one leaky eye, skin pink but not painful or itchy

[Nicole]

Hello.  My bunny Emmy has one eye that seems leaky.  Actually, I never see it leaking and the eye itself looks normal, but the fur right in front of the eye is all stiff.  I cleaned it once, and it recurred a few days later.  This first started maybe 2 weeks ago.  It seems like maybe there is a little fur loss next to the eye, and the skin is pink, but doesn’t look really inflammed.  She doesn’t scratch it, and its not painful, she doesn’t react to me touching the area.  She is about 8 or 9 years old.  When we adopted her they estimated her age at three or four.  She hasn’t had any health problems.  She’s currently by herself, as her partner passed about three weeks ago.  does anyone know what this is?

[jerseygirl]

It could be a tear duct not draining properly. The fur loss is probably due to the fur being wet near the corner of eye. Did her bunny mate groom her eyes for her?

[jerseygirl]

It could be a tear duct not draining properly. The fur loss is probably due to the fur being wet near the corner of eye. Did her bunny mate groom her eyes for her?

[Nicole]

Well, I was thinking that might be the case sense this started after he passed, but really I would see Emmy grooming him mostly. How do they treat a blocked tear duct? Also, I included a pufture but I dont see it..

[Nicole]

Fixed the pic..

[jerseygirl]

Aw, she’s a sweetie. Is she a Rex?

I believe they can do a flush for blocked ducts. You can try a warm compress at home to see if that helps clear it.

[Nicole]

She might be a mini rex, if thats a thing? Shes only about 4 lbs.

[jerseygirl]

Yes, that’s about the right weight for a mini rex.

If her eye keeps weeping, best get her checked out. Especially given her age. Sometimes dental problems can cause blockages of the duct from eye to nose. Also, if its more due to her producing more tears then the norm, you’d need vet to look into that too.

[JackRabbit]

I agree with jersey. I betting her buddy was cleaning it for her. You can use sterile eyewash (must say “eyewash” on the package) to rinse her eye in case she got a piece of hay in it, but the vet would flush the tear duct and check for tooth/tooth root issues.

[Nicole]

Okay, I just wanted to get an idea what might be going on before I brought her to the vet. The “flushing” sounds kind of intimidating. The intetnet says sometimes the bunny has to be anesthesied. Has anyone had this done with their bunny?
Also how long after the loss of a mate would it be appropriate to seek another bunny pal, for her?

[JackRabbit]

Timing on getting her another buddy would depend on how she’s taking the loss and on you. If she’s not depressed and is happy with extra human time then no rush. The other question is if *you* want another bunny and, if so, when. At 8 or 9 years old, I would definitely let her pick her new friend if you get her one, and I wouldn’t go for an energetic baby that she might find annoying! LOL!

[Nicole]

She seems pretty happy. More than I would have thought considering they were together for years. The bunny she was with was pretty pushy, he’d steal her food if it was something he wanted. But she doesnt like being picked up by me, so im worried eventually she’ll get lonely. I would definetly try to find a bunny she is comfortable with..

[Author]

Messages