Barney is sneezing more and getting snottier :(

I'm wondering where we can go from here? He's strong, and happy and lively, but gets out of breath quickly and has these sneezing and coughing fits, a few small ones and usually a huge one every day.

Last time he saw the vet she put him on Septrim for 2 months and he didn't really improve He's been on a long course of Baytril in the past and that didn't really help either. As well as this he's had a lot of different short courses of antibiotics before this (under a different vet.)

I know realistically he'll have to live with being a snuffly rabbit long term, but I worry about it getting worse and worse, to the point where he can't cope. He's only one, I don't want to just 'give up' on treating him, but his tummy doesn't seem to cope particularly well when on medication.

Does anyone else on RU have snuffle bunnies? What's their life span like? I suppose I'm just after a bit of reassurance, he seems so tired and irritated after he's been sneezing and I wish I could do more for him

I think the fact that in the past he had lots of short courses of abx may be adding another problem- abx resistance.

Is the Vet you see now Rabbit Savvy ?

Whilst Snuffles can be a chronic condition with periods of relapse requiring more intensive treatment it is not always a death sentence at a young age. I have an 8 year old Rabbit who has had chronic snuffles for most of her life.

Treatment and management needs to be multifaceted, including long courses of an appropriate abx. Nasal swabs can be taken to try to identify the specific bacteria involved. But they need to be deep nasal swabs which are usually only possible to do when the Rabbit is sedated. Also, swabs are not always helpful. So the Vet would need to weigh up risks v benefits with regards to taking swabs. Usually an injectable Penicillin is the abx of choice, sometimes an oral abx too and/or an abx given via nebuliser.. A non steroidal anti-inflammatory such as Metacam to reduce inflammation , a mucolytic to thin out the mucus secretions along with saline nebulisation 3-4 times a day. If the nasolacrimal ducts are blocked then a Vet may try to flush them to clear them out. If this is possible and the ducts start to drain again an abx eye drop can be given which will also penetrate the nasal passages.

This aggressive treatment is not necessarily needed all the time, just during relapses. A more specific maintenance regime needs to be tailored to suit the individual Rabbits clinical needs and also how much hands on care they can cope with. Stress is a major factor in making chronic Snuffles Rabbits worse, so there is little point forcing intensive hands on aggressive treatment onto a Rabbit who gets terribly distressed from lots of hands on care.

Chronic Snuffles can also be associated with Dental Disease- ie tooth root elongation. So this is another issue that needs to be considered.

If you feel that your current Vet may not be skilled in treating Rabbits then I'd start a thread in 'Rabbit Chat' asking for recommendations of Rabbit Savvy Vets in your area.

My Bob has been a snuffly bunny since he had very bad nodular myxie as a baby - he has periods of productive sneezing where his whole body shakes, initially these were multiple times a day, but he is now 6 and they have reduced in frequency to only about once a day, normally when he is excited and ends up snotting everywhere... Over the years I have had him on meloxicam, baytril and metronidazole.. none of these cleared him and now he only gets treatment if he has a long period of snottiness.. which he then gets nebuliser and antiinflammatories, with only receiving antibiotics if his temperature is raised. This helps him. The most important thing i have found is to keep him in a well ventilated space, with as dustless and environment as possible, as well as ensuring that he gets lots of exercise! He seems to do better outside than in...

both mine had persistant snuffles. baytril and septrin were no use, they ended up on weekly injections of an abx but i cant remember the name now.... it really helped them though.

Thanks Jane :wave:

When I first got Barney I didn't know any better, if I had I wouldn't have let the previous vet put him on so many short courses of antibiotics. My current vets were recommended by the RWAF and are very good with him so I have no problem there.

He has had a nasal swab and the bacteria found was bordatella and pasturella, although the vet said many rabbits have these present in their systems and it might not necessarily be the root of the problem. She did also suggest x-rays of chest and teeth to rule out problems there but I didn't want to go ahead as I was worried about the risk and stress of a GA... although now it's getting worse I'm wondering if it's better to go ahead

Although Barney is affectionate he does not like being handled and gets very stressed and wheezy when he has to be picked up or medicated, so I feel like I'm stuck for what to do!

He is due his vaccination soon so I will mention what you have suggested to the vet and see what she suggests (I'm not sure if she will vaccinate him if he is particularly sneezy at the moment but would like him to have a check up anyway.)

I'm glad to hear snuffle buns can have a decent lifespan, I had horrible thoughts of him not making it past being a youngster.

lucy24 said:

both mine had persistant snuffles. baytril and septrin were no use, they ended up on weekly injections of an abx but i cant remember the name now.... it really helped them though.

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Maybe it was Penicillin? We did try Barney on injectable Baytril (with me giving the injections everyday) as he was unwilling to take the medicine orally, he got used to them but he didn't like it at all!

jemandbob said:

My Bob has been a snuffly bunny since he had very bad nodular myxie as a baby - he has periods of productive sneezing where his whole body shakes, initially these were multiple times a day, but he is now 6 and they have reduced in frequency to only about once a day, normally when he is excited and ends up snotting everywhere... Over the years I have had him on meloxicam, baytril and metronidazole.. none of these cleared him and now he only gets treatment if he has a long period of snottiness.. which he then gets nebuliser and antiinflammatories, with only receiving antibiotics if his temperature is raised. This helps him. The most important thing i have found is to keep him in a well ventilated space, with as dustless and environment as possible, as well as ensuring that he gets lots of exercise! He seems to do better outside than in...

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He is an indoor bunny but has full run of the house so he gets plenty of exercise, he loves running about. And I am very careful with dust and ventilation etc.

Bob sounds like Barney, when he gets over excited he wheezes and gets snot everywhere and has to stop and wipe his nose with his little paws! Mucky boy :roll:

I have a snuffles bun who is going on 5 now. A few months ago she had an operation to drain the pus from her nose because she had extensive damage to her nasal passage from the pus. Personally, it's not something I would recommend though. Honey was very poorly after her op.

Has Barney tried a nebuliser? My bun Honey loves hers. It loosens the snot so it can be sneezed out so they can breathe better. It just involves her sitting in a box that I modified slightly and she breathes in the steam which is water and F10.

She has been on depocillin injections for weeks too, along with Baytril by mouth. This helped quite a bit, but she ended up with quite a bad reaction to the depocillin at the end of the treatment.

I'm taking him in for a check up this afternoon - as well as sneezing he's suddenly started weeing everywhere, on my pillows and cushions, around the litter tray, there's puddles of wee all over the house :? I'm wondering if this is because he's stressed from sneezing and snuffling so much (I know it's Barney wee cause it's in places that Priscilla can't reach with her little legs!) He's usually such a clean boy

I'm going to mention the nebuliser to the vet and see what they say :thumb: