A question about Dennis

So ever since I had Dennis he's had two slightly runny eyes - JC said he had good teeth and said at his age we will monitor it. He's perfectly fine in himself this morning and is actually out eating sponge these days at the forage buffet but I have noticed he is no longer cleaning his eyes and until they go crusty and matted.

I would just like everyone's opinion given that Dennis is now over 9 I feel worried about giving him any ga. I feel like he is not cleaning his eyes because he's to doddery to do so . He's a happy boy and eating and pooping well. What would you do in my situation?

Also, is it normal for uppy eared bunnies to have colder ears towards the tip? Sponges are hot in comparison she's a lop .

Feeling a bit stressed today




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Oh poor Dennis, really cant offer any advice, ive no experience of bunny eye problems. Glad he's happy though, he's a lovely bun xxx

I would ask at the vet about his eyes, I’m not sure if I’ve read this right, but if he’s cleaning them once they are crusty he must be able to do it at least. Maybe he just needs extra human help bathing them with cooled boiled water and cotton wool pads if Syrup isn’t cleaning him?

Often my uppy eared bunnies ears have been cooler towards the tip.

I wouldn’t worry too much if he’s happy and eating well

Dennis, you do realise that all across the land RU uppy-eared bunnies are having their ears examined to see if they are cooler at the tip :lol:

I would think, like Zoobec, that if he manage when they are crusty then he must be able to do them. Also Syrupy should be reminded that this is one of her wifey duties to keep her man's eyes clean.

I really would not be too concerned, but this depends on how crusty the eyes get I suppose before he cleans them. If everything else seems to indicate he's healthy I would just mention them again next time you are at the vets.

Tethra is certainly slower on the uptake of anything than Tui is and I put this down to his age :lol:

I agree with Zoobec and Omi. Sending Dennis lots of love! xx

Omi said:

Dennis, you do realise that all across the land RU uppy-eared bunnies are having their ears examined to see if they are cooler at the tip [emoji38]

I would think, like Zoobec, that if he manage when they are crusty then he must be able to do them. Also Syrupy should be reminded that this is one of her wifey duties to keep her man's eyes clean.

I really would not be too concerned, but this depends on how crusty the eyes get I suppose before he cleans them. If everything else seems to indicate he's healthy I would just mention them again next time you are at the vets.

Tethra is certainly slower on the uptake of anything than Tui is and I put this down to his age [emoji38]

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Syrup never grooms Dennis ever - I think i will have to wash them for him. By doddery I mean he doesn't do well on two feetsies to wash his face and often tumbles over. I really don't want to stress him by taking him to the vets when he seems so happy. He was cleaning maples ears out today - I wish she would return the favour!

I used to check Tobys ears because when they where cold I knew he was having a turn so I thought I would to a warmth ear comparison between Maple and Dennis and his are much colder.



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loobers25 said:

Syrup never grooms Dennis ever - I think i will have to wash them for him. By doddery I mean he doesn't do well on two feetsies to wash his face and often tumbles over. I really don't want to stress him by taking him to the vets when he seems so happy. He was cleaning maples ears out today - I wish she would return the favour!

I used to check Tobys ears because when they where cold I knew he was having a turn so I thought I would to a warmth ear comparison between Maple and Dennis and his are much colder.



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Fern hardly ever grooms Frosty, and I don’t think that’s uncommon. I had a pair of sisters who would never groom each other! When they became one half of my quad and the boys groomed them they were like :shock: what’s going on here :lol:

I think bathing them gently will be the best idea. I would ask at the vets about him wobbling over too, if you haven’t already, in case he can have medication to help :thumb: you might be able to do a video and ask at the vets initially?

I just took these now so hopefully you can see his eyes

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I can't believe Syrup is such a princess she won't groom the lovely Dennis. Shocking.

Joey & Rudey are much prone to cold ears than Boo & Mouse. I am more prone to a cold nose than Bob. Mine is much bigger. I think theres a connection

I'd keep an eye on Dennis's eye! but not rush to the vet as he seems to be well other than this.

are you sure he hasn't got blocked tear ducts?

i would get him checked out. if he has blocked ducts it can cause serious problems & the sooner they are treated the better. Chester had this for quite a while & he was initially treated with eye cream, then duct flushing. IMO he should've had them flushed a LOT sooner (I.E. straight away) as it ended up causing complications which he exentually died from.

They are just so gorgeous

Like everyone else has said, I wouldn’t worry too much at the moment. Snowy often gets crusty eyes, I figure that’s because she is just lazy! Plus Phillip is too busy mounting her at the moment to even consider washing her face. I can tell when she needs a dental compared to just normal crusty eyes as the matted fur spreads right down towards her nose and cheeks at this point, as well as withdrawn behaviours.


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mikek said:

are you sure he hasn't got blocked tear ducts?

i would get him checked out. if he has blocked ducts it can cause serious problems & the sooner they are treated the better. Chester had this for quite a while & he was initially treated with eye cream, then duct flushing. IMO he should've had them flushed a LOT sooner (I.E. straight away) as it ended up causing complications which he exentually died from.

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Hi mike, how do you diagnose blocked tear ducts? How old was your bunny? And what where the complications?

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Thanks for the reassurance everybun.

