Mishka has a watery eye :( - Update 16/12

U/D: We took her back to our usual vet. Within minutes she diagnosed it as a blocked tear duct. She treated her straight away, no anaesthetic needed. Whole procedure took 10 minutes. She was on eyedrops for a little bit afterwards and it cleared up beautifully. As of over a month later her eye is still clear so hopefully she's all cleared up now
________


Hey,
Been up the vet tonight with Mishka. She's had a watery eye since Sunday which hasn't gone away. It doesn't seem to have any sort of gooey discharge, it seems to just be watery. She has no discharge anywhere else either. She had a health check along with one of the others at a different vet to our normal one a week after we got her and we were told both rabbits had the beginning of spurs (my parents went to the same surgery with their dog years ago and they charged them a huge amount of money for medication it turned out he didn't need so I was a little wary of them)
Having had that 'diagnosed' coupled with the fact that she's a lop I was sure it was a dental problem. However having taken her to our normal surgery tonight we've been told her teeth look fine and there are no signs of spurs. He was a locum not the vet we normally see but he handled her well and seemed to know what he was talking about so I tend to trust him more than the other vet.

He thinks she has the beginning of a respiratory infection. He wanted to put her on Baytril but after Lunar had her sneezing problems a few months ago I remember that several members on here said that UK Baytril wasn't safe for rabbits so I asked him if he could put her on something else. He's put her on Metronidazole and Loxicom for 7 days. Are these both safe? Having looked them up they seem to be but I just wanted to be sure before I gave it to her. It seems that Loxicom is a brand name for Metacam? Is that right? It looks and smells like it.
Edit: I've also just remembered something else, the Metronidazole smells quite strongly of citrus (lemon I think). Could the flavouring be dangerous to her? As I know rabbits shouldn't have citrus.

She has been sneezing a bit but she's always been a little bit of a sneezy bunny. I wouldn't say she has been sneezing more than normal and she has no discharge from her nose. One thing she does seem to do is urinate a lot more than the others.
As far as her eye is concerned it's not pink or inflamed and the white of her eye looks fine. I've posted a picture below taken tonight, though it's not a great picture I'm afraid.
Her other eye seems fine and she seems fine in herself. She's eating just as greedily as ever.
Does it sound like a respiratory infection? Any ideas what else it could be?

I can't offer much advice I'm afraid, but her eye looks very similar to my oldest bun Boo Boo's eye. She went under anaesthetic to have it flushed but the vet found that she has a blocked tear duct and will probably be this way for the rest of her life Fingers crossed Mishka doesn't have a respiratory infection

~ILoveMyBunny~ said:

Hey,
Been up the vet tonight with Mishka. She's had a watery eye since Sunday which hasn't gone away. It doesn't seem to have any sort of gooey discharge, it seems to just be watery. She has no discharge anywhere else either. She had a health check along with one of the others at a different vet to our normal one a week after we got her and we were told both rabbits had the beginning of spurs (my parents went to the same surgery with their dog years ago and they charged them a huge amount of money for medication it turned out he didn't need so I was a little wary of them)
Having had that 'diagnosed' coupled with the fact that she's a lop I was sure it was a dental problem. However having taken her to our normal surgery tonight we've been told her teeth look fine and there are no signs of spurs. He was a locum not the vet we normally see but he handled her well and seemed to know what he was talking about so I tend to trust him more than the other vet.

He thinks she has the beginning of a respiratory infection. He wanted to put her on Baytril but after Lunar had her sneezing problems a few months ago I remember that several members on here said that UK Baytril wasn't safe for rabbits so I asked him if he could put her on something else. He's put her on Metronidazole and Loxicom for 7 days. Are these both safe? Having looked them up they seem to be but I just wanted to be sure before I gave it to her. It seems that Loxicom is a brand name for Metacam? Is that right? It looks and smells like it.
Edit: I've also just remembered something else, the Metronidazole smells quite strongly of citrus (lemon I think). Could the flavouring be dangerous to her? As I know rabbits shouldn't have citrus.

