Our new family member with snuffles

Hello there - just joined the forum so hello to you all.

We have a new rabbit - Freddy - who we're keeping as a house rabbit. He's a dear little chap, very affectionate, follows us around the house, jumps all over us. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure he has snuffles - though I was told when I collected him that it was an allergy to sawdust. We fully appreciate that this can be extremely serious and he'll be going to the vets this week (only had him this weekend) but we've all fallen completely in love with him, - even my hubby who's always maintained a complete disinterest in my outdoor bunnies before. Freddy chins us and nudges us all the time - I've never experienced a rabbit that was so affectionate straight away before - but i suspect he just sees us all as potential mates as he hasn't been neutered!

I wanted to ask just a few things -

(a) Has anyone here has a bunny with snuffles with a good outcome? I've heard it can happen but I'm very concerned.

(b) Freddy makes a sort of throaty grunt the whole time that he's playing around us which as far as I remember, is a mating sign - is that correct?

(b) After he's been fixed, will that affect his behaviour at all?

Of course, don't know if he could even be operated on if he has got snuffles.

Thanks so much

Hi there, and welcome :wave:

My bunny Fae has snuffles and she is a house bun too. She is fine within herself, and while she is our vet is reluctant to give her medication as this could make her worse.

We did try her on a course of Baytril but this didnt work - although if she does become more ill then she will nave to go back on it.

I'd take Freddy to the vets, get him to listen to his chest to make sure it isnt a respiratory tract infection. Fae my bun isnt very snotty, nor does she have discharge from her eyes which is why she isnt on any meds at the moment, if Freddy is producing discharge from his nose or eyes then i think Baytril is needed. I dont think vets operate unless they suspect something is stuck up their nose or if it is teeth problems - best get this checked out also.

Fae is a very happy bun, she manages just fine with her snuffles - and i know there are a couple more buns on here that are the same

And i would def get Freddie neutered - it will alter his behaviour but only for the best - especially if you decide to get him a lady friend It will stop him grunting, and trying to hump everything in site

Thanks for the reply. He's been climbing all over me this evening - he loves to nudge your face and gaze into your eyes - hilarious when you consider his grunting! When he was close I thought I could here him grinding his teeth once or twice so he really needs a good check up. I've given his nails a clip - they were incredibly long but too nervous to cut them too much.

He does have some discharge from his nose, very little, and he wipes it now and then. More worrying are the fits of sneezes that have happened once a day (that I know of) - he might sneeze 10-15 times in a row. Having said that he does seem happy in himself - I know rabits can hide illness easily but can't help thinking he wouldn't be so active if he actually felt awful.

We can't get over how tame he is, my other two bunnies would barely let us touch them, let alone their faces, but Freddy isn't bothered at all - I just wonder how much of that will change after he's been neutered.

'Snuffles' is a common term for what is usually Pasteurella, an upper respiratory tract infection. It can be kept under control but not 'cured'. Rabbits are prone to repeat occurences at times of stress throughout their lives.

It may be necessary to try a few different antibiotics before one is discovered that is effective. We usually start with Baytril and then progress to Septrin if needed. Courses tend to be quite long, 6-8 weeks is not uncommon. Probiotics should be given in conjunction with antibiotics to replenish the good gut bacteria the abx kills off.

If snuffles is left untreated it has the potential to turn into a lower respiratory tract infection (in the lungs), namely Pneumonia, and this is much more serious and harder to treat.

Hello :wave:

What makes you think he actually has Snuffles?
What are his symptoms?
There are other reasons for a Bun to have a snotty nose, including Dental problems.

I am sure a Bunny savvy Vet will thoroughly examin your Bun and offer appropriate treatment. Its aways best to get a good diagnosis before rushing in with antibiotics.

*If* infection is diagnosed then antibiotics will hopefully clear the symptoms. Some Buns never have another episode of Snuffles but some are prone to them at times of stress.

Good Luck!!

