Rabbit with bad respiratory infection! Advice!

[victoriasimage77]

Hello, I am wondering if anyone who knows rabbits would be willing to give some advice.

My sister got a rabbit about 4 months ago from some stupid pet store (bad idea). He is now about 6-7 months old. He has always had a light sneeze, but in the past months it has developed into a respiratory infection. His eyes water, there is watery discharge from his nose, and he goes into sneezing fits that last about 20 seconds. He sounds stuffed up when he breathes. I felt bad for him. and since she can't afford much for vet care I took the liberty of tracking down what is apparently the ONLY rabbit vet in our area. She recommended trying antibiotics before bringing him in...to minimize stress...she prescribed some antibiotics but they didn't work. In the mean time, he is getting worse, and I am afraid he has/may get pnemonia. I made another appointment for him but the doctor isn't going to be in for another 5 days! We have looked everywhere for another vet and there simply isn't one.

My question is....what can I do to keep him comfortable until we can get him in to see the vet? He still has some energy, and is still eating fine. He has his own large cage with dust-free, soft bedding, the room is warm with an air purifyer in it. He lives with two other female rabbits in the same room who show absolutely no signs of illness whatsoever...so it doesn't seem that what he has is contagious. So would a humidifyer help? Medications?

Any advice is welcome.

[Sooz]

Pneumonia is rapidly fatal in rabbits and the prognosis even with treatment is not good.

Has Pasteurella been mentioned?

Was the antibiotic Baytril? If so I would suggest he needs something stronger, Septrin at the very least.

Is he eating and drinking OK? How are his stools?

He needs to see a vet asap, ANY vet worth their salt should be able to give the correct medication.

He may also benefit from some probiotics in his water to support his gut and immune system.

[FriskyClover]

Your poor bunny! I don't have any real experience of rabbit chest problems but I have seen it a lot with guinea pigs.

I would use this link:http://www.rcvs.org.uk/Templates/system/FAVSearch.asp?NodeID=89660 to see if you can find another small animal vet in your area. He needs to see a vet very soon, he's having serious problems. In the meantime, you could try steam inhalations (a dab of vicks in a bowl of warm water nearby) or a spot of Olbus Oil on a tissue out of reach.

Please do get him to a vet soon.

[victoriasimage77]

His stools are normal, he is eating and drinking fine. Yes I do realize he needs veterinary care, and that is why I have him going in. We live in a rather remote area of the US, and there are limited veterinarians. Even if I could get him to see another vet it would not be for a few days. Thus, I am attempting to keep him comfortable in the mean time.

[Jupiter]

Whereabouts do you live? I really think that waiting 5 days is completely unacceptable. Charlie has also been plagued with snuffles (pasturella) since we bought him 9 months ago (probably from same pet shop chain). In August it went onto his chest and we really didn't think he was going to make it - Lucky for us we were able to get him to the vet who injected him with a dose of Baytril (forgive me if I'm wrong - obviously not an expert here but I think the injected dose is better than the oral medication) anyway, he was on oral baytril for a while after too and was eventually clear of it on his chest. Things can happen so quickly though with rabbits, they can go downhill so very fast.

I really hope he is OK.

[AlisonA]

Hiya - what country are you in? How long were the antibiotics used for? Where does the rabbit live and on what type of bedding? Is he still eating and drinking ok?

It sounds as if this bun really does need to see a vet sooner than 5 days. As Sooz says, pneumonia can be fatal, but also, rabbits have to breathe through their noses - they can't breathe through their mouths like humans, so if they have a partially blocked nose it can be very serious for them - imagine how much you breathe through your mouth when you have a cold, but the rabbit can't do that!

There is something called bisolvon which can help to thin the mucus and make breathing more easy, but you would need to speak to a vet about this as I'm not sure where you are, whether you can buy it off prescription and how much you'd need to give (dosages etc will vary from country to country).

I really would try and get hold of a vet soon as this can be fatal and your poor bun may well be really suffering.

[Jupiter]

LOL! Posted at the same time!! OK, so in the US things are probably slightly different - and we obviously didn't get our buns from the same shop!!! :)

I hope you find another vet soon X

[FriskyClover]

His stools are normal, he is eating and drinking fine. Yes I do realize he needs veterinary care, and that is why I have him going in. We live in a rather remote area of the US, and there are limited veterinarians. Even if I could get him to see another vet it would not be for a few days. Thus, I am attempting to keep him comfortable in the mean time.

Oh I see, I don't think my link will help then. Do try steam inhalations. Are there any vets in your area that may be able to treat him sooner? I know they may not be rabbit experts but they may have some knowledge and be able to help until he sees a specialist.