She has been sneezing a bit but she's always been a little bit of a sneezy bunny. I wouldn't say she has been sneezing more than normal and she has no discharge from her nose. One thing she does seem to do is urinate a lot more than the others.
As far as her eye is concerned it's not pink or inflamed and the white of her eye looks fine. I've posted a picture below taken tonight, though it's not a great picture I'm afraid.
Her other eye seems fine and she seems fine in herself. She's eating just as greedily as ever.
Does it sound like a respiratory infection? Any ideas what else it could be?

Click to expand...

Baytril is perfectly safe for Rabbits, it is one of the very few drugs actually licensed specifically for use in this species. It has a very good braod spectrum activity

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00Chem/ChComplex/Enrofloxacin.htm

The problem is not that the drug is 'unsafe' but that due to its possible over-use over the years it is becoming less and less effective. No antibiotic will work if the bacteria involved in the infection have become resistant to it.

Metronidazole is also 'safe', but has a limited action on bacteria and it is not likely to be as useful as a more broad spectrum antibiotic hen treating respiratory tact infections.

A watery eye due to dental problems is often due to the fact that the roots of the teeth have elongated and are pressing on the nasolacrimal duct, preventing it from draining. Tooth root elongation cannot be diagnosed just by looking into the Rabbit's mouth, skull radiographs are needed to obtain a definitive diagnosis. Tooth root elongation can also cause sneezing with or without a nasal discharge.

Sometimes having the nasolacrimal duct flushed and then giving the Rabbit a course of antibiotic eye drops and possibly systemic antibiotics will resolve the active infection. But if the primary problem is tooth root related the watery eye may be a chronic condition which requires longterm daily management. Actual treatment only being necessary when/if active bacterial infection is present xx

Ugh, I feel so stupid.. I was so tired yesterday I got Baytril mixed up with Benadryl. How could I be so stupid Not only is it incredibly embarassing but I could have put Mishka in danger as Baytril is probably safer than what she's on instead.
Sometimes I wonder if I should even have rabbits. They're my world but it seems that I keep messing up or letting them down I thought I was doing the right thing. How on earth did I get that so wrong...
Once again Jack's Jane you've come to the rescue. What an idiot I am.
I'm glad now that it was a locum vet. Maybe if the Metronidazole doesn't work she can go on Baytril instead. The worst bit is that Lunar was on Baytril!! I knew that it was safe!
Argh sorry, I'm just... Furious with myself right now... What if that had been something else, I could have killed her!
I think I got thrown because a respiratory infection never really occurred to me as a likely possibility. I was certain it was her teeth.
I didn't know that an x-ray was necessary to diagnose tooth problems, I thought it was the next stage. I'll see if I can get our regular vet to give me her opinion. She has rabbits herself and is very passionate about them, hopefully she'll have a better idea what the next stage is. I wonder if I can call and specifically ask for her - can you normally do that? We just usually get her as I think they tend to assign rabbits to her where possible.
If it's a tooth root problem you mention long-term daily management - what does that mean? Can she live a normal life if I look after her or is it something that could turn life threatening?
I can't thank you enough for yet again putting me right from my own stupidity. I feel like I've messed up again. I try so hard to learn and do what's right for them all but it always seems to backfire. I always think I'm giving them a better life than they would have had stuck outside in a small hutch 24/7 but maybe it was selfish to get them :/ I just can't retain what I learn..

~ILoveMyBunny~ said:

Ugh, I feel so stupid.. I was so tired yesterday I got Baytril mixed up with Benadryl. How could I be so stupid Not only is it incredibly embarassing but I could have put Mishka in danger as Baytril is probably safer than what she's on instead.
Sometimes I wonder if I should even have rabbits. They're my world but it seems that I keep messing up or letting them down I thought I was doing the right thing. How on earth did I get that so wrong...
Once again Jack's Jane you've come to the rescue. What an idiot I am.
I'm glad now that it was a locum vet. Maybe if the Metronidazole doesn't work she can go on Baytril instead. The worst bit is that Lunar was on Baytril!! I knew that it was safe!
Argh sorry, I'm just... Furious with myself right now... What if that had been something else, I could have killed her!
I think I got thrown because a respiratory infection never really occurred to me as a likely possibility. I was certain it was her teeth.
I didn't know that an x-ray was necessary to diagnose tooth problems, I thought it was the next stage. I'll see if I can get our regular vet to give me her opinion. She has rabbits herself and is very passionate about them, hopefully she'll have a better idea what the next stage is. I wonder if I can call and specifically ask for her - can you normally do that? We just usually get her as I think they tend to assign rabbits to her where possible.
If it's a tooth root problem you mention long-term daily management - what does that mean? Can she live a normal life if I look after her or is it something that could turn life threatening?
I can't thank you enough for yet again putting me right from my own stupidity. I feel like I've messed up again. I try so hard to learn and do what's right for them all but it always seems to backfire. I always think I'm giving them a better life than they would have had stuck outside in a small hutch 24/7 but maybe it was selfish to get them :/ I just can't retain what I learn..

