My little weepy eyed bunny

Hi guys. So I've posted a few things on here before so you may be aware that I have just rescued a little bunny called Eric who's been bonded with my bunny Wesley. They are doing well so far so that's great!

Eric was neglected and had a bad eye infection (due to teeth) which was left untreated so it ended up scarring his eye tissue and now he weepy eye issues and will have this for the rest of his life. So I'm after just some advice or just someone to talk to about Erics 'issues' who may have a bunny with a similar problem. I.e how do you handle it, best methods of cleaning, things which prevent the mucas, any challenges I might face ect.

I haven't had him long and sometimes find it hard to clean around his eye when the mucus has dried and stuck to his fur. Thank god he is a very well behaved bunny and will let me clean it. I clean it twice a day so far and have some drops which go in twice a day.

Any one with a bun who has special needs would be great. I'm a bit scared as never looked after a bunny with issues and want to help him as much as I can so just looking for support and tips.

Thanks, Olivia, Wesley and Eric x

Here's a pic of them and a pic of his eyes.


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oliviaandwez said:

Hi guys. So I've posted a few things on here before so you may be aware that I have just rescued a little bunny called Eric who's been bonded with my bunny Wesley. They are doing well so far so that's great!

Eric was neglected and had a bad eye infection (due to teeth) which was left untreated so it ended up scarring his eye tissue and now he weepy eye issues and will have this for the rest of his life. So I'm after just some advice or just someone to talk to about Erics 'issues' who may have a bunny with a similar problem. I.e how do you handle it, best methods of cleaning, things which prevent the mucas, any challenges I might face ect.

I haven't had him long and sometimes find it hard to clean around his eye when the mucus has dried and stuck to his fur. Thank god he is a very well behaved bunny and will let me clean it. I clean it twice a day so far and have some drops which go in twice a day.

Any one with a bun who has special needs would be great. I'm a bit scared as never looked after a bunny with issues and want to help him as much as I can so just looking for support and tips.

Thanks, Olivia, Wesley and Eric x



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Poor little chap, his eyes do look sore. I assume the Vet has attempted to flush the nasolacrimal ducts out ? Obviously the ducts may be permanently blocked now due to tooth root elongation and scar tissue in the ducts ? Has the Vet diagnosed the tooth root elongation from radiographic images of the skull ?

You may find that Wesley will clean around Eric's eye's. In some cases this can be beneficial, but if the eyes are already very inflamed the constant licking from the companion Rabbit can make the problem worse. So each case needs to be judged individually regarding that specific issue.

What type of eye drops has Eric been prescibed ?

After bathing the eyes and drying the area off as much as possible In some cases it can be useful to use some Vita- POS around the eyes to act as a barrier against the tears and protect the delicate skin. It also reduces the crustiness that can occur and make any that does easier to remove.

http://www.pharmacyfirst.co.uk//med...VkD-_e8HWFPnKUeQPEZJ8J68CL18nTTdGlBoCblPw_wcB

Ah thanks ever so much for your reply!

I don't know much about his past other than what I have said really. I do know it will always be this way so he will always need eye cleans.

He was a bunny from the rspca so they know all his history but I have a vet appointment on Monday with the same vet for them to check him over and to fill me in on his past. He's on some eye drops, I have attached a picture below.

So far Wesley hasn't licked the area as they are still getting used to each other but I'm hoping he will to keep them clean in the day when I am at work.

Generally he is a very happy little bunny and flops and binkies everywhere so I'm really hoping that he isn't in a lot of pain. P's the pic of his eye was taken just after I had cleaned them. They look a bit better now.

oliviaandwez said:

Hi guys. So I've posted a few things on here before so you may be aware that I have just rescued a little bunny called Eric who's been bonded with my bunny Wesley. They are doing well so far so that's great!

Eric was neglected and had a bad eye infection (due to teeth) which was left untreated so it ended up scarring his eye tissue and now he weepy eye issues and will have this for the rest of his life. So I'm after just some advice or just someone to talk to about Erics 'issues' who may have a bunny with a similar problem. I.e how do you handle it, best methods of cleaning, things which prevent the mucas, any challenges I might face ect.

I haven't had him long and sometimes find it hard to clean around his eye when the mucus has dried and stuck to his fur. Thank god he is a very well behaved bunny and will let me clean it. I clean it twice a day so far and have some drops which go in twice a day.

Any one with a bun who has special needs would be great. I'm a bit scared as never looked after a bunny with issues and want to help him as much as I can so just looking for support and tips.

