Sneezing Bunny

[grgtheo]

So i have a 2,5 months old mini lop bunny and since i got it, it started sneezing. I visited an exotic pets vet and she gave me some drops to put in its nose every day for a week, after that didnt work she gave an antibiotics treatment for 2 weeks even though we werent sure if the rabbit had pasteurella. After the treatment my rabbit still sneezes but it hasn’t shown any other symptom (it is always hungry and drinks normaly water, it runs around and i havent seen any white fluid around its nose and its eyes or even just a watery nose). The last time i visited the vet she told my to keep looking for signs for pasteurella daily but it probably has an anatomic problem . I really dont know what to do since i never had a pet before and im getting anxious with everything it does. Ive seen it lately lying on its side alot when it is resting in its cage, is that normal?

[Wick & Fable]

Re: lying on its side, that can be a rabbits simply lounging, which isn’t concerning. If your rabbit is being lethargic (which is not having a lot of energy), then that’s a problem. Most rabbits sleep during the daytime hours, so keep that in mind that it may just be your rabbit trying to sleep.

Re: the sneezing, URIs or upper respiratory infections are common in rabbits. They are typically treated with oral antibiotics, but what can be tricky is finding the right one. My rabbit Wick went through 3 different antibiotics until we found the treatment that worked to stop his sneezing. Pasteurella is one specific bacteria which can cause sneezing, but there are others and trial and error is often the tactic used to figure out what treatment will stick.

How often is the sneezing?

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.

[grgtheo]

The sneezing is about 1time every half an hour and it has been like that for the whole month, maybe the last week a little bit less. They also ray checked it two times and told me that it is completely healthy but im really getting anxious when i notice anything out of order. As for the lying down i think its normal because today he was very energetic as almost every day. I want to help him but it seems there is nothing more i can do, i changed its food, the pellet i did the treatment that i was told to do and he keeps sneezing.

I also dont know how the infection advances. Should it have been worse by now? Because during this one month it has almost been the same, is that normal or should he have shown more symptoms if he had an infection?

[LBJ10]

Yes, I’m always suspicious when a vet focuses only on pasteurella. As Wick as, there are a lot of different types of bacteria that cause cause a URI. Pasteurella is just one of them. The normal “go-to” treatment is to start with a broad spectrum oral antibiotic. Sometimes you have to try more than one because whatever it is may be resistant to certain types. Most vets hold off on doing cultures since they are often a waste of money. They will wait until several antibiotics fail before going down that road. Most URIs are cured after trying an antibiotic or two.

[grgtheo]

The sneezing is about 1time every half an hour and it has been like that for the whole month, maybe the last week a little bit less. They also ray checked it two times and told me that it is completely healthy but im really getting anxious when i notice anything out of order. As for the lying down i think its normal because today he was very energetic as almost every day. I want to help him but it seems there is nothing more i can do, i changed its food, the pellet i did the treatment that i was told to do and he keeps sneezing.

[LBJ10]

“Low grade” URIs can persist for a very long time. I would not assume that he doesn’t have one, even when his symptoms have not progressed very much.

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