• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

Damaged tear ducts

J

JemimaH

Warren Veteran
Right, this is going to be a bit of a confused post so bear with me!

Alf has had a recurring weepy eye that comes and goes, for a while. We've been to the vets a few times and Friday he saw the exotics specialist (very experienced with rabbits). She said nothing is wrong with the teeth she can see, which is good, but she's thinking it may be his roots which is damaging his tear ducts? They're not blocked, but it's something to do with the scar tissue building up as his roots press upwards and this causes a funny eye? Apparently the next step would be xrays to check his roots (which is £130 alone, I don't know how we're going to afford this :() , then a lifetime of eye drops or something to try and manage his problem?

I wasn't at the appt, Mum was, as I had to stay at home with Roo. Can anyone shed some light on this, as I am still very confused?!

Also, what do the eye drops do? Alfie is not bothered in the slightest by his eye - he's not in pain, Roo cleans it for him very well :)love:) and I've never seen him irritated by it in the slightest, so am reluctant to put him on a course of eyedrops for life when he is a very difficult bun to handle as it is, if all it does is keeps the eye moist or whatever! Obviously if it has real benefits then I will, but it doesn't seem to be causing him any pain or discomfort as it is :?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, I'm quite upset at the prospect of subjecting him to a life of treatment, and possible ops/xrays etc, and there is the added worry that we are skint as it is.
 
Tooth root elongation can occur as part of Dental Disease. The tooth roots cannot be seen other than on skull radiographs, so just looking in the Rabbit's mouth will not enable the Vet to assess the tooth roots.

If the elongated roots occlude the nasolacrimal duct (tear duct) the Rabbit presents with constantly runny eyes, AKA Dacryocystitis

Tooth root elongation is not the only cause of chronic dacryocystitis, but it is a very common cause in Rabbits. With chronic dacryocystitis infection can be involved and this would require treatment with antibiotic eye drops. Chronic infection can also lead to corneal ulceration which can prove to be very problematic to treat.

Not all cases of chronic dacryocystitis progress to such an advanced state, but the condition usually requires life long management. If the Rabbit has a partner who cleans their eyes this can sometimes be useful. Although on occasions it can cause additional problems such as the introduction of bacteria such as Pasteurella. This scenario is certainly not inevitable, not in my experience any way. Also, if the grooming Rabbit is rather too enthusiastic about eye cleaning I have known it to be the cause of a corneal abrasion leading to the development of a corneal ulcer.

These things are mostly 'worst case scenarios' though and they do not always occur.

Tooth root elongation cannot be cured, but the progression of the condition can be slowed down by careful monitoring and management-ie regular Dentals to prevent the crowns of the teeth becoming too long.

This link gives details about TRE and Dental Disease in general

http://www.manorvets.co.uk/ckfinder/userfiles/files/dental dz(1).pdf
 
Jack's-Jane said:
Tooth root elongation can occur as part of Dental Disease. The tooth roots cannot be seen other than on skull radiographs, so just looking in the Rabbit's mouth will not enable the Vet to assess the tooth roots.

If the elongated roots occlude the nasolacrimal duct (tear duct) the Rabbit presents with constantly runny eyes, AKA Dacryocystitis

Tooth root elongation is not the only cause of chronic dacryocystitis, but it is a very common cause in Rabbits. With chronic dacryocystitis infection can be involved and this would require treatment with antibiotic eye drops. Chronic infection can also lead to corneal ulceration which can prove to be very problematic to treat.

Not all cases of chronic dacryocystitis progress to such an advanced state, but the condition usually requires life long management. If the Rabbit has a partner who cleans their eyes this can sometimes be useful. Although on occasions it can cause additional problems such as the introduction of bacteria such as Pasteurella. This scenario is certainly not inevitable, not in my experience any way. Also, if the grooming Rabbit is rather too enthusiastic about eye cleaning I have known it to be the cause of a corneal abrasion leading to the development of a corneal ulcer.

These things are mostly 'worst case scenarios' though and they do not always occur.

Tooth root elongation cannot be cured, but the progression of the condition can be slowed down by careful monitoring and management-ie regular Dentals to prevent the crowns of the teeth becoming too long.

This link gives details about TRE and Dental Disease in general

http://www.manorvets.co.uk/ckfinder/userfiles/files/dental dz(1).pdf
Click to expand...

Thanks so much Jane! Very helpful :)


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk - now Free
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Hannahstokesbunmom
Eye drops for my bunny help!!!!!
Replies
8
Views
347
InspectorMorse
InspectorMorse
S
Rabbit eye ulcer not healing
Replies
4
Views
149
InspectorMorse
InspectorMorse
DemiS
Weepy Eye - What do savvy vets typically do?
Replies
9
Views
1K
InspectorMorse
InspectorMorse
Back
Top