Advice needed on sniffles/stasis bunnys pleaseee... Hes gone :(

Last week I noticed Toby had clear yellow liquid on his nose and one of his wives flora had sniffly issues so presumably she's passed it to Toby! So far blossom if fine though :?
Anyway Toby was treated with a jab of depocillin on Friday night and his poos were small and not good but I put it down to sniffles - Saturday morning Toby was showing signs of stasis so took him straight to vets and he had vetergesic and Zantac and vets said he had gas so continue with Zantac and syringe feed if necessary. He stopped eating so syringe fed for a few days and he's now eating veg and herbs but very slowly (his teeth are ok as just had a dental and was checked sat)
Iv been giving him Zantac twice daily since Friday and today he seems a bit more interested in food and iv managed to tempt him to eat some porridge with mashed banana as he's lost 0.6 kg so going to keep up with that once a day only a small spoonfull.

Anyway my question is now he's eating and pooing (small and sticky poos but he won't eat hay and is favouring veg) he's not in stasis anymore but he's so lethargic still and when he does eat he's chewing so slowly, could this be due to him still having the clear yellow discharge round nose (sniffles) and it's making him feel lethargic and struggling to eat ? Vet has said she is reluctant to treat sniffles as we think the depocillin may have been a big factor in his stasis, I just do not know what to do.
He has been treated for sniffles in the past with oral baytril does anyone know if that would effect him stasis wise? :wave:

Bump

Do you have infacol?

I give my bunnies 2m, if they have acute stasis they get 2ml every hr for 3 hrs.
fresh dill is excellent for poor bunny tummies and increases appetite.
diluted camomille and fennel tea (room temperature)

I would know exactly what to do for my bunnies as i know them 100%, but i don't know you bunny so i can only recommend the above which are save.

Hoppla said:

Do you have infacol?

I give my bunnies 2m, if they have acute stasis they get 2ml every hr for 3 hrs.
fresh dill is excellent for poor bunny tummies and increases appetite.
diluted camomille and fennel tea (room temperature)

I would know exactly what to do for my bunnies as i know them 100%, but i don't know you bunny so i can only recommend the above which are save.

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Ooh iv only just seen this thanks for replying would the infacol be safe to use with Zantac ? And do you think it would keep him going of I added antibiotics in? Might ask vet about oral baytril. He's had that before for sniffles and he didn't get stasis that time, wonder if it was the depocillin not antibiotics generally? Hmm I didn't know buns could have dill I may try get my hands on some. He's eaten another tiny bit of porridge and banana mush just now and there's loads of tiny poops so things must be starting to move again, he needs something for the sniffles though he's not sniffly just wet nose but I'm almost positive that's why he's quiet and slow, I know him quite well and I just get a feeling, will ask vet about trying antibiotics and just stock up on Zantac and infacol

Anyone?

I can only tell you what I've experienced with snuffles, which is that it does not decrease the appetite, although each bunny is different. If they are having violent sneezing fits it can, however, make them tired and lethargic after a fit.

If he has snuffles, I would want to see it treated, before it gets a hold. You cant cure snuffles, but you can control the flare ups. It would be a good idea to have a Culture and Sensitivity test to see if they can grow the bacteria in his nose and then see what antobiotics it is sensitive to, this will help treatment greatly. Not all 'snuffles' is pasturella. Only problem is they have to be abx free to do a C&S test, so discuss this with your vet about how long you should wait (because he had the injection).

If your rabbit is on medication, do not give him any other medication without first discussing it with your vet, some drugs just dont mix.

Do you have some Fibreplex? Its a fibre paste with prebiotics that can help get the gut moving again, and it tastes of carrots so bunnies like it.

edit: you could also discuss using bisolvon with your vet, this thins the mucus which makes it easier for the rabbit to breathe, and helps clear it. Generally, unless we have a flare-up, daily bisolvon keeps my buns mild snuffles under control. And you can have a c&s test whilst hes on it.

When the depocillin Jab was given, did the vet ensure NONE of it was left on the fur/underlying skin?

