Is It Snuffles/UD Orla has it too :(

When feeding the buns just now, noticed Donny sitting in his litter tray (full of hay) and he sneezed once. Upon picking him up I saw some black mucous I think. It looked a lot like what I get after cleaning rabbits out. All the dust and dirt gets up my nose and when I blow it, it comes out black, not sure if anyone else gets that but basically the bit under Donny's nostrils had that one them. Not too much mind you I listened to his breathing and it sounded steady. I recently had to give them a different brand of hay because I'd run out a bit sooner than expected and I think it is a little dustier. His eyes are clear and bright. He is eating as normal, everything else seems fine. I wiped the underside of his nose and the fur was slightly wet with clear thin mucus. I assume it was mucus but it looked more like water.

So what I want to know is could it be snuffles or do rabbits get a dust allergy or irritation type thing?

If it is any help, when Basil had snuffles I could hear it in his breathing, sort of wheezy. He didn't have any discharge from his nose though.

It might just be a bit of hay up the nose. I find mine will sometimes sneeze once in the litter tray whereas with snuffles it was more fits of sneezing, several in one go. If it were mine I'd keep an eye on it and if it continues I'd take them to the vet.

Agree with Elena.

It's probably because of the dust

Hope it's not serious and just the hay's dust

I'd keep an eye on it and check his nose isnt damp everyday.

Barney has snuffles and he gets a damp nose, so then when he sticks his head in the hay he gets dust stuck to it that can make just under his nostrils look grey. His chest and breathing is clear as well, his breathing only sounds dodgy when he's very stressed.

Thanks everyone. He is fine and dry this morning so I hope it was the dust but I will definitely be keeping an eye on him.

I'm getting more and more worried as Donny has had a damp nose almost every day now with the usual bits of black dirt stuck in the nostril or under it

There is no visible or thick discharge, its just damp. His eyes are clear and his breathing seems ok. His poops are nice and healthy.
He eats well and has a balanced diet. He is very small and slender but bouncy and active, almost hyper so he seems to have a fast metabolism. He eats plenty hay and drinks well. He seems happy and perky and is very food orientated especially at herb or pellet time. He does like a heat and will curl up like a cat on a heat pad or by his radiator (the radiator has a cage around so burning is not a risk). He lives with a mate but she seems fine and is dry under her nose.

He was recently caught ought in a flash hailstone storm for as much as five minutes and I think its since then his problems started. Also he sneezes occasionally when rooting about in the hay.

Could it be snuffles? He is not displaying any of the classic symptoms. Or could it be an allergy? Can rabbits even develop allergies?

Am I best just taking him to the vet tomorrow? Is there anything I can do for him in the meantime apart from wipe his nose?

Fifibutton said:

I'm getting more and more worried as Donny has had a damp nose almost every day now with the usual bits of black dirt stuck in the nostril or under it

There is no visible or thick discharge, its just damp. His eyes are clear and his breathing seems ok. His poops are nice and healthy.
He eats well and has a balanced diet. He is very small and slender but bouncy and active, almost hyper so he seems to have a fast metabolism. He eats plenty hay and drinks well. He seems happy and perky and is very food orientated especially at herb or pellet time. He does like a heat and will curl up like a cat on a heat pad or by his radiator (the radiator has a cage around so burning is not a risk). He lives with a mate but she seems fine and is dry under her nose.

He was recently caught ought in a flash hailstone storm for as much as five minutes and I think its since then his problems started. Also he sneezes occasionally when rooting about in the hay.

Could it be snuffles? He is not displaying any of the classic symptoms. Or could it be an allergy? Can rabbits even develop allergies?

Am I best just taking him to the vet tomorrow? Is there anything I can do for him in the meantime apart from wipe his nose?

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Sounds exactly like what Annabelle has, its been diagnosed by the vet as snuffles. We've been trying her on bisolvon at first for the last 2 weeks but its not clearing up so I'm taking them back soon to get some antibiotics.

This is pretty much what Barney's snuffles is like at the moment as well, although we are having sneezing, but not everyday.

I think rabbits might be able to get allergies/sensitivity to dust? But I think the allergy/sensitivity is usually linked with snuffles?

Would it be ok to use something like vicks or olbas oil on a towel near him? Or even karvol drops? Or an echinacea tincture?


The more I read about the more worried I become? Is snuffles fatal or will it severely shorten the life span? I'm beginning to think this is what he has. I'll need to phone the vet and make an appt tomorrow. I hope baytril might help.

Does anyone have any extra tips and advice? I'm panicking a bit

Fifibutton said:

Would it be ok to use something like vicks or olbas oil on a towel near him? Or an echinacea tincture?


The more I read about the more worried I become? Is snuffles fatal or will it severely shorten the life span? I'm beginning to think this is what he has. I'll need to phone the vet and make an appt tomorrow. I hope baytril might help.

Does anyone have any extra tips and advice? I'm panicking a bit

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No and no, and i can't enforce enough no.

