Sneezing - test update

Beatrix is booked in for a C&S test and X ray this week.

She doesn't sneeze that often, and nowhere near as frequently as Ada did at her worst. There have been small sneezing fits, but sometimes I only hear her sneeze once or twice a day, and otherwise she seems in good health. And she has grown a lot, unlike Ada. They are now nearly the same size.

I'm of the opinion that it's better to find out what the problem is soon and do something about it if we can. I'd particularly like her to be well enough to be spayed in 6 weeks or so. But do any experienced owners of snuffles buns think that it's not fair to subject her to the test procedure in the circumstances?

There is of course also the worry that it may be tooth related.

100% test, it could be so many things, not just 'snuffles'.

It could be a foreign body (hay, readigrass, etc etc) that is caught up her nose, causing an annoyance, hence the sneeze.

Environment; is where they live dusty?

If it is a 'snuffles' type infection, if you catch it early enough, you may well be able to fight it off, but the longer you leave it, the deeper the infection can get.

Make sure Beatrix hasn't been on any antibiotics for 7-10 days BEFORE the C&S test, as you'll be wasting your money.

Is there any discharge (be it clear or thick), or is it just sneezing?

Either way, i'd certainly want a full veterinary health check prior to spay anyway. Being spayed is a big thing for a doe, so it could bring out any weaknesses in her, as i'm sure you are aware.

GrahamL said:

100% test, it could be so many things, not just 'snuffles'.

It could be a foreign body (hay, readigrass, etc etc) that is caught up her nose, causing an annoyance, hence the sneeze.

Environment; is where they live dusty?

If it is a 'snuffles' type infection, if you catch it early enough, you may well be able to fight it off, but the longer you leave it, the deeper the infection can get.

Make sure Beatrix hasn't been on any antibiotics for 7-10 days BEFORE the C&S test, as you'll be wasting your money.

Is there any discharge (be it clear or thick), or is it just sneezing?

Either way, i'd certainly want a full veterinary health check prior to spay anyway. Being spayed is a big thing for a doe, so it could bring out any weaknesses in her, as i'm sure you are aware.

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They just get bedded on hay, and I hoover areas where they go at least every other day, so not much dust.

Yup, she'll have been off abx for a fortnight.

She has been sneezing occasionally for about a month. She's had the two abx that Ada had but neither made any difference to Beatrix. She got slightly worse when she was on azithromycin (which Ada's bacteria were sensitive to, and which has helped Ada a lot). B is neither better nor worse since stopping the azithromycin, and engemycin did nothing for either of them.

If it were a foreign body, that would be so much easier to sort out. But still, if it were, poor thing having stuff stuck in her nose all that time,.

I'd also have a C&S test done in those circumstances. She'll have to have a GA for the XR, a C&S is quick. Best to make maximum use of the one GA.

It's well worth sticking your nose in the hay to check how dusty it is. I was shocked by the dust in Thumper's dust free hay when he started to sneeze once a day. In fact he went on "hay strike" & stopped sneezing in 2 days. We can also damp down hay with an aerosol water spray to stop dust if that's a problem, but it needs changing completely every 12 hours.

Beatrix has had her tests. Seeing her at 5.30pm, you never would have guessed she'd had a GA that day. She was munching away, perky as ever, determinedly digging the towel in the carrier with her lovely fluffy paws, and generally unable to keep still.

There is nothing dramatic to report, but just updating this anyway.

The X-ray was all fine - no tooth root problems (phew!) and her chest was clear.
There was a bit of inflammation and discharge in both nostrils - one a little more than the other, and the sample was taken from that.
We're going to wait for the results of the test before giving her any medicine, as she is very well apart from the occasional sneezing.

She now weighs 1.61kg!! She was only 1.12 when I took them to the vet the day after I got them. It was obvious she'd grown a bit - but by 490g, gosh! Very pleased as it shows how well she is. She seems like a hardy little bunny as compared with Ada.

Ada is growing too now. She weighs 1.65kg. Last time we were there she was 1.57, the same as when I got her. She had a general checkup and according to the nurse who discharged them was pronounced to be in good health and fit to be spayed. I need to call the vet tomorrow to clarify this and ask about her medicine.

Glad the x-ray looked good Hopefully not too long till you get results back and can start trying to clear it up!

I'm glad she's doing well