Mystery issue

[ladysown]

in the past eight months I'd sold two kits and one junior doe that when they go to their new homes have gotten a weepy eye. It last for no more than one week and then clears up.

Now... what I've done here is to try to replicate it in siblings.

Moving kits to another location. Doing shavings in a plastic bottomed cage. Taking kits on car rides and then plunking them down somewhere other than their own cage.

To no avail.

I get no weepy eyes.

So I'm confounded as to what causes this.
To me a weepy eye is a sign of pasteurella. But I can't replicate it. I don't see it here.

So how do I figure this out?

Is there something else that can cause weepy eye?

The owners tell me
1. nothing in the eye.
2. no dust, no spots no.. nothing.
Just a weepy eye and when I do follow up (after giving advice about using a warm tea bag compress etc) they say the eye has cleared up.

Any thoughts from you knowledgeable folks out there?

NOW.. ALL these kits came off the buck that I culled since a number of his kits would have nestbox eye (took me a while to clue into that one) whereas my other buck I didn't get that issue. So I'm not sure if perhaps it's a poor immune system responding to stress?

 

[Secuono]

Have you asked what feed and hay they use? Any sprays they use in the house, flea/perfume/cleaners? Other pets bothering them?

 

[MaggieJ]

It certainly could be an inherited immune system weakness inherited from the buck... But it sounds very slight, if that is it.

It could also be as simple as some product used at the new home: perfume, tobacco, air fresheners, cleansers... The list is a long one, as you know.

Since the problem is short-lived, unless it recurs I would not be unduly worried... but I know you like to get to the bottom of things. You've contributed so much to this forum as a result of your excellent observation skills and analytical thinking.

 

[Disney]

I had a buck who got a wheepy eye during winter and it took months for it to stop but it finally did by cleaning it 3x a day with lukewarm water. Try chamomile tea, it helps treating eye problems.
None of his offspring has had it so far.

It can be caused by hooks on their teeth, a vet will always check their teeth first.
Could also be a infection or blockage in their tear duct.

From my understanding, it has nothing to do with snot or the P-word.
So i wouldn't cull for that.

 

[ladysown]

so something out of my control. I suppose that makes sense. I'm a no perfume, easy cleanser type person (vinegar is my friend).... so that's something that they would not have been exposed to before.

gives me things to query should this happen again...

 

[Ivory]

It can be caused by hooks on their teeth, a vet will always check their teeth first.

Could you please expand on that?

 

[Disney]

It can be caused by hooks on their teeth, a vet will always check their teeth first.

Could you please expand on that?

In dutch, they call it "hooks on the teeth" that causes wheepyeye.
You can barely see them with your eyes but the hooks can prick the jaw and palate from the inside and annoy the tearduct which is connected to the roots.

Basically, the tear duct can be compressed by the roots of the teeth.
I don't know how to explain it properly.

Another thing to do is, cleaning/flushing the tearduct.

Here is a link with pictures from the vet office, which might give you an idea.
http://www.dierengebit.nl/konijn-tranen ... d-oog.html

 

[Dood]

"hooks on the teeth" that causes wheepyeye.

it is simialr to 'hooks' in horses mouthed where the hind grinding teeth dont wear down evenly and need to be 'floated' or rasped smooth.

If you are rural and the buns are moving to the city it could be the poorer air quality that is causing the tears. When my sister with asthma and allergies moved to the city she could hardly breath and ended up moving within a year back to the country.