• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.
  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

Nebulizing help

Bunsterz

Warren Scout
I will try and make this as short as possible! I have a rabbit that has suffered from snuffly nose (with minimal to no nasal discharge) for some time and after antibiotics and anti histamines on and off with no improvement we referred him to Langford for x-rays, bloods and nasal swabs and his lungs look like cotton wool, so the vet advised nebulizing twice daily for a month along with Metronidazole bid and Baytril sid, he improved very quickly and went back for further x-rays and sadly although better in himself the x-rays showed no improvement, the swabs came back all clear. He has now been back on antibiotics for nearly 2 months alongside nebulizing 2-3 times daily, i have also put protexin bio lapis on his food to help protect his guts, he hasnt improved as much as i would like so i rang langford again and they advise poss going back for more swabs/x-rays etc which we will do but i wonder whether he has developed a resistance to baytril, does anyone else have a bunny with similar problem and if so what antibiotics have you used? Thanks :)
 
I am a bit confused :?

If the infection is in the lungs how does the Vet propose 'taking a swab' :?

Also, if Bun is already on abx then any swab results will give misleading information :?

Did the Vet say that his lungs still showed evidence of active infection or could it be scar tissue from previous (now resolved) infection ?

I have had Buns with LRTIs who have responded well to an abx combo of Depocillin Injections and oral Metronidazole. Some have required a very long course of treatment. Months rather than weeks.
 
Jane, out of interest - was the metronidazole given more for its help in clearing up the infection, or because it kills clostridia hence making the penicillin less risky? Or is the latter just a fortuitous side-effect...

It's such a frustrating situation and one that sounds very familiar to me. Santa clearly has infection (apart from the obvious pus, infectious tissue has been shown from cytology) yet swabs consistently show nothing, even after periods where we've discontinued antibiotics for that purpose. So it's pretty trial and error and if you list the abx suitable for use in rabbits, over the years we've pretty much tried it :?

As well as antibioticx, a little metacam daily seems to help Santa as it reduces inflammation. She is also nebulised daily with F10 and has a pinch of bisolvon too. This combination doesn't fight the infection but it does help to keep the airways running a little more smoothly so she can breathe more comfortably.
 
Last edited:
Jane, out of interest - was the metronidazole given more for its help in clearing up the infection, or because it kills clostridia hence making the penicillin less risky? Or is the latter just a fortuitous side-effect...



The Bun also had a severely enlarged Kidney and we were wanting to zap as many anaerobes as possible too.
 
I am a bit confused :?

If the infection is in the lungs how does the Vet propose 'taking a swab' :?

Also, if Bun is already on abx then any swab results will give misleading information :?

Did the Vet say that his lungs still showed evidence of active infection or could it be scar tissue from previous (now resolved) infection ?

I have had Buns with LRTIs who have responded well to an abx combo of Depocillin Injections and oral Metronidazole. Some have required a very long course of treatment. Months rather than weeks.

He wants to take more nasal swabs, to be honest im not 100% sure why as he has had these previously and they showed nothing. He wasnt on antibiotics at the time of the first swabs. The x-rays showed some scar tissue but he said also showed infection and still had diffuse pulmonary interstitial pattern.
 
He wants to take more nasal swabs, to be honest im not 100% sure why as he has had these previously and they showed nothing. He wasnt on antibiotics at the time of the first swabs. The x-rays showed some scar tissue but he said also showed infection and still had diffuse pulmonary interstitial pattern.

What are you using in the Nebuliser and has he been on a Mucolytic ?
 
I was told to nebulize him to help him breath easier because of his lungs and all he has been on is baytril, metronidazole and bio lapis sachets, nothing else.
 
I was told to nebulize him to help him breath easier because of his lungs and all he has been on is baytril, metronidazole and bio lapis sachets, nothing else.

Yes, but what are you using in the Nebuliser ?

Antibiotics?
Mucolytic?
Saline ?
 
Back
Top