Wheepy Eyes and Flinching???

[Spicerack Rabbitry]

Hey so what does heatstroke or heat sickness look like in rabbits? We got up in the mid 80s yesterday and one of my does has had a goopy left eyes since yesterday evening. Today both eyes seem to be having discharge and she seems to be twitching every so often and tilts her head when I pet her nose, putting the left eye up. Usually she likes petting and always comes up to greet me. It's hard to tell because everyone is in nap mode in the afternoons and she did come greet me in the morning but she seems a little less energetic than usual. I don't actually know how old she is because the kid I got her from lost her pedigree (said she'd find it when she got home but since then I haven't gotten an answer, though she did offer go trade her if I wasn't successful breeding her) but I have a feeling I was lied to and she's at least 3 if not older. So she might be more susceptible than all the younger rabbits.

EDIT: Alright so after a bit of research it seems like weeping eyes can be caused by a few things, mainly dental issues, clogged tear ducts, pink eye, or sinus issues. Nothing I can find really goes into much detail, just the usual "go to the vet immediately" advice that comes with all animal health issues. Unfortunately the vet is not an option where I live so I've had to be my own vet in a lot of cases. She is still alert and seems to have vision in both eyes. She still comes up to the front for attention. She does seem to be rubbing at her eyes more than usual, do you think it could just be a bit of hay or fur or something that got in and caused irritation? I am going to try to get a look at her teeth to see if there's anything obvious there. I've been gently wiping her eyes with a warm washcloth. What are the opinions here on saline solution? Also got a new ac unit for the rabbit room so the heat shouldn't be an issue as soon as we hook that up this evening.

 

[ladysown]

Isolate her from the rest of the herd as much as you can. Try a tea bag compress first unless you are well experienced with using saline as a fluch.

 

[tambayo]

Chamomile tea can be used to clean goopy eyes. Keep them clean, check for irritants (hairs in there maybe? i see loose fur?) and yes seperate and keep the flies away to prevent spread to the rest of the herd.

 

[Alaska Satin]

Hey so what does heatstroke or heat sickness look like in rabbits? We got up in the mid 80s yesterday and one of my does has had a goopy left eyes since yesterday evening. Today both eyes seem to be having discharge and she seems to be twitching every so often and tilts her head when I pet her nose, putting the left eye up. Usually she likes petting and always comes up to greet me. It's hard to tell because everyone is in nap mode in the afternoons and she did come greet me in the morning but she seems a little less energetic than usual. I don't actually know how old she is because the kid I got her from lost her pedigree (said she'd find it when she got home but since then I haven't gotten an answer, though she did offer go trade her if I wasn't successful breeding her) but I have a feeling I was lied to and she's at least 3 if not older. So she might be more susceptible than all the younger rabbits.

EDIT: Alright so after a bit of research it seems like weeping eyes can be caused by a few things, mainly dental issues, clogged tear ducts, pink eye, or sinus issues. Nothing I can find really goes into much detail, just the usual "go to the vet immediately" advice that comes with all animal health issues. Unfortunately the vet is not an option where I live so I've had to be my own vet in a lot of cases. She is still alert and seems to have vision in both eyes. She still comes up to the front for attention. She does seem to be rubbing at her eyes more than usual, do you think it could just be a bit of hay or fur or something that got in and caused irritation? I am going to try to get a look at her teeth to see if there's anything obvious there. I've been gently wiping her eyes with a warm washcloth. What are the opinions here on saline solution? Also got a new ac unit for the rabbit room so the heat shouldn't be an issue as soon as we hook that up this evening.

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I have this kind of thing crop up occasionally during hot/humid or dry/windy weather, and sometimes when I bring in new hay that is a bit dusty. The eyes are weepy (sometimes one eye, sometimes both), and once in a while there is also a little whitish goop as the eye tries to get rid of irritants, but it always stays at about the level shown in your picture. Sometimes they drool a bit as well when it's really hot, but there is never any snot around the nose associated with it. Lighter-colored animals (REW, BEW, red, squirrel, lilac) seem to be more prone to this issue. If it seems to be especially bothering them, I've used tea as a wash to soothe.

Checking her teeth routinely is a good idea, but you'll only be able to see her incisors and peg teeth; you need a special tool to look at her molars. If it's her teeth, the symptoms will get progressively worse, and she'll eventually quit eating.

I actually had a white Satin that was allergic to timothy hay, if you can believe it. I just quit giving it to him, but his new owners used human eye drops to great effect.

 

[Spicerack Rabbitry]

Well turns out it was a wasp bite on her nose. They got in to the room somehow, made a nest right above her cage, and then must have realized they couldn't get back outside. Very fun to deal with... Can't believe I missed the bump day one but I found it yesterday morning and noticed the wasps. I was just wiping her eyes with a warm washcloth, which she was surprisingly fine with as long as I don't touch the bite. She seems to be getting better, the eyes are clearer and her energy and appetite are normal.