Snuffles?

[Casper and Thumper]

Please no judgment I just want to help my bunny. To preface this I should tell you that the rabbit in question, mustache, a sixth month old large mixed breed bunny, just had an accidental litter of kits around 12 days ago. During the heatwave that came through my town about a month and a half ago we had to move all of our bunnies to the garage because it was the coolest room in the house and somehow, mustache, who had previously been kept separate from the other rabbits because she was a unfixed 5 month old female, had an encounter with one of our male rabbits. She was a meat rabbit that we had rescued very suddenly so we didn’t have time to prepare everything and she was too little to be spayed by our vet at the time this happened (the vet prefers the rabbit be 6 months old) we weren’t even planning on keeping her very long because we already have a couple buns and we can’t keep her forever. As of right now we do have an amazing permanent home lined up for her with a friend after her babies are weaned and go find homes. There are 7 babies and they are all super healthy and growing great, she is an amazing mom. (We have a few homes for them lined up too, don’t worry I’ll make sure that they go to loving homes where they’ll be inside pets) But onto the problem….

 

 

For about a week and a half I want to say mustache had been sneezing… a lot. It’s just dry sneezing tho. I am thinking it is the snuffles but that is her only symptom. She doesn’t have any mucus or watery eyes. She doesn’t seem to be having trouble breathing but she has been panting a lot more recently which I don’t know if that is related but that’s also a problem. This has been happening for almost two weeks at this point  and she hasn’t gotten any worse. It’s just the same dry sneezing and panting. Allergies maybe? She is still healthy is every other regard, she is energetic and still has a really big appetite, so I’m very confused as to what is happening. She has not really been in contact with my other buns at all since giving birth. All of her babies are very healthy and she is feeding them good. I have been monitoring the other bunnies and the babies and none of them seem to be coming down with anything. You’d think if it really was the snuffles she would’ve given to her babies by now right? Since she’s been sneezing the whole time they’ve been alive. I am a minor so I would have to convince my parents to take her to the vet and they don’t seem very worried about this no matter how hard I explain how serious the snuffles are. I would also like to not have to separate her from her kits to take her to the vet if it isn’t necessary. Someone please tell me if they’ve heard of anything like this before. Thank you so much :))

[DanaNM]

Thank you for rescuing her! Accidents happen, so it’s great you are looking out for both mom and babies!

Since it has been ongoing for a while and given her history, the best thing would be to have a vet check her out. It could be allergies, but usually that diagnosis comes after ruling out all other causes. Perhaps you could explain to your parents that respiratory issues in rabbits are typically bacterial (unlike a viral cold in a human), so they usually need antibiotics. That said, the appointment and antibiotic treatments are usually not too expensive, and the sooner you treat, the easier it is. Often the vet will prescribe an antibiotic to try, rather than running a bunch of tests (and they will do cultures later if the first round doesn’t work). Just be sure the vet is rabbit savvy so you know the antibiotic is safe (since your vet does spays they are likely savvy!).

 

 

. . . 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.  

[Hazel]

Oh boy, I’m sorry this happened. Don’t blame yourself, these things can happen very quickly, bunnies are sneaky. 😉  Thank you for saving her, she’s lucky that you took her in!

What is the temperature like where you’re keeping her? Is she still staying in the garage? If she is, could there be fumes from cars or anything like that that she might be having a reaction to?

When you say she’s panting, do you mean just fast breathing or does she actually have her mouth open?

It really would be best to take her to the vet no matter what. Maybe you could offer to pay for the vet visit or at least for some of it if your parents are hesitant to spend the money.

[Casper and Thumper]

Hey guys sorry for taking so long to reply. My mom decided to talk to her friend who is a vet tech about this and her friend suggested that Mustache definitely needed to go to the vet. So she has an appointment tomorrow morning!! :))) also when I said she was panting I meant that she was breathing very fast not that she was breathing out fo her mouth. Still no mucus or watery eyes but she was wheezing a little today. Still eating and drinking and being active so she doesn’t seem to be super sick yet. She still has had no contact with my other buns in person but I’m a little worried about cross contamination during like feeding and stuff but I am Being very careful with washing up after handing her and before handing any of my other buns. Babies are still healthy and happy!!

[DanaNM]

That’s great she’s got an appointment, keep us posted on the outcome!

. . . 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.  

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