Thoughts on Sulfatrim for “possible snuffles” ??

[StachesMommy]

Hey all, I’m sure by now some of you are quite aware of what has been going on with my Holland, Cash.  She has been in and out of the vets since the first day I got her. Well today we went back and had her eyes checked out.  She was checked to see if she had ulcers, scratches, etc but the test showed her eyes to be good other than the discharge and matting so she was given Neo-Poly-Bac ointment for her eyes.  I googled it and it appears to be bunny version of neosporin? I assume it is safe but I’m not sure if I want to medicate her on oral antibiotics for “possible snuffles.”  The vet wasn’t sure as to why her nostrils were so green and it almost felt a slight bit sticky today.  No visual discharge or matting around paws and such but with her eyes being so yucky and nostrils being dirty she felt Cash may have a little cold.  (no sneezing either but Cash does sigh.. sorta breathes out through her nose as a human would sigh) She checked her lungs repeatedly and assured me they sound clear but she still sent me home with Sulfatrim and Bene-bac.  I feel hesitant on giving oral antibiotics to a bunny when it can cause GI statis.  I read horrible things and my husband is really upset because I have spent close to 700.00 on her already.  500.00 on vet bills alone pretty much trying to get her healthy.  I really cannot have her get GI Statis and I’m super worried now.  I did give her a dose of Sulfatrim about 10 minutes ago but it was really hard.  She was freaked out from the vets and I had to pretty much force it in her mouth. I think I got most of it, I’m not even sure because I have never given meds to a rabbit before and she didn’t eat all the Bene-Bac dosage either.  She ate some on her own and my husband tried to syringe feed it to her but she was going crazy and getting super upset.  He missed and it got all over her face.  What should I do??? Should I just keep giving her the antibiotics even if she may not even have snuffles?  I cannot keep going back to the vet for something she is not definitely sure of and paying for everything and pumping the bunny up with meds she may not even need.. but at the same time I cannot NOT take her and let her get sick.  Ah, so frustrating.  Oh yes and the ointment is horrible!  her whole head is greasy and yucky.  I tried to wipe down what I could but I can feel she feels so uncomfortable.  She keeps trying to clean her face endlessly and she is just not satisfied.  Poor baby. 

Thanks for your time and sorry for the long post.  Hope everyone has a wonderful new year.

[LBJ10]

Why do you think she will get GI stasis?

Prescribing an antibiotic is often the “go to” thing for vets when they or the owners don’t want to do a bunch of tests. The bunny is given an antibiotic and if they get better, then problem solved. If not, then they know there is reason to explore things further (whether it be doing a culture, x-rays, or other tests).

I don’t see too much harm in giving the antibiotic, but find it curious that the vet didn’t prescribe Baytril since that is most commonly prescribed for these “infections” of unknown cause. Sulfatrim is on the “safe” list. There are no notes about it on MediRabbit. The Benebac is a probiotic, which helps balance gut flora while bunny is on the antibiotics.

[StachesMommy]

When the vet prescribed me the antibiotic she did mention that when any oral antibiotics are given to a rabbit it may cause issues with their digestive track. She had also told me that is why she had given her Bene-bac to combat that issue. It was just a general warning but I got worried. Came home and read a couple horror stories and how scary GI Stasis is. Often times how bunnies die because it is caught to late. (I am checking her poops) I have no idea why she didn’t prescribe Baytril. She really doesn’t think Cash has an upper respiratory infection but she didn’t feel comfortable with her nose having so much hay dust stuck and her eyes matting up so she told me to give her Sulfatrim for the little cold she may or may not have. She also told me to wet down her timothy hay and shake it real good because it just may be allergies but she said she highly doubts it is allergies. It is good to know that Sulfatrim is on the safe list though. That makes me feel a bit more relieved. I just hope all of this will finally get her on the road to being a healthy bunny. Do you know if the eye ointment needs to go into her eye while her eyes are open or can it just be put along the closed eyelid? Kind of like how children have it done with pink eye… put it along their eyelids. She keeps closing her eyes everytime the ointment tip comes near her eyes.

[LBJ10]

There is a risk, of course. All medications have risks. But the risk is pretty small. Plenty of people give their bunnies antibiotics with no issues. If your bunny is prone to GI stasis problems, then you would want to closely monitor them. If your bunny isn’t, then it’s just something to be aware of (keeping in mind that most of the time, bunnies do just fine taking antibiotics). The probiotic is a good idea because it helps counteract the effects on the good bacteria in the gut, but it isn’t absolutely necessary. A lot of bunnies do fine with just antibiotics and their body sorts things out on its own once the infection is gone.

I’m not trying to push you into give your bunny the antibiotics. I’m just letting you know that it isn’t unusual for vets to try a broad spectrum antibiotic first to see if that solves the issue. If it doesn’t work, I’m sure your vet will want to explore other possibilities. One thing that comes to mind for me are tooth root issues.

Okay, now the eye ointment. I had no clue what that was. You said in your initial post that it was like Neosporin, so I decided to look it up. It contains a steroid (at least what I looked up does). Steroids are not the best thing for bunnies. Their bodies react to them differently that other animals. It’s generally advised to avoid using them whenever possible. There are a few scenarios where they have used steroids with bunnies, but it isn’t something most vets do lightly. The Neo-Poly-Bac appears to be an ointment for conjunctivitis. That isn’t really what your bunny has, is it? I mean, it can be used to prevent infection. Personally, I would prefer eye drops over an ointment though. I have never had good luck with ointment. As you said yourself, you can’t get it where it needs to go. The drops are a million times easier for me because Wooly never sees it coming. LOL

[StachesMommy]

Ohhh I see. Thank you so much for sharing all that with me. I really appreciate it. I’m not sure if she has conjunctivitis or not. Honestly to me, it didn’t look like she had that. She just had some corner cream colored eye boogers with the left side having matting. The eye lids were fine not red or swollen but I’m not a doctor. The vet never actually said anything she just didn’t want them to get worse so told me to put the ointment in and to prevent it from getting worse. I read the side effects and the worse side effect states it may cause redness, swelling, itchiness… and of course she has all of the above! I specifically asked the vet if it will be okay if she ingests it and she said it’s perfectly safe. Her left eye, which is the eye that had more discharge and matting is taking the medication better than her right eye. The right eye was better off but now the right eye is swollen and she can’t really keep it fully opened. I tried calling the vet to see if I should stop giving her the ointment or ask for something else but they are closed. So, I’ll have to wait it out until tomorrow. I’m hoping she will let me give her drops instead because for some odd reason she wouldn’t let me switch her ear drops. She originally got Tresaderm drops for her ears and a member had told me that it’s bad so I asked the vet to switch me to something I felt safer using (Bam had given me a list) but she wouldn’t. She said these were the best drops and that they are perfectly safe. So, I’m not even sure if she will give me a different medication or not. I did go ahead and give her the antibiotics just in case she really does have a little cold. Again, thanks so much for your help and your advise.

[LBJ10]

I remember your thread about Tresaderm. I think Bam and I both cautioned against using it because it contains a steroid. It seems odd to me that your vet would prefer prescribing things with steroids for rabbits. I mean, yeah, steroids are great for reducing inflammation and can be very useful in dogs when something (like an ear) is really irritated and they need to get it under control quickly. But my vet will avoid using a steroid with a bunny unless it’s absolutely necessary because she knows that steroids and bunnies don’t mix well.

If your bunny’s eye is becoming irritated due to the ointment, then I would try to get the vet to prescribe something else.

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