Ask Dr Claire

My rabbit has an eye that keeps weeping, the hair around it is damp and her eye is quite red

Weepy, sore eyes in bunnies is really just a symptom and can be the result of many underlying causes. Some of the underlying causes might be:

1. bacterial or viral infection

2. blocked tear ducts 

3. allergies 

4. corneal ulcer 

5. foreign material caught in the eye (hay, grass etc)

A hands-on examination from your local vet would be a great place to start. 

In the interim you could safely bathe her eye in saline (saline is bought from the chemist or made at home with 1/2 teaspoon salt in 1 cup water boiled water mixed together then COOLED before use). Pat dry the hair around her eye as well as if its stays wet the underlying skin may also become inflamed and infected. Cleaning should be done twice daily, but essential to get those eyes checked as quickly as possible. 

If you’d like to chat in person, you can get a vet on a live video call or start a chat to discuss in more detail now.

We’re here to help!

Chat soon,

Dr Claire