Long term antibiotic

[MintJulep]

So my bunny Julep has had some respiratory issues for a couple months. The vet and I tried a normal round of baytril but after a while off the meds she was sneezing again. Recently she began having some congested breathing sounds so I brought her in to the vet today. The vet wants me to do what she called pulse antibiotics where she is on the meds for a week and then off for a week. The vet wants me to do this for 2 months and hopefully that will clear us any issues Julep has. Has anyone had any experience with long term antibiotics and how I can help keep Julep’s tummy healthy? I plan on picking up some probiotics for her but don’t know if there is more I can do. Any advice is welcome!

[jerseygirl]

I don’t know anything about doing “pulse antibiotics” for rabbits.

I did want to comment though on using (oral?) baytril. It just doesn’t seem adequate to get on top of respiratory issues. If you’re going to do longer term antibiotics, I’d consider doing injections or a combo or oral and injection.
Has your vet discussed doing a culture? Not only to identify bacterial but possible fungal infections also. (Baytril can actually make a difference for fungal infections by the way). This can sometimes be problematic, getting a true sample. They have to get into the deep pockets of the nasal cavity where problematic bacteria may lurk and may require anaesthesia to do so. If that is the case, it may be worthwhile to also have an xray done at the time.

As for long term antibiotics, I had Gooseman on penicillin injections for 6 weeks. He still has some issues and when discussing this with other rabbit owners, many had their rabbits on life-long antibiotics. I’m not super keen to do that and so will try things to lessen the symptoms and have him back on penicillin if things worsen. Things like keeping dust low, stress low, temps low, using mist to help loosen mucous in the nose that keeps bacteria trapped. (I know some people have used a decongestant to do this also). Using an anti inflammatory to reduce swelling if required. Diet to strengthen immune support…

[MintJulep]

Thanks for answering Jerseygirl. The baytril is oral. Unfortunately my vet can’t do a culture as I will be moving out of the area in about a week once my semester classes are over. There isn’t enough time to do a culture before I have to leave and switch vets. I also don’t think I can afford for anesthesia and X-rays right now. I do work hard to keep things low to dust free, use my humidifier pretty much constantly as well as an air purifier for my own allergies. I really don’t want her to be on life long medicine since she is acting normally other than the sneezing fits and congestion noises. Would a saline nasal spray be ok to use on her? Right now she sounds like she just can’t get any mucus moving. I just feel like I can’t really do anything to help her and it really sucks for the both of us.

[Bam]

You can give bromhexine to rabbits, it’s a decongestant. It’s sold as Bisolvon but has other brand-names as well. You use the liquid kind for babies/children. You can ask your vet about proper dosage. It’s OTC. You can also ask about giving her Benadryl, we have members who have used benadryl for babies on bunnies, it has some decongesting effect on the mucosa

I don’t know if nasal spray is suitable for bunnies. saline is of course harmless, it’s the spraying I feel a bit doubtful about.

You can run up a good steam in your bathroom and sit with her there for 15-20 minutes or so to help with congestion, but sit with her all the time so you see she doesn’t get too hot, buns are very sensitive to heat.

As for tummy health, there are some probiotics that have been shown to be beneficial for bunnies f ex saccaromyces cerevisiae (brewer’s yeast) and enterococcus faecium. Apart from that, lots of hay is of course the best thing.

[flemishwhite]

For the respiratory wheezing and sneezing that appears in elderly rabbits, the long term antibiotic that Bunny received was Azithromycin.  It took days of applications for it to start working, and days of continued applications,  but it did completely stop her sneezing.

Application meant I would catch her, set her on top of the dining room table.  My wife would hold her.  I would set on the floor and from below her, I would insert the syringe between her incisors and molars at the side of her mouth. The medicine had a nice sweet taste, so it was pleasant for her to swallow.  After a couple of applications, she wasn’t really fussed by the whole procedure, so there wasn’t any problem giving her the medicine.

[jerseygirl]

I’ve heard good things about azithromycin for these sort of issues. Or using it along with Pen G. For abscesses too. Good to know it cleared up things for Bunny, flemishwhite.

[MintJulep]

That is what Julep is on right now. She absolutely hates being given meds and I have to give it to her a tiny bit at a time so she doesn’t let the meds dribble out of her mouth. But she’s had a few doses and her sneezing fits have all but stopped. Thank you everyone for your responses, I really appreciate them all! Makes me feel less alone in all this.

[Bam]

Glad to hear it’s already helping against the sneezing fits! Bunnies as a rule hate being given meds, but they do get a bit used to the procedure.

If you spill a little bit of the meds on her (almost inevitable), she’ll get it in her when she cleans herself. They tend to clean themselves vigorously after being given meds. As I’m sure you’ve noticed!

[MintJulep]

I certainly have bam! After she thumps at me and sulks in her litter box for a little while, she always has a major bath. She is still having a couple of sneezes a day and some congestion noise when eating but seems to be feeling much better. Too bad we still have 2 months to go! Hopefully she will get used to the medication routine soon. It will be easier on the both of us that way.

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