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You are far too hard on yourself. If I told you of all the mistakes, mix-ups and mis-understandings I have had your hair would stand on end !! Honestly, none of us are perfect, although some may think they are You are NOT stupid, selfish or anything close.

I am sure your usual Vet will be fine about you seeking her advice and of course you can request that the appontment is specifically with her. Tooth ROOT issues (ie what goes on under the surface) may simply mean a chronic weepy eye that just needs daily cleaning. Sometimes the companion Rabbit will oblige with the task and we hardly have to do anything but monitor for any signs of active infection. No way does a watery eye inevitably mean a death sentence. Of course there are always two ends of the scale with regards to how significant any tooth problems become. But it is completely possible for a Rabbit to live in complete comfort for many years even if they have a weepy eye.

Try not to think of all the worst case scenarios (a rich comment coming from me, the worlds biggest neurotic!!). I very much doubt that your Rabbit has a major problem, just one that's a bit of a nuisance.

Do let us know how you are getting on xx

~ILoveMyBunny~ said:

Ugh, I feel so stupid.. I was so tired yesterday I got Baytril mixed up with Benadryl. How could I be so stupid Not only is it incredibly embarassing but I could have put Mishka in danger as Baytril is probably safer than what she's on instead.
Sometimes I wonder if I should even have rabbits. They're my world but it seems that I keep messing up or letting them down I thought I was doing the right thing. How on earth did I get that so wrong...
Once again Jack's Jane you've come to the rescue. What an idiot I am.
I'm glad now that it was a locum vet. Maybe if the Metronidazole doesn't work she can go on Baytril instead. The worst bit is that Lunar was on Baytril!! I knew that it was safe!
Argh sorry, I'm just... Furious with myself right now... What if that had been something else, I could have killed her!
I think I got thrown because a respiratory infection never really occurred to me as a likely possibility. I was certain it was her teeth.
I didn't know that an x-ray was necessary to diagnose tooth problems, I thought it was the next stage. I'll see if I can get our regular vet to give me her opinion. She has rabbits herself and is very passionate about them, hopefully she'll have a better idea what the next stage is. I wonder if I can call and specifically ask for her - can you normally do that? We just usually get her as I think they tend to assign rabbits to her where possible.
If it's a tooth root problem you mention long-term daily management - what does that mean? Can she live a normal life if I look after her or is it something that could turn life threatening?
I can't thank you enough for yet again putting me right from my own stupidity. I feel like I've messed up again. I try so hard to learn and do what's right for them all but it always seems to backfire. I always think I'm giving them a better life than they would have had stuck outside in a small hutch 24/7 but maybe it was selfish to get them :/ I just can't retain what I learn..

Click to expand...

Ah poor you, I do sympathise - it's really difficult keeping rabbits!

You have not put Mishka in danger and you are not at all letting them down. Sometimes we expect ourselves to be better than the vets and get really hard on ourselves when we don't know everything.


An X-ray isn't always necessary to diagnose teeth problems, and in fact my own vet told me she doesn't do X-rays because they rarely show up anything useful! Some vets who are confident with rabbit dentals can look inside the mouth with the rabbit completely conscious and get all the info they need. X-rays will supply info about tooth roots, which may or may not alter the course of treatment and give a better prognosis of outcome.

As for watery eyes, many many rabbits have these. Mostly they get 'managed' rather than cured. Wiping away the discharge a couple of times daily with cooled boiled water on cotton wool balls, or a friend rabbit to clean the eye for them.

It takes years to remember what we learn about rabbits - that's why I intend to keep going on courses when they come along to refresh my mind on all the different aspects.

I think you're doing great