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Sneezing rabbit

Dollys Buns

Young Bun
My little Bobby is sneezing an awful lot recently - he has always sneezed a bit from the time I first got the rabbits but usually when his head is shoved in a pile of hay. But now he sneezes whereever he is. He is very active and his appetite is tremendous - and he doesn't seem to have any discharge from his nose and I checked his front legs after he had rubbed his nose after a sneezing fit and they were dry.

His wife Suzie is moulting at the moment though - so I guess he could just be getting her hairs up his nose - he does like shoving his nose into/under her they are lying down together.

Can rabbits get hay fever like us humans? As in allegeric to pollen? Even though they are indoor bunnies and I don't open the windows to keep the flying/biting insects out.

I don't know - just a bit baffled.

Anyway - have booked him into see the vets tomorrow. Feel like a hypercondriac mother - taking a child to the doctor because it is sneezing :shock::lol: - but would rather just make sure he is okay and it is nothing sinister - have been reading about snuffles so just a bit worried.
 
Rabbits can get allergies, but it is always a good idea to do as you are doing and get a Vet to check the Bun over.
Good luck for the appointment :)
 
You're not a hypochondriac atall. My Mimi started off sneezing a bit more often than usual and she is a snuffle bun :(

Don't panic if it is though (as I did at first!) It can be very manageable, it's just about finding the right treatment for your bun. Have a lok on the Snuffle bunny thread.

Good luck :wave:
 
I agree with all the replies.
I rarely saw Benjie's nasal discharge. He uses the bottom of his paws to clean.
He used to get very slight eye discharge, like a speck of "sleep".

For us the whole key was getting the secretions runny, apart from preventing infection from building up, it stopped him getting so distressed from a blocked nose & sneezing fits.

Good luck & please let us know how you get on.
 
Thanks for your replies everyone - do feel a bit better about it now...didn't realise how worried a bunny can make a person:oops:

I will keep you updated with what the vet says tomorrow.:thumb:
 
Sorry - meant to come back earlier today - have been a bit manic.

Bobby is okay - he had a high temperature and some discharge but it was clear. Lungs are fine, teefs are good. So the vet gave him some medicine to bring his temperature down and also some Baytril - and gave me some to give him for the next 10 days. The vet mentioned Pasterella - not sure what that is so will be doing some research on that.

Bobby was obviously not well this morning - he was eating but wasn't his usual hyper-active morning self and sneezing so much - so I am so pleased I had an appointment booked already. He has had a good sleep and does already look quite a bit brighter.:)

Somebody should have warned me about the sleepless nights that these bunnies cause - was imagining all sorts of awful things last night:oops: so was very relieved when the vet said he wasn't too bad - but it was good I brought him in when I did:thumb:

thank you for asking - it's great not to feel alone at a time like this :thumb:
 
Great to hear he is not too bad.
Yep no one warns you about the sleepless night :)
At the end of the day you know your bunny best and you know when they are not right.
Fingers crossed he is feeling better soon.
Nikki
 
Sorry - meant to come back earlier today - have been a bit manic.

Bobby is okay - he had a high temperature and some discharge but it was clear. Lungs are fine, teefs are good. So the vet gave him some medicine to bring his temperature down and also some Baytril - and gave me some to give him for the next 10 days. The vet mentioned Pasterella - not sure what that is so will be doing some research on that.

Bobby was obviously not well this morning - he was eating but wasn't his usual hyper-active morning self and sneezing so much - so I am so pleased I had an appointment booked already. He has had a good sleep and does already look quite a bit brighter.:)

Somebody should have warned me about the sleepless nights that these bunnies cause - was imagining all sorts of awful things last night:oops: so was very relieved when the vet said he wasn't too bad - but it was good I brought him in when I did:thumb:

thank you for asking - it's great not to feel alone at a time like this :thumb:

I'm sorry but I'm not entirely happy with that management. When Baytril is only given for 10 days the pasteurella tends to come back. whichever ABX is used they need a prolonged course of 6 weeks. Also it's unusual for a rabbit with simple snuffles to have a high temp.
I think that the main thing you can do for him is to get him some echinacea capsules, cut the top off & give him 1 pinch maybe wrapped up in a leaf daily to boost his immune system. Use a fresh capsule every day.
Also reduce dust by stuffing his hay in a cardboard tube so he has to scrabble it out in a thin layer rather than stick his nose in it.

He needs something to make the secretions runny eg bisolvon from the vet. I found that sprinkled over food it just trickled to the bottom of the bowl & was uneaten so I give that on a leaf with the echinacea. As well as helping to get rid of the infected stuff, they can sneeze it out very easily with far less distress.
Finally they need an inflammatory drug eg metacam to reduce the pain, swollen tissues, & help the infected secretions to come out.

If your vet is difficult about this, ask him/her to phone an exotics center to confirm. I'm absolutely sure they'll agree with my suggestion.
Treated well and aggressively now, he'll do well.

Please look at this thread. http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?340086-Snuffle-bunny-thread
My own boy Benjie not only had mild pasturella snuffles but also 2 abcesses which indicated that the bacteria had spread throughout his body.
He wasn't expected to last for long because of the spread. He had his 1st full course of Abx last Christmass & has been completely snuffles free since, with no further spread. The whole key for him has been to get rid of infected secretions & boosting his immune system..
 
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