Snuffles & Chinese Herbal Medicine

[BigBun]

My 4.25 pound, 4 year old mini-rex, Fern, is currently being treated for snuffles.  It has taken over 5 months to find the antibiotics that he responds to.  By the way, his culture and sensitivity test results were negative for any pathogen which wasn’t helpful.  He is currently on a 30 day round of Azithromycin 1.5ml/day and nebulization of 1.5ml acetylcysteine (mucolytic), and 1.4ml gentamicin (antibiotic), in 5ml saline two times per day.  Each nebulization takes about 20 minutes.  At day ten, he has been symptom free for the first time in 8 months.  We are currently on day 14.

I am an acupuncturist and Chinese herbal medicine practitioner of over 16 years.  If this current round of antibiotic therapy does not cure him of his snuffles, or if his snuffles becomes chronic, I am going to try Chinese herbal medicine.  I was worried about the toxicity of some Chinese herbs and the recommended herbal dosage for rabbits, and so I ordered, “Clinical Manual of Chinese Veterinary Herbal Medicine,” by Autumn Ma, MS. PhD. DVM.  I was hoping to find an herbal formula for sinusitis.  There is one on page 299 called E2043m Nasal Damp Heat.  This formula is a modified Cang Er Zi Tang which is used for sinusitis in humans, which is exactly what I was looking for.  I was particularly concerned about the herb, Cang Er Zi, and so I also ordered, “Xie’s Chinese Veterinary Herbal Handbook,” by Dr. Xie Huisheng, and found that Cang Er Zi is used in veterinary herbal formulas for bunnies.

There is additional information online available regarding the preparation of Cang Er Zi for herbal use.  When this herb is prepared into an extract powder, it is considered very safe when the correct dosage is administered.  Also note that in Chinese medicine, patients are given an herbal formula which includes a group of specially selected herbs based on their energetic properties, temperature, and how they work together as a whole.  Seldom is a single herb prescribed.

Then, I discovered that all of the formulas in the book, “Clinical Manual of Chinese Veterinary Herbal Medicine,” are available to order online, but require a veterinarian to authorize the prescription.  There is a list of veterinarians who are authorized to prescribe these veterinary herbal formulas.  There are even some that offer telemedicine consultations.  And so, if necessary, I will contact one of the authorizing veterinarians and set up a telemedicine appointment for Fern.

I just wanted to put this information out there.  It is good to have options, especially if modern veterinary medical treatment hasn’t been successful.  Or, if the risk vs benefit is not in your bunnies best interest.

Besides, bunnies are into herbs:)

Edited by LBJ10 to remove website addresses.

[LBJ10]

Hi BigBun! I removed the website address from your post since it’s against forum rules. This is an interesting topic, but I too would be concerned about the toxicity of herbal remedies. Rabbits are very different from people, and even dogs. Things that are safe for us may not be safe for them. We are definitely not experts in this area, so I would highly recommend seeking professional advice from a vet before trying any herbal remedies with your bunny.

I’m sorry to hear that your bunny is having problems. Have other causes for his “snuffles” been ruled out? I ask because I had a bunny that had chronic sinus problems. He had tooth root issues, which constantly irritated his sinuses causing him to sneeze/sound stuffy/have a nasal discharge all the time. Sometimes it would lead to an infection, which would be treated with an antibiotic. But he was always snuffly with or without an active infection. Unfortunately, there isn’t a ton that can be done for overgrown tooth roots. It’s considered a chronic condition.

[Author]

Messages