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After all the treatments we did over the summer and how careful I am keeping him clean and giving him only foods that don’t seem to aggravate his condition…poor Mimzy still seems to have a head full of snot and still sneezes on and off all day long. There doesn’t appear to be any clear trigger to his condition. I don’t know if the branhamella was eradicated by the antibiotics he received over the summer, but fortunately for his proximity to the other bunnies, he doesn’t seem to have spread anything either. He IS shedding again, all of a sudden, and I notice he makes a little squeaking noise when he’s washing himself, which I have to assume indicates his impaired nose breathing, and yet when he’s not washing there’s no wheezing of any kind. It just seems to come and go and the only evidence I have for it besides the sneezing and face washing he’ll do afterwards, is that occasionally (more often now) I find bits of remnants of goobers dried and stuck to his fur, on his face, near his ears and possibly on his paws, but he won’t let me look at those very well. His lip underneath his nose is minimally wet some days…some days not. For having this, whatever it is, he keeps himself meticulously clean, actually.
Our town vehicle is currently down, but as soon as we have reliable transportation again, I’m getting him an appointment to be looked at. We just have to isolate what this is because he’s been separated from Pip for almost a year now and I can see (by the way he goes straight for Fiver’s pen to sit near him when he’s out) that he would really like to snuggle with another bunny, but I don’t want anybunny else to get sick and I can’t tell what he’s got. (Or doesn’t got.)
I’ve tried using Benadryl and it seem to help a little bit, (but for that it tends to dry him out too much and his poops get tiny) so it probably is just still allergies…but a part of me can’t accept that since I don’t see any particular triggers…with the current exception of his own fur which is flying about by the handfuls.
I don’t really anticipate any advice, I just really wanted to vent my frustration. I think a lot of us on the board are battling chronic illnes in our bunnies right now and it really sucks.
Pull up a chair folks. This is going to turn into a “why won’t my bunny get well?” thread.
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^hehe! siggy!
I remember you mentioning the static last time. I think it could certainly cause some of the finer hair to irritate his nose. How can you counteract static? By increasing humidity?
Does Mimzy only tend to get the sneezes while in his cage? I have to wonder if hay or his litter irritate him too but that could be on top of an infection I guess. It’s a bit chicken/egg too, an infection could arise from having nasal fluids always present due to allergic reaction i.e. that becomes infected. During shedding, their systems may be stressed too(not sure on that) – so maybe that’s when some sort of opportunistic germ takes hold that normally would be an issue….(????????????)
Do you plan to have another swab done? Are the goobers clear or opaque?
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You make some excellent points, Jerz. I do notice he sneezes more in his pen, perhaps the enclosed nature of it? But he doesn’t get much out time thanks to his new habit of the Ninja Wee.
So it’s hard to tell if it’s just a cage thing.
The pen is one of those Superpet ones…plastic bottom and he won’t allow any bedding inside it. I thought maybe his Carefresh was the original problem, but I haven’t used that in his pen in most of the last two years.
I admit…I use those Swiffer cloths to keep the fur down, (then a vinegar swab and fresh water rinse), but maybe that’s making the problem worse.
The weather is no longer clement enough to take the whole unit outside and hit it with the hose. I’ll need to put him somewhere for a bit while I take it into the shower and that means securing Pip elsewhere too, since she lives up atop.
Humidity control is dicey here, since even the littlest bit too much makes things moldy…which turns us around to another problem. I wonder if there’s some mold in the house I don’t know about that could be causing the trouble? I don’t think he has as much difficulty in summer when the windows are open…but this last year it was severe enough that I had the doctor look at him three times, so…. *shrugs*
I don’t see how we can avoid another swab. I hate how expensive they are. But we need to know.
I didn’t realize their systems stressed during a shed. It does seem to be worse right now than it has been in past weeks. And then while the other two were shedding too, since their fur would float over to him. Jeez…there’s just a whole mess of things it could be…and nothing scientifically conclusive, seeing as nothing that triggers him seems to repeat itself enough for me to say, “AHA!”
