watery eyes

Question
Dear Dr. Krempels,

I have a 1 year, 5mo old Dutch rabbit whom I adopted about a month ago.

About three days ago, I noticed a small, whitish discharge running from one
of her eyes.  I consulted some people who told me she may have gotten a hair
in her eye and to keep my own eye on it to see if she tears constantly.  
Although I haven't seen a discharge return, I do notice that the fur around her
eye looks as a little matted - though only sllightly.

She is otherwise behaving normally, and I haven't seen any discharge from
her nose.  Her nose does whistle when she sleeps, but that is not new.  I'm a
first time rabbit owner and a little paranoid when it comers to her health, so
I'm wondering if I should be overtly concerned here, or if I should wait it out a
bit to see if her eye clears before I take her to a vet.

Thank You,
-Dan  

Answer
Dear Dan,

Congratulations on your new pal.

Unfortunately, her runny eyes are not likely due to a "hair" stuck there.  :(  Chronic runny eyes in rabbits (in the absence of corneal injury, or some types of intraocular disease) are almost invariably due to a blocked or narrowed tear duct.

In some cases, this will resolve with something as simple as warm compresses twice a day for a few days.  But more often, a rabbit-savvy vet needs to be consulted to determine whether some of these remedies might be necessary:

1.  tear duct flush
2.  antibiotic eye drops
3.  systemic antibiotics
4.  molar exam (to check for tooth root involvement)

You can read more about how runny eyes are related to dental problems here:

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

and find a good vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

I hope this helps you get your girl back on track and bright-eyed soon.

Dana