Snuffles

[RuditheBunz]

Hi, I’m new on here so hopefully I’m doing this right… I need advice.. I have a 1 year old netherland dwarf rabbit named Rudi. He recently got diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection (snuffles?). The doctor prescribed baytril (0.5) twice a day for a week, we ended up doing it for 2 weeks and while it reduced the symptoms he still had some sneezing. After that he prescribed minocycline/doxycycline (0.5) for another 2 weeks and we just finished that and Rudi is doing better but still showing some symptoms (whistling nose). When I brought him back in for a check up the doctor said that sometimes snuffles is chronic and that basically he thinks we should just wait until things get bad and then try antibiotics again to reduce symptoms and then repeat. Is there really no cure for snuffles? how do I test and make sure that what he has is chronic? if he is going to have this for the rest of his life how do I care for him? what natural things can i give him to boost his immune system/ reduce symptoms? Sorry for all the questions, I’m just really worried about him and I’m not confident that this vet knows very much about rabbits.. Any advice is welcome! I really appreciate it  

[Wick & Fable]

If you’re willing to spend the money and your vet has access to other medications, I’d say try more antibiotics and different combos, based on what you know. Wick had a URI and from start to finish, it took 3months to cure. But also, go to a vet that knows more about rabbits. If you live in Northeast US, let me know and I can recommend Wick’s vet.

How frequent are his sneezes, how often are sneeze attacks, and what color is his nasal discharge?

For Wick, Bactrim was tried for 2 weeks but did nothing. So we scrapped it quickly and tried another.

Baytril worked similarly to what you said, but since it did reduce symptoms, we stayed on Baytril for a month and when we decided another push was needed to continue recovery rather than plateau, we added flocillin shots at once per day. This worked miraculously. We took out the Baytril and within a few hours of his first missed dose, sneezing came back, so Wick finished treatment with the Baytril/flocillin combo.

You can get a culture test, but for many reasons they can be ineffective and wrong.

URIs can be caused by an array of bacteria, so the idea of switching up treatments is to find the particular one that targets the URI(s) your rabbit has. Bacteria can also be tricky and create a barrier around themselves with the dead debris from their killed duplicates, making consistent, longer treatment courses necessary. Yes, there were appointments where me and Wick’s bet kind of looked at each other, wondering if this would ever be cured, so we kept with the philosophy of, it it’s reducing symptoms or keeping it from worsening, let’s keep going so the bacteria weakens.

I also switched Wick from Kaytee hay to Oxbow, which helped. The dust and pollens attached to all the hay can perpetuate the sneezing, so switching brands, which means you’re switching what pollens and dust your rabbit is exposed to, may help.

Additionally, Wick got his first molar grinding during that time, and the discomfort probably suppressed his immune system a bit, potentially helping him get over it at the latter part of the 3mo period. Since your rabbit is a nethie, it may be worth taking a peek in his mouth (your vet with an otoscope) to ensure his teeth are doing well.

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.

[RuditheBunz]

Thank you so much for the response! He hasn’t had a sneeze attack that I’ve seen.. in fact he doesn’t sneeze very much at all (maybe 3/4 times a day) but when he does sneeze he almost always has boogers, they vary in size from small stringy ones to large ones that will almost cover one side of his nostril.. the discharge is milky white in color. Honestly as long as there’s a chance that we can cure this thing I’ll keep sinking all the money I can into treatments. Another concern I had was about the antibiotics and how they might affect his GI tract… I really don’t want to throw GI stasis or other issues onto this mess. Should I look into a probiotic? Both his hay and his pellets are oxbow brand so that’s good to hear! This last time I saw the Dr. I had him check his teeth and he said they looked good, I make sure to give him lots of things to chew on Also, do you have a link/ list of antibiotics that are ok for rabbits and what dosage? I’d like to have something that I can check his medication against.. like I said, I’m really worried about the antibiotics making him sick if he’s on them too long..

[Bam]

Here is Medirabbit’s list of bunny-safe antibiotics:

http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medication/Antibiotics/Safe_antibiotics.htm

Medirabbit is a trusted source.

You can give a probiotic a couple hours before or after you give the antibiotics. Some can be sprinkled on to wet greens. Benebac is one probiotic, (but there are of course many other). It has enterococcus faecium in it, and although the name is nasty, it’s the most prevalent bacterium in the healthy bunny gut.

