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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Baby bunny has snuffles

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    • Alfiesmom
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        Hey everyone. I am a new bunny mom to my boy Alfie (Holland lop). I got him 2 weeks ago and he’s now 10 weeks old. I had a question regarding how you can tell if snuffles is being treated correctly by antibiotics. You see, within 3 days of getting Alfie, I noticed his left eye was runny and the fur around the eye was matted. I knew that it might not be good as he started sneezing a couple days after, so I took him to a rabbit savvy vet. The vet didn’t do a culture, but checked him thoroughly and believes that he has an upper respiratory infection. She prescribed Alfie chlorpalm (0.4mg twice daily) and ciprofloxacin hydrochloride for the eyes (also put in twice daily). He’s been on these meds for about a week and his eye looks much better, but still a bit red. Last night, Alfie had a sneezing fit and I could hear how wet and congested he was. It got me worried that it might be getting worse. So far I have not seen white discharge, it has only been clear since he’s shown symptoms. Could this be a sign that the discharge is trying to get flushed out, or is it possible that the antibiotics may not be working? My vet said she will be following up with me in a couple days, but I’m not sure if I should call and bring him in to get reassessed. 


      • Wick & Fable
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          At 9wo, Wick began his URI treatment. It lasted 3 months, haha. A culture was not done either, and for many vets, that’s common practice. It’s a trial-and-error process to find with antibiotic(s) work against your rabbit’s URI. If the sneezing is getting worse (more frequent, more intense), and its been a week, it’s highly possible this antibiotic isn’t the right one. Wick never received eye drops, so unsure of the improvement there, though like humans, a stuffy nose results in more eye-crusties.

          For your reference, Wick tried Bactrim for 2 weeks, then was put on Baytril. Penicillin (floxacillin (?); injection) was added on top of Baytril, and this is what did the trick for Wick’s URI.

          Don’t hesitate to let your vet know if he’s getting worse. If he is, it’s a sign that the antibiotic isn’t the right one. Once the shots were added to Wick’s regimen, the difference was IMMEDIATE. It was fantastic. My vet and I decided to discontinue the Baytril and just do shots. Within 2 hours of his first missed Baytril dose, Wick started sneezing again, so I called my vet and we both agreed the turn around was very quick, but Wick needs both Baytril and the shots to kick this URI. So in some cases, you’ll know right away the medication isn’t right. In other cases, it may take some time. Wick was on Baytril alone for a long time, and it seemed to just plateau his symptoms than improve them, but once we took it away, it got a lot worse, so that feedback is important to a vet.

          On your end, there are things you can do to help. First, if your antibiotic is AM/PM doses, make them as even, 12hr doses as possible. I always did 7AM and 7PM for Wick, on the dot. Any deviation of AM/PM dose would be noticeable in his symptoms. Additionally, help your rabbit out with grooming by wiping gently around the nose if you see it’s getting out of hand. Always use a clean, soft towel, and launder it afterwards; never reuse the same towel. It’s a bacterial infection, so repeated exposure would not help.

          You can also say bless you after every sneeze… this just made Wick really familiar with my voice, haha. Wick sneezed every 5 minutes with sneezing fits upwards of 12 sneezes per, so we did a lot of talking.

          The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.


        • Alfiesmom
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            Thanks for the suggestions! I do give Alfie his medication every 12 hours on the dot (7am and pm as well!). The vet wanted him on chlorpalm because she felt that he might be sensitive to other antibiotics what with being so young. He seems to have on and off days with the sneezing…some days more frequent. Alfie was given eye drops because the eye that was infected became inflamed rather quickly. I usually clean his nose with a warm damp towel. I’ve heard using tea bags have some benefits as well. Either way, I’m definitely calling the vet as I think the sneezing is a bit more intense. I don’t want to take any chances with this little guy!


          • Mikey
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              I agree with Wick that his meds might need to be adjusted. His eye meds sound like theyre helping, but his oral antibiotics dont sound like they are.

              When my bunny had snuffles, it got bad enough that he started choking. I had to bunny heimlich for over 15 minutes just to get him to breathe alright. Because of this, I am very inclined to say, if you feel something isnt working right, head to the vets again. Also like Wick, Baytril for about 2 to 3 weeks helped my bun

              Another thing you can do are steam baths. Set your shower on high heat and close the door to let the room steam. Take your bunny into the room with you (but not into the shower/tub, just into the bathroom) and gently wipe away any snot that drips out of his nose. Youll want to do this for 10+ minutes once or twice a day. The steam should help any clogged snot in his nose, and should help open his airways to help him breath a little easier.


            • Alfiesmom
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                Thanks for the suggestions! I found out that his sneeze fits might be from his hay (as he digs his whole face in it and started sneezing like crazy and then wiping his nose). I’m about halfway into the bag so it might be starting to get really dusty, plus he likes to also sleep in it. I’ll see if misting it with water helps. I’ll definitely try the steam baths also. A call to the vet will still be happening just so we can figure this out and get my baby feeling better! 

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            Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Baby bunny has snuffles