my 7 yr old mini lop rabbit Smokey...my baby boy

Question
Smokey has a history of corneal ulcers...my "rabbit specialty vet" diagnosed it as clogged tear ducts, flushing them every 5 days....after that, it blew up into huge corneal ulcers in both eyes. My "non rabbit specialty vet" did a culture, and it grew PSEUDOMONAS!!! He is on Cipro drops with Lubricant, and Reglan for his GI stasis he developed from the infection, as he was dehydrated and had a blood glucose of 30 when I first took him in. Smokey also has spondylosis (which causes him to hop clumsily and tilt a little to the right), but otherwise, he seems to be a happy bun. He prefers fresh greens/veggies and treats since he got sick (of course, I have spoiled him) and also, we just wanted to get him to eat, since he lost a pound, so I was feeding him whatever he wanted. He doesnt want to eat hay or pellets anymore (LOL) just fresh stuff. Does that cause a decrease in water consumption? I have noticed he isnt drinking as much water...actually, I haven't seen him drink any today, but he has had cilantro and brocolli...any feed back would be great...it is hard to find a bunny specialist...Thanks!

Answer
Dear April,

Clogged tear ducts are not very likely to be a root cause of corneal ulcers.  I think you might need to have Smokey examined by a veterinary ophthalmologist who can get to the reason for these ulcers.  If they are bilateral, it could be that his eyes are bulging out slightly, preventing him from fully closing his eyelids when he is relaxed.  This can cause minute drying-out of the corneas, and ulcers will result.  Ulcers formed this way are often horizontal and somewhat oblong (mirroring the shape of the slightly-open eyelid), though not always.

There are other possible reasons:  high intraocular pressure; retrobulbar abscess, even something like an irregularity of the eyelids that can cause constant irritation.  All of these should be checked.  Because truly...it's not the blocked tear ducts causing the ulcers.

One thing that really does raise a red flag is the unwillingness to drink and his dehydration.  Bunnies with unusual eating or drinking habits often have no other signs that they have molar spurs or other painful dental problem that's interfering with their eating and comfort.  You can read more here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/dental.html

If Smokey has molar root problems, swelling of the roots could also be causing his eyes to bulge just enough to generate those corneal ulcers.  So the problems could be related.

Obviously, I can't see him to make any kind of exam.  But I hope this gives you some ideas to bring to the vets (especially the ophthalmologist).  If you think you might need a second vet for another opinion, you probably can find one here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

I hope this helps.

Dana