I’m using only 3rd cut timothy right now (thank you Sarita! the bunnies still love it! ) so no seedheads to go up his snoot. Little pollen, if any. But I guess if it gets dusty… Other types of hay besides orchard grass and this always got him going it seemed. But it doesn’t stop him from eating it, which I think he’d turn his nose up if it was really bothering him. (no pun intended)
His goobers are relatively clear unless he snorts out one big plug of it all at once. The stuff sticking to his fur is very tiny, not all matted like snuffles bunnies can get. I’ll be running my hand over his head and find a few here and there…kind of like a little kid who picks his nose and thinks he’s hidden it well enough so you don’t find it. (eeewww…gross I know…my apologies)
His eyes also have a very delicate crust, but nothing more than I’ve ever seen him with. Kind of hard to get off him though, I’m always afraid I’m going to poke his eye out. 0_o
He does seem to be shaking his head a bit and kicking his ears and jaw a lot when he scratches. But this is an old symptom. I had the doc look at his teeth (when she put him under to do the deep nasal swab she checked them and took xrays of his head and chest) and nothing was found there. I think there was some thickening of the upper palate/nasal cavity which she said could be old scar tissue..but from what injury/infection I couldn’t tell you. The itchy ears could be another sign of low humidity and static as well…especially in that plastic bottomed pen…the electricity builds up in there like stink.Lots of stuff to think about. I’m going to have to elongate his time out of his pen and see if that makes a difference. I want to construct a NIC condo for him, but I have no real room for this either.
I wonder if a wooden habitat would cause the same or even other problems? (like eating it, for one) Perhaps he really needs a change of venue. I don’t notice any breathing difficulties in the car, when a bunny should be stressed to the max. Of course, when at the vets, he never sneezes. ~_~ (at least until the giant q-tip comes out) -
That’s the sad thing Lintini…this house could have tons of mold in it and I wouldn’t know unless it’s showing somewhere…it was about 15 years old when we got here and we’ve put in another 15. I REALLY want to move (one to get out of here, two to be closer to town/university) but with the economy the way it is…it just isn’t doable.
I think we just have to err of the side of, there must be mold in the house somewhere. I don’t see how it could not be. I watch people building houses here..they don’t even get the footings down before the rainy season starts and then the snow. With only three months of summer and most of those wet, you have to assume there’s problems with a house unless you know it was built with that special mold-resistant material.
Plus I think just having the house so DARK all winter is affecting Mimzy’s health as well. I do string colorful lights and burn reveal bulbs for a higher spectrum, but if I’m still bummed out after all that, I can imagine he is too. I think a bunny’s mood has a lot to do with his everyday well-being.Pam I do have him switched to Yesterday’s News, which made a big difference in the beginning. If I put just hay in there, he’s liable to dump his box more often, but, it’s worth a shot. I’ll give it a try.
I noticed today that while cleaning the other bunnies, he starts sneezing. So their stuff may need to be curtailed as well. Boy, three bunnies not having their litter boxes the way they like them….oooo…recipe for disaster! 0_o
I look at my ionizer fan every day and think, “Really should clean that up and get it going again.” I’ve been lazy about doing it because for some reason, this winter, I am a lot colder than I usually am…so a stiff breeze doesn’t appeal…but I have to work all the angles. ^_^
Any tips for getting one of those tower fans thoroughly clean? I’m sure I’m going to have to take it apart, but what to use on the inside? Just the vacuum? Dust cloths? No wet solutions I am sure, unless I’m going to let it dry thoroughly afterward.One more thing that I have tickling the back of my brain; my Griffy cat has some chronic nasal issues too…maybe I should get HIM a checkup and be sure he’s not passing anything to the buns through me. Although I would think ALL the bunnies would be sneezing if that were so.
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Pull up a chair folks. This is going to turn into a “why won’t my bunny get well?” thread.
You and me both!! *hugs*
*joins the thinking out loud gang*
ditto…
I know you are a suberb good bunny momma-but- you’ve checked for pasturella?-but I’m dumb and can’t remember. It so fits with the sneezing-you’re vet has cleared it as not pasturella right?Plus I think just having the house so DARK all winter is affecting Mimzy’s health as well. I do string colorful lights and burn reveal bulbs for a higher spectrum, but if I’m still bummed out after all that, I can imagine he is too. I think a bunny’s mood has a lot to do with his everyday well-being.
