Anyone had a sneezy/allergy prone bunny?

[vanessa]

Lancelot normally has some weepiness from his eyes. His humane society vet noticed it, gave hi “eyedrops”, and called it “somewhat improved”, and possibly as a result of his eye ulcer and dental problems. Eye ulcer has since healed, and he has had dental work. I’ve taken him for a checkup and his teeth are ok. Wavy, but not problematic. Molar spurs were filed. My local rabbit vet says that if his eye discharge doens’t get worse, it could just be environmental, and recommends minimal treatment. So I apply regular warm compresses, which he really enjoys. It’s not always weepy, just sometimes. A lot better than when I first brought him home. But now it’s thick and weepy again. So I dry his eyes a few times a day, and do the warm compress again. He is also sneezing, and I can hear the congestion in his nose. Doesnt’ sound like it’s in his lungs. I have a stethescope, and his lungs sound clear. Guin went through a sneezy period with no ill efffects. That was 6 months ago, long before Lancelot came along. So I put an air purifier in his room for twice the square footage, since I also have 2 bird cages in the room which could be causing congestion for him, and I picked up some childrens benadryl. I’d like to try the benadryl for 2 days, and see how his sneezing and discharge improves. If no improvement, I’ll take him to the vet. 

Has anyone had something similar?

[LittlePuffyTail]

I’ve never heard of giving bunnies Benadryl. Not sure if it’s safe. I wouldn’t give it to him without talking to the vet.

My lop has chronic runny eyes and, in the past, it was related to his sinusitis. He has thickened nasal cavity due to his several bouts of sinusitis. My vet had suggested a head x-ray and that’s when we noticed it. He has been on oral antibiotics a few times to treat it.

So it could be allergies or something else. What type of hay are you giving? I’ve heard some people with allergy-prone bunnies (and even people) have had good luck with Oxbow Orchard Grass.

[Mimsy]

Are the birds ones with a lot of powder? Like cockatiels or cockatoos? If they are can you try moving either the bunny or birds to separate areas, at least for their main cage/pen.

I know medirabbit recommends having benedryl around for allergic reactions, but I don’t know about regular usage of it. If it’s an allergy it would probably help to figure out what it’s too and if it’s something that can removed from the environment. If it’s not something that can be altered by diet or environment then discussing with the vet a more permanent medication.

Thick discharge would concern me, in case it’s an infection of some sort. Could he have dry eye? I just wonder because of his past eye issues. I don’t even know if that’s a thing with bunnies, but I have issues with it myself and it can be irritated by a lot of things. There may be an ointment in that case that would help.

[vanessa]

@ Little Puffy Tail – The hay is definitely dusty. I get it from he feed store in a large bay. I’ll try the oxbow hay. He gets timothy and orchard. Thickened nasal cavities sounds probable since he often sounds congested. I hadn’t thought about that – so I might still take him to the vet.
@ Mimsy – I currently have finches (seed and feather dust) and mousebirds (no dust), but 4 cockatiels (very dusty) are arriving soon as my boyfriend moves in. They are dusty as heck. Keeping the birds separately might not be feasible. I like the idea of eye drops, because ointments are messy. I have terramycin which I have used on 2 separate occasions since July.
Lancelot spends every night in my bedroom. I have to coax him out in the mornings. If it were up to him, he’d eat/poop/pee in his room, and live in my room. At night his door is open, so the room does get air circulation.
I think the Benadryl may have helped. I’ll give him one more dose this evening. I won’t mention the dose here since I’m not a vet. I’ll keep the air purifier in the room. It has 2 hepa filters and a uv light. This morning there was no sneezing, and the thick whitish discharge was back to his usual clear thin discharge.
Thanks for the ideas. I’ll keep an eye on the hay and the air, and might still take him to the vet for an x-ray/discharge swab.

[LBJ10]

Wooly was on Benedryl. I can see if I can find the dosage the vet prescribed. That will give you an idea, but I would still ask the vet.

[jerseygirl]

I’m in limited time, so only a quick post.. I have a sneezy bun so I’ll come back to this thread.

Just want to mention for anyone reading now or in future about Benadryl. Depending on where you live, the name is used for different drugs. The Benadryl sometimes used for cats/dogs/rabbits is diphenhydramine.

[vanessa]

I’ve looked up the dose for his weight… I gave it to him once a day for 2 days. Tomorrow I’ll do twice a day, because he is sneezing again this evening. But I’ll also call the vet in the morning and make an appointment. With him still sneezing, I’d rather know what it is.

[vanessa]

I took him to the vet today. His roots felt fine, so the vet didn’t want to flush the tear ducts yet. Gave him antibiotics and eye drops. His teeth are developing spurs again, so once his antibiotics are finished, I’ll make an appointment to have them filed. He still eats well. Sometimes his ears feel too warm and I wonder if he is feverish. So now I’m worried about my little boy.

[LittlePuffyTail]

(((((Healing Vibes))))))

How is he doing now?

[vanessa]

Somewhat better thanks. His eyelids are no longer inflamed, he is sneezing less but still a little, He sounds less congested. The eye discharge is still there, but it is back to teary instead of white and thick. His paws are still wet, so the discharge is still more than usual. He isn’t fond of his new timothy hay pellets. I’ll get his previous brand again. But his appetite for veggies is still there. I check his litterbox every day for poop and peeh water is being drank (between him, Guin, and the cat…) . I have an appointment for him to have his teeth filed a few days after he is done with the antibiotics. I suspect his fresh spurs may be irritating him.

[vanessa]

Lancelot is still a little sneezy, but Guin did such a good job groming him last night, his paws and face are all squeaky clean. And when I dabbed his eyes with tissue this morning, they were dry 🙂

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