Loosing hair dripping eye
- Thread starter Stormey
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Go to a vet now! Seriously, have you seen the state of that poor rabbit! The hairloss is due to either an eye infection (conjunctivis probably) or to an obstruction of the tear duct - the pus and constant wetness makes the hair fall and irritates the skin.
In any case it won't get better on its own.
In any case it won't get better on its own.
ravenmoore36
Well-Known Member
Go to a vet soon. Get help.
There are multiple health issues that could cause a runny eye, including dental problems, blocked tear duct, ulcerated cornea, eye infection, etc. You will need to take your bun to a rabbit savvy vet to get the issue diagnosed and treated properly.
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/weepy.pdf
http://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/weepy.pdf
http://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
I took him to a vet last month and they gave me these drops to put in his eyes, one to two drops every twelve hours but as you can see it's not working, there was only a small spot of hair missing now it's getting worse, so I thought I would ask for some help here. He's about ten years old.
Since the eye drops didn't work then there is likely something else going on other than a simple eye infection. It could be that the tear duct is plugged, and if so then your rabbit would need the duct flushed by your vet. Or at that age overgrown tooth roots pressing on the tear ducts and preventing proper drainage is also a good possibility. In which case xrays could determine if this is the cause, and there may or may not be much the vet can do for this problem. Sometimes they can grind down the tooth some to reduce the pressure being put on tooth and thus the tear duct, and this can help or it may not. At your rabbits age, you also have to consider the risks of any procedure that requires sedation. I had a 10 year old rabbit that had a runny eye due to an infection in the tear duct that wouldn't completely clear up with flushing and antibiotic treatment, so I just managed it the best I could for the remainder of my rabbits life, with repeated antibiotic eye drops and occasional tear duct flushes.
I would suggest talking to your vet about it and maybe try a tear duct flush to see if that clears it up. You may also want to ask the vet about trying a different antibiotic eye drop to see if that helps at all. If your bun isn't already getting the anti inflammatory meloxicam/metacam and your bun doesn't have kidney problems, having your vet prescribe that may also be beneficial if there is any inflammation involved with the runny eye issue. It also can help with any arthritis pain which is a common thing for older buns to have.
I would suggest talking to your vet about it and maybe try a tear duct flush to see if that clears it up. You may also want to ask the vet about trying a different antibiotic eye drop to see if that helps at all. If your bun isn't already getting the anti inflammatory meloxicam/metacam and your bun doesn't have kidney problems, having your vet prescribe that may also be beneficial if there is any inflammation involved with the runny eye issue. It also can help with any arthritis pain which is a common thing for older buns to have.
Thank you JBun, I do have another appointment made for the vet on Friday, do you know what the average age that a rabbit lives. Unfortunately with age we pet owners need to make that sick decision when it's foolish to continue vet care. I spent $4,000 trying to save our Rag Doll cat and he did not make it 
last week I took my dog to the vet and they gave me an estimate between $500. and $1500. for a small sore. My God, these veterinarian prices are killing me. I had one other thought, I have been putting pine pellets in his cage that absorb the urine, would the smell of the pine be affecting his sinuses.
last week I took my dog to the vet and they gave me an estimate between $500. and $1500. for a small sore. My God, these veterinarian prices are killing me. I had one other thought, I have been putting pine pellets in his cage that absorb the urine, would the smell of the pine be affecting his sinuses.
Some rabbits can be sensitive to pine. If it's both eyes that are runny, that could be a possibility and you could try a different rabbit safe litter to see if that helps at all. If it's just the one eye, then it's more likely to be a problem with the eye/tear duct and not an environmental sensitivity.
Rabbits can live to be 15, though more often 8-10 years seems to be more of the average. My rabbit with the tear duct problem lived to be 10. There does come a point with older animals where you do have to consider their quality of life and the medical problems they are facing, and what's best for them. It's never an easy decision. If your bun only has the runny eye problem, it really can usually be managed, even if it can't be cleared up completely.
Rabbits can live to be 15, though more often 8-10 years seems to be more of the average. My rabbit with the tear duct problem lived to be 10. There does come a point with older animals where you do have to consider their quality of life and the medical problems they are facing, and what's best for them. It's never an easy decision. If your bun only has the runny eye problem, it really can usually be managed, even if it can't be cleared up completely.
