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Watery Eyes

duncan1_9_8_4

duncan1_9_8_4

New Kit
We have had a pet rabbit now for 5 years (also 5yr old). Since i can remember, she has had on/off watery eyes, regular vets visits, molar teath seen to, as they grow outwards into cheeks. In all, good health care. For some reason though the watery eyes are bothering me, though no words of caution from vets. Last week she had her molar teath done again, and also a tear duct flush at £45 (first time ever). Since she has been absolutely fine, eating well etc, but the eyes still water a little, which looks worse as it drys on her furr. Can a rabbit just have watery eyes? Or is this the subject of numerous horror stories and vets charging willy nilly with their guess work? Like i said, she has had water eyes on/off regular for 5 years. We have called the vets, who did the teath/tear ducts for the reason of her eyes watering last week. They now want to do xrays, and then who knows........? Whilst i dont mind paying for stuff that WORKS, i have just paid £180 for the above last week that has not worked.
 
duncan1_9_8_4 said:
We have had a pet rabbit now for 5 years (also 5yr old). Since i can remember, she has had on/off watery eyes, regular vets visits, molar teath seen to, as they grow outwards into cheeks. In all, good health care. For some reason though the watery eyes are bothering me, though no words of caution from vets. Last week she had her molar teath done again, and also a tear duct flush at £45 (first time ever). Since she has been absolutely fine, eating well etc, but the eyes still water a little, which looks worse as it drys on her furr. Can a rabbit just have watery eyes? Or is this the subject of numerous horror stories and vets charging willy nilly with their guess work? Like i said, she has had water eyes on/off regular for 5 years. We have called the vets, who did the teath/tear ducts for the reason of her eyes watering last week. They now want to do xrays, and then who knows........? Whilst i dont mind paying for stuff that WORKS, i have just paid £180 for the above last week that has not worked.
Click to expand...

I had a rabbit who had his tear ducts flushed every six weeks. For most of his life!

Sometimes the elongated tooth roots press on the teat ducts and there's nothing you can do to prevent eyes watering. Your vet could do an X-Ray to confirm this, but it wouldn't alter the treatment options. The fact that there are molar issues would point to this being the probably cause.

I have found that pressing with a warm compress under the eyes can loosen any gunk that gets caught up in the tear duct. This will help to keep it clean.

One of the best remedies for a weepy eye is a partner to clean it up :wave: However, failing that, you'll have to do the job yourself and bathe the eye/s in cooled boiled water to prevent the fur underneath from becoming aggravated and sore

Welcome to the Forum :wave:
 
duncan1_9_8_4 said:
We have had a pet rabbit now for 5 years (also 5yr old). Since i can remember, she has had on/off watery eyes, regular vets visits, molar teath seen to, as they grow outwards into cheeks. In all, good health care. For some reason though the watery eyes are bothering me, though no words of caution from vets. Last week she had her molar teath done again, and also a tear duct flush at £45 (first time ever). Since she has been absolutely fine, eating well etc, but the eyes still water a little, which looks worse as it drys on her furr. Can a rabbit just have watery eyes? Or is this the subject of numerous horror stories and vets charging willy nilly with their guess work? Like i said, she has had water eyes on/off regular for 5 years. We have called the vets, who did the teath/tear ducts for the reason of her eyes watering last week. They now want to do xrays, and then who knows........? Whilst i dont mind paying for stuff that WORKS, i have just paid £180 for the above last week that has not worked.
Click to expand...

Hello

'Watery eyes' can be a feature of Dental Disease. Rabbit's have open rooted teeth and the roots can elongate. Elongated tooth roots can press on the nasolacrimal duct (tear duct). So the tears cannot drain as they normally would hence the 'watery eyes'. The fact that your Rabbit's eyes appear to water less after Dental treatment could well be because once the crowns of the teeth are shortened there is less pressure on the roots. The only way to assess the tooth roots is by taking skull xrays, which is what your Vet has suggested.

Tooth root elongation cannot be cured, but it's rate of progression can be minimised by regular Dental treatment and ensuring that the Rabbit has an appropriate diet- ie 80%-90% hay/grass with minimal pellet feed. Rabbits who are feed a diet lacking in hay/grass are very likely to develop Dental problems. Tooth root elongation can eventually become painful and tooth root abscesses can occur. So it is important that the Vet carefully monitors the condition once it has been diagnosed.

These links may be useful to take a look at:

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

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/leaflet_pdfs/Feeding130807.pdf

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/leaflet_pdfs/going_green_oct_06.pdf
 
She initially went to the vets this time because her chin was soaking with dribble, so had teath done, and also tear ducts, which was recomended by the vet. I had just put watery eyes down to the colder weather outside (as it is more noticable in cold breezy weather). It is better when she is inside, but never quite clears up, (for the last 5 years). I shall start cleaning up every night with a warm damp cloth?
 
duncan1_9_8_4 said:
She initially went to the vets this time because her chin was soaking with dribble, so had teath done, and also tear ducts, which was recomended by the vet. I had just put watery eyes down to the colder weather outside (as it is more noticable in cold breezy weather). It is better when she is inside, but never quite clears up, (for the last 5 years). I shall start cleaning up every night with a warm damp cloth?
Click to expand...

I should use cotton wool, or cotton wool pads, and then discard ...
 
duncan1_9_8_4 said:
How would you recomend this is done? Plain warm water? Just damp or wet? Wipe or bathe? Dry arterwards?
Click to expand...