My thinking was I did not want to take him and leave him there when he and Syrup are very happy. But then I didn't know if that was sensible. I just worry about leaving them at anton because they find it very stressful and obviously Millie and Toby never came back. The same as Dennis's ex lover Barry who died there of a heart attack age 9 when he was ready to come home. I think sometimes the travel and stress make things worse

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No chance your vet would make a house call? I have to agree with Mike that it could be blocked ducts although I don't recall how Mimzy was diagnosed with them. Often a duct flush will be performed along with a dental. If they won't flush they are likely blocked.
Mimzy also had E.C. and head tilt but his eyes got crusty years before that. In his later years he developed cataracts too and was completely blind. Not sure if it had to do with his ducts. We used Genteal fake tears because he developed dry eyes as a result of his many conditions.

Lovely bunneh pix by the way. xxxx

loobers25 said:

Hi mike, how do you diagnose blocked tear ducts?

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a weeping from the eyes (a bit more gungy than 'watery', and as nap91 says, crustyness in the fur under the eyes. (Chester was diagnosed by the vet)

loobers25 said:

How old was your bunny?

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he was 7 when he passed away

loobers25 said:

And what where the complications?

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soreness under the crustyness. flystrike where it was gungy. tooth infection.
he suffered it for perhaps a year before he died. for the most part the vets were giving me cream but then they started trying to flush but it wasn't clearing very well. he got a massive duct infection which did for him in the end. had to be pts.

i don't want to worry you unnecessarily as from your description & the pics it looks like maybe not, but you know what bunnies are like :roll: personally, for the £20 or so it would cost, I would get him checked out with a good bunny vet.
is he due vaccination soonish? maybe get him checked then to save on additional trip to the vet.

i can't remember what the cream was. i think it was anti bacterial, in a tiny tube.

mikek said:

a weeping from the eyes (a bit more gungy than 'watery', and as nap91 says, crustyness in the fur under the eyes. (Chester was diagnosed by the vet)



he was 7 when he passed away



soreness under the crustyness. flystrike where it was gungy. tooth infection.
he suffered it for perhaps a year before he died. for the most part the vets were giving me cream but then they started trying to flush but it wasn't clearing very well. he got a massive duct infection which did for him in the end. had to be pts.

i don't want to worry you unnecessarily as from your description & the pics it looks like maybe not, but you know what bunnies are like :roll: personally, for the £20 or so it would cost, I would get him checked out with a good bunny vet.
is he due vaccination soonish? maybe get him checked then to save on additional trip to the vet.

i can't remember what the cream was. i think it was anti bacterial, in a tiny tube.

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Poor Chester - I think i will book in with JC to get it checked mike. He comes to a local practice every few weeks so will book him then, but if I see any more symptoms he will be admitted to antons straight away. I think i need peace of mind. If it is a blocked tear duct I will really be upset

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MimzMum said:

No chance your vet would make a house call? I have to agree with Mike that it could be blocked ducts although I don't recall how Mimzy was diagnosed with them. Often a duct flush will be performed along with a dental. If they won't flush they are likely blocked.
Mimzy also had E.C. and head tilt but his eyes got crusty years before that. In his later years he developed cataracts too and was completely blind. Not sure if it had to do with his ducts. We used Genteal fake tears because he developed dry eyes as a result of his many conditions.

Lovely bunneh pix by the way. xxxx

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I already asked if he would come out and he asked if I had alpacas! So that was a no! I just worry about him getting old

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Also, are bunnies more prone to dentals when they are older? Even if they never had one before? Dennis has had one in the past

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Henry has blocked tear ducts, Loobers. Well, just the one. It's a problem for him - one we have to manage, but here's what I know and hope you can gain some help from it. The procedure for 'unblocking' tear ducts (or at least checking if they are blocked) is relatively simple and doesn't require GA (or didn't for Henry). Its a localised anaesthetic and then a syringe with a very soft rubber tube on the end is slowly guided down the canal at the end of the eye. The local anaesthetic prevents any discomfort and in Henry's case, the vet was extremely delighted with his tollerance and behavioir. A saline solution is gently syringed down and if it comes out of his nose, then there is no blockage. There is a cost for the procedure - depends on the vet, but it takes literally minutes. And it gives peace of mind.
For Henry, we have to give him simple over the counter hooman eye drops - the sort of dry eyes just to help him on days when his eye is particularly runny but he doesn't like his eye being washed at all. In fact he's becoming quite challenging on that front but it's important to try to keep it clean as the discharge is tears and can be quite sticky. Lillian, as with the gorgeous Syrup, doesn't really do grooming although she has been seen licking Henry occasionally - as I'm sure the delightful Syrup does - when you're not looking.
Sending hugs for Dennis - he is such a delightful sweet and adorable bun and hope that his eye can get resolved.

loobers25 said:

Also, are bunnies more prone to dentals when they are older? Even if they never had one before? Dennis has had one in the past

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Yes, I believe so, I'm sure my vet said this when Noodley went dental about 7 years old (she had a lot of related issues, she is not a good example, just how it came up. Joey has had 2 dentals, 4 years apart

But you say Dennis has always been like this for the 2 years you've had him so JC would have noticed at health check. If its because he has stopped cleaning them then maybe a review of his metcam / pain management is needed? Your plan to book in to the local clinic with JC is exactly what I would do. Travel with bunnies is risky! Nobody knows this as deeply as you xx

Moral of the story for anyone thinking about a change of geographical location - always put need to be close to rabbit specialist as number one priority.