weepy eye advice please

hello,
eric has seen 2 vets in recent weeks due to his excessive sneezing and scabby nose. first vet said it didn't look like pastuerella, more like syphillis (even tho he had no scabs on his genitals and is only a 4 month old house rabbit - birth i suppose).

he gave him a jab of convenia and told me to return in 10 days. in the meantime, the sneezing became worse so after 8 days i took him back. 2nd vet said pasteurella and prescribed baytril. he also gave him an anti-inflammatory jab. the scab on one side of his nose dropped off a couple of days later and the one on the other side is working its way off now too. the skin underneath doesn't look great but no huge scabs have reformed.

i posted on here before about the trauma the baytril was causing and tried everything forum members advised. eric carried on sneezing and became a little lethargic with lack of appetite (also refused to drink as baytril had been added to the water a couple of times).

i rang the vet and they came out to him (tues 21st april). the pasteurella vet decided to give him a 2nd injection of convenia and another anti-inflam jab. he also prescribed a pro-biotic to add to his water.

eric picked up the next day - even got up to some mischief and appetite and
energy increased even had some binkys

just noticed tho that eric now has a weepy eye. i noticed this morning a clump of fur on his eyelid that seemed to be protruding. could this be irritating his eye? may the eye be infected with whatever is hurting his nose? or could he have been scratching to remove the clump of fur? (not sure what to expect with moulting).

any advice would be gratefully received.

x

did your vet do a x-ray on his upper jaw? You could be dealing with this:



It's quite common among bunnies.

Is his diet normal?

If there is fur on the surface of the eye, you can use natural tear drop on the bunny's eyes. I have use it before on my bun Bernie when there is a piece of fur stuck on his eyes. I drop enough eye drop for it to flush the fur off his eyes.

The brand name I use is called Allergan Refresh Celluvisc, there is no preservative in the substance.

hello, thank you for such a quick reply.

the first vet tried having a look at his teeth and said what he could see looked fine (before eric tried to eat the light thingy). i wasn't convinced as eric is a netherland dwarf so i believe this breed can be prone to dental issues (???). when i can (hopefully) resolve his sneezing i will def get his teeth looked at properly as i doubt he'd fare well with a ga at the moment (will try find dental vet in wolverhampton area).

his diet consists of ss pellets and lots of hay. i have introduced some vegetables as he's still quite young (he's very picky:roll so i ensure he has a good supply of his fave's (spring greens, fine green beans and mint).

its just an odd coincidence that i noticed the tuft above his eye this morning with his eye lashes looking very noticeable and now his eye looks irritated (is this normal during a moult?).

i'm trying to find the eye drops on-line now too.

x

It does sound like you need to get an X-ray of his teeth when he is well enough as he may need a dental.

Your vet may be able to recommend some eye drops you can get from a chemist in the meantime.

thanks for your replies. i've just been to the chemist for something to soothe eric's eye but they only had hayfever drops like opticrom at the mo (very small village pharmacy, open for only one hour as its sunday).

his eye looked much better last night, still a bit teary but wide open, but this morning its looking sore and red again. i've bathed it twice with cool boiled water; any thoughts on what else i can do before i can contact the vet in the morning please?

x

i wouldnt give him human drops for his eyes a rabbits eyes are sensitive and while they can weep etc they cannot cry to wash stuff you put in out. it could be tooth root issues(only seen from xray) something in eye(fur mentioned?) conjuntivitus....this would need fucilthalmic eye drops it could be that all his symptoms are actually myxi not as you thought initially pasturella, in which case the weepy eye uis another sign of that.... agaian would need fucilthalmic if it is myxi you will likley se eother scabs or lumps on the body too, treatment would also be with baytril or other antibiotics adn metacam. there are lots of other things i think it could be but its difficult to know with out seeing it. x

thanks bunlover.
i think the only way forward is to take eric for a 2nd opinion as lately i feel i have been going round in circles and achieving nothing. some forum members (many thanks for your help) have used the same vets as me and said they were pretty good so i may try a different branch of the same practise as they have his records on computer (3 local to me but the receptionist took great offence last week when i rang to ask if they could reccommend one of their vets who was more rabbit knowledgeable). the big scabs have now fallen off his nose but it still looks crusty and must still be sensitive every time he tries to eat or drink, the sneezing has continued and now his eye.....

