Wet cheek

[Amaya]

Rocket has some wetness under one eye. I've dried it with tissue a couple times, but it does come back. I just am wondering if this is something normal, or something to be worried about that I can quite easily take care of or if Rocket needs to be seen by a good vet asap. It is normal for him, being a dwarf breed, to get goo-ies on his eye (and he's very good about getting these cleaned off himself) but he has never had this wetness under his eye before.

- Location: WA, USA

- Description: male mini-rex

- Age: 4-5 yrs

- spayed/neutered? neutered

- Notes on Fecal and Urinary Output
- are the bunny's poops and pees normal? yes
- When did they last use their litterbox? less than an hour ago
- Any unusual behavior? not at all

- Medical History -- has s/he been to the vet or been sick before? no, so far all the vets I've called around to don't have rabbit knowledge, if he does need to go to the vet, I'm going to find out who Sue recommends (Sue owns and spends a lot of time at a rabbit rescue).

- Diet - what does your bunny eat? Unlimited timothy hay, bunny basics T pellets, occassional veges and treats.
- when and what did s/he eat last? emptied his hay bin while I was at work (got home 2 hours ago and filled it up), ate pellets less than 30 mins ago.

- movement - any unusual movements? Is s/he hopping normally? normal movement/hopping.

- are there any plants, chocolate or other substances within reach? nope

- has the rabbit been outdoors? no


Could this just be from hay dust getting in his eye? I was thinking this might be it, but this hasn't appeared before.

 

[Maureen Las]

Thanks for all the info..

rabbits can get a runny eye for multiple reaons. Sometimes it is something as simple as a blocked tear duct.I used to have a holland lop who got periodic runny eye and had to have his ducts flushed.; the vet would get whitish discharge from the flush indicating a recurring infection so he would get eye drops and an oral antibiotic for a short time.

Some rabbits with tooth root issues will have symptoms involving the eye . It is very common to have problems with teeth AND eyes ; they affect each other as the roots of the teeth grow up towards the eye sometimes even blocking off the tearducts.

Your rabbit could have an allergy as it is spring and all of mine are shedding profusely.
I think that you should try to find a good vet and take him in have his eyes and teeth looked at.
you can ask your friend andI can provide you with the vets that we have available for your state.
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11637&forum_id=9+

let us know how he is

 

[tonyshuman]

angieluv said it all!

 

[Amaya]

Thank you very much. I will talk to Sue asap and call some vets. Hopefully it's simply an allergy which I had not thought of nor found as I was just now searching for possible causes. I've only had him with me since November so we have not spent a spring together yet. I will also be sure to try to contact his previous family and ask if this happened in the spring/summer.

Again, thank you so much for your very helpful answer. I'll post sometime in the next day or three, whenever I'm able to get back here and let everyone know.

 

[Malexis]

I live in washington too! I cant help you with your situation but i do know of a very knowledgable rabbit vet Her name is Mellisa Nathanson
http://www.northseattlevetclinic.vetsuite.com/Templates/PetPortalStyle.aspx

That is where i take my rabbit.

Hope your rabbit is okay!

 

[Amaya]

Thank you! Seattle is only about an hour away too. Rocket might be going on a ferry ride soon.

 

[Malexis]

Your welcome!I go to them because my rabbits previous owner took her there and said they were good so i did too, and they are. Before that though when i was searching for good vets i came accross this:
http://www.rabbitrodentferret.org/rabbitrodentferret.org/vets.asp?animal=1

So it just kinda confirms that she's a good vet, because she's refered by that shelter but also theres other recomendations if there are anycloser to you

 

[Amaya]

Do you know the vet's name whom I should ask for? The rabbit shelter I get Rocket's nails clipped at also recommends this clinic on their website, but none of these say which vet to ask for, just that there is a good rabbit vet on duty most of the time.

 

[Amaya]

I was able to get a hold of Sue just now. She recommended a vet closer to me that she's been working with a lot lately. As well as a second one if she can't get him in. The second one is a little farther away and more expensive than most vets, but pretty good with rabbits.

She thinks he'll probably need antibiotic eyedrops or cream and asked me to update her on how he's doing.

I'll be able to get Rocket in to the vet on Tuesday.

 

[dquesnel]

As Maureen (angieluv) said, it could be a likely blocked tear duct. Especially if it is only one eye, and the tears are clear. It can get blocked by dust from hay or their own fur, or mucous from possible infection. When I get my Chloe's eye flushed I have him on antibiotic drops for a few days just for good measure.

Hopefully that is all it is. I am glad you can get into the vet- keep us posted!

 

[Amaya]

Rocket's appointment is at 2:00 this afternoon. The problem seems to have gone away (went away Sunday and is still staying dry), but I'm still going to take him to see the vet to look at it just in case. I don't think he's been to the vet in the last year anyway. (I adopted him in November).

 

[Maureen Las]

How'd it go?........:expressionless

 

[Amaya]

It went very well and Beth was great. I'd recommend her to anyone in the area.

I believe I already said that his eye cleared up on its own Sunday. She did a normal checkup and paid special attention to his eyes and he looks great so far as she could tell. She said that she'd write some notes and if the tearing returns, I can call to get eyedrops and an oral med without going in again. She said that takes care of the problem 99% of the time, but she didn't want him to be stressed from being medicated if he doesn't actually need it. Also, if it does come back and the meds don't take care of it, at that point she'll do x-rays to check his teeth and if it's the roots growing and obstructing the tear duct, in that case, the tooth would need pulled.

She was very good, she confirmed what I had read, and what Sue and everyone here said.

Oh, and for anyone in the area wondering, the checkup was $36.

 

[Maureen Las]

It sounds like a great check -up and I cannot believe so inexpensive!!!.....

 

[Amaya]

I was very surprised by the price. When I had looked around before, the best price I found had been $58 (which I thought was quite good) though none of them seemed very knowledgeable about rabbits.
I was expecting Dr. Beth Owen to be a great vet after being referred by Sue, but yes, the price really surprised me.

 

[tonyshuman]

Sounds good...