Thanks, Olivia, Wesley and Eric x

Here's a pic of them and a pic of his eyes.

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Oh poor little lad!

I've seen this condition many times over in my rescued and foster bunnies. Usually it's caused by elongated tooth roots, which impinge upon the teat duct and cause a kink so that they don't drain properly and also collect bacteria.

Your vet should be able to flush them out and see whether they *can* be flushed successfully!

What you can do is use cooled boiled water to cleanse the area twice daily. You can put a warm compress just under the eye where the tear duct empties and try and encourage any gunk to discharge itself. Sorry for the description!

I would not put anything at all around the eye that hasn't been specifically recommended by a vet. You can cause all sorts of problems applying home treatments, especially if they contain paraffin as most do. You don't want the eye to become more sore, or for anything to interfere with his current treatment.

He looks like a little charmer

Ah I'm pleased you have had experience with bunnies like this. Do you think they are in pain. I mean he seems happy and the rspca seem think he's fine other than the eye issue. Is it possible for them to lead happy rabbit lives?

Yes he has had his back teeth removed now but I think the initial problem was caused by his teeth. I have to chop up his food so he can eat.

Thanks for the advice on how to clean his eyes. I will give this a go tonight.

Hopefully the vet can give him something to help but the drops seem to help a bit for now.

Below is a pic of him flopped out. He's so cute


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oliviaandwez said:

Ah I'm pleased you have had experience with bunnies like this. Do you think they are in pain. I mean he seems happy and the rspca seem think he's fine other than the eye issue. Is it possible for them to lead happy rabbit lives?

Yes he has had his back teeth removed now but I think the initial problem was caused by his teeth. I have to chop up his food so he can eat.

Thanks for the advice on how to clean his eyes. I will give this a go tonight.

Hopefully the vet can give him something to help but the drops seem to help a bit for now.

Below is a pic of him flopped out. He's so cute

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He is unlikely to be in pain from the eye condition, and as his teeth have been attended to, they are probably not causing him pain now either (hopefully!).

The soreness around the eye will be the main issue. His friend may well keep it clean for him, and the eye drops will of course help keep the eye very healthy.

Was it his back teeth (ie molars) that were removed, or his front teeth (incisors) as far as you know?

He certainly looks a real poppet, but I am knockover for white bunnies

Ah thanks. I wanted to cry yesterday cleaning him because I was so worried he was in pain but he really doesn't seem to be as he's more active than my fat Wesley.
It was his incisors I think, that's what I have been told. He eats hay and eats normally other than me chopping his food.
He's really lovely and I just want to make him feel as comfortable as possible.

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he looks very relaxed there I think that is a good indicator he's managing well as with all the other behaviour you describe. I think I'm developing a soft spot for him too

It is such a shame that something left untreated has caused him to have this for his life bless him. Yes he seems happy as Larry. Hopefully I can keep on top of everything and get a more detailed understanding of his issues from the vet tomorrow

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oliviaandwez said:

It is such a shame that something left untreated has caused him to have this for his life bless him. Yes he seems happy as Larry. Hopefully I can keep on top of everything and get a more detailed understanding of his issues from the vet tomorrow

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I have looked after so many bunnies without incisors, and often (though not always) they come along with eye issues like your little one too. It can be managed, you just have to be careful with cleaning the delicate skin.

Ah I see. I'm glad it's manageable. I'm sure once I've done it a few more times that ill get the hang of it! For now it's very new.

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He's a gorgeous little boy And good on you for adopting him, I know bunnies with ongoing issues can struggle to find a forever home :thumb:

My bridge bun Scrappy also had this issue. Similar cause in that it was a result of tooth root elongation. Before I adopted her she had her incisors removed. Unfortunately they only "snapped" rather than fully removed them, and a CT scan showed that it was the calcified root that was the cause. As it couldn't be removed it was a case of managing the issue.

Whenever her weepy eye flared up (usually every two or three months) my vet would flush out the tear duct, and put her on a course of eye drops and antibiotics to deal with any infection. I would also clean around the eye with a warm compress. I'm pretty certain she wasn't in any undue pain and discomfort, it was just a case of my being extra vigilant and keeping on top of it.

Good luck :wave:

Aw sounds similar to little eric then! thanks, it gives me an idea of what to expect! These two are my only pets so luckily I can devote all my spare time to them. I think he's in the middle of a flare up now. It was worse yesterday but getting better by the looks of things.

Ah it's so good to hear people's experiences. It's deffinetly put my mind at rest. Fyew!

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