halon
Warren Scout
Hi - sorry long post, but need some advice
my bunny has had weepy eyes ever since I got him (over 6 month ago). First vet said it was probably a dust allergy and gave us some steroids which didnt work. I have been feeding them on dust-free hay ever since. Second vet was much more rabbit savvy. Said there were lots of things it might be - overgrown tooth roots, snuffles or something else.
He said diagnosis would be difficult and quite invasive, so at the time we agreed to leave it for a while as Merry is otherwise healthy, but quite timid and I didnt want to stress him out. The Vet said I could try him on the anti- bacterial eye drops I was giving Pippin at the time (cos the silly bunny scratched his eye).
I think the eye drops may have helped - the vet thought the liquid from his eyes was a bit white but I think it's clear now. It's quite difficult to tell cos his brothers lick his eyes for him and sometimes they look completely normal.
Anyway, now his eyes are still weepy. I'm quite convinced it cant be an allergy because it's winter and there's no pollen, and the hay is dust free. I've also been reading up about sedating rabbits and am not so scared of it now.
So (finally) my question is, what would be the best course of action from here on?
Should I ask the vet to x-ray his teeth first? If it is the roots, would the best thing be to have them taken out? How long does it take for a rabbit to recover from this (should I do it before or after I take them to Coventry for Christmas?)
Or would it be better to ask for a culture first? I've heard that this doesnt always give accurate information though. Or should I just ask to have him put on some antibiotics like Baytril?
Or am I being a big hypochondriac? I have spent the afternoon worrying if frodo has head tilt but have now decided that it's just the shape of his face . I'm putting them all on panacur anyway.
my bunny has had weepy eyes ever since I got him (over 6 month ago). First vet said it was probably a dust allergy and gave us some steroids which didnt work. I have been feeding them on dust-free hay ever since. Second vet was much more rabbit savvy. Said there were lots of things it might be - overgrown tooth roots, snuffles or something else.
He said diagnosis would be difficult and quite invasive, so at the time we agreed to leave it for a while as Merry is otherwise healthy, but quite timid and I didnt want to stress him out. The Vet said I could try him on the anti- bacterial eye drops I was giving Pippin at the time (cos the silly bunny scratched his eye).
I think the eye drops may have helped - the vet thought the liquid from his eyes was a bit white but I think it's clear now. It's quite difficult to tell cos his brothers lick his eyes for him and sometimes they look completely normal.
Anyway, now his eyes are still weepy. I'm quite convinced it cant be an allergy because it's winter and there's no pollen, and the hay is dust free. I've also been reading up about sedating rabbits and am not so scared of it now.
So (finally) my question is, what would be the best course of action from here on?
Should I ask the vet to x-ray his teeth first? If it is the roots, would the best thing be to have them taken out? How long does it take for a rabbit to recover from this (should I do it before or after I take them to Coventry for Christmas?)
Or would it be better to ask for a culture first? I've heard that this doesnt always give accurate information though. Or should I just ask to have him put on some antibiotics like Baytril?
Or am I being a big hypochondriac? I have spent the afternoon worrying if frodo has head tilt but have now decided that it's just the shape of his face . I'm putting them all on panacur anyway.