Baytril for Upper respiratory infection

[Trixies Mommy]

I have a 7 month old mini lop. A lil while after i got her i started noticing different things and her personality started to change. I first noticed that she would shake her head sometimes and scratch at her ears. After reading things online, i was convinced it was just normal bunny behavior. Then she started to sleep more than usual. Then sometimes when she drank her water she made a gurgling noise. Her personality started changing. She used to be way more active now all she does is sleep. She started to nip at my legs also. She started waking up every morning at 5 and scratch at the
bottom of her plastic cage. She would constantly move all her bedding around and even kick it outside her cage. She even started digging everything out of her litter box to go in there and go to the bathroom. The bottom of her paws started to get really dirty but I’m figuring it’s because she’s sitting in her pee and from all the digging. Her appetite hasn’t changed at all. She’s still eating really good. I just figured she was getting older and going thru her puberty so she was changing. She would groom herself and end up sneezing a lot. Last week though i had put my hand by her nose and there was a cloudy mucus that transferred to my hand. I knew then that she was sick. I got her into the vet. He took a swab of her nose and both ears and confirmed she had a upper respiratory infection. He put her on Baytril .3 mls 2x daily for 10-14 days orally. He said it was banana flavored. He gave her the first dose there to show me how to give it her in the syringe. After i brought her Home she did nothing but sleep for 7 hours. She didn’t drink, eat, go to the bathroom, barely moved. The next morning though she did a 180. She was back to her old playful self. She was playing with her toys and following my feet around. The nipping stopped. She didn’t scratch at the cage or push her litter or bedding out. It was like night and day. She stopped the sneezing and i haven’t noticed any mucus. She used to run around like crazy and binky all the time. Neither of those have come back though. She plays and jumps around and is active but doesn’t run like a dog after the gate was left open. She was back to her old self for the most part but that only lasted for 2 days. I’ve given her the baytril twice a day like directed. At first i didnt think giving her the baytril was bothering her. On the 3rd day of baytril though and when i noticed her not feeling good again she clearly doesn’t want to take it. The second she sees the bottle she runs. Before she runs though she thumps super loud. She’s only thumped two other times since I’ve had her and it was because she didn’t like the box i had put in her change. Anyway, this is the 4th day of baytril and she’s done a complete 180 again. Back to the nipping, the scratching, all she does is sleep. Her appetite has become crazy too. All of a sudden she’s eating hay like she’s never eaten before. When i gave her a treat she grabbed my hands and once she was done she circled my legs nipping them to get more treats. She woke up extra early again just to scratch at her cage and rip and dig at her box. I gave her medication this morning so I’m not her favorite person. She’s spent all morning and afternoon hidden away in her box sleeping. I havent noticed any mucus and haven’t really heard her sneeze. She is shaking her head more than I’ve ever seen her do before though. And she scratches at her ears before and after she shakes her head. It looks like something is in her ear and it’s bothering her. The vet did Check her ears though..no mites. It’s Sunday so the vet isn’t open. Just wondering if anyone has any experience with any of this with their bunny. Does it sound like the baytril isn’t working? I realize she still has many days left on it but I’m just super concerned that she showed signs of feeling good again and all of a sudden she takes a nose dive again. I’ll be calling the vet first thing in the morning. Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated as I’m completely heartbroken and feel helpless that i cant help her feel better right now.

[Wick & Fable]

Sounds like two separate issues.

Is she spayed? The digging, circling, nipping behavior all align with her hitting the hormonal phase. If it’s hormones, it’s nothing bad about her health. It’s natural rabbit growth and those behaviors will calm down when she’s spayed, which I highly recommend so she isn’t displaying these frustrated behaviors and to lessen her cancer risk in later years.

The Baytril working will depend on actual nose symptoms. If you see less discharge and less sneezing, it means it is working. If these specific symptoms get worse, then another medication may be needed. To ensure the best effectiveness, administer the Baytril at the same time, every 12hrs (ex. 7AM and 7PM). Did your vet give you Probioti c? This will help make sure she does not get tummy issues. It sounds like her appetite is good, but if she starts getting gassy, ask about a probiotic. Antibiotics throw off the stomach’s digestion, and probiotic helps.

The ear item is odd if you think it’s excessive. Any markings or odd skin properties on her ears? I know e cunniculi is associated with ear infections, but I’m not experienced with it directly.

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.

[Trixies Mommy]

No she’s not spayed yet. I was Hoping to get her spayed once her infection cleared up and she started feeling better. The only reason i believe The digging and nipping go hand in hand with her not feeling well is because she doesn’t do any of it once she did start to feel better. She’s been hiding in her box almost the whole day today. She only comes out to use the litter box or eat and then slips back in to go to sleep. I haven’t been able to see any head shaking today since she hasn’t really come out but last night she was a lil more active and that’s when i noticed The head shaking. She def seems worse today as i cant Seem to get her to come out of the box for me at all. The vet did not give me any probiotics. He had mentioned them but all she got was baytril. Her nose seems dry though and there’s no markings on her ears.

[Wick & Fable]

How are her poops, appetite, and activity level now? How does nasal discharge and sneezing seem?

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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