Is eye matting ever okay to be left alone?

[StachesMommy]

Hi! So… my bunny has had vet checks.  She had little sleepy boogers in the corners of her eyes and vet said it was okay because she didn’t have discharge around cheeks, paws, etc.  It’s been about a week and now the corners of her eyes are matted.  It’s hard and I’ve been trying to clean it for her but it’s very hard to loosen up the matting!  I don’t visibly see any discharge.  The eye actually looks fine to me besides the matting.  It’s not a lot of matting either just the corners by her tear ducts.  I always check her nose and eyes for wetness and they are dry.  I did hear her breathe loud through her nose a couple times.  It wasn’t quite a sneeze but sounded and looked like more of a sigh through her nose like a human being would sigh through their nose.  It’s hard to explain, sorry.  I figured it was just hay dust. (She was cleared for snuffles during her recent check) I read somewhere that Holland lops sometimes do get matting around their eyes without being sick because they are so fluffy?? But that was google…. and many things searched on google tend to be wrong advice.  The vet seemed unconcerned about it.  Should I get a second opinion? Is eye matting ever okay?

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I would take her in. The vet could likely use clippers to remove the matts, but likely something is going on if they are matted. Eyes are super easy to treat-it’s often a couple of drops, but if they are left alone it could mean loss of sight or progression of an illness. If your vet is unconcerned, maybe try another?

[LittlePuffyTail]

I ditto another vet check. Dental problems like molar spurs and abscesses can cause eyes to tear up. Most bunnies don’t have runny eyes unless there is something wrong. I would make sure the vet checks in her mouth really well. This can be done with an otoscope. Some bunnies are okay to have this done, some need to be sedated for the vet to have a good look.

[StachesMommy]

I had a feeling something wasn’t right about her eyes! Thank you. We have an appointment with her current vet (who told me her eyes were fine) Thursday for a follow up injection of Ivermectin. She also told me bunny didn’t have mites but when I pet her, her shoulder blades have crusty flakes on them. She said it’s dry skin but honestly I don’t know if dry skin would cause such hard flakes. She gave her ivermectin anyway so that’s fine if she was wrong about the mite issue. Her nose for the first time felt damp when I checked today. It was clear but a little sticky. do you guys think she’s getting sick? I’m in the process of looking for a different vet. Even if I have to travel long distance just this one time to get a second opinion about her eye issues. Thank you! I will mention the molar spurs and eye disease concerns to both the vets.

[BB & Tiny]

Josephine had eye crusties and I thought it was sleep and just cleaned them. Once her ear infection was found and cleaned she no longer has them. Not saying of course your bunny has any type of infection. Just an example of how something that seems minor can be a symptom of something much larger possibly.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Did your vet do a skin scraping test under the microscope? That is the only way to rule out mites 100%. If your vet did not do this, I would def look for another vet. If you tell us your general area, we may be able to help you locate a rabbit savvy vet.

[StachesMommy]

Hey BunLuv, actually she was given Tresaderm drops for her ears as well as Ivermectin although the ear infection swabs and ear mite swabs came back negative due to her itching she was medicated. But her eyes are getting matted everyday a little by the corners. Both eyes…
Hi Puffy Tail, I don’t see the skin scraping test billed on my invoice but I think I do remember she took off a skin flake and did put it on a slide. She took it to the back but honestly I don’t know for a 100% if it was her ear swabs she took or the flake. I don’t think they would be nice enough to not bill it considering they billed me for every little thing done since then. We are due for a follow up shot tomorrow and if she still says her eyes are okay, we are going to another vet about 40 minutes away for a 2nd opinion. Her current vet now was listed on the NJHRS. That’s how I found her. She’s not very personable either though so we may just switch over after her last shot is done. She didn’t let me switch her off Tresaderm for something else I felt more comfortable with assuring me it was fine for her to use despite all the negative things listed about it. Before I go off lamenting lol, let me just thank you guys so much for your help. Hopefully everything will be alright and we can stop going to the vets. Thanks.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Best of luck at your next apt!

[StachesMommy]

Okay… Just got back from vets… I’m going to be starting a new thread about the meds she was given…

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