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Snuffles..advice needed

N

nori

Young Bun
Hi all,

Looks like my rescue rabbit has snuffles. She had a chest infection a couple of months back which improved with antibiotics. I brought them both inside and they are still in now (they were in a shed conversion). This morning i woke up and she was poorly again i took her to the vets and he said she has snuffles so another course of antibiotics. Annoying as she wasnt insured the first time so now any treatment will be excluded in relation to this.

I need to know more about it, Im assuming its a reacurring issue and at some point they will become resilient to antibiotics? Is she better being in or out and is there anything i can do to prevent her getting it again?

Claire
 
Did your vet take a swab in order to do a bacteria culture? If not then they can't possibly know whether they have chosen the most appropriate antibiotic as it could be one of a number of different bacteriums which is the cause. Has the vet offered you a skull x-ray to rule out tooth root problems? This is important as tooth root problems can be linked to snuffles as well as tear duct issues.
 
nori said:
Hi all,

Looks like my rescue rabbit has snuffles. She had a chest infection a couple of months back which improved with antibiotics. I brought them both inside and they are still in now (they were in a shed conversion). This morning i woke up and she was poorly again i took her to the vets and he said she has snuffles so another course of antibiotics. Annoying as she wasnt insured the first time so now any treatment will be excluded in relation to this.

I need to know more about it, Im assuming its a reacurring issue and at some point they will become resilient to antibiotics? Is she better being in or out and is there anything i can do to prevent her getting it again?

Claire
Click to expand...

I am sorry to hear that your Rabbit has another RTI. Whilst in some cases a swab from the nasal passages might be useful, it is often only possible to do a deep enough swab under GA. A more superficial swab could give very misleading results. Obviously a GA for an already sick Rabbit would not be a risk to be taken lightly. IMO prescribing a good broad spectrum antibiotic and a non steroidal anti inflammatory rather than risking a GA for diagnostics is what I would want for a Rabbit in my care who was presenting with the same clinical history/active clinical symptoms.

In the longer term it may be that your Rabbit has recurring RT problems and so you may want to discuss further investigation once she is more stable. Dental issues can be a factor, so that is something the Vet may want to look into. If the tooth roots are elongated they can penetrate the nasal passages causing inflammation and infection. ETR can also press on the nasolacrimal duct causing 'runny eyes'/conjunctivitis.

As to what is the best environment for Rabbits who are prone to 'snuffles' I would say that factors that could exacerbate problems are too dry atmosphere (ie central heating), use of household cleaning products (polish, air freshners etc), damp, draughts, unstable environmental temperature (eg being in a warm room overnight and out into a cold garden during the day), dust (from hay/bedding etc), amonia from urine soaked litter/bedding. So it does not matter so much whether the Rabbit is indoors or out, it is more about making sure that the environment is not effected by the irritants mentioned.

Keeping your Rabbits day-to-day life as stress free as possible- ie a regular routine re feeding/cleaning out and optimum nutrition will certainly help her fend off recurring episodes of 'Snuffles'.
 
Jack's-Jane said:
I am sorry to hear that your Rabbit has another RTI. Whilst in some cases a swab from the nasal passages might be useful, it is often only possible to do a deep enough swab under GA. A more superficial swab could give very misleading results. Obviously a GA for an already sick Rabbit would not be a risk to be taken lightly. IMO prescribing a good broad spectrum antibiotic and a non steroidal anti inflammatory rather than risking a GA for diagnostics is what I would want for a Rabbit in my care who was presenting with the same clinical history/active clinical symptoms.

In the longer term it may be that your Rabbit has recurring RT problems and so you may want to discuss further investigation once she is more stable. Dental issues can be a factor, so that is something the Vet may want to look into. If the tooth roots are elongated they can penetrate the nasal passages causing inflammation and infection. ETR can also press on the nasolacrimal duct causing 'runny eyes'/conjunctivitis.

As to what is the best environment for Rabbits who are prone to 'snuffles' I would say that factors that could exacerbate problems are too dry atmosphere (ie central heating), use of household cleaning products (polish, air freshners etc), damp, draughts, unstable environmental temperature (eg being in a warm room overnight and out into a cold garden during the day), dust (from hay/bedding etc), amonia from urine soaked litter/bedding. So it does not matter so much whether the Rabbit is indoors or out, it is more about making sure that the environment is not effected by the irritants mentioned.

Keeping your Rabbits day-to-day life as stress free as possible- ie a regular routine re feeding/cleaning out and optimum nutrition will certainly help her fend off recurring episodes of 'Snuffles'.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this (very helpful). They are currently in a bedroom with the window open (the one at the top) no central heating. I will clean them out even more as im currently cleaning them twice a week so will increase that (they have a large storage box litter tray). The vets have basically done what you suggest and did check teeth. I definately dont want to go down a GA route just yet.
 
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