Sorry to hear your rabbit is going through this, but it’s great that the road to recovery is being trekked!
Wick had a URI that lasted for 3mo, so I know seeing red, swollen nostril interior and the irritated fur above the lip is upsetting when you love your rabbit so much! Wick has black fur, so I didn’t notice red around his upper mouth, but his nostril and nose were red and pink often. I did help Wick out which I think helped alleviate the irritation and redness. Maybe the information below will help you!
I set aside some white square towels that were soft and designated them as Wick’s face cleaning towels. Since URIs are bacteria based, I never reused the same towel unless it’d been cleaned since its last use. I assumed the redness and irritation gets worse when Wick has to spend more time licking and cleaning his nose area, so every so often, after a sneeze fit, or when I’d notice he’s grooming for a while, I’ll intervene his day for 2min. and clean the area for him.
I used a clean spray bottle with water and squirt a towel, then hold it up around his nose and do some really gently finger pulses so I could get the towel fibers to catch the discharge, but not large motions where I’m pulling the fur one way or the other. It literally looks like I was trying to stop wick from breathing by covering his nose and mouth, so I only did it for a few seconds and he ended up liking it because I think he realized it was grooming. After the wetting phase, I use another towel to dry the area, using the same motion.
Another method I used (depended on the spread of the discharge) is spraying a corner of the towel and doing a more detailed swab of the under nostril area. Then go back and dry using the whole face method.
Both the nasal passages and nose are sensitive, so I stress a soft towel and gentle movements. Between wick grooming and me grooming, we prevented it getting really bad to where he’d groom himself frequently enough to get major red or swollen.
In summation: Help with snot wiping, but do so very gently!
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.
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