Janex

Jack's-Jane: I'm going for worst case scenario at the moment pending his vet visit. As I mentioned, I'm also concerned about his teeth which i know can cause some of these problems. But he also has 'sneezing' fits and some discharge from his nose.

My vet is great with rabbits - just waiting to get through to them to make an appointment.

Thanks for all the comments and the welcome.

Mand5 said:

Jack's-Jane: I'm going for worst case scenario at the moment pending his vet visit. As I mentioned, I'm also concerned about his teeth which i know can cause some of these problems. But he also has 'sneezing' fits and some discharge from his nose.

My vet is great with rabbits - just waiting to get through to them to make an appointment.

Thanks for all the comments and the welcome.

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Fae has huge sneezing fits, up to 5 times a night, and she's a little 'raspy'. She just wipes her nose with her paws then flops out right in front of the fire It really doesnt seem to bother her but if she does become worse then she'll be straight back to the vets

Your comments have encouraged me. I've read so many different opinions on the web - really hoping he's just 'snuffly' and nothing more serious - he seems happy enough except when left alone overnight or when we go out, I'd swear he sulks then! Got an appointment at the vets tonight so should find out then.

Mand5 said:

Your comments have encouraged me. I've read so many different opinions on the web - really hoping he's just 'snuffly' and nothing more serious - he seems happy enough except when left alone overnight or when we go out, I'd swear he sulks then! Got an appointment at the vets tonight so should find out then.

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lol! my two sulk when we go out too - i feel so guilty :roll:

Just make sure your vet listens to his chest too, and checks his teeth as far as he can. My vet also looked up Fae's nose (didnt go down too well but......)
Mention the slight discharge - i think its only a worry if its a thick cloudy discharge from both the nose and eyes.

He might want to put him on Baytril - be warned the liquid form does not last very long! i was given a 6 day course in a bottle which was £40 and it ran out after 3 days :shock: I had to go back twice for them to fill it up!

Baytril didnt make Fae any better, infact because it is syringe fed it really used to stress her out and she was worse after this cause i'm sure she used to hold her breath when we gave it her - then she was panting for a while after poor mite.

Do let us know how you get on though - i'd be interested to see what your vet says as well

Freddy update

So I took Freddy to vets last night and he gave him a good examination and said that yes, he does seem a bit snuffly but chest is clear, teeth seem fine and he might have an allergy so he asked to see him in 2 weeks time and then he'll give Freddy his jabs if he thinks all is well. Said that maybe he's just a snuffly bunny anyway and have to allow time for him to settle down and get used to the house dust as he's only just moved in.

I told him that Fredy has a wet nose all the time but he said that he'd experienced this before in rabbits and his own ferrets and wanted to give Freddy a week or two to settle in before making any sort of decision. If all is well next time he'll give him his jabs.

And the vet said he wouldn't charge for the visit either as Freddy didn't get any treatment.

Mand5 said:

So I took Freddy to vets last night and he gave him a good examination and said that yes, he does seem a bit snuffly but chest is clear, teeth seem fine and he might have an allergy so he asked to see him in 2 weeks time and then he'll give Freddy his jabs if he thinks all is well. Said that maybe he's just a snuffly bunny anyway and have to allow time for him to settle down and get used to the house dust as he's only just moved in.

I told him that Fredy has a wet nose all the time but he said that he'd experienced this before in rabbits and his own ferrets and wanted to give Freddy a week or two to settle in before making any sort of decision. If all is well next time he'll give him his jabs.

And the vet said he wouldn't charge for the visit either as Freddy didn't get any treatment.

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I'm surprised he didnt give you Baytril to try :?

But its good you didnt get charged!

Miloe's_Mum said:

I'm surprised he didnt give you Baytril to try :?

But its good you didnt get charged!

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I think its probably best to rule out allergies etc before starting on meds. Although Jen was put on baytril straight away, we did have a period of no meds where we got rid of all bedding that could possibly be dusty, changed hays etc to rule out dust allergies etc. What hay do you use? Any other bedding that he has? Do you use the central heating often? - And your vet is ACE if he didnt charge you!!!

