Mucus in Eyes

[Usagi_Chan]

I got Usagi a few weeks ago.Immediately after I got him I noticed spots of mucus in his eyes, on the cornea. From day to day this changes. Usually a gob of mucus gathers near the center of his eye, sometimes left eye,sometimes right, sometimes both. It does not seem to bother him and his cheeks are not wet.

I didn't notice the white specks on his fur until I took this pic. Could they be some sort of flakes, perhaps from fleas or some other parasite, that are getting in his eyes?

I had him to the vet about two weeks ago to have him neutered. I asked the vet about this and he felt that it was not an infection.

He eats only hay and spurns fresh veggies. He does eat a few pellets.

He is shedding quite a bit of fur and I brush him every day. This seems to be a normal shedding.

In the picture you can see two pieces of mucus, one on the upper edge and a smaller on on the cornea.

Any ideas, thoughts?

Usagi_Chan

 

[JimD]

I would be concerned about the white flakes/specks.
It could be an indication of mites. Only a vet would be able to confirm that and provide treatment.
You mentioned Usagi was shedding quite a bit. Does he have any spots or patches starting to go bald?

~Jim

 

[naturestee]

:yeahthat

Does this vet regularly work with rabbits? Healthy rabbits do not get dandruff. Like Jim said it's usually from mites.

The mucous- is it soft or hard? One of my girls gets little sleep crusties in the corner of her eyes. She has trouble cleaning them off because her face is so round, but she lets me rub them off. Soft mucous would be a sign of infection or irritation from dust or allergens.

 

[Usagi_Chan]

They appear soft. They are mobile and move when he blinks. He's a Netherland Dwarf and from what I understand his breed is normally more skittish than most. I tried but I really can't remove a piece for inspection. He is definately quite skittish. He doesn't seem bothered by the mucus; he's not rubbing his eyes. Nor is he scrathcing a lot like I suspect he would if he had fleas or mites. Fleas love me so I doubt that he has those. If he did, I'd be scratching

The neutering was done at an animal hospital. It appeared to be more for cats and dogs but the vet did seem to be knowledgable about rabbits. I asked him about antibiotics and he gave the right answers.He also showed skill in handling Usagi.

He has one small corner litter box which he lays in. For litter in that one, I have been using Care Fresh Ultra which is composed of white cellulose fibres so that may be what the white flakes are from. I took out that bedding and put a small piece of rugin. I did look up rabbit mites on the web and the advice I saw was to use flea powders that are safe for cats, probably because both rabbits and cats lick themselves. I don't see where trying a flea powder could hurt.

He is shedding a lot of hair but I don't see any bald spots. He does have a very heavy coat and it's getting toward spring. I think it might be quite normal for him to sheda heavy winter coat. I have read that rabbits do shed a few times a year. I thought that he might be getting hair in his eyes and that might be the cause of the mucus spots.

Another web source said I could wash his eyes with warm water or an eyewash solution meant for humans.

I'll get some flea powder tomorrow and some eyewash solution.

Usagi_Chan

 

[pamnock]

The eyewash is a good way to remove the globs -sometimes caused by irritants getting into the eyes. Watch for any signs of additional irritation or increased weeping from the eye.

Pam

 

[Bassetluv]

Raph has been dealing with white discharge in the corners of his eyes from the time he arrived here, about a year and a half ago. I did have some antibacterial drops for him from the vet's a while back (his eyelid was inflamed), but my vet also suggested wiping his eyes with a cool black tea. I've never heard of this before,but he explained that the tannins in the tea help to ease irritations.

I have only done it once so far with him, but will let you know if it seems to help once I've done it a few times.

 

[Usagi_Chan]

I ordered a few books about rabbits and one,"Dwarf Rabbits" by Monika Wegler states "Sometimes the Dwarf gets a hair in its eye around which a sticky plug forms. With your finger over the upper eyelid carefully massage the plug to the inner corner of the eys. Use a tissue to wipe out the corner of the eye and remove the plug."

I tried this and it works. I couldn't be sure it was a hair but the eye is not inflamed as it would be if infected.

The book is short (66 pages) but beautifully illustrated. It has some information which I have not seen elsewhere, including the fact that some rabbits never become litter-trained.

Usagi_Chan