We went to the vet again and did some more test to find out why Snikers eyes keep running, the X-rays showed that the teeth are not the problem, they sent some samples to the lab, they did say that his blood looked a little anemic but we won't know until lab work comes back. They gave me an antibiotic and eyedrops, Snickers has also lost some weight since the last visit.
The vet called me today and said the blood work looked ok, and besides that she really had no answers, she said keep giving him the antibiotics and the eye drops. I asked her why his eye looked cloudy and she said it was a cataract, I was reading a thread below mine by (BunzworthBentley) titled (Health Questions with pics) (Eye problems) and was comparing the pics and wanted to know if you guys think this is a cataract or eye infection. Thanks in advance.
To me that cloudiness in the eye doesn't look like a cataract and looks more like an eye infection, especially if that is also white pus coming out of the corner of your rabbits eye, as white discharge is an indication of a bacterial infection and I would think that if there is an external eye infection, that an internal eye infection could have also occurred. Especially if the internal cloudiness showed up around the same time as the external white pus and runny eye. I'm not really an expert on eye disorders though. I suppose it could possibly be a cataract and the external eye infection is unrelated.
You have oral antibiotics and abx eye drops, so if it's not a cataract and the eye itself has an infection, then you are already giving the proper medication. Though if the infection doesn't improve at all after a couple of weeks, you have any concerns, or if it worsens or the eye starts bulging before then, you'll want to get back with your vet(immediately if the eye is bulging or worsens) to discuss treatment and possibly changing to a better systemic antibiotic. Pen g injections is an antibiotic often used for difficult infections in rabbits. There are others as well. If your rabbit isn't eating as well or shows any signs of being in pain, ask your vet about starting meloxicam/metacam anti inflammatory pain reliever as well.
You have oral antibiotics and abx eye drops, so if it's not a cataract and the eye itself has an infection, then you are already giving the proper medication. Though if the infection doesn't improve at all after a couple of weeks, you have any concerns, or if it worsens or the eye starts bulging before then, you'll want to get back with your vet(immediately if the eye is bulging or worsens) to discuss treatment and possibly changing to a better systemic antibiotic. Pen g injections is an antibiotic often used for difficult infections in rabbits. There are others as well. If your rabbit isn't eating as well or shows any signs of being in pain, ask your vet about starting meloxicam/metacam anti inflammatory pain reliever as well.
Thanks JBun & Katiecrna, I have been trying to keep his face dry and clean with a warm wet cloth and then dry it with a dry paper towel, if the dripping stops will the hair grow back? When i let him out of the cage to hop around it appears that he has an equilibrium problem, he hops then falls over. His sister died about a year ago from a large internal cancerous growth and she was kinda acting the same way, could not keep her balance and falls over, but she stoped eating. He's acting normal, eating his pellets Timothy hay, licking his mineral wheel, eating hit Romain lettuce morning and night. Does antibiotics have any strange affects on rabbits.
If your rabbit is having balance issues, that could indicate vestibular disease. A tumor is a possibility, but considering the eye infection your rabbit has, there is a good chance that the bacteria/pus has spread to the middle/inner ear, thus affecting your rabbits balance. If your vet took good head xrays, they might be able to see it on there.
http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Bacterial/BacterialOtitisMediaInterna.htm
I would suggest talking to your vet about changing antibiotics now. The antibiotic your rabbit is currently on isn't likely to be effective against an inner ear infection. I would ask about starting pen g procaine/benzathine injections. You can take a look at this study that was done concerning treating head infections in rabbits with it. I would also suggest getting your bun started on meloxicam/metacam to help reduce inflammation and help with any pain involved. An anti inflammatory really is necessary at this point. It should help with the balance issues.
http://people.umass.edu/~jwmoore/bicillin/bicillin.htm
It is possible that the balance issues aren't due to an ear infection but are instead arthritis related and a joint/spinal issue. If so, getting your bun on meloxicam should help.
One more suggestion. If there is any doubt about how rabbit savvy your vet is, I would suggest changing vets if you can find a different one that is very experienced with rabbits, as ear infections are very difficult to treat in rabbits and best to have a really good rabbit vet on board helping. If you do change vets, make sure to have all your paperwork sent over to the new vet.
http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Bacterial/BacterialOtitisMediaInterna.htm
I would suggest talking to your vet about changing antibiotics now. The antibiotic your rabbit is currently on isn't likely to be effective against an inner ear infection. I would ask about starting pen g procaine/benzathine injections. You can take a look at this study that was done concerning treating head infections in rabbits with it. I would also suggest getting your bun started on meloxicam/metacam to help reduce inflammation and help with any pain involved. An anti inflammatory really is necessary at this point. It should help with the balance issues.
http://people.umass.edu/~jwmoore/bicillin/bicillin.htm
It is possible that the balance issues aren't due to an ear infection but are instead arthritis related and a joint/spinal issue. If so, getting your bun on meloxicam should help.
