Thank you guys so much! The vet is rabbit savvy, so hope we can get the right treatment. Will definately double check his hay though.
Just have two more questions- if it is bacterial, does that mean he will have to always be in isolation from the other two?
If I dampen his hay, will that affect his digestion at all? He seems to be eating and pooing fine.
So great to get all this fab advice.
Thanks:wave:
I'm so relieved to hear you've got a good rabbit vet. By far the majority are incredibly dedicated, & behind the scenes they can also get advice from the top rabbit vets in the country, when they hit problems.
No he won't always be in isolation from the other 2.
In theory snuffles should be highly infectious, but it's rare to hear of the partner bun getting the same infection on this forum, unless the bug is a staphylococcus aureus. It's a sensible precautionary step while we get levels of bacteria down with oral AB's, & see what we are dealing with.
No, damp hay won't affect his digestion, as long as it is
completely changed every day. It mustn't get mouldy which takes several days. In fact I swirl the hay round & dry it out on a cake rack daily for my bun. It's less tasty that way. I reckon I've some experiments to do with a hoover & home made filters!!
My personal thoughts are that the main impact snuffles has on the gut is that rabbits
have to breath through their noses.
If their nose is severely blocked with mucus they can't eat as much, particularly fiber. The fiber keeps the gut moving normally. If the gut slows down, (fewer poops, smaller poops, not eating their caecs (looks like smelly wet poops) they also get "wind" & pain, & this reduces their white blood cells & therefore their ability to fight bacterial infections, so the snuffles invades again, as well as having gut "stasis" issues. So in the future you'll be more vigilant if your bun is under any stress.
I suppose that the summary is:-
Stop the snuffles bacteria invading the nasal membrane.
AND get the mucus to drain quickly &
Keep it draining to keep bacterial levels down to levels where they are harmless.
It's worth asking your vet whether some probiotic in your bun's water would be helpful. It's just a powder which encourages a healthy gut while they are taking Ab's for what ever reason. If it were my own bun, I'd have some in the house but only use it if there were early signs of gut issues, together with increasing fiber in the diet.
It sounds so scary at first. Honestly, when you live with your bun you get to know them & their ways. My own bun has dental/gut issues. I soon learned that when I heard him gulping his water to swallow, in HIS case it means he'll need a dental in the next 10 days. (Some buns are noisy drinkers anyway but he isn't) I've every confidence in you all that you'll get there.
Please keep us updated with his progress, & let us know what works for you.