My rabbit’s been sneezing a lot, help?

[Fluffy]

Okay so, the other day my rabbit was outside playing in the backyard as always. When she came back upstairs and was laying down tired I noticed something on her back. It was a tiny little slug, so I pulled it off(obviously). Than after like 3 minutes she sneezed, and I wasn’t worried because it was just once. But than, later on she started sneezing more and basically the whole day she was sneezing. She sometimes has these sneezing fits with like 7-8 sneezes in a row. We gave her a bath and cleaned her whole cage to make sure their were no germs from her sneezes. And, since she was too busy licking herself dry she didn’t sneeze after that. Than, the next day she was still sneezing just like yesterday, and it’s been like 4 days and it’s still the same thing going on. She doesn’t have a runny nose or anything else. Just sneezing. No lower respiratory problems or any of that sort. I know you guys are going to say “take her to the vet” but I can’t. Is there any other solution? She’s been eating normally, and playing as normal just the sneezing has really been bothering me. Please tell me what I can do to stop her. (I mentioned the slug just incase bugs have anything to do with it.) Also, is it possible that it could’ve happened due to the type of the leaves she slept in that day??

[jerseygirl]

Perhaps she has a foriegn body up her nose. Can you see the tip of a hayseed or anything?

[Fluffy]

I don’t think so, because I just checked and her nose and it seemed clear. Also, do you think that I should get her medicine? I noticed one specific type called homeo pet nose relief, do you think that it may work?

Thanks.

[jerseygirl]

Because it came on quickly and there has been not nasal discharge, I am suspicious of something being embedded in her nose. Possible higher up then you can see.
She would really need to be checked out. What is the reason for not being able to take her to a vet?

I couldn’t say if the homopathic drops would work. Im not familiar with them. If the sneezing is because of something up the nose, the drops wouldn’t make much of a difference.

Bathing rabbits is not recommended. It can cause them a lot of stress (which can lead to illness) but also, they are at risk of becoming hypothermic if the fur is not fully dry. Sometimes it is unavoidable and a bath is needed though. For instance, if they were covered in poop, urine, oil or a dangerous substance.

Is she still sneezing a lot?

[Luna]

Does her hay or litter appear dustier than usual?

[Fluffy]

No, her hay seems fine. And, I feel that maybe there’s something stuck up I’m her nose.

Thank you for answering.

[Fluffy]

I completely agree, I feel that maybe there is something stuck up higher in there. Especially, since there are no other symptoms than sneezing. The reason why we cannot take her to a vet is because we can’t afford it, and my parents have been very busy lately. Due to the fact that we’re moving. I’ll give the medicine a try, and see if she gets better. If not that we’ll definitely take her to a vet I’ll just use the money I saved up, and make my dad find time. We really care about our rabbit, all of us.

Thank you so much for the advice. I extremely appreciate it.

[Fluffy]

I completely agree, I feel that maybe there is something stuck up higher in there. Especially, since there are no other symptoms than sneezing. The reason why we cannot take her to a vet is because we can’t afford it, and my parents have been very busy lately. Due to the fact that we’re moving. I’ll give the medicine a try, and see if she gets better. If not that we’ll definitely take her to a vet I’ll just use the money I saved up, and make my dad find time. We really care about our rabbit, all of us.

Thank you so much for the advice. I extremely appreciate it.

[LBJ10]

It is possible to flush the sinus, but a professional should at least show you how to do it because you can cause harm if you don’t know what you’re doing.

[Fluffy]

Oh, okay. Today, I haven’t seen my rabbit sneeze even once, maybe she’s better now. But, just to make sure I’ll keep an eye on her the whole day. We will be going to get the medicine from petco if she starts again. If yes than, I’m pretty sure that it’ll have the directions for use on the back of the box. Don’t worry I’ll make sure I’m doing it properly. I’ll check out a few videos and search up the proper way to do it.

[sarahthegemini]

Posted By Fluffy on 6/11/2017 1:52 PM

Oh, okay. Today, I haven’t seen my rabbit sneeze even once, maybe she’s better now. But, just to make sure I’ll keep an eye on her the whole day. We will be going to get the medicine from petco if she starts again. If yes than, I’m pretty sure that it’ll have the directions for use on the back of the box. Don’t worry I’ll make sure I’m doing it properly. I’ll check out a few videos and search up the proper way to do it.

With all due respect, sinus flushing is really something a professional should do. 

How is she now?

[LBJ10]

I agree, I would recommend having a vet help you with that. If something is indeed stuck in there, it will need to come out. But flushing is a bit more complicated than simply reading some instructions. I don’t think they sell anything at Petco intended for that anyway.

[Fluffy]

Oh okay. I completely understand now. I just told my dad about it, and he says that we may take her to the vet either tomorrow or after that day. Thank you so much, I appreciate that you all care so much. I will tell you how the visit went sometime during this week. Thank you again.

[Fluffy]

I wasn’t so serious about the sinus flushing until a saw a video on it. And, I was like yeah maybe I will let a professional do it. After all, don’t want anything else happening to my bun.

[LBJ10]

Yes, it isn’t an easy thing to do. I know some members here have done it at home, but they had their vet train them how to do it. In these cases, the bun needed it regularly though. With a foreign object, I think having a vet do it is wise. Let us know how the visit goes!

[Fluffy]

[Update} Sorry guys for not replying after, I was extremely busy with moving. Okay so, we ended up not taking our bun to the vet because there was no sneezing the whole day from her after I wrote that. And, thankfully it’s been 2 weeks and she is perfectly fine.

 Thank you all once again for caring so much, and for the advice! 

[Floppy]

My Casper sneezes a lot (but also had conjunctivitis) and the vet said it was Pastuerella although he’s never had a C&S test and after several lots of meds he is not much better, and have tried different types of bedding to no avail. I’m moving vets next week to one further away but more rabbit friendly.

[Fluffy]

Oh ok, that’s good to hear. I hope your beautiful rabbit stays healthy and has a long happy life!

[Author]

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