One more suggestion. If there is any doubt about how rabbit savvy your vet is, I would suggest changing vets if you can find a different one that is very experienced with rabbits, as ear infections are very difficult to treat in rabbits and best to have a really good rabbit vet on board helping. If you do change vets, make sure to have all your paperwork sent over to the new vet.
Hello JBun, I noticed that his back legs are wobbly and when his butt falls over it takes the rest of him with it, his front legs are stable and so is his head.
This is the response from my vet.
I do not feel that Snickers has an ear infection (otitis interna), because he does not have a head tilt, the ear canals were normal, and the xrays of his tympanic bullae (the bony cavity that houses the inner ear) were normal.
The "ataxia" or weakness is likely due to infection (listeria, Pasteurella or Encephalitozoon cuniculi), cancer, a stroke or trauma. Arthritis does not cause weakness unless it involves the spine and impingement of the spinal cord.
Antibiotics can cause side effects in any species, but rabbits are very sensitive to antibiotics such as the penicillins because they kill off the necessary bacteria in the gut. Tribrissen is a broad spectrum antibiotic and has great penetration into all body cavities (including the nervous system, eye, ear, skin, etc).
However, the "blog" did bring up a valid point about trying him on meloxicam. It is for pain, but is also an antiinflamatory medication. My brother had his old rabbit on it for the last 6 months of her life. I will get some meloxicam ready for you, if you'd like.
This is the response from my vet.
I do not feel that Snickers has an ear infection (otitis interna), because he does not have a head tilt, the ear canals were normal, and the xrays of his tympanic bullae (the bony cavity that houses the inner ear) were normal.
The "ataxia" or weakness is likely due to infection (listeria, Pasteurella or Encephalitozoon cuniculi), cancer, a stroke or trauma. Arthritis does not cause weakness unless it involves the spine and impingement of the spinal cord.
Antibiotics can cause side effects in any species, but rabbits are very sensitive to antibiotics such as the penicillins because they kill off the necessary bacteria in the gut. Tribrissen is a broad spectrum antibiotic and has great penetration into all body cavities (including the nervous system, eye, ear, skin, etc).
However, the "blog" did bring up a valid point about trying him on meloxicam. It is for pain, but is also an antiinflamatory medication. My brother had his old rabbit on it for the last 6 months of her life. I will get some meloxicam ready for you, if you'd like.
Well, what this tells me is that your vet is only moderately experienced with rabbits, in my opinion. But what do I know. I'll just share what I've learned over the last several years, with reliable medical based references on rabbits to back it up. It's really up to you whether or not to take your vets words at face value. I've unfortunately become a bit skeptical of all supposed rabbit vets and always thoroughly question and basically interview them on their rabbit knowledge, before I decide whether or not I will trust them with my rabbits care. This is due in part to my own experience with less than satisfactory vets, and reading of others difficulties with inexperienced vets. I've gone to vets that supposedly know rabbits, only to discover that they are very much lacking. Then reading multiple accounts of people taking their rabbit to the vet and the vet not having a clue, misdiagnosing issues, and/or not prescribing the right medication for the illness.
So I'll first address ear infections. Rabbits don't always get head tilt with an inner ear infection. It can affect them in a variety of ways. Affecting their balance is one, or they might start going in circles, have facial paralysis, or just show signs of ear irritation and excessive scratching. I personally know of a rabbit that had an inner ear infection and the only signs he showed were some fur loss around the ear base from scratching, and balance issues(stumbling and falling over to the side, reluctance to hop or stay up on his hind feet). He never had any signs of head tilt. The infection won't necessarily be present in the external ear canal if it has only spread to the middle or inner ear. The infection can show up on xrays, but it also might not or could be missed by an inexperienced vet. I've known of rabbits that had to get ct-scans done to definitively determine if there was an infection present.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/Otit/otitis.htm
http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Bacterial/BacterialOtitisMediaInterna.htm
Arthritis can include the spine(spondylosis), so yes can be a cause for hind limb issues, which is what my old rabbit had. If your rabbit has actual hind limb weakness, spondylosis or other spinal degeneration is a likely cause for an older rabbit. If your rabbit can use his hind limbs but is stumbling or falling over because of balance issues, then ear infection is a good possibility because of your rabbits current eye infection issues. Though e. cuniculi, tumor, and stroke are possibilities as well for both hind limb weakness or loss of balance.
