advice please- update been to vets 31/12

hi guys i need your opinions and advice. Thyme is my oldest bun, she is about 7 now, although not sure exactly how old, another unwanted child's pet.
recently she had a wet nose and was sneezing. i took her to the vets, they gave her a long lasting anti-biotic jab and some baytril. i brought her home and kept her indoors to keep her warm. they also said her chest was very rattly.
after nearly 3 weeks her nose was dry, her chest clear and she was bored! so i put her back outside with the other 6. it is always stressful for any of them to be away from the group and there is always a lot of chasing, fur pulling etc when any bun returns.
Thyme has suffered all this and the usual bites that one of my does likes to give out if somebun leaves and comes back.
she was doing fine, however last night and tonight her nose is very wet again with a lot of mucus. I have cont to dose her with baytril.
So the dilemma; I will take her to the vet again tomorrow for a check up and more anti-biotics. but when i bring her home do I;
option A - put her back in the shed, in the group where she is happiest and ensure snuggle safes are available, keep dosing her, and avoid her having to rebond with the group again
or option B - keep her indoors, on her own, lonely, get her well, then put her back outside, needing to rebond with the group, getting bitten again and then potentially getting poorly again.
I wonder whether having her indoors lowered her immune system and that may be why she has got poorly again,
help guys!
thanks x Jess

If its the weather that is the issue and there is no way of extra insulation or ways of keeping damp at bay I guess keeping her in is the only option :?
Is it possible to take another of the group, the one she is closest too perhaps, and have them both inside so that she is not lonely? Only probs is rebonding again when its warmer temps and she is ready to go back.

Taking her away from the group is likely to increase stress and make illness worse. It maybe she needs a longer course of ab's or a different type. Rabbits cope better with cold than warm so I would think a insulated place outside with heatpads and warm bunnies to snuggle with should be fine

Tam

Tamsin said:

Taking her away from the group is likely to increase stress and make illness worse. It maybe she needs a longer course of ab's or a different type. Rabbits cope better with cold than warm so I would think a insulated place outside with heatpads and warm bunnies to snuggle with should be fine

Tam

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thats what i wondered. she has been sat outside the shed tonight. i am able to make snuggle places and they have several - under old plastic dog beds heaped with hay, she also has a carry box that she is trained to go into to eat her food as she has to have mashed food due to no front teeth. so i can put her snugglesafe in there. i am just not sure that bringing her in again is a good idea as i fear the stress of having to rebond may be the cause of it flaring up again. thanks guys.

buttons&thumper said:

thats what i wondered. she has been sat outside the shed tonight. i am able to make snuggle places and they have several - under old plastic dog beds heaped with hay, she also has a carry box that she is trained to go into to eat her food as she has to have mashed food due to no front teeth. so i can put her snugglesafe in there. i am just not sure that bringing her in again is a good idea as i fear the stress of having to rebond may be the cause of it flaring up again. thanks guys.

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Yeah its a mare when an oldie seems to struggle with winter. If the sheds well insulated and not very damp and the vet feels its ok for her to still be outside then that will save all the stress! Its the damp thats the main prob with chest infections, Im sure the heat from all the others will be keeping her toastie

the shed itself isn't insulated as i am a believer in fresh air, plus it is a bit damp but the cold spell keeps allowing it to dry out. as i say there are plenty of places where she can go to get warm, but seems to prefer sitting with basil outside.

I'm wondering if the stress of being in the group is actually contributing to her illness?

In theory a snuffley rabbit is better being kept outdoors, as long as it isn't damp or drafty. In fact stuffy centrally heated houses can make them worse.

If she improves away from the others, then maybe that means she's happier?

Just a suggestion...you know your rabbits best.

Amy

i wondered that too. but she was unhappy indoors, very quiet and every time i took her out the indoor cage she jumped back in and sat there. she seems happier with the others, just a hard call to make. i guess the other way to look at it is i have tried having her in and getting her well and then putting her back, so maybe this time i should try keeping her outdoors and treating her.

well been to the vets this morning and he has now diagnosed pasteurella. she is on a course of 3 injections of alamycin and see how she goes. he has said she is fine to be outdoors with the others and agreed with me about the stress of her having to rebond with the group possibly making it worse. so see how she is after the 3 jabs this week.
Jess

I'd agree - I bonded my two pairs into a foursome and Santa was the boss bun - really happy with her little harem, but she's been a chronic snuffler for a long time and recently had a particularly bad bout and I think the others picked up on her weakness and started to bully her a bit. So I had to separate them back into their pairs. If you are going to go for the 'group' thing I think you'll have to really carefully watch the group dynamic to see if she is being pushed out or bullied a bit. Otherwise maybe she is happier outdoors and will be ok if she can see the others but not be with them?

the bullying i think is more about having spent time away from the group, it happens if any of them leave the group for a while and then return. just been out and she is sat outside between two of the others.