possible eye infection?

[darlenenicole]

I am a new bunny mommy and i am worried abouteverything. I noticed that my little girl Leilu, gets little eyecrusties in her right eye. I havent noticed anything else wrong, otherthan she is drinking tons of water (could that be the cause of herdiareha?) and she is feeding her babies just fine.

Another question...my four little babies are doing fine.Except for the one little one, he looks so much smaller than the restof them. I am just worried that he is not getting enough food, theother ones are just a lot bigger than him. Could he just be the runt ofthe bunch?Or could the other ones just be pushing him out of the way?

SHould i be worried?

 

[pamnock]

It's best to have the eyes looked at by a vetbecause irritation, crusties, or runny eyes can have so many differentcauses from blocked tear duct, irritated gland, bacterial infection,abrasion on the cornea, congenital deformity of the eyelid, etc,etc. Older rabbits are more prone to bacterial infectionsinvolving the eye.

There are also numerous reasons that the little guy is so much smallerthan is counterparts. You might try giving him a little NutriCal for additional calories, however it's nearly impossible to addressthe heath issues that could be going on due to the number ofpossibilities.

Pam

 

[Carolyn]

You might try dabbing a warm compress on thelittle one's eyes to clean up the crust from the fur andeyes. Agree with Pam about getting her checked out by the vet.

Keep us posted.

-Carolyn

 

[pamnock]

Remember also, that having a litter is a stressfactor that may be draining the doe a little. I like to use asmall amount of Nutri Cal as a supplement to give a boost to the immunesystem. Keep in mind that it is high in calories, so must beused with discretion.

Pam

 

[darlenenicole]

Pam, where would you get Nutri cal from? I dont think i have ever heard of it.

Another question..(sorry about all the questions?) My rabbitsare in really large ferrit cages.. and they dont have the wirebottems..anyways she has been having diareha during the day( i thinkits becasue she drinks tons of water) but she gets it on her newspaperand of course she gets it on her feet and belly. I have tried every wayto get her clean but without success. What is a god way to keep herclean?

 

[pamnock]

darlenenicole wrote:

Pam, where would you get Nutri cal from? I dont think i haveever heard of it.

Another question..(sorry about all the questions?) My rabbitsare in really large ferrit cages.. and they dont have the wirebottems..anyways she has been having diareha during the day( i thinkits becasue she drinks tons of water) but she gets it on her newspaperand of course she gets it on her feet and belly. I have tried every wayto get her clean but without success. What is a god way to keep herclean?

valleyvet.com is where I order the Nutri Cal from (you can also use Nutri Stat). Large pets stores may also have.

Unfortunately, when we have ruled out other causes of messy droppings(such as parasites, diet, illness) the cause may be a hereditarymalabsorptiontrait in the gut, whichcan sometimesbemanaged with a very high fiber diet.

Thisexcellent articleaddresses "messy bottom" issues

http://fig.cox.miami.edu/Faculty/Dana/poop.html

If all else fails, you may simply have to resort to partial baths tokeep bunny clean or switch to a wire bottom cage with plastic restingboards.

Pam

 

[Carolyn]

Hi darlenenicole,

I'd cut out all treats for Leilu and give some rolled oats or oldfashioned Quaker oats and extra timothy hay for a day or two until thedroppings firm up. I don't know what you're using as a pellet feed, butit should have at least 18% or more of crude fiber in it.

Make sure she is drinking water as she'll lose a lot having the runs. It's good to have a syringe on hand for such times.

You can't go wrong having NutriCal in the house. Pamnock originallytold me about it and I really think every bunny parent should have iton hand in case of times when they go off their feed or need a boost totheir immunity systems or appetite. It's not expensive and a tube lastsa long time because you only need a little bit of it.

Keep us posted.

-Carolyn

 

[pamnock]

Our old hamster loves Nutri Cal and it has been aGod send for our Chinchilla who came down with a bacterial infection 3days ago. It gives an easily absorbed source of calories forsick animals which can really give an added boost to the immune system.

Pam

 

[darlenenicole]

Thanks for the info i will defiantly give it atry. I am just worried about the babies and Leilu...i justwant to make sure to take care of them right.

Baby bunny update.....all babies but onehas their eyes open and hoppin around exploring theirenviroment...except for the really little one who just sleeps.

 

[Jessica]

If that was my bunny I would be worried..Ourrabbit Snuggles stoped eating before but drinking alot..We tried hisfavorite food he wouldn't eat it.But then I broght in some crackers atfirst he sniffed them and then he took a bite so i would try that if heisn't eating..His eye effection I would take him to the vet cause hecould have a something in it..