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weight loss and eye problems - been to vet

22 9:52:04

Question
Hello Dr. Krempels,

I have a 9 year old rabbit, Stormy, who has lost nearly 1/2 his body weight over the past 12- 14 months.  His vet does not know why.  He has a good appetite for food and water.  He loves to go outside in warm weather, although he is not an active rabbit.  He is not caged and has two male rabbit friends. Because of his living conditions, I don't think his weight loss is due to depression or anything emotional.

Also, the third eyelid (in both eyes) has begun to show, quite often.  It covers 1/3 of his eye and is visible for a few seconds to a couple of minutes, before disappearing.  His eyes are not bulging and do not have any discharge.

He is not under any stress when the eyelids appear.  He may be eating or just lying down.

I have heard that the third eyelid showing could be an indication of pressure in the abdomen.  

He will also sneeze/cough once or twice a day, for a few seconds.  Do you think these symptoms are related and could they be due to dental problems?  The vet checked his teeth and found nothing awry.

Have you encountered this before?  I am very concerned about the weight loss and the eye condition.

Another question:  My 10 year old rabbit, a Polish Dwarf, (short faced) has a 1/8 inch width of his eyelashes lying on his cornea.

His eye was tearing and his vet thought that he had a clogged tear duct;and the resulting irritation caused the droopy eyelashes.  He has been on Tobramycin Ophthalmic drops on and off for several months, along with an artificial tears ointment (which he detests).  The vet said he'd have to stay on this ointment for the rest of his life.  Neither medicine has helped him.  

I've read about entropion and I don't think he has that condition.  This just started a few months ago.  Do you have any idea what could be causing this and what can I do to alleviate his discomfort?

Again, I thank you.

Answer
Dear Tamara,

Unexplained weight loss can have many different causes, and none of them are very nice.  If he has a good appetite and is losing weight despite eating well, then one possibility is cancer.  Another is renal disease, which you might notice as excessive drinking and excessive urination of lots of clear urine.  If he's not eating well, then even though the vet "checked his teeth", I'd be sure that the *molars* were checked.  Some vets believe that if the incisors are fine, then that's that.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Please see:

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

But if his molars are really fine, then I would recommend blood panel to check renal function and liver enzymes.  Radiographs might reveal a tumor or other problem (abscess?) that could cause chronic wasting.

As for your second bunny:
Entropion can be secondary to inflammation.  We had one bunny with such severe mange that her eyelids curled inwards.  Once she had a bit of corticosteroid drops to reduce the inflammation (after the mange was gone), the condition resolved on its own.  So I wouldn't rule out entropion.  That's just about the only reason the eyelashes would be lying on the cornea.

I hope this helps.

Dana