Why are are my rabbit eyes watering

Watery eyes are relatively common in rabbits. Especially in long-haired rabbit breeds, the wet eye is particularly noticeable, as a regular tear duct forms in the fur under the eyes. The discharge from the rabbit’s eyes can look both clear and purulent yellow.

Depending on the root cause, the intervention of a veterinarian is necessary. In some cases, however, home remedies can also clear up the watery rabbit eyes.

Detect eye discharge – the symptoms

Rabbits with eye discharge look as if they have been crying. Sometimes they lose fur near the eye or discoloration is noticeable in the fur, which is especially noticeable in white rabbits.

However, the typical tear duct does not always form. Sometimes only a whitish to yellow plug can be seen at the tear spots, at the inner corner of the eye, indicating eye disease. Purulent discharge can also come directly from the eye, but depending on the location, other symptoms can also be seen that may accompany the eye discharge. These include, for example, reddened eye rims or a reddening of the conjunctiva, also corneal opacities or a protrusion of the affected eye are symptoms that often occur in connection with watery eyes in rabbits.

Often the watery eyes are accompanied by other symptoms, such as general dullness, reluctance to eat or a pronounced photophobia.

Causes and treatment of watery eyes

The causes of watery eyes in rabbits are extremely diverse and range from harmless irritations to tooth root abscesses to serious infectious diseases. Differentiating between harmless eye watering and pathological changes that require the intervention of a veterinarian is not always easy for the rabbit owner.

In many cases, it is the circumstances after which the eye tearing has occurred that point to a specific cause. Has the rabbit been in contact with drafts? Can foreign bodies (in longhaired breeds, their own hair is often to blame) irritate the eye? Has the rabbit been eating poorly for a long time or are there other symptoms?

In addition, there are the anatomical peculiarities of the rabbit, which has a lacrimal sac in addition to the nasolacrimal duct. Here, watery eyes can be caused by an excessive production of lacrimal secretions (e.g. in case of allergies or foreign bodies), which can no longer be drained through the lacrimal duct.

Similarly, a blockage of the draining tear ducts due to an infection is possible. It is then usually manifested by purulent discharge caused by viruses (myxomatosis) or bacteria (conjunctivitis).
Home remedies for eye tears in rabbits

Once the cause (for example, drafts, ammonia vapors, foreign bodies such as fur near the eye) is found and stopped, the eye discharge in rabbits usually goes away all by itself.

Also the lack of vitamins (vitamin B) can cause eye discharge and is quickly remedied by an appropriate vitaminization of the rabbit.

To prevent adhesions and to avoid irritation of the surrounding skin areas, watery eyes should be cleaned carefully. Chamomile tea does NOT belong to the rabbit eye, because it has a drying effect and is therefore counterproductive when used on the eye. To clean and soothe irritated eyes, washes with eyebright tea or colloidal silver water have proven effective. Improvement should occur after two to three days at the latest!

When to take the rabbit to the doctor

If the rabbit is obviously in severe pain, if it is a recurring eye problem, if the watery eyes are accompanied by other serious symptoms such as fever or apathy, or if the eye region is heavily clogged with purulent secretions, the trip to the vet should have top priority.

Even in the case of deterioration after independent treatment by the animal owner, a visit to the veterinarian should be made as soon as possible in order to contain the progression of the disease.

Ocular disease associated with protrusion of the affected eye should always be presented to a veterinarian. Here, a retrobulbar eye abscess, i.e. an inflammation behind the eye can be the cause or a tumor can be responsible.

If, in addition to the watery eyes, the rabbit has problems eating, the visit to the veterinarian should not be postponed either, since in many cases a tooth root abscess is hidden behind the disease.