Depocillin is deadly to a rabbit orally, so if any was ingested, even a tiny amount i guess that could have attributed to the GI issues you are experiencing.

Under no circumstances should you self-medicate withuot discussing with your vet.

Read nessar's post thoroughly, he/she has basically said everything i wanted to say, we tend to go through the same issues :lol:

Is he on any Metacam ? He may still have some oral pain even *after* a Dental.

nessar said:

I can only tell you what I've experienced with snuffles, which is that it does not decrease the appetite, although each bunny is different. If they are having violent sneezing fits it can, however, make them tired and lethargic after a fit.

If he has snuffles, I would want to see it treated, before it gets a hold. You cant cure snuffles, but you can control the flare ups. It would be a good idea to have a Culture and Sensitivity test to see if they can grow the bacteria in his nose and then see what antobiotics it is sensitive to, this will help treatment greatly. Not all 'snuffles' is pasturella. Only problem is they have to be abx free to do a C&S test, so discuss this with your vet about how long you should wait (because he had the injection).

If your rabbit is on medication, do not give him any other medication without first discussing it with your vet, some drugs just dont mix.

Do you have some Fibreplex? Its a fibre paste with prebiotics that can help get the gut moving again, and it tastes of carrots so bunnies like it.

edit: you could also discuss using bisolvon with your vet, this thins the mucus which makes it easier for the rabbit to breathe, and helps clear it. Generally, unless we have a flare-up, daily bisolvon keeps my buns mild snuffles under control. And you can have a c&s test whilst hes on it.

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Ahh hes only sneezed once and that was more of a sniff than a full on sneeze theres not snuffly noises like when flora had sniffles. i just cant understand the lethargy unless its down to the weight loss of 0.6kg.

i havent got fibreplex no but i can ask about that tomorrow at vets (possibly today if i can get in between work)

iv not heard of bisolvon before but hes doesnt seem to be having any difficulty with breathing but will get vet to check.

will also mention culture and sensitivity - i think were going to have to risk it and treat with antibiotics and be armed against stasis just in case

Thanks for you post nessar

GrahamL said:

When the depocillin Jab was given, did the vet ensure NONE of it was left on the fur/underlying skin?

Depocillin is deadly to a rabbit orally, so if any was ingested, even a tiny amount i guess that could have attributed to the GI issues you are experiencing.

Under no circumstances should you self-medicate withuot discussing with your vet.

Read nessar's post thoroughly, he/she has basically said everything i wanted to say, we tend to go through the same issues :lol:

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No none of it was on fur i made sure i rubbed his neck well and checked there was none.
I wouldnt self medicate him without discussing it with her first but just want to be armed with some suggestions of what to do next.
Im seriously thinking of asking her to risk another stasis episode and treat sniffles with antibiotics (preferably not depocillin) but i think nessars right culture and sensitivity is needed.



Jacks jane - no hes no longer on metacam his dental was actually on the 1st of july i totally stuffed up on dates but hes had his teeth check twice since dental and nothing un toward. also vet said his teeth werent as bad as she thought when she did the dental. he had pain relief after and was back to been greedy and bouncing around till recently he had vetergesic saturday but none since.

The weight loss is a big concern.

I am not vet, so pls check with you vet.

Stasis kills. any bunny which suddenly eats less is an emergency and needs to see a vet until a proper diagnosis is made.
If you vet doesn't get it right see another.

I have got absolutely no idea why your bunny is losing weight, but it is an emergency.

with my mother and son couple i know immediately when they stop attacking their food like vultures that they are going into stasis.

my bunnies get paraffin oil, to get the gut moving asap, infacol, bio lapis and a tiny bit 0,1-0,2 ml of medication which is usually for humans but german vets use it for bunnies with severe stasis, very high quality linseed oil.
this is what works for the 2 who go into stasis, which they do quite severely when they do it. we have done all the checks on my 2, teeth are great, their poo was sent to a laboratory and anslysed...nothing. mother and son just seem to have a genetic disposition

BUT DO NOT USE THIS ON YOUR BUNNY WITHOUT PROPER DIAGNOSIS FROM A VET!

