Geriatric Rabbit

Question
I have a seven year old Holland Dwarf Rabbit named Eskimo.  Since birth, he has had runny stools that the different vets have treated as a rabbit STD, so I have not been able to do too much about that except administer antibiotics occasionally, and apply lubrication to alleviate his pain.

In the past year and 1/2 Eskimo has acquired cataracts in both of his eyes, the veterinarians said due to his age, they should not be surgically removed, so I have left them alone.  

In the past month however I have noticed clear watery discharge coming out of his eyes that is 'eating away' at his fur.  I clean it with warm washcloths but his skin is beginning to show.  

His head has also began rocking back and forth, sometimes, he sits in the corner of the cage "staring at the wall" with his head rocking back and forth (not to make a joke but like Stevie Wonder).  He doesn't fall down or anything, he still runs around the house and his cage, but sometimes his head rocks a lot.  

I have also noticed his breathing has changed, it sounds like he is snoring even when he is awake.  In the past (when he was younger) he would snore but it would go away, lately it has become an everyday thing and it is getting louder.  

I am having difficulty in deciding whether these things are normal due to his old age and pre-existing conditions.  He is eating fine, his runny stools are still runny, he is active and still drinking plenty of water.

He just looks very old and is acting different.  I looked up Head Tilt, but it seems like Head Tilt is when the bunnies head is tilted to one side, not rocking back and forth.  I looked up eye discharge, and the article stated it may be an infection, or allergy.  I looked up cataracts and that's common for older rabbits. And his runny stools, as I have mentioned he's had those his whole life.


Eskimo has a pretty balanced diet, he eats pellets, green leafy vegetables, carrots, celery, occasional apple bits.  We give him papaya fruit and pineapple juice occasionally to help with his digestion.  He has a fairly large cage (about 7' long to run around in.  He's an indoor rabbit and also hops around the house (he's a lot slower then he used to be--but still active)

I hope this helps, any information you can impart will be helpful.

Answer
Dear Desiree,

It might surprise you to learn that at the age of seven, your bunny is by no means old.  Holland Lops and Netherland Dwarf rabbits that are very inbred tend to have more health problems than other breeds, but they still can live to be ten or more and still be perky and happy.

Rabbits have a tendency towards glaucoma, and this can cause cataracts.  I'm a bit disappointed in the vets you've been seeing if they told you his runny stool was from a sexually transmitted disease, and that his cataracts were just due to "old age."  If they were seriously committed to rabbit medicine, they would have done further diagnostics to find out the cause of the cataracts and perhaps to have prevented them.  But what's done is done.  Still, I would *strongly* urge you to find a more experienced rabbit vet with the list linked here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

The cataracts also could be due to the damage of a parasite known as Encephalitozoon cuniculi, which also could be responsible for some other symptoms, as the parasite attacks both the central nervous system and the kidneys.

The fact that he has runny eyes suggests that he is having problems with his molar roots, and these, too, could be part of the problem contributing to the cataracts (if that's what the white in his eyes really is; if the vets didn't look deep into the eyes with a proper instrument, they might not be able to distinguish between cataracts and intra-ocular abscesses, which are a not uncommon problem when a rabbit has severe molar disorders).

To make a long story short:  what's going on with your rabbit may be very complicated, but it is NOT necessarily due to age.  I would find a good, experienced rabbit vet who can take head radiographs to assess the state of his molars and their roots.  Dwarf rabbits are prone to molar problems to begin with, and older ones who have begun to suffer bone loss can have intrusion of the roots into the skull where they can block off the tear ducts (hence, the runny eyes), and do other damage, such as even penetrate the back of the eyeball (causing intraocular abscesses).  For more details, please read:

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

and

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

Cataracts are still a possibility, and could be caused either by E. cuniculi (the cataracts caused by this parasite have a characteristic appearance that a good, experienced rabbit vet or veterinary ophthalmologist will recognize), or by glaucoma, which can be painful and requires treatment.

His head bobbing could be a sign of pain, so please ask the new vet about analgesics that can really improve his quality of life.  

His mushy stool could be a lifelong reaction to the pain of  molar spurs, or to incorrect dietary items. It's not normal, and it's NOT a sign of a sexually transmitted disease!  Please read:

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

for complete information on the causes and treatments of runny stool (cecal dysbiosis), and please find a better rabbit vet ASAP.  

I hope this helps get you started.

Dana