7 Wk old bunny with eye problems

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chinchillasundertherainbow

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Marble Falls, Texas, USA
Not my rabbit. When I was looking into getting a rabbit (which i did get one from a friend's store after I talked with her about the breeder she buys from), I emailed some local breeders. Got a reply back from one that she has a baby with eye problems. Hasn't been to a vet. Is being treated with medicine FROM her vet though. Ever since the buns eyes opened, it's 7 wks, they've been weepy etc. So can't see 100%. None of the other rabbits with it have this. She sells to pet stores and it's going to go to a store with a group of babies unless I , or someone else, wants it.

I don't see the outlook being so bright for a bun with problems, am I wrong?

What would you do?

No pictures ( I'm an ex vet tech. and would love to see close up of the eyes) but she's not too far away, less than an hour, and said I should just come look at it.
 
If you do have the money to spend on a sick bunny and am interested insaving it go ahead and take it but the rabbit definitely should not be taken to a pet store with the other bunnies. Sounds like a good idea to go look at it, find out as much as you can and then think about it for a little while. Taking a sick bun would be a noble thing to do but it also may end up expensive and sad.
 
That is why I'm trying to line up local bunny rescues in the event it is more than I can take on permantly. Any ideas for Central TX? Have contacted 2, one has replied and I think will help if need be.

I mean possibilities are endless without them being able to give me much detail. I'm assuming it's BOTH eyes. Should have asked. But, seeing it does far more than talking about it. Could be something simple, could be something requiring surgery.

They mentioned that they have a group of babies going to a store soon,though, and that is why she wanted to know if I want it or not. Thinking that if they are breeding specifically for stores, they will take these as soon as they hit 8 wks?

*sigh*
 
a rescue helping you would be great. No..sorry I can't help with other rescues but I think if you looked up rabbit rescues in Texas( On Internet)you may be able to find more
 
I have found one very good rescue that is very close. Talking with them now. Fingers crossed.

BTW, when is a good* age to wean? minimum. I mean like with Chins, some people do at 6..but most leave at least two weeks longer. Just curious what is bare minimum..and more encouraged .
 
I doubt many people will buy a bunny with the knowledge of it being a special needs bunny that may require frequent vet visits or special care.

This case remind me of little Eli, a lop I had with teary eyes. Although we never found a definite solution or cause of his problem before I had to give him up, we came to a few conclusions -- it was not snuffles because none of the other rabbits had become infected, it could have been teeth problems affecting the tear ducts, it was not allergies (remove allergens gradually and try to find what may cause it), it could have been a genetic flaw, a blocked tear duct, or any number of other things. It's more a trial and error thing, flushing the tear duct may help.

I think the rabbit needs to see a vet and try to solve the problem, it might be contagious but if none of the other are showing symptoms, I'm not sure how likely it is.
 
Did she say what the vet had prescribed? Maybe it just needs a different antibiotic. Or a tear duct flush. There's no knowing if the vet she took it to knew anything about rabbits.

And what the heck kind of backyard breeder purposefully sells a sick rabbit to a petstore?!? I hope the rescue can help.

Oh, and weaning age is usually 6-8 weeks with 8 weeks being preferred.
 
I read somewhere that rabbits can get a problem with their eyelashes, where they somehow (either by growing or some other way) end up on the inside of the eyelid and therefore irritate the eye permanently, causing them to weep etc.

I think it can be temporarily fixed, but I'm not sure about the long-term.
 
Hrm... I think it requires ongoing surgery - after all, you can't permanently remove the eyelashes, can you? I'm not sure... perhaps someone with more knowledge can help :)
 
The eyelash problem occurs in Dogs and other species as well. As far as I know, with dogs when I was a vet tech, the surgery permently corrected how the eyelids were directed. It's the eyelashes that cause the problem, but it's lids not being correct that cause the eyelashed to irritate the eye. The disorder is called Entropian if the eyelids go inward toward the eyeball, thus the eyelashes permanently irritate the cornea. orEchtropian if the lids are too far outward . This would be easily discernable from a photograph for me.
 
Found this really good link though:

linked to from rabbit.org,

http://www.eyevet.info/lids.html

I'd be willing to get the rabbit on a temporary basis to get it to a rescue, but I can't find a rescue with any hope of having room. I don't think I'm going to get the baby unless that happens because I'm leary of getting a rabbit that may take alot of finances to get healthy. If I can, I want to go see the rabbit and see what I can tell by looking, but I don't know if I"ll be able to make the trip till next week and they acted in a hurry to send if with the other babies that are going to a store soon.
 
I hope you are able to help this bun, whether or not you decide to take it on. I know how frustrating this sort of situation can be.
If you can figure out that is wrong with the bun, I will be very interested to hear what the diagnosis is. I have a Flemish doe that had eye problems when she was born, for the first three weeks or so after her eyes opened they were goopy and irritated looking. I used an eye med on it at home, and it seemed to clear up finally.
However, it has come back, and I can't get it to go away this time. It looks like she has been rubbing at it, too.

Sorry if I'm hijacking the thread here, but if anyone knows what this could be I'd love to hear about it. I'm stumped.
 
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