As I mentioned earlier, cooled boiled water is best, as it's sterilised. Clean cotton wool.

Compress of cotton wool soaked in the warm water for under the eye, and then a separate piece of cotton wool wet with water to bathe the eye itself.

I hope this helps! :thumb:

This is what I wrote on another thread:

I always use a piece of cotton wool soaked in cooled boiled water. The tear duct's exit is at the inner conner of the rabbit's eye. If you apply a warm and gentle compress under the eye, towards the inner corner (not on the eye itself) you may help to release some of the gunk that is trapped within the tear duct.

You may have to remove crusts gently by loosening them with a cotton ball soaked in the cooled boiled water. Alternatively a rabbit friend would clean up your rabbit's eye for free
 
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MightyMax said:
As I mentioned earlier, cooled boiled water is best, as it's sterilised. Clean cotton wool.

Compress of cotton wool soaked in the warm water for under the eye, and then a separate piece of cotton wool wet with water to bathe the eye itself.

I hope this helps! :thumb:

This is what I wrote on another thread:

I always use a piece of cotton wool soaked in cooled boiled water. The tear duct's exit is at the inner conner of the rabbit's eye. If you apply a warm and gentle compress under the eye, towards the inner corner (not on the eye itself) you may help to release some of the gunk that is trapped within the tear duct.

You may have to remove crusts gently by loosening them with a cotton ball soaked in the cooled boiled water. Alternatively a rabbit friend would clean up your rabbit's eye for free
Click to expand...

Go, no! I love our pet rabbit, but i could not have another. I have never had a pet that has had so many problems. Which annoys me to some extent, as they are 'marketed' as cheap pets, great for children blaa di blaa, when infact they are quite complex creatures compared to cats and dogs. £15 from pets at home, and over 5 years £540 in vets bills. I love the rabbit, and will do what ever is needed, but i just wont have another.
 
duncan1_9_8_4 said:
Go, no! I love our pet rabbit, but i could not have another. I have never had a pet that has had so many problems. Which annoys me to some extent, as they are 'marketed' as cheap pets, great for children blaa di blaa, when infact they are quite complex creatures compared to cats and dogs. £15 from pets at home, and over 5 years £540 in vets bills. I love the rabbit, and will do what ever is needed, but i just wont have another.
Click to expand...

Indeed you are quite right :D There are organisations dedicated to changing that viewpoint, but that doesn't stop companies and breeders making big bucks out of the deception.

Yes, clean under the eye with a piece of cotton wool dampened in the cooled boiled water :)
 
I have been cleaning the eyes for a few days now, twice daily. Only thing is, she still looks 'tatty' because of the way the furr drys afterwards.
 
duncan1_9_8_4 said:
I have been cleaning the eyes for a few days now, twice daily. Only thing is, she still looks 'tatty' because of the way the furr drys afterwards.
Click to expand...

Does the fur feel 'tacky' even when dry ? Ocular discharge can be quite gloopy as tears contain a percentage of mucus which acts as a lubricant to the cornea. Water does not always break down the discharge that is on the fur around the eyes, so it dries sticky on the fur. This can then lead to dermatitis around he eye as the skin under the sticky fur becomes inflamed. Using a warm sterile saline solution can be more effective at breaking down the stickiness than can plain boiled water. As long as the saline solution is sterile it will not do any harm if a bit gets into the actual eye. The water component of tears is a type of saline solution that also contains vitamins and minerals which are essential for the overall health of the eye.
 
Jack's-Jane said:
Does the fur feel 'tacky' even when dry ? Ocular discharge can be quite gloopy as tears contain a percentage of mucus which acts as a lubricant to the cornea. Water does not always break down the discharge that is on the fur around the eyes, so it dries sticky on the fur. This can then lead to dermatitis around he eye as the skin under the sticky fur becomes inflamed. Using a warm sterile saline solution can be more effective at breaking down the stickiness than can plain boiled water. As long as the saline solution is sterile it will not do any harm if a bit gets into the actual eye. The water component of tears is a type of saline solution that also contains vitamins and minerals which are essential for the overall health of the eye.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't say it feels tacky when dry.... it just seems quite firm (the furr) for want of a better word. When they do run it is indeed a little tacky, as it matts her furr under the eye. I wish she would wash and brush up after I have done it, though she does let me do it, and quite enjoys it........ I think
 
We had this problem with our French lop Daisy. Getting her tear ducts flushed never made much difference so eventually we stopped getting it done. We regularly wiped her eyes with cooled water, trimmed any fur that had became crusty and stuck together ( on occasion the vet shaved the area for us if it became really bad). If the skin below her eyes started to look sore we sprayed it with leucillin spray (says on the bottle it's safe near eyes) and that works really well at healing the skin. For us it was ongoing but manageable.
 
without wishing it on any rabbit, I am glad to see that this is a more common problem than I realised at first! If ever I have another, it will be a bog standard, short furr rabbit, they may be a bit hardier......?
 
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Daisy was a French lop so hers may have been tooth related. She was totally fine the first few years of her life then once they started watering they never stopped!
 
duncan1_9_8_4 said:
without wishing it on any rabbit, I am glad to see that this is a more common problem than I realised at first! If ever I have another, it will be a bog standard, short furr rabbit, they may be a bit hardier......?
Click to expand...

haha, difficult to predict! The only way *not* to get a watery eye rabbit is to get one from a rescue with a proven track record of non watery eyes :lol:
 
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