Weepy Eye
Topic: Snuffles
Betsy wants to know what causes weepy eye.

Lots of things. Some of them are benign and some are not. How can you tell which one your rabbit has?

That's the million dollar question.

A dust storm, mold in hay, smoke in the air, dust in the feed, an allergy, a bacterial invasion, pressure from the sinuses, pressure from (badly) growing teeth, stress, an injury...these can all cause the eyes to tear. Tearing eyes are not always a sign of a worst case, but if they don't clear up on their own then odds are you have something that is an issue. Tearing eyes that don’t go away, and end up dripping uncontrollably get the name Weepy Eye. Weepy eye is one symptom of Snuffles. (Please feel free to add more information to the comments section as I am always eager to learn more on this!)

Since I keep a breeding herd, I have arrived at zero tolerance for weepy eye. I have found in the past when I tried to fix it, that some cases respond right away and I never see them again, and some linger/reoccur no matter what I do. I found I could make it go away temporarily, (tea bags in their drinking water!!!) only to have it surface with another stressful situation. And I learned a hard, hard lesson about breeding a rabbit that ONCE had a weepy eye; most of his offspring from his first litter also had it. In his case, I suspect there was a genetic predisposition to pressure on the sinuses from a bad teeth/jaw formation OR to a weak immune system that will succumb to Pasteurella Multocida, Bordatella, or some other bacteria that rabbits do not ward off well. Neither of these conditions is fair to pass on to future bunnies. (I know breeders who routinely breed rabbits with this condition and are not bothered by it, so know thy breeder if it is important to you.)

Weepy eye will make its appearance here in summer, which is pretty stressful on my herd. I have been acquiring more information on the variations in rabbit keeping among other breeders and have come to the conclusion that I have to breed for my own environment/stress level, and it is unfair of me to bring in angoras that have been kept in climate control even though they are raised local to my area. You can’t tell by looking if an Angora will do well in high heat and humidity, but that’s how I keep my herd, so I need animals that can live well through it. With the occasional summer getting to 90*F or better for weeks on end, it is a challenge to weed out stock that won’t thrive here, and so I look for a pet home for a suspect.

SNUFFLES AND RESPIRATORY AILMENTS
Topic: Snuffles
Lana wrote me with some questions about what Snuffles is and what to look for with new rabbits, and so I decided it was time to tackle this issue on the blog. If this post educates just 5 rabbit breeders about this disease, then I will feel all my time working on this blog has been well spent. So write me if you learn something new. Some Angora rabbit breeders do not consider the condition of a bunny's immune system, rather concentrating on fiber quality, body size and rate of growth as they choose stock. Back when I was new at this business, I bought a $175 pedigreed buck whose owner said he had a "cold". He was dead in 14 months from pneumonia.

SNUFFLES is an advanced case of severe bacteriological respiratory invasion. It is a permanent bad cold, put in human terms. It will never go away as the bacterium that causes it lodges in the nasal/sinus bones of the rabbit, where it cannot be eradicated with antibiotics (enough to do so would kill the rabbit). Symptoms include any or all of the following that REAPPEAR ON A REGULAR (every 4 - 6 months) basis: sneezing, watery eyes, runny nose, and nasal thick mucus discharge. The symptoms will become more severe as the rabbit experiences stress. The bacterium that is commonly the culprit is Pasteurella Multocida, although other bacteria can trigger "colds". Once the P. Multocida organism has a firm hold in the rabbit's system, and it reigns unchecked, then the rabbit simply loses vitality and slowly fades away. Snuffles can be around a LONG time, and is considered, like AIDS in humans or Feline Leukemia in cats, a chronic condition. While the rabbit is "fading", which can takes years, he is prone to other things cropping up: abscesses on the body (feet and genitals); pneumonia; wry neck (dizziness and crooked posture) and other assorted ills.

There are any number of reasons why a rabbit sneezes, and while only one of them is from a bacterial invasion causing a respiratory response, one has no way of knowing by looking at the rabbit. Finding out what is going on with your sneezing rabbit takes a LONG time. Sneezing spreads large colonies of P. Multocida, as well as Bordatella, another culprit in Snuffles. If you have other rabbits, it is a good idea to quarantine your sneezer and take precautions to lessen the chance of infecting another rabbit.

Snuffles takes a long time to fully develop. In the meantime you have fleeting sneezing/discharge symptoms that crop up when stress occurs. Stress can be excess fright, excess heat, excess cold, excess wind, and excess ammonia from urine, breeding and lactation. These symptoms do NOT have to develop into Snuffles IF, and this is a big if, your rabbit possesses a strong immune system, and you work quickly to make him more comfortable and calm.

The first time you see any sneezing/nose dripping/eyes watering you should IMMEDATELY (and not tomorrow):
1. Separate bunny from the others. 20 feet minimum. There is some evidence that 10 feet is enough.
2. Bleach all cages and food/water bowls within 10 feet of where bunny was.
3. Set up a separate food source for bunny's feed. Feed the sneezer LAST and change your clothes/wash your hands before you visit another rabbit. Never feed your other rabbits from this food source.
4. Put water soluble Terramycin 343 in his drinking water. This needs to be mixed fresh daily and used for at least 2 weeks, or a full 7 days past any sneezing. If this is not available, use VetRx for Rabbits (herbal mixture that is FABULOUS for stress). I sell it here at Countrywool.
5. Consider using ophthalmic eye ointments for drippy/runny eyes. Two that I keep on hand are Chloramphenicol and Erythromycin. Use one as prescribed by your vet for 2 days, and if the eye does not clear, use the other one.
6. For the full-bombing treatment of suspected bacteria, Enrofloxacin injectible (Baytril), used twice/day for 4 days, will divert the bacteria. Dosages are outlined in RABBIT PRODUCTION by McNitt, Patton, Lukefahr and Cheeke, or check with your vet.

I give each potentially breedable rabbit one chance to get over a sneezing attack. If it goes away with minimal fuss (VetRx in the water and more attention to a calm environment) and stays away for a full 12 months, then the rabbit has, in all probability, a good immune system that is taking care of little negative bacterial invaders well. After all, anyone can sneeze from dust and allergies, and sometimes it takes bacteria triggering the immune system for the body to resist the bacteria, with a week of sneezing as it copes. But, rabbits that need this kind of treatment to STAY symptom free should never, and I repeat, never, be bred. You are diluting the possibility of a healthy and strong immune system for future generations.

So, new rabbits get quarantined for a full 6 weeks before they are mingled with your herd. Rabbits to be considered for breeding should be observed for a full 12 months, through a year of changing seasons and conditions, to see how their immune system is coping. Rabbits that show signs of developing Snuffles should be considered pet quality and kept away from other rabbits and breeding stock. But, after all is said and done, I have known pet rabbits with Snuffles who lived until the age of 6 when kept inside and treated carefully when a "cold" surfaced. So, single bunny pet owners can offer a fine life to a Snuffly bunny.