I have to agree with Hoppla, I have just lost Basil who was suffering from 'snuffles' and then went rapidly into severe GI Stasis. Really hope not to scare you, because Basil had other health issues, but the mention of GI Stasis now strikes fear in my heart. Hope all goes well.

update

hes still not right - been back to the vets and hes lost another 0.1 kg i am now megaly trying to get weight on him via bannana and porridge mush and anything he will eat. any ideas on how to achieve weight gain ??
hes still lethargic and poos are tiny but 1000s of them so no longer in stasis but poos are probably terrible due to his diet at the moment (mostly veg and banana mush) i caught him eating a piece of hay once or twice though but iv now decided that it is better for toby to treat the sniffles with antibiotics and pain relief and risk the stasis again - i think if we continue as we are hes going to slip away and i wont ever know if treating sniffles would of worked or not. i am armed with banana porridge, recovery food, and might try him with baby food (fruit/veg puree) if he was to go into stasis due to medication. i feel this would be the best route to try everything rather than trying to tackle guts and leave him with sniffles. i need to try everything possible for my poor boy

Sorry he's so poorly.

Depocillin can cause GI Upset in buns, my vet always exhausts all other antibiotics before he'll go anywhere near it. You should of been told to use some sort of probiotic along side it.

Pro Fibre Pellets can help with weightgain and also have probiotic so should counter the bad effects the antibiotics have on the guts. Depends if he'll eat them though if he's off his food but you could probably mix them with water a try syringe feeding.

If he has snuffles you could nebulise a different med like baytril. It will get to the point of infection but because the med is inhaled it should have less effects on the gut.

Hello xxranxx So sorry you are having so much worry. I really feel for you I am NO expert and can only speak from recent experience. when you said you would risk stasis again, did you really mean this?:? Basil was on antibiotics and metacam for pain relief for his snuffles and he then went into severe GI stasis, basically his gut stopped working and blocked. Its good that toby's guts appear to be working at the moment, but Basil also passed lots of small stools three days before he died, they were not normal. On Friday morning last week he appeared reasonably ok, not even really off his food, but he wouldn't eat hay. By the afternoon he was hiding in his play den and wouldn't eat his tea, by 7.30pm he was hunched and obviously uncomfortable. We got him to the vets (I know you have done this and that's great) but sadly for Basil we were too late. He spent two and a half days on a drip, sometime picking up slightly and then dropping back. We lost him Monday morning. Please please don't risk GI Stasis, get him back to your vet quickly if you are in any way unhappy.
I do hope he will be ok.

I don't think the OP meant it as it sounds but the respitory infection cannot remain untreated indefinately. I really think given the GI issues I'd avoid Depocillin in future and try another antibiotic.

Before that though perhaps have a read of:

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=96107

i dont mean i want him to get stasis again i mean he is deteriorating rapidly and id rather risk the possiblity of stasis re occuring and treat the sniffles as its the only other apparent thing making him poorly rather than him slipping away over weekend and never knowing if treating that would of saved him. im sorry to hear about basil but toby has been like this since friday and been to vets 4 times and is now pooing and eating (just not pellets) so i dont think its the same situation but i appreciate your advice and will mention it to the vet.

I am not suggesting that the situation is the same and have no wish to worry you. Just sharing my recent experience with you as Basil had Snuffles and GI Stasis. Your vet will know best vibes and hugs for both of you

basirascal said:

I am not suggesting that the situation is the same and have no wish to worry you. Just sharing my recent experience with you as Basil has Snuffles and GI Stasis. Your vet will know best vibes and hugs for both of you

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Thank you I'm really hoping hel pull through but if I'm honest I think he's got something else going on I'm sorry if that post sounded abrupt I didn't mean it to Im just worried and stressed didnt read it through before sending got him antibiotics now he's had an injection and got oral anti bs to start tomorrow so just going too keep a very close eye on him and see how he goes x

Do you have him on a probiotic aswell?