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Snotty rabbit

beki

Mama Doe
I have see my new as yet unamed bunny sneeze three times now, the most recent time he sneezed some white snot came out his nose and went back up!! I will call the vets tomorrow morning but should I be concerned? He doesn't have watery eyes and he is eating a lot and very alert. I only got him yesterday from the rspca. He has been checked over a lot lately by their vet due to complications with his neuter so if it was something obvious I'm sure it would have been picked up.

Thanks
 
Sounds as though he may have an upper respiratory tract infection. Unless he has something stuck up his nose-eg a strand of hay. If you have other Rabbits you need to keep him quarantined away from them. But that would apply when taking in any new Rabbit regardless of whether or not they were sneezing.

Good luck at the Vets xx
 
Thanks Jane. I will call the rspca vets tomorrow as they will cover him a week from collection. He is on his own at the moment apart from when I was in the shower this morning and my husband decided to show ruby to him! I told him to keep them apart until I was able to get him vaccinated but he just doesn't listen!! New bunny was sat in the pet carrier as he seems to like it in there and ruby was running about the kitchen he said. I hope she hasn't picked anything up from him. She is back in her hutch though and I will ensure he doesn't try and put them together again before we have been to the vets.
 
I have given him a lot of hay which I get from the farm, sometimes it's a little dusty so maybe it could be that, it's just this white snot that popped out that shocked me a bit as I never had this before with a rabbit! There isn't a crust or wet fur around his nose though so I'm really hoping he is ok and it's not an infection :(
 
I have given him a lot of hay which I get from the farm, sometimes it's a little dusty so maybe it could be that, it's just this white snot that popped out that shocked me a bit as I never had this before with a rabbit! There isn't a crust or wet fur around his nose though so I'm really hoping he is ok and it's not an infection :(

I think since he's still covered by the R.S.P.C.A., just tell them about it. They may give him a course of antibiotics to be on the safe side. Also, I should ask them whether they would be prepared to cover any ongoing treatment for this condition, if it recurs in the future.

Good luck xx
 
Thanks mightymax I'll see if I can get him in vets tomorrow. Hopefully they have an appointment as otherwise I'm not going to be able to do it until Friday!
 
I've removed his hay for a bit as I have been cleaning and not one sneeze! I wonder if the hay is dusty then, I will get him looked at by a vet though as I have had this bag of hay for about a month and it hasn't affected ruby. Maybe it's because he isn't used to it. I know I'm going to have to give him some hay back, I will see if he starts to sneeze again
 
Dust can make sneezing worse with respiratory infections as it can irritate the nose. Snot usually indicates an infection. I'd recommend an appointment to discuss with the vet, they'll probably give him a course of antibiotics, baytril is usually the one they try first.
 
Please don't remove the hay. Rabbits need hay 24/7 and removing it can cause more problems. If you are concerned about the dust you can dampen it with a spray bottle or a quick rinse under the tap.

If it as dust he wouldn't have any discharge.
 
No don't worry I haven't removed it, he got it back. I moved him to a different part of the kitchen whilst I cleaned his bed and he didn't have any hay where he was. He did actually end up sneezing again anyway even without the hay around. Hopefully I can get him into the vets tomorrow and will post an update.

I hate giving rabbits meds!! Ruby never falls for it on food so I takes two of us to give her a dose, hopefully this bunny might as he just scoffs his food so probably won't check its dosed up with anything.
 
No don't worry I haven't removed it, he got it back. I moved him to a different part of the kitchen whilst I cleaned his bed and he didn't have any hay where he was. He did actually end up sneezing again anyway even without the hay around. Hopefully I can get him into the vets tomorrow and will post an update.

I hate giving rabbits meds!! Ruby never falls for it on food so I takes two of us to give her a dose, hopefully this bunny might as he just scoffs his food so probably won't check its dosed up with anything.

I'd ask the Vet to check your Bun's teeth too. Sneezing can sometimes be related to Dental issues.
 
I can't get him into the rspca vets until Friday!! I'm going to closely monitor him and if he gets worse I will get him in to my vets sooner as they are pretty good with appointments and they do late ones which I can fit round work
 
I would personally get him to your vets sooner. You can always ask the RSPCA if they are willing to pay for the treatment and ask your vets to fax the invoice to them. If it is a respiratory infection the sooner it is treated the better chance he has to recover. x
 
I would personally get him to your vets sooner. You can always ask the RSPCA if they are willing to pay for the treatment and ask your vets to fax the invoice to them. If it is a respiratory infection the sooner it is treated the better chance he has to recover. x

I agree. I would call the RSPCA and inform them of your intentions. The RSPCA of all people must surely accept that a Rabbit who is sneezing and has a white nasal discharge cannot wait for 5 days to be seen by a Vet :?
 
I agree. I would call the RSPCA and inform them of your intentions. The RSPCA of all people must surely accept that a Rabbit who is sneezing and has a white nasal discharge cannot wait for 5 days to be seen by a Vet :?

The fact that he was rehomed before being vaccinated (unless he was due his jabs when he was rehomed?) is of some concern to me. :? I think it depends on the branch as to how rabbit savvy they are.
 
I have called them, they will only cover costs of get care from their vets. I will ring my husband and see if he can take bunny to the vets sooner than Friday, I'm at work tues-thurs and work an hours bus ride away, he has the car so I'll see what he can do. If he can't I will book bunny into my vets and just cover the costs.

I asked about vaccinations and they said they do not vaccinate their animals before sending them out, it's not their policy to do so, though this didn't concern me at the time as the last rescue rabbit I had was not vaccinated.

The lady at the rspca said he hadn't been sneezing when he was there at all and they had been closely monitoring him because of his neuter wound. He hasn't actually sneezed at all this morning either and he has been hopping round the kitchen.
 
I would make sure they give your bunny a long enough course of antibiotics..around 14 days. Septrin often works better than baytril for thick snotty nose and also metacam to reduce any inflammation. Which RSPCA branch is it? They should be adhering to the RSPCA policy of neutering, microchipping and vaccinating.
 
I have called them, they will only cover costs of get care from their vets. I will ring my husband and see if he can take bunny to the vets sooner than Friday, I'm at work tues-thurs and work an hours bus ride away, he has the car so I'll see what he can do. If he can't I will book bunny into my vets and just cover the costs.

I asked about vaccinations and they said they do not vaccinate their animals before sending them out, it's not their policy to do so, though this didn't concern me at the time as the last rescue rabbit I had was not vaccinated.

The lady at the rspca said he hadn't been sneezing when he was there at all and they had been closely monitoring him because of his neuter wound. He hasn't actually sneezed at all this morning either and he has been hopping round the kitchen.

Why on earth would they not vaccinate? This is just as important as neutering. I would call them back and ask them why they feel a rabbit who is sneezing and has discharge from the nose can wait 5 days to see a vet and if they can't fit him in sooner why they won't cover the costs of the your own vets? They sound like they have absolutely no idea about rabbits and they seriously need to revise their policies. Rehoming unvaccinated rabbits is completely irresponsible and dangerous.
 
He has just finished a course of baytril and metacam as I had to wait for that to be finished before I took him. He was neutered just before I took him and he was already microchipped. It was Radcliffe on Trent branch in nottingham where I got him from.
 
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