There are two skunks at the zoo here. One has seasonal affective disorder..they have special lights for her *giggle* Had to share
One more thing that I have tickling the back of my brain; my Griffy cat has some chronic nasal issues too…maybe I should get HIM a checkup and be sure he’s not passing anything to the buns through me. Although I would think ALL the bunnies would be sneezing if that were so.
I’m almost sure the only things cats can pass to buns is coccidia but I’m not certain and that’s a good good thought
Keep us posted-we are all in comfy chairs and wanting to listen -
Oh, K&K, how do you diagnose a skunk with that???????? Iguess a cheerful skunk is a fresh smelling skunk. They are sooo cute.
MM, allergens have a way of blowing all over, so the litter used by the others may be setting Mimzy off. Perhaps Yesterdays News for all three would work, if that’s what made him moderately better. Did you ever try Aspen pellets or shavings? I don’t remember if he is good or bad with the wood based ones.
Ionizer fan: first, look for your manual for cleaning instructions. If lost or tossed, go online and look up that particular model on the manufacturers site. Find, or email them, for online cleaning instructions. They should have it for every model made.
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Oh, K&K, how do you diagnose a skunk with that????????
Bahahaha I know! I think it was that she would go off her food and not exercise in the winter and they tried the light? I can’t remember the full story-it’s a small zoo and not hte greatest but the care the animals get and all the enrighment items-well it’s a good zoo imo
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Thank again guys, for putting up these good suggestions. To answer your Q, K&K, yes, he’s tested negative for pasturella, that’s how they found the branhamella, which I understand is not as severe of a URI. I had hoped the different antibiotics had knocked out anything that would be bothering him, but whatever it is it doesn’t seem to respond to them.
We just lost our regulator for our boiler last night too, and the water pump on our truck…it’s like…do I dare ask what else?? 0_o
Will clean out the ionizer and get it going not just for bunnies now but because our boiler is blazing away caddywampus and the house is REALLY too warm now. *pulls at t-shirt collar*
I also noticed last night particularly, whenever he goes to eat his cecals, which I NEVER see his…they truly just disappear the moment he realized they are there, unlike the other two who seem to enjoy leaving them like calling cards…that makes him particularly squeaky, so the farther he has to stretch to clean something, the more he squeaks. Could the sneezing just be his own fur going up his nose…and the squeaking maybe some kind of happy grunt and I’m seeing it differently? 0_o
He still has a ‘dried goobery’ nose…. I caught a bit of it leading away from his left nostril last night. Gave him Benadryl and this seemed to ease his symptoms somewhat…but four hours later (and you can only give it twice in 24 hrs) he was squeaking again…so….*headdesk* I’m kind of out of ideas honestly. Must see the vet again. >.< No other hope for it I'm afraid.
BTW..loved the skunk story. Actually, when I first read that I thought it was some kind of witty Canadian saying to compare two like things…like two peas in a pod…lol. Okay…I need more sleep! -
I think his breed might have something to do with it too, Jerz. I notice neither of the other two buns have any nose troubles..but then, they have different noses from Mimzy.
I haven’t made his appointment yet…unfortunately I am due at my doc’s office on Monday since I’ve had some stomach trouble of late and he wants to repeat my blood panels from three months ago, so I’m going in a month early. Once I know what’s going on with that, we’ll get Mimzy in. My vet is pretty good at making space for him on short notice.
Oh, and I got my ionizer fan off Ebay. Pretty cheap too. -
That’s what I’m kind of ‘hoping’…if it’s just a scar tissue thing, then perhaps it won’t evolve into anything else and we’ll just have to keep that hanky handy.
@ RabbitPam
However..whatever it is, I just don’t want to see it escalate. So I keep an eye on it. Today he was more than his usual sneezy, but I still see no real trigger that I can speak to, with the possible exception of the drafts coming in through the cracks in my window seal right now. Temperature doesn’t always affect him though…so it’s not THE cause.
wendyzski, do you have to keep your bunny on constant antibiotics for this problem?
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