Ginger is a very much snuffles bun, in itself, its not fatal, but as snuffles covers about 10 differnet illnesses, its difficult. If its pasteurella <insert rest of name here>, then it can cause abcesses, respiratory distress, further respiratory infections, amongsht other illness.

Most important thing, is minimal stress. Stress is a HUGE trigger for a 'snuffles' episode. Believe me, i know.

What has your vet suggested for further diagnosis?

To confirm what it is, bun will need to be on no abx at all for 1-2 weeks, and then have a C&S (culture and sensititivy) test, which willd etermine the bacteria responsible and can then be fought with a relevant abx.

Baytril, Septrin, Azithromycin, Depocillin, amongst some of the abx we've used, and nebulisation is the ONLY thing in our case that actually helps. We don't fight it anymore, we manage it.

Search the forum for posts by nessar and myself, there's a fair few on both our buns and how we look after their 'snuffles'.
Sorry if i typo, i've not slept, had a rough day with Ginger and can't sleep as i have a cold :thumb:

Sorry... I have no advice

My only bun with any problems is Bramble and his problems lie with his eyes!

I would get a vets appointment tomorrow though and try not to read too much until then, you'll only panic yourself!

Lots of hugs and vibes xxx

Thank you so much for your replies guys. Donny has not been to the vet yet. When I created this thread he seemed to have a one off episode but in the last couple of days its been more frequent.

If I phone tomorrow I'll not get an appt til Tuesday at the earliest. Donny has only been to the vets once before and he was massively stressed. He jumped about 4 feet high up a wall. I've never seen a rabbit do that before and I'm almost scared to take him in case he injures himself.


Thanks for all the advice Gray, I didn't know about the cultures but I would definitely want to get one done. I'm a bit worried Donny's wife may develop it, is Biscuit at risk of catching it from Ginger or is her strain non infectious?


If it is snuffles can I still let Donny out to play? Also he lives in my garage, there is heating in there but that is only on when its very cold. Will doing that aggravate his condition? The heating comes on gradually so its not a sudden jump in temperatures but there is a difference once its reached its maximum.

Keep calm and carry on!

Dont worry too much. If it is snuffles, it sounds like it is very mild. Snuffles can be fatal, yes, but only when it is in a severe form, or if left untreated, as it can develop into other issues. Snuffles can also be ongoing, or it can be sorted with one treatment - it all depends on the immune system of the rabbit. As you know, the bacteria are carried by most rabbits, its just when they are triggered by a stressful event or a low immune system that they cause symptoms.

I think booking an appointment is a good idea. Barney has suspected scarring of his airways, as I've only had him a year and a half we can only speculate but the vet thinks it is due to a URI not being treated in the past.

Snuffles can be very bad (like GrahamL's Ginger or Jenova's Grim) or it can be mild, like my two.

My personal experience is that Barney is fine, with maybe a bit of a runny eye, for often a couple of months at a time, then it flares up and he starts having sneezing fits and his eyes run more so we get antibiotics or just weather it through with bisolvon, and he is back to fine in any time from a couple of days to a month. Like I said though, Barney is a mild, although chronic, case.

Other peoples buns get really snotty and get worse symptoms, but after antibiotics it gets better.

You can give echinacea to a bun, healthy or not, so I cant see any harm in putting him on that everyday. edit: as long as it is checked with a vet it wont interfere with any medications, in humans it is mainly imunosupressents (sp?) or if you have asthma but not sure in buns.

As for lifespan, I think the main risk snuffles is to that (except for bad cases of snuffles) is that a rabbit with bad breathing is at higher risk under GA, and dental bunnies and snuffles are often linked.

Fifibutton said:

Thank you so much for your replies guys. Donny has not been to the vet yet. When I created this thread he seemed to have a one off episode but in the last couple of days its been more frequent.

If I phone tomorrow I'll not get an appt til Tuesday at the earliest. Donny has only been to the vets once before and he was massively stressed. He jumped about 4 feet high up a wall. I've never seen a rabbit do that before and I'm almost scared to take him in case he injures himself.


Thanks for all the advice Gray, I didn't know about the cultures but I would definitely want to get one done. I'm a bit worried Donny's wife may develop it, is Biscuit at risk of catching it from Ginger or is her strain non infectious?


If it is snuffles can I still let Donny out to play? Also he lives in my garage, there is heating in there but that is only on when its very cold. Will doing that aggravate his condition? The heating comes on gradually so its not a sudden jump in temperatures but there is a difference once its reached its maximum.

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Firstly, don't treat Donny any different to normal. Any change to routine will stress him out. Rabbits are creatures of habit and keeping things as normal as possible is best. Keeps strss down.

In theory, Biscuit is at risk, but Pasteurella* tends to affect rabbits who are immuno-suppressed. Gingers a mess, her immune system is ****, so is affected quite badly. A healthy bunny should be able to fight it if anythng happened, without assistance, Biscuit has had one slightly runny nose once, but a short (1 week) course of septrin cleanred him right up. He's NEVER been affected by it and grooms Ginger all over, inclusive of the nasal and ocular discharge she always suffers from.