oh dear. i had his myxi jab as soon as he was old enough (he's a house rabbit) but there are loads of wild rabbits around here; foxes too. last year, myxi was rife but i haven't seen any or heard of any yet. apart from his nose i can't find any more scabs or nodules.

starting to feel even more panicky in case its myxi - syphillis and/or pasteurella worrying enough (esp as i tried every way suggested to get him to have baytril and failed) so he's had 2 shots of convenia (a long lasting anti-biotic).

starting to feel i haven't done something right so i must be a cr*p owner.
x

When did he las have his myxi jab? they need them twice a year and the VHD should be once a year.

You should post to see which actual vet people see in the practice in your area or if they can recommend a different one completely.

Good luck, I hope it is something that can be sorted easily with the right treatment.

well if it did turn out to be myxi which is least likley i have a bunny who has had myxi she survived and is doing well, baytril is the right treatment either way and tlc. etc so dont panic its got a good sucsess rate if it is that..vaccs buns can only get nodular and the fact you have seen no more nodules means its likley to be syphillys or something else. dont panic...you will get her through whatever it is xxx

myxi jab was 26th feb and although the vet said it was annual, i'd already researched a bit (as new owners do) so i thought every 6 months would be better and annual for vhd. he said it wasn't necessary but if i wanted to pay another £30 i could.......

x

poppymoon said:

myxi jab was 26th feb and although the vet said it was annual, i'd already researched a bit (as new owners do) so i thought every 6 months would be better and annual for vhd. he said it wasn't necessary but if i wanted to pay another £30 i could.......

x

Click to expand...

It should be effective then as the myxi jab is effective after 14 days I believe.

Some vets say 12 months for myxi jabs but I think it is now recommended every 6 months especially if you are in high risk area.

Mine both have the VHD too. £30 for it sounds a bit steep though, you may want to ring round to see if any others do it cheaper. I pay £30 for a myxi and vhd, if they are separate I think they are about £18 (there is always 2 weeks between the myxi and vhd).

Hopefully it won't be myxi but as bunlover says she has been getting the right antibiotic anyway.

You sound like you are doing everything possible, and you are a good bunny owner.

thank you, i feel a bit more pro-active now. this site is sooooooo supportive and informative

i have ploughed thro so much stuff, reading about snuffles, syphillis and myxi that i've got myself very confused such a worry not knowing what to do for the best for eric - never thought i'd adore the little guy so much. i sound soppy - sorry

i suppose its just worry and fearing the worst. the wretched sneezing seems to frustrate him and i can't stop it.

last night tho, i stayed up til half past midnight cos he was running about very happily so i didn't want to put him to bed (i was shattered as my son has been poorly too!). he has a mosey about in a morning but sleeps most of the day - i know rabbits are crepsular but reading the forum posts, others seem to have very active daytime buns......

if the sneezing turns out to be syphillis or pasteurella tho, have i done right having the longer lasting convenia jab as the baytril was imposssible to get into him and i got quite frantic?

sorry i'm asking so many questions, head whizzing with thoughts of eric.

x

eric's eye doesn't look so bad today. still going to get it sorted tho with vet asap (have funeral to attend today. feel bad making eric wait but.....). i noticed last night tho that just on the edge of his upper eyelid looked to be a tiny nick in the skin where the sticking out eyelash or fur bit is (sorry, not very good at describing it. tried to take some pics to post but forgot to turn flash off so he's now sat in the corner facing the wall having a big sulk. sorry eric_. i wonder if that has been making it sore or if scratching it cos it was irritated caused it? chicken or egg situation.......

the soothing drops mentioned in case fur was in the eye to provide some relief (without the preservative)........chemist tried to sell me something for relief of dry eyes when wearing contact lenses when i showed her what i'd written down:? very confusing.

the anti-biotic jab (convenia) he had, any ideas if i need to give this the 10-14 days to see a difference in him as its an injectable long lasting one and part of me feels i'm not being patient enough as eric is eating and pooping ok?

x