*she*…sorry

[BinkyBunny]

Aspens mommy – sounds like what my vet would have done if they couldn’t find anything. Baytril is a safe antibiotic and commonly used to help fight infection. Stress can hurt their immune system and make it more difficult to fight infection so maybe that’s what your vet was thinking. I also agree with dlscanne – be sure to run the full course (of course, you may already know this)

Well, good for you for noticing something wrong (it’s sometimes hard to tell!) and also for making sure your bunny gets the right care.

Sending out healing vibes!

Keep us updated.

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