Blocked tear duct? U/D new question

The bun I'm bunsitting for the Easter weekend had a weepy eye last time we came. She just turned up now and we had another chat - apparently they've been back and forth from the vet and her teeth are fine and it's a blocked tear duct. Apparently they've been flushed but are blocked solid?
Never had any experience with tear ducts so wondering if this sounds right? Owner said the vet said there's nothing that can be done about it, so is it just a case of keeping the eye area clean (would Vaseline be best to stop the skin getting sore?)
Just wanted to check as although the woman absolutely adores the bun, she's not the most knowledgable - despite chats with her last time the bun is still on the cheapest mix full of flaked peas, and I've been given loads of petshop treats to give her.
Hopefully if I see how she does on the natural stuff I've got here I can convince her owner that she likes them just as much and would be a lot better. Thankfully now the owner knows me and knows I look after her bun well it's easier to talk to her about what she should and shouldn't be doing - we had a long chat on the phone about getting hera companion but the hubby said definately not. But she fell in love with Rex so maybe if I sneakily find some rexes for rehoming around here she can convince him otherwise :lol:

Edited to add: Kind of redundant now, just had a chat with my vet and mentioned it and he said it's just making sure it doesn't get a secondary infection, and that it's probably related to the teeth because of the poor diet. Hopefully I can relay this on to them and they may start taking it seriously to keep her on a good diet! Might type up a 'diet plan' to help them, but I'll leave this thread up anyway if anyone's got a bun with permanent duct problems and could give some advice I could pass on?

It does sound like a tooth root problem related to a poor diet. Unfortunately once the tooth roots have started to press on the nasolacrimal duct the condition cant be cured. Daily bathing of the eyes with cooled boiled water and gentle massaging around the duct to clear out the gunk will help reduce the risk of infection. Yes, vaseline can be used around the eyes to protect the skin. I personally believe the use of antibiotic drops should be limited to when there is ACTIVE INFECTION ie pusy discharge, red inflammed conjunctiva. Otherwise resistance to the eye meds will occur.
Hopefully bunnies owner will heed your advice,
Janex

It does sound like diet related going by what you have said about the food!
Pastuerella buns can also get blocked ducts from the build up of fluid in the sinuses....
I had 2 rescue buns who had it & even when syptoms were dormant one of them had to have his ducts syringed regularly

I just had to call to check something and mentioned that George had been having a good munch on the hay, and the owner said I would need to pass on all my tips to help (I'd stuck the hay in a loo roll so George was having great fun chucking it and having a munch too), so I think I'll do her a little 'guide to stubborn buns' sheet :lol: and stress how although it can't be cured, a DECENT diet will do wonders. I've got a spare bag of Excel Lite which I could give her - had to order in SS again as Mary decided he didn't like Excel Lite anymore :roll:
She's back munching at the hay again, so the problem isn't getting her to eat it, but convincing her owner she does like it!

Given George some yummy dried grass and timothy hay cubes and noticed her droppings in the cage are very tiny. At least she's still producing them but she's a fair sized bun (same size as my Nina) so poos should be a lot bigger. Assume this would just be because of her bad diet? Not eating much hay and eating a mix very high in flaked peas (and not much else!) as well as all the seed sticks (I thought the owner had been good and cut down as she only handed me two, but then I opened the carrier bag to find another 12 :shock: ) and treat biscuits.
Should I just cut all these out and explain to the owner on Monday why I've done so, explain how serious stasis is etc. and that I was very concerned about poo size and hence George's gut movement? Should I wean her onto Excel and give her mum my spare bag or is that taking too many liberties? George has had pellets before and been fine - her owner forgot to leave me with George's own mix and only left bags of veg so I left her on hay and veg and then weaned her slowly onto a few pellets just so she had something more substantial to eat, so I know she's OK on them.
The owner is the kind of person who very much anthromop-whatever the word! with George and hence she's spoilt - and not in a good way. She told me George doesn't like hay but obviously she does as she's tucking in fine, I imagine she's just provided with yummier alternatives like treat sticks and pea-flake-mix which she obviously prefers!
So I think showing her she can enjoy a more natural diet and providing alternative treats like hay cubes, Haybix, new veg (George only has spring greens and baby carrots as far as I know, that's all I've ever been given for her), and providing pellets in a treatball to make them a bit more fun/last longer, she'll hopefully stick to this if she knows it's better for her.

I know it sounds a bit gruesome but I would collect some of her poos as they are now and show them to her owner comparing them to yours (well, not yours, your bunnies!), that way you have something tangible to show when she returns.

Difficult to know how much change to introduce, partly for the bunnies digestion, and partly just because like you say, she might think you're treading on her toes and decide not to listen to you at all. Maybe cut down on the treats and offer lots of good things as well as her normal diet (so you don't have to say "I changed this, I changed that," but instead "I tried her on these things that are good for her...") that way you can demonstrate that she does in fact like to eat her hay and enjoy a pellet food and other things that are far better for her. :?

Yeah, I had the same problem last time but it was more awkward as I didn't really know her. At least now I know she trusts me, as she specifically wanted me to board her bun again.
When I told her on the phone that George was tucking into hay she seemed impressed so hopefully she'll listen to my advice when she gets home. Was thinking of making a little booklet with maybe some general 'stubborn rabbit' advice like putting hay in loo rolls so they see it as a toy and don't wee on it, cutting down mix will encourage them to eat pellets, natural treats are just as yummy as petshop ones, maybe give her some printoffs of stuff on dental problems and sugary petshop treats causing problems, and give her a little goody bag of hays and natural treats and the Bunnybasics address so she can order her own once she sees that George does like them?
Good idea with the poo, not too gruesome, I've had worse encounters with bunny poo :lol:

my bun patch has had runny eyes from birth. its not fixable but living indoors ,daily bathing with plain water etc. usually does the job. as jco says you only need use medication when there is an actual infection . although teeth probs related to diet are common , its not always the cause.
the brill book " the problem with rabbits" mentions this problem and suggests that a mate would be a good idea so that a lot of face cleaning goes on.
i would push for bun to have a neutered mate if you possibly can. :wink:
two buns should actually be easier...........and cheaper when fed no junk food!!! lol :wink:
hope you have a nice weekend with your hoppy friend. x
btw...if you suggest dried grass it might sound more 'luxurious' than hay and the owner may fall for it!!! :lol:

My bun had problems with a blocked tear duct and the vet said he would cauterise it if it continued! :shock: I couldn't put my bun through that!

Hey

All sounds good.. (spesh the showing of poo!!!)

Also if the owner wants to give George treats how about suggesting the supa excel nature sticks & willow sticks, still treats but better nutritional value! Some people just can't get round the fact that pets don't need sweet honey coated treats!!! So that might be a compromise, maybe buy a pack & send them with her? Plus she can get them from most pet shops now aswell