Bunny with Pasteurella

[HeatherP]

Hi, I’m new to the forum. First off, I have had bunnies since I was 6 years old and I currently own one neutered dutch. He’s 8 years old this year and he is in moderate health. I have a few questions to see if some of you can help me out.

He has pasturella. I knew this when I brought him home at 8 weeks from a pet store. He had a bit of clear discharge in his nose that would only show up when he was stressed. The vets said it was cronic, but mild and it would be something that we would just live with. He was right, we had no issues other than a few mild flare ups.

However over the past year his eyes have been flaring up. This is new, he didn’t show this before. It seems to be one eye more than the other. Now, i have taken him to vets a few times (however i have moved and have gotten a new vet just as this came up, go figure on timing) and they just give me eye drops. The first visit the vet noticed a few scratches on his eyes from having hay as bedding and gave me pretty much saline eye drops. Problem persisted without hay bedding and he gave me anitbiotic eye drops. They helped, but as soon as he’s off them it comes back. I’m diligent about keeping him clean so the hair around his eyes won’t burn off but I was hoping some of you could enlighten me with something that may help, or something that may have worked for those that may have possibly encoutered this.

I’ve asked this new vet about cleaning his eye duct out but he says that has nothing to do with it. Im not sure if I should trust his opinion on this?

 

Thanks ahead, and sorry for the loooong speech.

-Heather and Benny

 

[osprey]

Hi Heather and Welcome to BinkyBunny!

I have no experience with pasteurella, but at least one member here has a bunny who is being treated for it.  I thought that the usual treatment for this was oral antibiotics?  Does anyone know for sure?

 

[HeatherP]

Depends on the strain, or how serious it can be from what I understand. I brought home a female dwarf 2 years ago from the pet store because she noticeably had paster. and I knew she would die if not treated…. She was on antibiotics for almost a full year, she had what the vet termed ‘ pneumonia past.’ which is when they get the past. bacteria in the lungs and can literally drown in it (it’s like cottage cheese, and it very hard to sneeze up). In the end she is off anitbiotics and is healthy enough to live without them, although she will have scar tissue the rest of her life and will continue to have flare ups (mild).

My bun will only sneeze/get nose discharge when he is stressed. That’s the case we noted when I first got him and it has never escalded to the point the female had it. His version is more eye discharge.

Note: The time being I had the female for before she was adopted out, she was NOT near or in the same house with my male. I was very cautious about not contaiminating each other, regardless if they both had/have the diesease.

[Sarita]

Did your vet actually do a culture on your rabbit to determine if he does in fact have pasturella?

Are you certain that the eye infection is due to pasturella? Did the vet check his teeth?

[wendyzski]

I’m the member with the pasteruella bun, although she presents mostly sneezing and listlessness/loss of appetite when she is symptomatic.

I agree that your vet should do a culture – a lot of vets will assume that anything is Pasteurella, and it’s important to use an antibiotic that the particular germ is sensitive too.  We did weeks of Baytril before discovering that this particular strain of p. multocida is resistant to it.  We get good results with chloramphenicol but she’s on her third round with it – this time for 2 months.

Also because of the way that a rabbit’s head is constructed, topical antibiotics tend to be less effective.  I think you shoudl ask about oral or injected ones.

 

Good luck!

[LittlePuffyTail]

My friend has a bunny diagnosed with Pasteurella who had a similar problem. One eye was very infected and then both and the vet flushed them out and gave eyedrop antibiotics. She responded to these treatments and then they came back worse than before. For several months she was back and forth at the vet as headtilt resulted from the infections. A few days ago, my friend made the very hard decision to put her down when the vet said she will only get worse.

I wish she would have gone to another vet for a second opinion but she really liked and trusted this vet. That is my advice for you: Seek out the opinion of another vet. It may really help your bun and your current vet doesnt even have to know about it. But I feel if you have any doubts explore your options.

Wishing your bunny the best of luck!

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