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/paresis.html
http://rabbit.org/hind-limb-weakness-in-the-rabbit/
http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/Osteoarthritis_rabbits.htm
http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/Spinal_abnormalities_rabbits.htm
http://www.disabledrabbits.com/paralysis.html
As for giving pen g to rabbits, yes rabbits can be sensitive to antibiotics. Some are extremely dangerous to give to rabbits orally, including penicillin, but penicillin is usually well tolerated to give by injection only as it bypasses their gut directly when given by injection, so doesn't affect it as much, usually. Giving pen g injections to rabbits is not an uncommon thing. It is commonly used to treat rabbit syphilis along with stubborn bacterial infections. There have been several RO members that have successfully treated their rabbits with pen g for various illnesses. I remember one that had a rabbit with an unknown illness, came on here and found out it was likely rabbit syphilis, talked to vet and began treatment with pen g, which cleared it up. Another rabbit had a bulging eye, due to a suspected retrobulbar abscess. They couldn't do surgery so it was suggested to try the pen g treatment(from the bicillin study). Discussed with their vet and started pen g injections, and it was successful in treating the abscess and restoring the eye to normal. There are multiple cases of rabbits being treated with pen g. Any antibiotic can be a risk to give to a rabbit. Some like the tribrissen are usually well tolerated by most rabbits, but not all. It actually ended up killing one of my rabbits due to a negative reaction to it. Pen g is usually well tolerated to be given by injection only, but there is always the chance it can affect a rabbit negatively. So not completely safe, but mostly and often used to treat stubborn head infections in rabbits.
Quote from medirabbit( http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/Otit/otitis.htm ):
"[FONT="]Chloramphenicol and penicillin (bicillin) antibiotics pass the blood-brain barrier and have successfully treated middle or inner ear infection in rabbits. Trimethoprim sulfate is sometimes advised, but appears to bring poor improvement in rabbits. This could relate to the fact that half-life of this drug is about 40 min in rabbits."[/FONT]
Tribrissen is trimethoprim sulfa, so it's not always the best or most appropriate antibiotic to use. Not saying your rabbit has an ear infection or needs to be put on pen g, but just clearing up incorrect information regarding penicillin's use in rabbits. Here are some references to back this up.
http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/info-sheets/penicillin.htm
http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medication/Antibiotics/Safe_antibiotics.htm
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/jawabscess.html
http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00Chem/ChComplex/Penicillin.htm
Don't take my word for it. Do your own research. Look into hind limb weakness, ear infections, arthritis/spondylosis, and decide for yourself. I shared the info on ear infections because of your rabbits current eye infection issues and ear infections can often be linked, but this doesn't mean your rabbit has an ear infection. It was just a possibility due to the balance issues you described. Spinal and arthritis issues are the most likely for an older rabbit. If so then you should see some improvement within a few days of starting the meloxicam/metacam, provided your vet prescribes an adequate dose. Many vets inexperienced with rabbits, do not often prescribe a high enough dose to actually help the rabbit. Rabbits metabolize meloxicam more quickly than dogs, therefore need higher and more frequent dosing. Normal dosing for rabbits is 0.3-0.6mg/kg, once daily, though split into twice daily is usually better and more effective. My rabbit was on 0.6mg/kg, split into twice daily dosing. Here are references for dosing info.
http://vgr1.com/metacam/
http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00Chem/ChComplex/Meloxicam.htm
Good luck and I hope you are able to find the right solution for your bun, and that he will soon be feeling better.