Changes in temperatures will make it worse, it's important to try and keep it as similar through the course of the day as possible. Can you turn the heating off in the garage?

We have the windows open in my office 24/7 to keep the temperature steady, radioator is turned off too. Humidity tends to affect her, as well as high temperatures (19 deg c+).

Note, this is all experience - im no vet, so dont trust me on this i just know what works for us as we've been through everything we can.

nessar said:

Keep calm and carry on!

Dont worry too much. If it is snuffles, it sounds like it is very mild. Snuffles can be fatal, yes, but only when it is in a severe form, or if left untreated. Snuffles can also be ongoing, or it can be sorted with one treatment - it all depends on the immune system of the rabbit. As you know, the bacteria are carried by most rabbits, its just when they are triggered by a stressful event or a low immune system that they cause symptoms.

I think booking an appointment is a good idea. Barney has suspected scarring of his airways, as I've only had him a year we can only speculate but the vet thinks it is due to a URI not being treated in the past.

Snuffles can be very bad (like GrahamL's Ginger or Jenova's Grim) or it can be mild, like my two.

My personal experience is that Barney is fine, with maybe a bit of a runny eye, for often a couple of months at a time, then it flares up and he starts having sneezing fits and his eyes run more so we get antibiotics or just weather it through with bisolvon, and he is back to fine in any time from a couple of days to a month. Like I said though, Barney is a mild, although chronic, case.

Other peoples buns get really snotty and get worse symptoms, but after antibiotics it gets better.

You can give echinacea to a bun, healthy or not, so I cant see any harm in putting him on that everyday.

As for lifespan, I think the main risk snuffles is to that (except for bad cases of snuffles) is that a rabbit with bad breathing is at higher risk under GA, and dental bunnies and snuffles are often linked.

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Thank you so much for this post. I'm definitely going to ring the vet tomorrow.

Biosolvon is for humans isn't it, a cough medicine?

I hadn't considered it before now but we have had some crazy weather this month, snow and sun in the same day. Could this be aggravating Donny's nose as well?

Graham, I havent seen you on here for a while, how are you all, and how is Ginger these days?

Fifibutton said:

Thank you so much for this post. I'm definitely going to ring the vet tomorrow.

Biosolvon is for humans isn't it, a cough medicine?

I hadn't considered it before now but we have had some crazy weather this month, snow and sun in the same day. Could this be aggravating Donny's nose as well?

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Yes

nessar said:

Graham, I havent seen you on here for a while, how are you all, and how is Ginger these days?

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I keep away a little these days.

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?338073-Ginger-( - This is about Ginger.

GrahamL said:

Firstly, don't treat Donny any different to normal. Any change to routine will stress him out. Rabbits are creatures of habit and keeping things as normal as possible is best. Keeps strss down.

In theory, Biscuit is at risk, but Pasteurella* tends to affect rabbits who are immuno-suppressed. Gingers a mess, her immune system is ****, so is affected quite badly. A healthy bunny should be able to fight it if anythng happened, without assistance, Biscuit has had one slightly runny nose once, but a short (1 week) course of septrin cleanred him right up. He's NEVER been affected by it and grooms Ginger all over, inclusive of the nasal and ocular discharge she always suffers from.

Changes in temperatures will make it worse, it's important to try and keep it as similar through the course of the day as possible. Can you turn the heating off in the garage?

We have the windows open in my office 24/7 to keep the temperature steady, radioator is turned off too. Humidity tends to affect her, as well as high temperatures (19 deg c+).

Note, this is all experience - im no vet, so dont trust me on this i just know what works for us as we've been through everything we can.

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Thank you for this, this is invaluable. I'm new to snuffles having only ever read up on it before. Orla, Donny's wife grooms him a lot and he her. I'll take your advice about the heating. Do you think a heatpad would be ok? Orla needs one for her sore foot atm.

He does seem otherwise fit and strong and he loves his home and garden so I'm hoping he can fight it off. I am a bit worried about the vet trip tbh as he will struggle like mad and he is so small and could do himself an injury. I'll be taking a towel to wrap him but I think that might stress him even more. However the last time he was at the vet I had not long had him. He has since settle din really well and is totally comfortable with me so perhaps that will help.


Thanks for taking the time to reply to my thread, it means a lot. I hope you and Ginger will feel better soon xx

Fifibutton said:

Thank you so much for this post. I'm definitely going to ring the vet tomorrow.

Biosolvon is for humans isn't it, a cough medicine?

I hadn't considered it before now but we have had some crazy weather this month, snow and sun in the same day. Could this be aggravating Donny's nose as well?

Click to expand...

Bisolvon thins mucus, so it clears easier. Basically it helps the mucus run out of the nose/eyes instead of clogging them up. It makes sense it would be in cough syrup too I guess. I have it in a powdered form from the vet, which I sprinkle onto pellets, or rub into a slice of veg/fruit before giving them.

Drastic temp changes can cause stress to bunnies immune system, so I imagine it could have contributed, probably added to the stress of being caught in the freak hail storm.