Watery eyes… eye infection?

[Erin1226]

My wonderful rabbit (Cookie) is an outside rabbit and he is almost 11 years old.  Cookie has been an outside rabbit all his life and only comes inside when its extremely cold. He eats a super healthy diet of rabbit food, timothy hay and lots of fruits and vegetables.  He also is extremely active and runs around on my deck atleast 3 times a week. He has never gotten sick untill September 2012.  He had a bad ear infection with a lot of white pus coming out and I went to the vet and got ear cleaner and ear drops for him.  The ear infection cleared up in about 10 days.  He has been really healthy, but  for the past 2 weeks i have noticed his eyes watering a lot and hair around his eyes getting matted.  I carefully comb out the matt with a comb and it looks like dust coming out.  Then i noticed little bits of white pus in his ear.  I started cleaning out his ear and applying the anitbiotic to his ear to clear that up.  Do you think it is an eye infection?  Will applying the antibiotic to his ear help his eye?  Should i make an appointment to go to the vet?  I just want some opinions before i make the very expensive trip to the vet.  For the past week he has been living inside because it is SO cold latley (new york) and now it is warming up this week (40’s) but im afraid to put him out in the reallyk cold because i don’t want him to get pneumonia! Please share your opinions, i’m not sure what to do

[Roberta]

Hi Erin,
Bringing him in is the right thing. As an old rabbit his ability to deal with the cold will be diminished. I think you need to make a vet appointment as it sounds like it might involve more than just an eye infection, possibly an allergy as well. Antibiotics can loose their efficacy over time too so you may need some fresh medications. I think the trip to the vet is essential and continue to keep him indoors until the temps start to rise.

[jerseygirl]

I would take him in, especially with this new symptom.
Health {{{Vibes}}} for Cookie. I hope mine live as long!

[BinkyBunny]

Posted By Erin1226 on 01/25/2013 10:59 PM

For the past week he has been living inside because it is SO cold latley (new york) and now it is warming up this week (40’s) but im afraid to put him out in the reallyk cold because i don’t want him to get pneumonia! Please share your opinions, i’m not sure what to do

I think that bringing your bunny inside, especially while he may possibly be ill, is a good thing, as keeping his temp up will be helpful. At 11 years old, he is a senior bunny with some strong dna and a caring owner that has seen him through.  Right now though, I’m not sure what is going on. Could be something as simple as an eye scratch (which still needs to be seen by a vet), lingering infection that needs more antibiotics, or developing tooth issues (which is not uncommon for senior bunnies). 

I know that the vet is expensive, and I wish I had a more cost effective answer for you.  It’s just that in this situation, especially since he was just treated recently and it is possible of something lingering, it looks like the vet really is the best and safest option for you.  We can guess all day, but really what is that going to solve?   

Good luck and hoping for positive vet vibes for a permanent solution and a quick recovery

[Erin1226]

Thank you guys for your opinions! I am wiping and trying to keep his eyes clean and keep him comfortable untill Monday. We will visit the vet monday! Cookie thanks you too! (I had to make a new profile because my other username wasn’t working!) Thanks again!

[LittlePuffyTail]

I’m glad you are taking him to the vet. Older bunnies often have weaker immune systems and any sort of infection, regardless of the age, needs to be seen asap. Good luck to Cookie at the vet!

[jerseygirl]

He’s adorable! Goodluck Monday.

[Sarita]

I see his is a lop and there is a good chance (especially with senior rabbits) of dental disease that can cause watery eye – have the vet do a very thorough dental exam.

[Author]

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