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Snuffles pairs & groups: one better, one worse?

V

Vita

Mama Doe
Does anyone else have bonded pairs or groups of snufflers? What are your experiences? Have they ever all been well at once?

One of mine, Ada has always had much worse sneezing, and the other, Beatrix, started sneezing quite a bit later and only occasionally.
Ada has been betting better on azithromycin, but it has made no difference to Beatrix and she has got worse and I've seen her having sneezing fits a couple of times.

The vet said that the bacteria cultured from Ada (2 x pseudomonas varieties, 1 x burkholdia) aren't readily transmitted between rabbits, so this isn't totally surprising, but it's still disappointing and frustrating. Just want them both to be healthy!!
We have decided to stop Beatrix's abx and do a C&S test / x-ray in 10 days.

Wondered if other people had experiences of bunnies being on different antibiotics at the same time ... if there was ever an end to this...
I worry now about B infecting A with something else, but there's no way of knowing if that's even likely without knowing what the bacteria are.
 
I haven't. I've had a snuffle bunny and non-snuffle bunny together without the non-snuffle bunny getting snuffles if that helps at all.
 
Elena said:
I haven't. I've had a snuffle bunny and non-snuffle bunny together without the non-snuffle bunny getting snuffles if that helps at all.
Click to expand...
Thanks again Elena :)

I really hoped my two would be like this, then B started sneezing.
It's maybe time I did a search to see if there are any old stories about similar pairs of snuffly rabbits.
 
Hope your snuffle buns are getting on better, going to have to go back to vets as still should have 2 weeks baytril left and looks like there is barely enough for another 2 days!
 
They should have a long course of antibiotics about 6 weeks even though the symptoms subside.
Just as important as the antibiotics is getting the secretions runny, so they can drain easily rather than get stuck & act as a breeding ground for bacteria.

The most effective way to do this is by a nebuliser (cost £50 on the internet) & making a chamber where the bun can sit in the mist. Personally I'd recommend simple saline solution in the nebuliser, to reduce the risks of resistance to antibiotics. Although they can be given via nebuliser in addition to by mouth. It's the ones given by nebuliser over a long period of time which seem to produce resistance. Saline can be given indefinitely & you can make your own solution from salt & boiled water.:)
If bunny gets stressed out in the chamber, don't "push it". Stress reduces their immune system's ability to fight the infection.
Bisolvon - a powder often helps to thin secretions.

Also important is reducing swelling caused by infection to help to unblock the sinuses which are also often affected but we can't detect this in buns. A NSAID such as metacam both reduces the swelling & relieves any pain from blocked sinuses.

There are some good threads by Biscandmatt1 started when they find a good exotics vet.
Very sadly Matt had inadequate treatment for a long time before they found Adrian. This has probably caused scar tissue so secretions can't drain properly.
I think that Biscuit & Matt both have different organisms too.
Jenova also has experience of nebulising.
Both members are very pleasant, & helpful. I'm sure you'll be favourably recieved if you contact them.

Snuffles is often a recurrent illness but IMO the problem is self reinfection from blocked sinuses/tear ducts or poor drainage caused by scar tissue from several repeated episodes.
This 3 pronged attack has only been used widely for about 2-3 years & often only after many episodes of partly treated snuffles.

[My own interest is from the rare human form of the illness & finding an answer for humans (I have it). ABx never helped my "facial bung" much, & I'd long for a heavy cold to get everything runny, draining & relief for 6 months. :oops:]

I'm so sorry to hear that your buns have this illness, & that it's such a long tough haul but very much worth it.
With very best wishes & everything crossed for you all.
 
thumps_ said:
They should have a long course of antibiotics about 6 weeks even though the symptoms subside.
Just as important as the antibiotics is getting the secretions runny, so they can drain easily rather than get stuck & act as a breeding ground for bacteria.

The most effective way to do this is by a nebuliser (cost £50 on the internet) & making a chamber where the bun can sit in the mist. Personally I'd recommend simple saline solution in the nebuliser, to reduce the risks of resistance to antibiotics. Although they can be given via nebuliser in addition to by mouth. It's the ones given by nebuliser over a long period of time which seem to produce resistance. Saline can be given indefinitely & you can make your own solution from salt & boiled water.:)
If bunny gets stressed out in the chamber, don't "push it". Stress reduces their immune system's ability to fight the infection.
Bisolvon - a powder often helps to thin secretions.

Also important is reducing swelling caused by infection to help to unblock the sinuses which are also often affected but we can't detect this in buns. A NSAID such as metacam both reduces the swelling & relieves any pain from blocked sinuses.

There are some good threads by Biscandmatt1 started when they find a good exotics vet.
Very sadly Matt had inadequate treatment for a long time before they found Adrian. This has probably caused scar tissue so secretions can't drain properly.
I think that Biscuit & Matt both have different organisms too.
Jenova also has experience of nebulising.
Both members are very pleasant, & helpful. I'm sure you'll be favourably recieved if you contact them.

Snuffles is often a recurrent illness but IMO the problem is self reinfection from blocked sinuses/tear ducts or poor drainage caused by scar tissue from several repeated episodes.
This 3 pronged attack has only been used widely for about 2-3 years & often only after many episodes of partly treated snuffles.

[My own interest is from the rare human form of the illness & finding an answer for humans (I have it). ABx never helped my "facial bung" much, & I'd long for a heavy cold to get everything runny, draining & relief for 6 months. :oops:]

I'm so sorry to hear that your buns have this illness, & that it's such a long tough haul but very much worth it.
With very best wishes & everything crossed for you all.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for such a detailed reply.

We already go to the same vet as Bisc&Matt1 :); I found them through looking at online recommendations for local rabbit vets from a few sites, and the practice came up most often. I am hoping these two will be well enough not to need a nebuliser, but I'm very grateful for all the info about the systems on here - I will know exactly what we need to do if necessary.

I haven't heard Beatrix sneeze at all today, but I've witnessed a couple of short sneezing fits from her this week. Ada is much better than she was since starting the azithromycin nearly a fortnight ago, but still sneezes some. She has Metacam too.

I'm sorry to hear that you're suffering with human "snuffles" too. :(
 
Glad you have been seeing some improvment, Vita.

Thumps seems to know his / her stuff there and is VERY right in saying that it is all worth it in the long run.

We are 1 week in to 3 weeks of baytril and I see less snot and less frequent, but still lots of sneezes and some pretty awful ones. So I am going to just keep on with it then take her back in 2 weeks, regardless of her condition then xx
 
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