Snuffles?

[Mary Bun]

Hello everybody. New bunny mom here. I’ve had other bunnies before. A bonded pair who lived to old age and my last bunny, Mogul, who crossed over a few months ago due to GI Stasis. He was the love of my life and together with his vet we tried everything to save him, but he didn’t make it.

So after several months of mourning two days ago we welcomed Ernesto, a two month old lion head. But… he has been sneezing ever since he arrived home! We immediately rushed him to the vet… he is now on Baytril… since yesterday. I am beyond devastated. We are in love with him already. He is the sweetest, most sociable little guy. The woman we got him from told us to give him back to her. I just can’t, he is already family.

These are such hard times for everybody… lockdowns, losing loved ones to covid, and now this…

Sorry for the rant. The question is. Do kits recover from this? If it is snuffles? I really don’t want to lose him… I am crying already…

Thank you.

Mary.

[Wick & Fable]

There are many bacteria that can cause sneezing, if it is a URI, and many of them are curable. In my personal experience with being on online forums, most sneezing cases are not the chronic pasturella that everyone is usually concerned about because vets bring it up or it’s one of the first mentions when looking up things about sneezing rabbits. It can take one or two different tries with medication to see what antibiotic is effective with the particular infection your rabbit has. When you have one that is showing symptom relief, make sure you continue it for at least 14 days, if not longer, as stopping antibiotics too early will mean it will come back.

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.

[Bam]

I’m sorry about the buns you have lost. It is so very hard to lose a rabbit.

Snuffles should be treated. How good the chances of a complete recovery are, depends on several factors. A very young bun’s immune defense isnt yet fully mature. With proper treatment and a good diet of hay and good quality pellets, the bun can recover, although it can take quite some time. Snuffles can be caused by several types of bacteria.

It is however believed that some buns have a genetic flaw that makes them susceptible to chronic pasteurella snuffles. This is why rabbit breeders dread pasteurella and euthanize all rabbits that show signs of snuffles, to get this genetic trait out of their breeding programs.

Pasteurella is a bacterium that resides in the nasal cavities of many, if not most, rabbits, without ever causing any illness. The bun’s immune system keeps the number of bacteria down.

Standard treatment for snuffles is oral antibiotics and/or sometimes nebulization. Metacam is sometimes given to help reduce swelling in the mucosa of the upper airways.

 

[Mary Bun]

Thank you for your answer! Yes, the vet told me he will be on antibiotics 14 days. I REALLY need him to recover. 💜

[Mary Bun]

Hope it is not pasteurella. He is in a huge enclosure, with unlimited hay and some pellets. He couldn’ be happier, binkying around all the time and flopping by my side for cuddles. He really is very active. But he has some nose discharge and the sneezing. I hope we pull through! 💪 Thank you!

[Bam]

Fingers very crossed for you! It will help that he is in a great and loving environment and gets good nutritious food. It sounds like he has found himself the perfect home!

We would be happy for updates 🙂

[Mary Bun]

Thank you Bam. I needed those encouraging words! He is loved beyond words! Hard to believe he managed to win us over so soon… There is no way he is going back to that place, specially now that I know he might be euthanized. He is definitely in his forever home. I will keep you updated! 💜

[Mary Bun]

Hello. Update: This has been Ernesto’s third day on antibiotics due to his URI. I still have not noticed any changes. Still sneezing and with some nasal discharge. Good news: super active, incredibly happy, binkying nonstop, flopping by my side and eating like a little pig. Guess those are good signs. Hope he makes it! 🤞

[Wick & Fable]

Thanks for giving us an update! Hopefully you start seeing symptom relief soon. It is great to know he’s very active, energetic, and motivated 🙂

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.

[Mary Bun]

Thank you Wick! 😍🐰

[Bam]

Thank you for the update!

It sounds like he has good energy!

[Mary Bun]

UPDATE: No changes actually. This has been the fifth day on Baytril. I started nebulising him yesterday twice a day. Still sneezing, still nasal discharge. Good side: still very active and eating a lot. This is getting too long. I had hoped for some improvement by now. 😔

[Bam]

It is too soon to tell, tbh.

Recovery from snuffles can take quite some time. The nasal mucosa is irritated and mucus will keep forming for a time even as the causative bacteria die off. When a human has an upper respiratory infection/ sinus infection we often treat with local corticosteroids, with or without additional antibiotics, to help calm the inflamed tissues. This is not possible with rabbits, since they are as a species very sensitive to corticosteroids.

You could call his vet and see if they want to add something else to his treatment plan. They might tell you to just keep at it for a bit, but it never hurts to ask.

How does he seem energy- and appetite-wise?

[Mary Bun]

Thank you Bam! He is doing great! Very active, playful and he’s also eating very well. Called the vet today. He suggested that we switch to azithromicyn. Starting tomorrow. Fingers crossed. Any experience with it?

[LBJ10]

I’ve had very good luck with azithromycin. People say it may lead to a reduced appetite, but that wasn’t my experience. This particular antibiotic is recommended for difficult to treat URIs.

[Mary Bun]

Thank you! That’s great! Hope it works for me too!!! 🤞

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