A little background: Jack was originally my foster who I helped get through several tough medical issues, including a large abscess and almost losing him when he went into shock after surgery. He is so tough and has eaten, pooped, and played through everything even though he is an older guy (we think around 7 years old). After everything we’ve been through with him, my boyfriend and I couldn’t stand the thought of giving him up so we adopted Jack.
I outlined all the details below, but to sum it up Jack has a very wet nose. He has no sneezing, coughing, wheezing or issues breathing. No thick or colored discharge of any kind. The discharge he has is clear and very thin, almost just like water. I’m hoping it’s just the meds he is on, but if anyone else has experienced anything like this, I’d appreciate your knowledge/advice. Now, time for the long story:
Jack has been battling a small but persistent abscess in his lower jaw. He has had all his front teeth removed, as well as some molars, and the abscess is where one of his lower front teeth used to be. After trying to clear it up for several months with baytril and regular cleanings, our vet decided to try him on Zithromax just over a week ago. Note that our vet is the same vet as the rescue had been using and is on the list of rabbit savvy vets in our area.
That day when Jack was brought back to me after they cleaned his abscess, I noticed is nose looked a bit red, but he had been particularly feisty and his face was usually wet after they cleaned him up so I didn’t worry about it much. Jack has always had a fairly wet nose that we’ve accepted as normal for him with all his dental issues. That night I gave him his first dose of Zithromax. That didn’t go great as it really decreased his appetite and made his poops tiny. I called the vet’s office the next day but it was a Saturday and the regular rabbit vet wasn’t in. The vet tech recommended I take him off it until I could talk to the vet when she was back in on Tuesday. His nose was still wet and irritated looking, but I didn’t think much of it with everything else going on. I put him back on Baytril until I Tuesday.
On Tuesday I talked to the vet and she recommended we give the Zithromax another try, but at a lower dose. She said it’s a powerful med that is often good with hard to treat infections, so she wanted to see if it would work, even if it caused some issues. As long as Jack was eating and going to the bathroom, even if it was reduced, she wanted to try a bit longer. I guess they often get used to the med after a couple days. Jack’s nose was still wet, but seemed like it might be a little better, so again I didn’t worry about it too much.
Since then, Jack has done well on the Zithromax and we’ve even been able to up the dose a bit. He eats normally and has normal poops. He showed a little discomfort about 30 mins after giving the meds the first couple days, but that has gone away too. However, his nose is soaking wet. I mean really wet, not just damp. The fur on top of his nose and below it always looks like he just dunked it in the water bowl. Like I said above, it’s thin, colorless, and he is showing no other signs of a URI (no sneezing, wheezing, etc).
He had another appointment this coming Friday and that is the soonest opening his vet has. I’m going to try calling her on Monday and see what she says, but this whole thing seems strange. Everything I’m finding about bunnies with wet noses includes other symptoms, especially when it’s more than just a damp nose. Has anyone experienced anything like this?
Thank you!
– Jack’s Mom