Snuffles? Should I be worried?

[henry2809]

Hi everyone! I am currently away at college and my dad is taking care of my bunny (2.5 year old Lionhead) and his bunny (7 year old Lionhead) at home while I am away.

I went home to visit this weekend and noticed that his bunny had some clear crust around his nostrils and the fur on the inside of his paws was slightly crusty as well. He is eating, breathing, acting, and pooping totally normally and my dad said that he has not heard him sneezing at all and he also has not seen any white discharge from his nose. I am worried because my dad also takes care of my bunny, so I am worried about my bunny coming down with an illness or infection if my dad’s bunny has one. My bunny was totally fine and did not have any nasal discharge or crust around his nose. I am really worried that it could be snuffles and that my bunny will become infected via cross contamination since my dad takes care of both of them. If it were snuffles, would my bunny likely get it? I have also read some things that suggest that all bunnies probably have it and it just lays dormant in their body, so I am not sure if I need to be worried or not. Thank you!

[LBJ10]

Technically, “snuffles” isn’t a real disease. It is an umbrella term that describes the symptoms of an upper respiratory infection in rabbits. People typically associate it with Pasteurella. But an upper respiratory infection can be caused by all sorts of bacteria, not just Pasteurella. Yes, Pasteurella and other types of bacteria can be “contagious”. However, an upper respiratory infection isn’t usually contagious. This is because rabbits harbor lots of bacteria in their sinuses. Yes, they can pick it up from another rabbit, but that doesn’t mean they will become ill. The rabbit’s immune system keeps everything in check and no one bacteria is able to take over under normal conditions.

If the rabbit becomes stressed or something suppresses their immune system, then it can upset the balance. This lets one or more types of bacteria take over… and then you start seeing symptoms of an upper respiratory infection.

So… the short answer is that I don’t think you need to worry about your rabbit too much. And your dad should have his rabbit checked out because this is something that can usually be easily addressed with some antibiotics. Most can be cleared up with a broad-spectrum antibiotic. Some can be more stubborn though, so sometimes you have to try another if the first doesn’t work.

[Author]

Messages