Vet certainly felt that it was worth waiting just to see if there really IS an allergy.

We use Excel hay. Freddy doesn't have a 'bed' at the moment - only been here since Friday evening and weren't expecting him to be staying as a house rabbit! Only when we got him home and spent an hour or two with him that everything changed. At the moment he has a cardboard box with straw while we wait for a cage - though he's taken a liking to a 'cat bed' thing, like an igloo that was meant as a toy. He lives in our downstairs toilet (oh dear, that sounds dreadful!) when we're away or asleep. It's quite a large room with a hallway outside, but when we get home he just stays in whatever room we're in.

The following should go as another thread but I've been looking on the internet at different cages but some of them seem woefully small. Freddy would be in it when he was unsupervised - we've no problem with him running around the house - he just follws us everywhere anyway - once he's litter trained and when we're here, but he needs somewhere safe when we're at work or when the kids might be leaving the outside doors open! Seen so many things now I'm finding it difficult to make a decision. Any ideas?

This is where i got Fae's dog crate from - i got the 36" which was plenty big enough for her when she was a baby but she doesnt live in it anymore. If i were you i'd go for the biggest one which is the 48".

The postage is good and mine came within 2 days!

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Ideal-Pet-Products

I'd also try Freddie on Dust Free Hay rather than Excel as this is what could be causing an allergy - if indeed it is an allergy:

www.dustfreehay.co.uk

Its proven very popular with bunnies on here!

Hi Mand!

Freddy sounds completely adorable :bunny:

My rabbit Sheba-bear had snuffles (ie the pasteurella virus) Unfortunately, back then, I didn't know about wonderful sites like this and picked her up from a large pet store where they tend to breed rabbits like well...erm...rabbits and mainly for profit.

Sheba was only with us for five years but we lost her through dental problems as opposed to her snuffles (this really is too cute a word to describe something so potentially harmful! :?)

She had a long course of Baytril which helped the situation initially but her case was chronic so we visited the vets regularly. Stay vigilant about even basic hygiene and make sure Freddy gets a healthy dose of veggies and hay every day.

Also, this probably sounds really random but I gave Sheba Wheatgrass powder (I did this with my other rabbit Tilly who had an episode of gut stasis) and this did her no end of good. She was the runt of the litter and was timid and a bit sickly (tiny!) when I got her but I saw a BIG improvement when I gave her the Wheatgrass every day. Also, wheatgrass helps with detoxifying the body so I'm sure this helped with her runny eyes and nose (which did improve!) I also gave her homeopathic drops (specifically for small animals) which helped with her timidity...but from the sounds of things though you probably don't need that

You can pick up Wheatgrass powder (or fresh kits to grow yourself) from a local health food store... OK, this is my second post on the virtues of Wheatgrass! I hope I don't sound like I sell the stuff *thinks* :lol:

Also, have you thought about neutering? It might cut down his stress (!) which, in turn, might help with his snuffles?

bright_eyes said:

Sheba was only with us for five years but we lost her through dental problems as opposed to her snuffles (this really is too cute a word to describe something so potentially harmful! :?)

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I think pasteurella can be linked to dental probs actually...:? Sorry about Sheba X

I'm going to look into the dust-free hay and wheatgrass now. Freddy was 'sneezing' over and over just now with me and the hubby just standing looking at him. Feel so sorry for him when he does that.

I asked the vet about neutering Freddy but he said that firstly, while we're unsure of his health it's best to wait (which is what I thought anyway) but also, as Fredy is such a loving little chap - he thought it best to wait - keep a look out for signs of aggression or spraying and then do it. I asked if there was any chance neutering would change Freddy's personality and he said that was always a possibility.

So for now, as it's early days, we're going to just keep a watchful eye on him and take things one step at a time.

I hope it all works out ok... will keep my fingers crossed for you.

Here is a link with the wheatgrass powder I used, it was called Lifestream. You could probably use others though:

http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi...13424_Lifestream_Wheat_Grass_Powder_250g.html

:wave:

I didn't know that Becki... thanks for the info though.