♡ Baby bun allergic to hay?? ♡

[Cinnamon Bun]

My two month old baby lop, Neo, has been having some discharge from his nose and sneezing for a while. The discharge looks clear to me but it stains around his nose yellow-ish. He was on antibiotic and vitamin C for five days, but the symptoms have not improved. The temperature in the room is not cold, and he also doesn’t have a fever. I’ve checked his alfalfa hay for fungus or excess powder, and there’s nothing in there, but today when I changed his litterbox and gave him fresh hay he started sneezing immediately. So, could he be allergic to alfalfa hay? Or could it be a respiratory problem (pasteurella)? I’m debating whether to change his hay to orchard, but then he wouldn’t be getting enough calcium for his baby bones… any advice is appreciated! ♡

[Wick & Fable]

I’d try at least one more different antibiotic before jumping to conclusions. If you haven’t seen improvement after 5 days on the current one, I recommend calling the vet and discussing trying a different one. URIs can be caused by many types of bacteria and not all antibiotics are effective on all of them.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Cinnamon Bun]

This is really interesting to know. The antibiotic he had was enrofloxacin. I’ve spoken to the vet about this and she told me to check his hay and see if he had a fever, but he doesn’t and he’s acting completely normal aside from the discharge and sneezing. But yes, I’ll try and ask her about using a different antibiotic. The trouble is I don’t have her number to call, so I have to go through the reception if I want to ask any questions and it’s a bit difficult. I’m going to see about taking him back to the clinic. Thanks! ♡

 

[Wick & Fable]

No problem! For a brief, informative reading, please see here: http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sneezing.html

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Cinnamon Bun]

Thanks, I’ll check out that link. The thing is as soon as I gave him the hay, all it took was one sniff and he started sneezing, so that’s why I think he’s allergic to the hay. It can’t hurt to ask the vet for more advice but I think I’m going to be switching his hay to orchard, to be honest. Has anyone done this before for a baby bun who still requires alfalfa hay?

[Bam]

If you feed a junior pellet that has alfalfa, you don’t have to give alfalfa hay as well. He’ll do great on orchard or timothy or other grass hay.

If the nose is aldready irritated from an infection, there could be extra sneezing due to hay dust. It doesn’t have to mean that he’s allergic, just that his nasal mucosa at this point in time is a bit hypersensitive.

[Cinnamon Bun]

He’s on the pellets that he came with right now, but I’m going to be changing it. They’re not the best pellets… I don’t know what brand they are. I don’t think they are alfalfa pellets.

I’m a bit lost right now, actually… he’s been on antibiotics already for 5 days, so I’m not sure if this is a hay allergy or if he needs a different antibiotic due to the symptoms not clearing up. Does anyone think that this requires another clinic visit?

[Wick & Fable]

You should always at least consult with a rabbit-savvy vet before making any modifications to the current treatment plan, so I’d recommend at least calling to leave a message/speak with the vet about your concerns and what to do.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Azerane]

If the vet suspects a respiratory infection is best if they do a culture swab to be sure they’re giving the correct type of antibiotic.

Otherwise, I would switch out her hay. It’s an easy way to determine whether she sensitive to it. As mentioned if you’re feeding a pellet for young rabbits, you don’t also need to be feeding alfalfa hay.

[LBJ10]

I would not rule out the possibility that the antibiotic is simply not the right one to use. I would definitely talk to your vet about potentially trying another one. If that doesn’t solve the problem, then a culture might be in order. Concluding that it is an allergy usually doesn’t happen until all other possibilities are eliminated.

[Cinnamon Bun]

Okay, this is all good advice. Thanks! He goes back to the clinic for his revolution mite treatment so I’ll ask her about using a different antibiotic and the culture swab. By the way, how much do culture swabs usually cost? And how do I determine if there’s a possibility that he could be allergic to something else in the house, like in the air? Sometimes we burn incense but I’m very careful and don’t burn it in the same room. Also the windows are always open when it’s burning so it’s properly ventilated, but I was just wondering if he could not like the faint smell of it or something. And I know it’s off topic, but are air-fresheners dangerous to use around bunnies?? ♡

[Maria2022]

Hey Cinnamon, I am not sure about nasal culture. But for fecal culture it costs around 150 CAD. Culture is little expensive but it gives a good idea what kind of organisms and what antibiotic is susceptible to. My worry is your bun is already on antibiotic so it may not give a positive culture result. We usually wait for a week or 2 to have another culture after stopping the antibiotic.

My bun was also allergic to hay, the new kind of hay was giving him sneezing, orchard hay was less prone to give sneezing.

I would always check with the vet for persistent sneezing though. What you can do before giving him hay, dust away all the small particles(do it in another room) and bring the long hay to his hay feeder.

Another advice, sometimes dry weather gives bun sneezing, you can open your hot water faucet in bathroom to give little mist in your bun’s room. It might help.

Some bun outgrow allergy as they get older(like human).

I am not a vet, constant reading from articles gives me some ideas about the bun.

 

[Cinnamon Bun]

Hi, Maria! ✧

My bun isn’t on antibiotics anymore, actually. He was on enrofloxacin for 5 days a while ago and he’s still sneezing and having discharge from his nose. I’m thinking of doing a culture swab or if that’s not possible, swapping out his alfalfa hay to orchard and see if that makes a difference. Orchard hay is way less dusty, has longer strands and it’s so soft. I didn’t know about the dry weather thing – that’s interesting, although I don’t think that’s the problem. Thanks for all this information, it helps me a lot! ♡ ;3

[LBJ10]

You could just try a different antibiotic instead of resorting to a culture right away.

[Cinnamon Bun]

@LBJ10 – I thought about just trying a different antibiotic actually without the culture…

Okay, he goes back to the clinic for his revolution treatment in a few days, so I’ll keep you all updated. Thanks for all your advice!

~♡

[Cinnamon Bun]

Update: He went back to the clinic two days ago, and the vet definitely thinks he’s allergic to his hay so we’re changing it to orchard. She said if he had an infection he would be sneezing in the clinic, be inactive and have a fever. So, at least he doesn’t have a respiratory infection or anything.

(´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡

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