Possible pasturella, and treating with oxytetracycline

[Aeyja]

Harvey has had weepy eyes for just over a week now. He had his tear ducts flushed last week and has had eye drops since but it hasn’t helped. He also has a runny nose, irritated ears and a slightly elevated temperature, all of which came on after the trip to the vet last week. When we took him to the vet tonight, it was a different vet and he wanted to wait until tomorrow when the original vet that treated him was back, but I wasn’t ok with that. I suggested pasturella, so the vet wanted me to leave Harvey with him for an hour or so until he could do some research but I asked if we could stay with him. Stuff letting the little dude out of my sight when there are dogs barking and he’s terrified. He finally came back and said testing for pasturella was very invasive and would require sedation, so we decided to just go ahead with treatment based on the symptoms and he gave me some Baytril.

 

Now, please don’t hate me, but my Mum does the thing we aren’t supposed to talk about. Here in New Zealand, there are very few rabbits in need of homes so we don’t have rescues or anything. It’s how I got into rabbits, and she has been doing it for around 10 years now, so she is very experienced with rabbits and their various sicknesses. She said that Baytril is essentially useless as it is only a broad spectrum antibiotic. She said to ask for oxytetracycline, because it is developed especially for treating pasturella. However, when I asked for it, the vet said that they didn’t have any and that Baytril was just as good.

 

Mum is able to get me oxytetracycline. One of her friends (who also does the thing) has some and can courier it to me, and she can send me a needle to inject it. I don’t know what to do. Mum knows what she is doing, and she knows how important Harvey is to me. But going against my vet just doesn’t sit right. What should I do? How safe is oxytet to give even if he doesn’t have pasturella?

[Roberta]

If you already have the baytril you may as well put it to use. If it doesn’t work ask the vet if he thinks it appropriate and get him to write a script, he doesn’t have to know where you got it from. Just say you went to PetnVet direct online.

[Giggles]

Hello, there. Sorry to hear that Harvey wasn’t doing so well. 

I would not recommend giving your bunny any medication that isn’t prescribed by your vet. If you do not trust your vet’s opinion, then get a second opinion by a new vet. Do not risk your bun’s health by potentially using the wrong medication to treat a prospective illness.

Now, I do recommend getting a culture test done to confirm the Pasteurella diagnosis. Otherwise, it’s just all spectulation. Once you know what it is (or what it isn’t), your vet can decide on the proper course of treatment.

I recently had a Pastuerella scare, too. My bun developed a runny nose and sneezing about a week after I adopted him. I took him to a vet and had a culture test performed. The culture test was simple — it was basically just a nose swabbing. It took all but 10 seconds. A vet technician held my bun while the vet swabbed his nostrils. That’s it. The swabs were contained and sent back to a lab for testing. My bun wasn’t put under sedation. Since it took a week for lab results, my vet prescribed Baytril as a broad spectrum antibiotic.

It is my opinion that any experienced vet should be able to perform a culture test without putting your bun under sedation. Now, your vet may have been reluctant to perform a culture test if your bun doesn’t like being handled, can’t be held still, or was exhibiting signs of stress during the vet visit. Regardless, I highly recommend getting a culture test done one way or another.

In my case, my vet prescribed Baytril because it is a broad spectrum antibiotic. Turns out, it wasn’t Pasteurella but Bordetella, which is treatable. My bun is recovering well, and he no longer has any previous symptoms. So, the Baytril was beneficial for my bun.

Good luck! Hope Harvey feels better soon.

[Aeyja]

He’s on Baytril at the moment and does seem to be improving, though his appetite has decreased a little so we are keeping a close eye on that. He was very stressed at the vets and is not good being handled, so the vet wasn’t comfortable doing swabs without sedation and neither was I.

[Giggles]

My bun doesn’t like being handled either, but my vet is very good with rabbits, so he was able to calm the little guy down. I understand that you didn’t want to risk over-stressing your bun, though. I’m super sensitive about my bun too. I even cried at the vet’s.

As long as the Baytril is working, you shouldn’t have much to worry about. If the symptoms return, then you might want to consider a culture test. In any case, I’m glad to hear that your bun is improving. The appetite should fully return once he’s recovered. Just keep monitoring his food level & stool.

Best wishes for you and your bun. Hope all goes well.

[Aeyja]

Thanks Giggles Yeah as long as the Baytril is working I am happy. I’m not going to give him anything else while that seems to be doing the trick. His eyes are almost dry now and he doesn’t have a runny nose, and he seems much happier and more energetic he did stop eating yesterday but managed to get him back to eating this morning. Damn bunny! Had me so worried!

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