Snuffles Bun

I know there have been quite a few threads on this topic but I was wondering if any one can help me.

My female rabbit, Holly, has an on going problem with snuffles. I have recently read that children's Benadryl has helpped a number of rabbits with the symptoms. I mentioned this to my vets but thay had not heard you could use this.
Has anyone else tried this?
My problem is as the vets have not heard you can use it, they are unwilling to recommend a dosage. So I am not sure what to do as I would really like to give it a try. Has anyone any suggestions??

AnneW said:

I know there have been quite a few threads on this topic but I was wondering if any one can help me.

My female rabbit, Holly, has an on going problem with snuffles. I have recently read that children's Benadryl has helpped a number of rabbits with the symptoms. I mentioned this to my vets but thay had not heard you could use this.
Has anyone else tried this?
My problem is as the vets have not heard you can use it, they are unwilling to recommend a dosage. So I am not sure what to do as I would really like to give it a try. Has anyone any suggestions??

Click to expand...

I don't have any suggestions but thought i would bump to see if some of our snuffles experts are about

xxx

i think they usually prescribe baytril , fibreplex etc..you can also help bunny by putting them in a carrier with a bowl of steaming water inside.(just keep hold of the water so bun doesnt get scalded) you could also use a box .so long as the heat can be kept in.do this for 15 mins every 2-3 hrs.it does work!

What treatment has your vet advised and what have you tried?

Does your bun live with a friend and if so is the other bun affected?

How long has all this been going on?

Maria x

I'll give the steaming a try - thanks

It has been going on, on and off, for about 3 months, she is just over 6 monhs old. We give her Baytril every time it flares up and it does seem to clear it up. But it comes back. The vets cannot find anything wrong, her lungs are clear and she is only ever snotty in one nostril so they think it is a sinus problem. I have read that Benadryl can be a preventative.

I have another rabbit - Alfie, but they are not bonded yet. They are house buns and are kept quite close but he hasn't been affected.

Holly was spayed just over a week ago and despite having the snuffles she was fine and has recovered well.

I'm not sure if I rang another vets, whether they would advise me over the phone or whether I would have to take her in...

I don't think any vet will advise you over the phone and most will want to contact your vet for her records before they see her.

If the baytril is having an effect then I would maybe discuss with your vet about giving her a longer course to completely get rid of the bug. :?

Someone will be along who has more knowledge than me

Good Luck

Maria x

Yeah that's what I thought. I might have to take her to a different vet, since all our vet seems willing to do is keep putting her on Baytril. She has aleady had two long doses of it and not long after she stopped taking it, it came back

Thanks for your help anyway x

How long have courses been and how quickly have the symptoms gone away? Has it reacted well to Baytril each time?

If the baytril is working but it keeps coming back then I would stick with the baytril but ask your vet to investigate the underlying cause. Has your bun had her teeth checked?

Maria x

Has your Bunny had a skull Xray to see if an elongated tooth root is causing the problem? As the discharge is unilateral I would have thought an obstruction of the effected nasal passage more likely.

I have seen excellent results with using antibiotic drops administered directly into the Buns nostrils. The drops prescribed, TIACIL, are actually eye drops but they contain an antibiotic and anti-inflammatory which appears to work in some cases of a chronic/recurent upper respiratory tract problem.

Benadryl Syrup, an antihistimine, can help soothe inflammed nasal tissue and some Buns respond well to it. Whilst Baytril may be getting on top of the infection enough to resolve symptoms its obviously not addressing potential underlying problems. I would ask the Vet to investigate the possibility of elongated tooth roots and also discuss trying the treatments I have mentioned above.

Janex

No she hasn't had an xray, the vets dont think it is anything to do with her teeth and said that they look fine.

She does respond to Bayril, after a couple of days of taking it the discharge goes but she still continues to sneeze. She was doing really well but and she had been off the Baytril for almost a month and then we had that really warm spell and it seemed to come back. She is fine in her self, that never changes even when she has the discharge. I'm really not sure what to do. If it is not really affecting her, should we just stick to the Baytril?

May be I should take her to a different vet and see if they have any better sugestions?

Thanks for the advice

AnneW said:

No she hasn't had an xray, the vets dont think it is anything to do with her teeth and said that they look fine.

She does respond to Bayril, after a couple of days of taking it the discharge goes but she still continues to sneeze. She was doing really well but and she had been off the Baytril for almost a month and then we had that really warm spell and it seemed to come back. She is fine in her self, that never changes even when she has the discharge. I'm really not sure what to do. If it is not really affecting her, should we just stick to the Baytril?

May be I should take her to a different vet and see if they have any better sugestions?

Thanks for the advice

Click to expand...

Without a skull Xray its impossible to tell if it is a tooth root problem

I would mention to your Vet the various things I suggested in my previous post

Janex

Yeah, I think your right. I will take her back to the vets and discuss more investigation in to the cause of the problem.

Thanks again