Bunny safe antibiotics are well tolerated by most bunnies in the prescribed doses, even for prolonged treatment. Poop irregularities like excess cecals or oddly shaped poop are common though, and a side-effect to look out for is loss of appetite. As you know buns must eat virtually all the time, so inappetence must be dealt with quickly. It’s good to have a feeding syringe on hand and perhaps some baby fruit puree to mix pellet mash or CC with if you need to support feed. But hopefully that wont be necessary.

[Wick & Fable]

An antibiotic treatment should always be paired with a probiotic. That’s something your vet should have mentioned and provided. Throughout the three months, to no exception, Wick got two instances of probiotic powder on a wet piece of romaine. The probiotic powder was one I kept in the fridge, though there are different forms.

Dosages for medications are based on your rabbit’s weight. You can always post your given dosage and community members can look. Wick is a runt, so he may be slightly smaller than your rabbit, but I can provide my experiences with some medications if they apply to your updated treatment plans. During the process, keeping his diet simple would help so his gut isn’t too crazy. Stick to one to two veggies that you know he enjoys and is safe for him, like romaine typically. Also, if grooming following a sneeze is a bit burdensome, you can lend a hand with a soft, clean towel with a spritz of water, followed by a small new clean towel to dry. Wick and I bonded through that, plus a lot of pats I’d give him after sneezing and bless yous.

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.

[RuditheBunz]

Thank you so much for the link! This will be a great guidance sheet! Also thats good to hear that most rabbits dont suffer from GI problems when on prescribed antibiotics..

[RuditheBunz]

Wick, thank you! Rudi is 2lbs 5oz and theyve had him on 0.5 of baytril and minocycline.. i asked the vet for a probiotic and he said i didnt need one.. so not only do i need a new vet but is there any place i can get a probiotic for rabbits? Im also giving him dandelion and parsley.. also ive hear about apple cider vinegar in thier water.. has anyone tried this? Will this help him in any way?

[Wick & Fable]

If you read about apple cider vinegar on these forums, it’s probably me who mentioned it haha.

Specifically, you want apple cider vinegar with the mother. The mother is a enzyme/bacteria rich material that makes vinegar, and consuming that helps regulate rabbit pH levels in the gut. Wick has had this in his water since 8wo, so I don’t have a control to say its helped, but through all of Wick’s medical treatments, he’s only had bad gas to one medication called flagyl (tooth infection antibiotic). Aside from that, he’s been great tummy wise.

I’m unsure about purchasing probiotic outside unfortunately. Wick’s vet always provides it.

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.

[RuditheBunz]

That’s great to hear! Rudi had some gut trouble before and so i wanted to find something that would help stabilize him even when he is on antibiotics.. do you give wick ACV all the time or on a week off a week? Also how much do you put in his water? Do rabbits usually like the taste? Also thank you so much for all your help, i’m so glad to finally have a place to get answers

[Wick & Fable]

Wick likes the taste and he gets it in his water all the time. For his 10oz water bowl, I put 1-cap to 2-caps full. A cap being the top cap of the Heinz bottle that sells acv. Nowadays though I just eyeball a splash. If it ends up being a bit much, Wick likes it anyways. Just make sure to shake it up beforehand so the mother floats around the bottle as you pour, rather than being settled at the bottom.

FYI for you, it smells quite strongly.

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.

[RuditheBunz]

Got the braggs acv with the mother and he seems to like it just fine, you were right about it being a strong smell though hopefully thing will help with his uri.. im going to try taking him to a new vet that has a lot of experience with rabbits… im in lees summit mo, which is just south of kansas city mo.. if anyone has a vet that they trust!

[RuditheBunz]

Hey! Just an update on Rudi: took him to a really great rabbit vet i found. She wants basically 3 major tests done; a full body radiograph, a culture and sensitivity test and possibly an endoscopy ( to see if theres a blockage in his nose)… the weird thing is that the boogers and the discharge are just happening on his right nostril.. so possibly its a piece of hay or somethinf that got stuck in there and then became infected? My main question to you guys is about the culture and sensitivity test, its pretty expensive and the chances of getting back any results or untainted results is pretty low (60% maybe less) has anyone had this done for thier rabbit? What was your experience? Also does the discharge from one nostril seem more like a blockage than snuffles? His energy levels seem a little lower than usual but otherwise hes eating/drinking/pooping fine! Thank you guys for all your feedback, you have no idea how much i appreciate it!

[Wick & Fable]

Due to the unreliability of culture tests, Wick’s vet opted not to do one and just begin trial and error of antibiotics. Wick had discharge from both nostrils, but if I remember correctly, his left was the bigger culprit by far than his right, so while solely one nostril seems odd, I wouldn’t fully rule out URI. The endoscopy (no experience there) would probably rule out blockage or confirm it conclusively.

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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