Rabbits eyes

Question
My rabbit is about 7 years old and we have never had him vaccinated and do not know the type of rabbit either! Just recently about 1 or 2 days ago we have noticed problems with his eyes. Both his eyes are becoming very goopy. The goop is white and seems too be growing on to his pupils. Also in the corners of his eyes where the white goop is, is turning red. He has also been becoming very weak but we just figured it was from old age. He eats and drinks on a regular bases and loves carrots and lettuce. We have not made no changes in his diet or habit either. I didn't know if this was anything serious or if we needed to take him to a vet, right away. Thank you for your time and hope this is enough information for you to tell me anything I need to do to help our rabbit.

Answer
Hi Lauren,

Rabbits in the United States do not need vaccinations however they should have an annual check up with a rabbit savvy vet.  Anytime you notice a change in a rabbit it should be seen by a vet right away.  They are prey animals and they will hide their illnesses until it is to late.

Your bunny could have many things causing the eye problem.  It could be pink eye (conjunctivitis) or it could be that he has a problem with his back molars that is causing an intrusion into his sinus cavities.  Older bunnies can develop whitening over their cornea's which can cause blindness.  Seven is not extremely old for a bunny.  They can live well into their teens.  You most definitely want to get the bunny to the vet as soon as you can.  If it is an infection it is not going to go away on its own and will need a culture and sensitivity test to determine which antibiotic will work best on the infection.

Make sure the vet is rabbit savvy.  In certain area's it is difficult to find a vet but do your research.  Sometimes it is worth driving a few hours to get the best possible care.  Any vet on the HRS list below that I have linked is very fluent in proper bunny care.

http://www.rabbit.org/vets

There are a lot of vets out there that say they treat bunnies but really aren't up to date on current protocols.  You can find information all over the Internet on how to find a good rabbit vet.  Not all of the good vets are listed on the above link but if your vet does not recommend a culture and sensitivity they may not be your best choice.  You also want to make sure that they are checking the teeth.  Any vet that suggests oral penicillin is dangerous and it if you run across one that does it is time to pick up the bunny and RUN away from there.  Injectable penicillin is fine but oral penicillin will kill them.


http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sickbun.html

I am sorry that your bunny is having problems.  Hopefully you will get to the bottom of this.

Pam

http://littleangelssanctuary.webs.com/beyourrabbitsadvocate.htm