Bunny sneezing and runny nose!

[OnyxMoon]

My bun has a very wet nose, and he has begun sneezing a lot again. When i first got him he sneezed a lot because of the bedding the shelter used, some kind of powdery wood bedding.

I took him to the vet when i first got him and his eyes looked fine, breathing was clear, nose was fine, but they gave us antibiotics just incase. After a full round of those he got better, a lot less sneezing and eyes slowly got better as well.

I started him with a fleece blanket (currently he doesn’t have any in his cage), and in his litterbox i use CareFresh which seems to be working fine.

I’m just wondering if i should take him into the vet again for his sneezing because lately its gotten worse, and now his nose is super wet.

The only things that could be effecting him that i can think of would be:

1. The cold, my house is cold because its winter and the heat isn’t always on. He is a dwarf bun, so he’s small.

2. My friend gave me some of her hay to try with him because he wasn’t really eating the hay i have, maybe it’s more powdery than i realize.

3. He could have an issue with his nose/lungs.

I need advice!!

[Wick & Fable]

If it’s gotten worse, I do recommend returning to the vet. If the antibiotics made him better, most likely it was treating his infection, but you stopped treatment before the infection all died, so now that it’s been off the medicine, it’s grown and multiplied back. Do a course of antibiotics and don’t stop until symptoms are gone.

How often are his sneezes and is his nasal discharge colored?

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.

[Wick & Fable]

Also rabbits do not get mild colds that they can overcome. It’s usually an upper respiratory infection (treat with antibiotics) or allergies, but considering it’s getting worse, it’s probably the former.

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.

[OnyxMoon]

Well it did get better, sneezing stopped almost completely with the exception of a few here and there. But recently i changed him over to a different brand of hay that is more powdery i think and he no longer has a fleece blanket in his cage, and the sneezing came back.

Its more of sneezing fits, like five to maybe ten small huffs in a row. He doesn’t have colored discharge, his nose is just pretty moist. I noticed it the other day when i was snuggling with him. Other than that he has been normal, eating normally and playing his usual amount. Drinking, peeing, and pooping are all normal as well.

[MoxieMeadows]

Hello!
If the sneezing continues, I would recommend bringing him back to the vets and potentially getting a nose culture done.

Rabbits can also suffer from allergies however, so here are some things you could try: Misting his daily portion of hay to reduce hay dust (hay can get moldy, so don’t mist all of his hay, just what you are going to give him for the day). Don’t use any perfumes/room fresheners/wax cubs/cleaners (a vinegar/water solution does wonders for cleaning) in the room he is in.

[MoxieMeadows]

Hope that helps!

[OnyxMoon]

Thats a great idea! Ill try misting his hay portions once i change his hay rack again, which shouldn’t be long! 

I dont use any perfumes or sprays or anything like that in the room he’s in, which is my bedroom. He has slowed down on the sneezing after i reduced his pellets, if that has any correlation? Maybe he kept breathing in pellet crumbs? ahaha

I used vinegar/water to clean his cage, could that be affecting his nose? I did rinse it out, but ya never know! Just thought id ask just in case! 

[MoxieMeadows]

The vinegar/water shouldn’t bother him, especially since you rinsed it out.
Not saying that it is not possible though. Animals are kinda like people, in the fact that things can bother them/they can have allergies to random things. Haha my (human) friend is allergic to carrots and apples, which I have always found strange.

[OnyxMoon]

Ahaha, having an allergy to carrots and apples must suck though! I love both lol! Thanks so much for the advice as well, he hasnt been sneezing a whole lot this past day so im hoping it was just pellet dust in the air or excess hay dust! 

[OnyxMoon]

Update: So i took Onyx into the vet on March 17, and the same vet prescribed him the same antibiotics as the last time.

Well they have helped a tiny bit, but his nose is still very runny and his sneezing is still very often and quite a few in a row. A better description of them would be sneezing fits. Im thinking ill call in the morning and ask if they can prescribe us a different type of antibiotics because these dont seem to be working.

Is that a good idea or should i just continue with these even though his symptoms arent really improving?

[Wick & Fable]

This may be where some trial and error goes into play. You can continue it, add an additional medication, or change all together. Just respond to the symptoms. I would recommend doing a full 2-week course first. It hasn’t been too long since he’s been on it.

Similar to Wick’s situation with Baytril, it didn’t necessarily cure all symptoms, but it seemed to improve them to an extent. After about a month we added another medication, and that worked wonders, so we decided to stop Baytril, but then his symptoms came back immediately. So for some reason, wick needed two meds to get his URI.

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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