adding probiotics when on baytril

first time bunny owner and looking for some advice please

i have 2x 10 week old girl bunnies 1 is on 0.7mls of baytril for sneezing thick snot and having the odd cough.
we were given 5 days worth last week but as we are having trouble syringing it to her so we have been told today to put it in her water in a bowl and given another 5 days worth but that means we had to separate her to her bonded friend.
i have been told to place the cages next to each other so they can still see each other and they will be fine. .. is that right?
she is eating and drink fine and still running round like a loony, though the other healthy rabbit is not happy being separated from her friend.

is it still o'k to give my rabbit on baytril pro-c probiotic?
she has finished her 100 mils of water with meds and is looking for more.
1 vet i saw last week said yes and the 1 i saw today at the same practice said no, so i'm confused as to what to do as i was told at first the probiotic would help her while she is ill.

do you think i should just keep her on normal water after she finished her med water and stopped sneezing snot or do you think giving her water with pro-c probiotic help?

Pro-C contains lactobacillus which isn't part of rabbits' natural gut flora anyway (though it is the right one for many animals). It probably won't do much good, but it won't do much harm either. A different kind, Biolapis contains the probiotic which is natural to rabbits' systems - but it is quite a bit more expensive than Pro-C. Rabbits vary a lot in how much they like it. Mine adored the stuff and sulked when they got water without it again, others won't touch it and need syringe feeding.

Antibiotics do kill off beneficial gut flora, which in an animal with a delicate digestive system like a rabbit's can be a problem. So probiotics are usually a good idea during and for a while after antibiotic treatment.

I have never heard of Baytril being given in water before. (Perhaps someone else has?) On here people usually put it on some of the buns' favourite food. Mine favoured basil leaves, and quite a few people use bread. The problem with putting it in water is that the buns may quite easily not drink it all and not get the full dose.

If the Baytril does not clear up her snuffles, consider finding a pecialist rabbit vet in your area and getting a culture & sensitivity test done to find out what the bacteria are and which antibiotics will get rid of them.

I had to deal with snuffles when my bunnies were very new as well and there is a lot to consider and take in at once as it can be a complicated illness. Some bunnies get it chronically but others get over it.

Evie was a snuffle bunny and none of the medication worked, but we give her echinecea in her water and sprinkle red raspberry leaf on her food which seems to have helped.

lauraj27 said:

Evie was a snuffle bunny and none of the medication worked, but we give her echinecea in her water and sprinkle red raspberry leaf on her food which seems to have helped.

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Mine started getting quite a lot better when I began feeding dried coneflower (echinacea) after a few weeks on the antibiotic the tests had determined. Some people on here have used drops which may be more potent, I just got the dried plants & flowers from the Hay Experts. Big spiky looking things, but the buns liked them and they weren't very expensive anyway, so they were worth a punt.

i'm still unsure what other food they can eat apart from hay, straw and pellets at the mo

i was giving them a very small amount of veg a day like spring green, broccoli, rocket, parley and peppers and they have very noisy tummies so i stops and so did the noises but then Arabell started sneezing.

i would be a lot easier to put it on some food if she would eat it.

when do you think i could i put them back in together again?

san said:

i'm still unsure what other food they can eat apart from hay, straw and pellets at the mo

i was giving them a very small amount of veg a day like spring green, broccoli, rocket, parley and peppers and they have very noisy tummies so i stops and so did the noises but then Arabell started sneezing.

i would be a lot easier to put it on some food if she would eat it.

when do you think i could i put them back in together again?

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Some of those foods (especially broccoli) are very gassy, which will explain the noises. Parsely and I think spring greens are quite high in calcium (too much of which isn't great for rabbits).
Some of the best fresh foods foods for bunnies who are sensitive to gassy veg are other culinary herbs, for example basil, coriander, thyme, mint, rosemary. But as with all new foods they need to be introduced quite gradually. As far as I know rocket is pretty okay and it definitely isn't a gassy one. The leaves aren't a very good shape for painting medicine on though - I've tried it!
Basil has a strong taste which can disguise medicine they don't like if you only put a few drops on each leaf.

Banana is used by a few people on here to give medicine but as your bunnies are so young and have already reacted quite strongly to gassy veg, it wouldn't be a very good idea to give them a suagry food like banana daily.

Some wild plants such as brambles and apple tree leaves - to name two of the easier to recognise ones - are very good for bunnies too. If you have access to many wild plants, have a search for "forage" on here for some guidance on what's best for bunnies.


I don't really know lots about bonding issues, sorry. It is good that the bunnies can still see and smell one another though. If you can find a way of feeding the medicine directly to the bunny who needs it, then they may be ok together again, but if you put them back, keep a close eye on them to check the separation didn't affect their bond.
The other thing is in the next 4-6 weks they will start to become hormonal which may mean they are more difficult with one another. Not all bunnies are especially grumpy at that time but it's something to watch out for.

thanks for the ideas and advice i've got my fingers crossed with they get their hormones they will be o'k together as Arabell can't be done till she is better.
i'll go shopping tomorrow and see if i can find a basil or a mint herb plant

do you think they would be o'k with dandelion plants or leaves if i put it on them?

wondering if as it such a small amount weather feeding them separate and putting in on her pellets in her morning feed might be an idea