So I'll first address ear infections. Rabbits don't always get head tilt with an inner ear infection. It can affect them in a variety of ways. Affecting their balance is one, or they might start going in circles, have facial paralysis, or just show signs of ear irritation and excessive scratching. I personally know of a rabbit that had an inner ear infection and the only signs he showed were some fur loss around the ear base from scratching, and balance issues(stumbling and falling over to the side, reluctance to hop or stay up on his hind feet). He never had any signs of head tilt. The infection won't necessarily be present in the external ear canal if it has only spread to the middle or inner ear. The infection can show up on xrays, but it also might not or could be missed by an inexperienced vet. I've known of rabbits that had to get ct-scans done to definitively determine if there was an infection present.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/Otit/otitis.htm
http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Bacterial/BacterialOtitisMediaInterna.htm
Arthritis can include the spine(spondylosis), so yes can be a cause for hind limb issues, which is what my old rabbit had. If your rabbit has actual hind limb weakness, spondylosis or other spinal degeneration is a likely cause for an older rabbit. If your rabbit can use his hind limbs but is stumbling or falling over because of balance issues, then ear infection is a good possibility because of your rabbits current eye infection issues. Though e. cuniculi, tumor, and stroke are possibilities as well for both hind limb weakness or loss of balance.
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/paresis.html
http://rabbit.org/hind-limb-weakness-in-the-rabbit/
http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/Osteoarthritis_rabbits.htm
http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/Spinal_abnormalities_rabbits.htm
http://www.disabledrabbits.com/paralysis.html
As for giving pen g to rabbits, yes rabbits can be sensitive to antibiotics. Some are extremely dangerous to give to rabbits orally, including penicillin, but penicillin is usually well tolerated to give by injection only as it bypasses their gut directly when given by injection, so doesn't affect it as much, usually. Giving pen g injections to rabbits is not an uncommon thing. It is commonly used to treat rabbit syphilis along with stubborn bacterial infections. There have been several RO members that have successfully treated their rabbits with pen g for various illnesses. I remember one that had a rabbit with an unknown illness, came on here and found out it was likely rabbit syphilis, talked to vet and began treatment with pen g, which cleared it up. Another rabbit had a bulging eye, due to a suspected retrobulbar abscess. They couldn't do surgery so it was suggested to try the pen g treatment(from the bicillin study). Discussed with their vet and started pen g injections, and it was successful in treating the abscess and restoring the eye to normal. There are multiple cases of rabbits being treated with pen g. Any antibiotic can be a risk to give to a rabbit. Some like the tribrissen are usually well tolerated by most rabbits, but not all. It actually ended up killing one of my rabbits due to a negative reaction to it. Pen g is usually well tolerated to be given by injection only, but there is always the chance it can affect a rabbit negatively. So not completely safe, but mostly and often used to treat stubborn head infections in rabbits.
Quote from medirabbit( http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/Otit/otitis.htm ):
"[FONT="]Chloramphenicol and penicillin (bicillin) antibiotics pass the blood-brain barrier and have successfully treated middle or inner ear infection in rabbits. Trimethoprim sulfate is sometimes advised, but appears to bring poor improvement in rabbits. This could relate to the fact that half-life of this drug is about 40 min in rabbits."[/FONT]
Tribrissen is trimethoprim sulfa, so it's not always the best or most appropriate antibiotic to use. Not saying your rabbit has an ear infection or needs to be put on pen g, but just clearing up incorrect information regarding penicillin's use in rabbits. Here are some references to back this up.
http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/info-sheets/penicillin.htm
http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medication/Antibiotics/Safe_antibiotics.htm
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/jawabscess.html
http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00Chem/ChComplex/Penicillin.htm
Don't take my word for it. Do your own research. Look into hind limb weakness, ear infections, arthritis/spondylosis, and decide for yourself. I shared the info on ear infections because of your rabbits current eye infection issues and ear infections can often be linked, but this doesn't mean your rabbit has an ear infection. It was just a possibility due to the balance issues you described. Spinal and arthritis issues are the most likely for an older rabbit. If so then you should see some improvement within a few days of starting the meloxicam/metacam, provided your vet prescribes an adequate dose. Many vets inexperienced with rabbits, do not often prescribe a high enough dose to actually help the rabbit. Rabbits metabolize meloxicam more quickly than dogs, therefore need higher and more frequent dosing. Normal dosing for rabbits is 0.3-0.6mg/kg, once daily, though split into twice daily is usually better and more effective. My rabbit was on 0.6mg/kg, split into twice daily dosing. Here are references for dosing info.
http://vgr1.com/metacam/
http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00Chem/ChComplex/Meloxicam.htm
Good luck and I hope you are able to find the right solution for your bun, and that he will soon be feeling better.
jBun, thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge and experiance with me, very much appreciated. I will go pick up the Meloxicam today and see if there is an improvement and keep you posted. Can't thank you enough.
