My 2-week-old rabbit has gunk in its eye. What can I do to help?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It is my pleasure to answer your question as well as possible. I will do my best to give you the clearest and most current information I can. If you need to follow up with further questions or need a more in-depth discussion, please do not hesitate to request a consultation and we can help you further. Cute bunny, and congratulations on your new family member. Yes, it is pretty common for bunnies to get eye infections but there are a number of different reasons for them. The most common of those include a blocked tear duct that would normal drain extra tears from the eye into the nose, an abrasion or scratch, or an E. Cuniculi infection. A blocked tear duct can be caused by something as simple as a dusty brand of hay to something as complex as a chronic tooth issue. In a bunny as young as yours the chronic condition is less likely. Unfortunately, the only good way to tell if there is a blockage is for a vet to stain the eye and see if the colored stain drains into the nose as it should. If it is blocked, the vet can flush it out. They could also get a very superficial look at the teeth to see if they appear normal. The vet would be likely to give you some medication to help the irritated skin in front of the eye heal faster as well, for now please keep that area as clean and dry as possible.

Thanks for reaching out about Fluffy and including a photo. Ocular secretions can become thicker and not drain through the lacrimal duct, when certain conditions arise. This could be an infection, dental disease (affecting drainage), stress and other problems. Continue to wipe the eye area with a moistened clear wash cloth. If worsens, a veterinary visit is recommended to assess and provide a diagnostic/treatment plan. Remember, having your rabbit spayed is very important as rabbits have a high incidence of uterine neoplasia. Good luck.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Miffy may have blocked tear ducts He could also have chronic conjunctivitis that requires a different eye drops with antibiotic. Please, take Miffy to your local vet and discuss flushing the tear ducts (this is fairly easy to do but many rabbits need mild sedation for this procedure) or start him on different eye drops. Your vet may want to send off a swab from the eyes to external laboratory to find out what type of antibiotic would be best to use.

You should not need to flush your bunny's eyes, as a healthy bunny should not have a discharge from his eye. If you think there is a lot of dust that is bothering your rabbit and you want to remove that you can gently flush the eyes with some 0.9% saline solution available from your pharmacy. If there is a discharge of pus or if you think there is a bigger foreign body that needs to be removed, your bunny needs to be seen by a veterinarian, as your bunni could be suffering from an upper respiratory infection, or a nasty abscess, or tooth problems.

Hello, and thank you for your question. Gunky discharge from the eye may be a sign of an eye infection. I would recommend having Honey assessed by a vet within the next 24 hours, as eye problems can worsen quickly if untreated. In the meantime, if you are comfortable with it you can try gently flushing the eye out with a sterile saline solution in case there is any foreign material such as dirt or hay stuck under the eyelid, causing the eye infection. If you notice the eye is getting worse or if she is scratching at it, I would recommend getting her seen by the vet as soon as possible! I hope this helps, and that Honey is feeling better soon!

This is usually cause by an eye infection that in turn causes blockage of the tear duct. you will need to take her to the vet to get it treated with antibiotics and antibiotic eye drops, in some cases flushing of the tear duct is also needed.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could have been a birth defect perhaps if it has been going on this entire time. Diarrhea can be observed with gastrointestinal parasites for example. I highly recommend that you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check on the possible cause of the diarrhea so that it can be treated and why his eyes are not apparent. Good luck!