rabbit with blocked tear ducts

My friends rabbit has blocked tear ducts, the vet has seen him and given him antihistamine drops and anitbiotics. My friend has been told he will always have problems with his tear ducts so if this treatment doesnt work the only other solution would be to PTS, surely that a bit drastic? Any other opinions or advice would be great. Thanks Anna xx

The rabbit needs to see a rabbit savvy vet. There are multiple reasons a rabbit could have blocked tear ducts. Dental issues, deformities, infections etc.

Please suggest your friend finds another vet. Perhaps we could suggest one, if we know the location? Could you put a thread up in rabbit chat with "Rabbit Savvy vet needed in <your friends area>".

PTS is a ridiculous proposition at such an early stage !!

Blocked tear ducts can be caused by elongated tooth roots. Has the Rabbit had a full Dental examination *including skull radiographs to assess the tooth roots* ?

Does the Rabbit have other health problems that would make the Vet suggest PTS ?

:shock:
Grimlock has had blocked tear ducts all his life and he's six now.

If they want they can get an x ray to see if it's the molar roots that are blocking the tear ducts. It's a very common problem and when Grim was initially diagnosed my vet said there was no need for x rays as she was 99% sure that was the reason. He had them later for other reasons and it showed up what she suspected. So they don't need them but it would confirm what the problem is.

Grimlock always has runny eyes as the tears have nowhere to go. Most of the time the discharge is clear and there is no problem. I used to clean them every day or so but now he has a partner she cleans his face for him and I don't have to. They are very prone to infection. The blockage creates a nice warm, damp space which is idea for bacteria to grow. You can see if they're infected because the discharge goes white or yellow, the eyes become inflamed and red and they smell. I always do the smell test but it's not pleasant.

If you can catch the infection fairly early all you need are antibiotic eye drops/ointment. When the infection is worse I have been prescribed baytril along with them. When Grim's were really bad he had penicillin injections (initially he had these for abscesses but a side effect was that they helped his eyes so the vet prescribed them again when he had a really bad infection). Other things he;s had a re painkillers and anti inflammatory drops. Steroid drops can be used too but Grim's eyes are too damaged for these at the moment.

I think it's a case of managing them long term. It is long term as it is most likely the rabbit will have these issues all its life. But they can be managed. Sometimes the eye can get ulcerated, sometimes the infection is really bad and requires the ducts to to flushed but they can still be managed and the rabbit can be kept comfortable. I don't think it's a reason to put the rabbit to sleep unless there is a more sinister reason behind the eye infections.

Also it's important to keep the teeth in check to alleviate pressure on the ducts from the roots.

That's the only reason I can think for a rabbit to have permanently blocked ducts and it's quite common.

Also, tell them to get another vet. :wave:

Elijah had blocked tear ducts when I got him, nearly two years ago. He had a tear duct flush at the same time as he was under GA for his neuter and he's had no eye problems since. He also had skull radiographs but they showed it wasn't his tooth roots, fortunately.

As others have said - you friend needs a rabbit savvy vet.

My Starbuck has very similar problem's to Jenova's Grimlock from the sounds of it. He has always had tear duct problems on and off, partly related to tooth root issues. He's had several flushes but these are becoming less and less successful on the one side, and so we have to keep that side clean for him as Jenova's describes and make sure they are not getting infected. Unfortunately one of Starbuck's tear ducts are fully closed over now (they don't think it is the tooth roots that have done this, more that they have formed scar tissue and so closed over) so it is just a case of keeping this clean. His friend, Muesli, helps by grooming him. Does the bunny have a bunny friend as this can really help? It has never been suggested to me to put Starbuck to sleep because of his tear ducts

Thanks to all of your replies.

The vet thinks its is his tooth roots, he has had his teeth checked when he was neutued about 2 weeks ago and the vet checked them today inside his mouth so the back and front teeth are fine. The vet said that if this is going to be an ongoing problem then it would be better to put him to sleep due to him being on antibiotics and it wouldnt be fair on him and wouldnt want him to suffer more then he is already.

He does have a wifeybun but at the moment she is nursing 8 kits so he hasnt been with her for about 3 weeks now. He is such a lovely gentle friendly boy.

Has the vet done an x-ray to look at the tooth roots? As this is a different issue to spurs developing on teeth.

Is your tear duct rabbit father to the 8 kits ? Because his problems could be passed down to his offspring.

rabbit vet all the way vets are not always right!!!!!!!!!

whitehood said:

Is your tear duct rabbit father to the 8 kits ? Because his problems could be passed down to his offspring.

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Yes he is the father to the 8 kits, I have already mentioned to my friend that his condition might be passed down to the kits.