Weepy eyes.

Question
Hi,my Mini Lop buck has one weepy eye & its not a Viral,tooth etc illness,its simply due to his Hormones,as i have read this is what can cause weepy eyes in Buck rabbits.

So basically my question is; What can cure it without getting him neutered?? And maybe without going to the vets?
(though i will go if needed!)

Because he's a breeding buck & so far,none of his youngsters have developed his weepy eyes,so i don't want to neuter him,if that makes sense!

Thank-you! xxx

Answer
Dear Laurie,

Weepy eyes in unneutered male rabbits are *not* caused by hormones. They are caused by a blocked tear duct, and that can be due to one of several different causes.  A tear duct can be blocked by cellular and/or bacterial debris (in this case, a short course of ophthalmic antibiotic ointment from your vet might clear it up), by intrusion of a tooth root into the skull due to osteoporosis, or by inflammation caused by bacterial infection in a tooth root or even the middle or inner ear.

Please read:

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

and find a good rabbit vet to help you here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

He may need a tear duct flush, ophthalmic ointment, or just warm compresses.  But once this problem develops, it rarely goes away permanently, unfortunately.  It's an anatomical problem.

Some rabbits have a genetic predisposition for runny eyes in the form of congenitally narrowed tear ducts.  You won't know if the male has passed this trait on to his offspring right away, because the runny eyes usually don't develop until the bunny is a few years old.  This problem is especially prevalent in lops with their foreshortened faces, and in dwarf rabbits with the same problem.

If the runny eye problem has some basis in your male's genetics (which is very likely), then there's a good chance that he's passing this tendency on to his offspring, even if the babies don't have runny eyes in their childhood.

Please see:

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

for more information.

I hope this helps.

Dana