Mega rabbit sneezes

So Tuesday was having uber sneezes - which he went to the vet for a few weeks ago. He was put on Baytril for a week to see if it would clear up - which it did, but then came back gradually over the following 2 weeks.
He's been back to the vets again, and he's back on baytril for 2 weeks now, with a break after that to see if it comes back or not. Vet says that if it does come back again that he might have to go on baytril long term


Now - i don't know if long term baytril is a good idea or not - does it affect poos? (i have noticed a couple of sloppy ones- more than usual), and long term antibiotics seems a bit problematic - and probably wouldn't be treating the underlying cause.
Given it cleared up when he was on it for a week suggests it's probably not a foreign body (which would require bun to go under, so would like to avoid that if possible) , and probably bacterial...

It was to the point where he was really trying to sneeze his little brain out, with him shaking his head at the same time - poor little mite.

Has anyone else had similar?

Very new to the bunny world so haven't had any problems with sneezes. I would imagine that the Baytril will upset the digestive system as it may wipe out some good bacteria as well the bacteria causing the problems. I imagine his gut will recover over time if he gets put on Baytril long-term. My only concern would be resistance building up and the infection eventually recurring.

Hi Woodstock, I've had similar probs in a couple of my buns but have been fotunate that on both occassions the bun has fully recovered after a week of baytril.

Were you given anything like biolapsis to add to the water? It's designed to replace the good bacteria in the gut lost by using the antibiotics.

If my memory serves buns carry something in their noses (pastrella?) which normally causes no problems but sometimes stress can ofset the balance. Do you know if your bun has been uspet in some way as eliminating the cause could benifit him.

I've also found benifits from using enchinea (try a health shop like holland and barrett or p@h sell it as purple coneflower) which is meant to boost the immune system. Its not a cure but I have found its helped.

Good luck with your bun, hope he gets well soon.

Hi there!

I have been there, done that many many times now!!! Right now I have 9 rabbits. My two original ones, who live on one side of the house, I have had for almost 5 years now. One of them has had a life-long battle with snuffles. She has gotten very very sick a couple times from it. I now keep her on ciprofloxacin, which is in the same family as Baytril (enrofloxacin). Her sister, who has lived with her their entire lives, is surely asymptomatic, as it is very contagious, and she has never had a problem.

I encourage you to do a culture and sensitivity if you have to put her back on antibiotics anymore for this. Certainly before you put her on a long term course. It used to be that Pasteurella multocida was the only organism considered to be "snuffles." However, now there are several organisms that are considered snuffles, which really means chronic upper respiratory infections, most commonly being Pasteurella multocida. A culture and sensitivity will confirm what organism you are dealing with, and what its sensitivity levels are to different antibiotics. Snuffles can be hard to get rid of, and can sometimes be a life long battle. Other bunnies clear it easily, and still others are exposed but don't ever show clinical signs of it. If I had done a culture sooner on my girl, she might not have been treated incorrectly for so long, and not have gotten as sick as she did last time.

My Momma bunny that I found and rescued ended up having chronic URI, too. Half of her babies show signs, the other half don't. I am currently treating Momma and the half showing signs with Sulfa Trim, which is another antibiotic we use in the US to treat lactating mom's and babies. I have never had much luck with it on adults otherwise, for snuffles.

Good luck!

P.S. I have not had any problems with any of my sick buns on antibiotics, as far as their digestive health. You can always feed them Critical Care from Oxbow as a supplement to their diet, which is high in fiber and very good for them. I don't use probiotics, but you could also try that.

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=144462

it could easily be an allergic reaction. My bun Bernie has this problem for many mth. But his diet is outstanding, so to me, as long as his diet is great, I don't care about the sneezing

Read the above link, many bun owners has the same problem

P.S. why is your buns have such funny names? Why Egg & Tuesday?

thanks for all the replies...

Well Tuesday is almost at the end of the 2 week period now, so we'll see how he gets on when he comes off it (he's stopped sneezing on the medication again).

So fingers are crossed


(Egg was named by my husband (i named her sister, donut, who sadly passed away), and Tuesday was a rescue bunny, and was already named)

1 thing I did go w/ Bernie, is that I discover the new bale of hay could have some dust that causes the sneezing, as well as dust in the house. So I vacuum more often, and I shake the hay outside before I give it to him. Or you can go for dust free hay and see if it makes a difference