A little worried about Jellybeans

[jerseygirl]

The other day I noticed Jellybeans was all wet under his chin but I figured he had dipped his head a bit to far into the water dish. He drinks a good amount of water.  Then the fur under one of his eyes seemed wet.  Today, the fur above the eye and below the inner corners of both eyes is wet.  His paws are not wet so I don’t think he’s wiped water on his face or anything.  There’s no visible discharge and the eyes themselves don’t look watery. Just the fur around them.

I asked Kafrn if he sometimes had this during the time she had him and she said no. I’m wondering if he’s reacting to something environmentally? He was also lying in the litter box a bit today which Jersey and Rumball do when unwell. But I don’t know Jelly’s habits well enough yet to say if it’s unusual for him or not.

 ETA: I just did a search of old threads and read about ammonia in the pee. His pee is a little stronger then I’m used to but not super bad. Maybe that is whats irritating him though?  I’m using newspaper and hay changed daily and he’s in a pen.

Also, he’s possibly going to be a “dental bun” but as he’s young (about 12-14 weeks) we hopefully can avert this. But could teeth issue already be causing running eyes at his age?   He also has full cataracts but I wouldn’t have thought that would be related? 

[RabbitPam]

Well, cataracts is an eye problem so that’s my first guess as a cause. Next would be lying in his own pee in the litter pan may have gotten him wet. I would dry him off thoroughly (soft cloth of low hair blower from way far back) so you can watch to see how soon and how much moisture comes back, if any.
You’re pet sitting him? (I missed that – sorry.) What’s the number of his regular vet? I think you could call and ask if the vet has an idea and find out what to watch for, for how long. Like if she says “if it’s still wet by Friday, bring him in.” After all, you are there to make sure he gets attention if something goes wrong, so you want to be ready to take action if necessary.

[BaileyBun]

Logan gets wet fur under his eyes, too. My vet said it could be dental, a tear duct thing, or part of his sneezing/allergy/respiratory thing. I don’t remember if we ever decided on an actual cause for it, but she prescribed him eye ointment and that’s taken care of it.

I’m wondering if something could be irritating his eyes… I know when Bailey has something in her eye, she gets the wetness below the corner of her eye. For that, my vet said that contact solution (the kind you can put directly into your eyes) or other safe, non-medicated eye drops for humans would be okay to use for her, just to flush out whatever was in her eye.

I guess I would also call his vet and see what they think. Hope it gets better!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Chuck often had more tears in his eye with the cataract though I can’t say if that was because of the cataract as he didn’t have his other eye to compare to. I missed…why so young with cataracts? Poor dude. I wouldn’t skip the vet, just because it’s cataract, it’s possible to have a scratch or issue with the eye and that could also be the cause of the extra tears.

[jerseygirl]

I missed…why so young with cataracts?

Sorry. We think it’s probably due to inbreeding. Kafrn took the buns from a home after a woman approached her about them. The mother had kept having litters and this woman didn’t know what to do but wouldn’t get her spayed. *thump*
Kafrn posted this after his vet visit.
 

Jellybeans is a very rare bunny. He is 100% blind which is apparently quite uncommon because of the way that a rabbits eyes are structured. This is what the vet said, I dont know any more than this! We have to talk to an expert about it, but he is not in town at the moment. Jellybeans has 100% cataracts which may be affecting the optical nerve, so an operation may or may not enable him to see again. His teeth are bad, but can be filed down every 6 weeks if needed, no abscesses, and the vet will make provisions for a blind bunny to be kept in the hospital while his teeth are being operated on, provided he odenst go through too much stress initially.

After re-reading that, I’m thinking I shouldn’t write off the cataracts being a non-issue. Can they cause pressure behind the eye at all?
btw, he gets around great. I wouldn’t believe he’s totally blind.

 

You’re pet sitting him? (I missed that – sorry.) What’s the number of his regular vet? ]

RP, he’s seen a vet at the practice Kafrn & I both go to. There are 2 that see rabbits. Jelly is with me because I’m hopefully going to adopt him as a mate for Tim Tim. It was a bit much for him to go in with Kafrns group of buns due to his age and blindness so he’s with me for some company.
I’ll call before the weekend so I’m not caught out.

Thanks BaileyBun. Is that a saline solution you use? I have some of this. I’m going to give his eye a warm water/face cloth bath today.

[BinkyBunny]

Rucy would have a wet chin and eye drainage — hers was due to teeth issues and they would get worse as the spurs on her teeth got worse (we had to get the spurs filed). I wish I knew more about cataracts — but I did read that “cataracts may cause pain”(http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Eye_diseases/Disorder/Cat/Cat_en.htm) but I don’t know if it’s due to pressure or ??. So even if the cataracts are due to inbreeding, does that mean that another cause of the cataracts is out of the questions? (like glaucoma which can cause pain)

I would have also suggested checking out the tear ducts but since it ended up being in both eyes, I am guessing it is something else.

Since this is something that is new, it does make me wonder if spurs aren’t growing back (when was the last time she had them trimmed/filed?)

[LittlePuffyTail]

I hope Jelly Beans is okay!!!

Bindi always has a wet chin whether his teeth are fine or not. When he “chins” you it’s very wet.

[RabbitPam]

I’m sorry. I do remember when a 4th bunny in your house was news, but I didn’t put it together with his name and condition.

I’m just wondering, if he has total blindness and it’s incurable, would surgery to remove the cataracts or even the eyes be a relief to him? I know that sounds radical, but I’m not sure it might be less painful and lead to fewer issues in the long run.

How does Tim Tim like him, btw?

[jerseygirl]

I don’t know much about cataracts but I did read that EC can cause them also. This has crossed my mind – whether he contracted EC at birth or even in the womb. Maia (the mother) is also near blind but I don’t remember if it’s due to cataracts. Whatever the cause, if didn’t have them at birth, the onset has been rapid and I have no clue as to what would cause that. I’m glad I read over Kafrns original post because I can query the vet about when that eye specialist might be in our State.

I wiped the eyes last night and was pleased today at how they looked. Then as I needed to leave for work in the evening I noted one had wetness under it again. He’s not displaying any other signs of trouble. Seems energetic and eating well.

RP, I suppose when more is known about his eyes we can look into surgery for pain relief if there is anything effecting the nerves. That would be the main reason for doing it, not for restoring vision. I sort of think suddenly having sight would be more disorientating for a bunny that’s born blind.
One eye appears more cloudy then the other to me & that makes me wonder if he does have a bit of vision… It certainly seems like it in his behaviour.

 

How does Tim Tim like him, btw?

I think the future for their friendship is promising. They’ve had a few interactions. If they approach each other head to head they’re calm and touch noses. If Tim Tim approaches behind Jelly then Jellly runs. But if Tim Tim has let him be for a while, then Jelly will approach him. They both will sit cheek to cheek in my lap for pets without issue. I scheduled Tim Tims neuter for 1st week July. I’m considering bumping that if Jelly is needing treatment so I can stagger the bills.

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