sore eyes & chin

My french lop Alfie is a year old - recently he has had crusty eyes - like sleep and the corner bit is red. We took him to the vets as he was due a vacc but it was typical as his eye had cleared up so there was nothing to show her. Well its now come back - any ideas?

Also i noticed when he lifted his chin that the underneath is red raw in a patch and looks like it might have a little dry pus. his fur used to be slightly matted under the chin but i put this down to him drinking out if a water bowl and it being wet. any ideas on what to do here also?

Did the vet check your buns teeth at the back of the mouth?

Dental issues can manifest as eye infections and also as dribbling - causing sores/baldness under the chin and around the dewlap. This would be the first thing that I would want to rule out to be honest.

Does your bunny have dirty forelegs at all or any matted fur down the front of his front legs?

she only checked the front ones so i think i will call up tomorrow and get him booked in for a full dental check up.

No he dosent have any problems with his front feet, and i have never seen any matted fur. They are for once sparkly white

Thank you for the help

I think in that case you might be better off finding a rabbit-savy vet. If you post where you are in rabbit chat you might get some helpful suggestions. A vet that only checks the incisor teeth at a check up is worrying! :? Oral examination of the back of the mouth (even though this is insufficient to check all the molars) is standard for a rabbit health check and my vet will do it regardless what bunny has come in for. :wave:

Just been to the vets - she checked his chin & back teeth as much as he would let her and she said he is showing signs of spurring. Can someone explain what this means?

she also checked his eyes and put a dye in them to see if the tear ducts were blocked - she said he has a small abrasion on his eye but his tear ducts look to be working fine.

she has given us an oral antibots for his chin and a cream antibots for his eyes. she said if he dosent improve then to pop him back in a few days.

Spurs are tiny outgrowths on the tooth in sharp spikes - and tend to occur on the molar teeth when they are not wearing correctly, there can be a variety of reasons for this from genetic malocclusion to poor diet. It is very common for a rabbit to present with spurs -what is important is how clinically significant these spurs are? Did the vet explain this and talk about if any further treatment is needed? Did bunny's tongue appear ulcerated?
I think it is a possibility that these spurs are causing problems in the mouth and for bunny to dribble - hence the wet chin.
Spurs on the molar teeth indicating incorrect wear of the teeth can sometimes mean that the tooth roots themselves are growing incorrectly - and one of the problems with this is that roots can sometimes grow up into the nasal cavity and squash the tear ducts - and are sometimes the underlying reason for blocked tear ducts.

Personally I would want my bunny to have a head and jaw Xray to check the teeth correctly, do any necessary burring (this is when the spurs are filed down and needs to be done under a general anaesthetic), but also to Xray the tooth roots to see if they are behind the tear duct issue.
I'm not saying you need to do it now, but if the dribbling continues, the eyes don't clear up and bunny shows ANY loss of appetite I would want those spurs burring ASAP and the Xray done at the same time.
Again, I do think you need to ask your vet more Q or find a better, more rabbit-savy vet if your vet doesn't discuss the above.
The most important thing you can do at home is give your rabbit a diet very high in fibre - lots and lots of hay. But a bunny with a sore mouth may be reluctant to eat hay so this is why sorting any teeth issues out early is imperative.
This article might help:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=472&S=5&SourceID=43

I think your right, time to find a new vet that has more experience. I have just posted for recomendation on rabbit chat now. Thank you for all you help, you have given me a bigger insight into this issue and have armed me with lots of knowledge so i wont be palmed off so easily next time.

I've just seen your thread and that the Duchess recommended Christobel in Twickenham Vets - excellent recommendation from what i've heard. She is the vet of a very experienced rabbit owner/member on here. If you can get to Twickenham to see her your rabbit will be in excellent hands.