My lionhead rabbit

Question
My 3 and a half year old lionhead rabbit Nala has a recurring long crust growth on her lip. It's been going on for a long time now; once she manages it to pull it off herself, it grows back again after a short period of time. I think this makes it difficult for her to eat, as she hasn't been eating that much recently, and when we try to offer her foods that she usually enjoys, she seems to find them hard to eat.
Also, she's been having problems with her left eye for quite a while now. It seems droopy, and has been shrinking over time. I got Aureomycin and Fucithalmic from the vet, and have been treating her with it for quite a while, to no improvement.
I was wondering if there was anything you know of that I should do about these two problems. I'd appreciate any help.
Regards,
Akiko

Answer
Hi Akiko,

I am assuming the crust material is material that is coming out of her nose and drying around her mouth area.

To me it sounds like she has some kind of sinus infection which also could be affecting he eye.  Maybe there is some pressure on the blood supply to the eye, due to some swelling of the infection around that part of her head.  

How are her teeth?  Ever have problems with them?

It sounds from what you write that the meds you were given are not working to cure the problem.  

My suggestion is to go to a different rabbit vet.  I am not sure where you are, but if in the USA, go to:

www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

and find a House Rabbit Society-recommended vet near you.

Otherwise if you are located in Japan, I have a web page that lists some rabbit vets there:

http://members.shaw.ca/cocoasun/Africa&AsiaRabbitVets.htm

I would suggest the vet do an xray of her head and abdomen.  She may have tooth abscesses that are the source of this infection that are causing the crust and the eye problem.  It will also reveal where the infection is, if it is in one or more places.  It will give a better picture of what you're up against.  I would even have them make sure the crust is dried mucous and not some fungal infection on her face.

Further, since she's been given meds that really aren't working well, I would have them do a culture and sensitivity test on her bacteria and see what meds do well at killing it off.  There is no need for her to get worse or for you to spend money on meds that are not effective.

In the meantime until they know what med works best, I'd ask them if they could prescribe her some anti-inflammatory medicine like metacam (also a painkiller) in order to see if it helps the eye out or helps control any swelling they see in the brain/cranial sinuses.

Write back anytime.  Lee