Completely miffed!

My 9 year old rabbit Henry has been suffering from what we thought was pasturella for over a year now. He deteriorated quite rapidly at the end of November and was very congested with a white discharge from his right eye and nasal passages, he was put on metacam and baytril and we had several swabs taken which came back growing nothing.

He lost quite a bit of weight from 1.85kg - 1.65kg he stabilised after this but still seemed reluctant to eat and was very lethargic. Someone suggested it could be his tooth roots and after discussing with my vet he agreed so on Wednesday Henry went in for a GA and the vet had a good look inside his mouth and down his throat and also took x-rays all of which came back clear, my vet also tried to flush his tear duct which was unfortunately completely blocked...

He is now on baytril and antibiotics again but we don't know what to do next? I hate seeing him so miserable but I really don't feel he's on his last legs. Any suggestions on what to do next?

I am sorry to hear about Henry, but has the tear duct been flushed at all? Surely something has been done to help him, other than put him on medication? Is he eating, drinking, peeing and pooing as normal? 9 years old is a good age for a bunny, but not exceptionally old in my opinion. You know Henry best, so obviously keep a close eye on him and hopefully he will start to improve. Tear duct flushed though....?

Is he still on the metacam? That can help with the congestion and the swelling.

Bisolvon may help him stay more comfortable, it thins the mucus so it drains easier, which should help him breathe. I also find nebulising or steaming is a god-send - I have a little nebuliser but Barney gets angry at being shut in the carrier and gets quite stressed, so these days I simply take him into the room with me when I shower each evening. He has his dinner whilst I shower and the steamy bathroom really helps his breathing.

Eye-drops that contain an anti-inflammatory and antibiotic for a few weeks may help to relieve some of the swelling and gunk from the tear ducts and allow them to be flushed.

And finally, whilst pasturella is the main bacteria that causes 'snuffles', other bacteria can be to blame too, and as baytril is so often used bacteria can become resistant to it, especially if your bunny has been taking it for a long time. So it may be worth talking to your vet about trying other antibiotics if you don't feel the baytril is working.

Try to keep him drinking lots of water and eating lots of hay - these are key to keeping his gut from slowing down and should help with the reluctance to eat and lethargy. Avoid sugary and gassy foods too.

I hope the above helps and I hope he feels better soon. I know how helpless you feel when your bunny struggles to breathe, I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't discovered nebulising/steaming.

Henry_Dixie said:

My 9 year old rabbit Henry has been suffering from what we thought was pasturella for over a year now. He deteriorated quite rapidly at the end of November and was very congested with a white discharge from his right eye and nasal passages, he was put on metacam and baytril and we had several swabs taken which came back growing nothing.

He lost quite a bit of weight from 1.85kg - 1.65kg he stabilised after this but still seemed reluctant to eat and was very lethargic. Someone suggested it could be his tooth roots and after discussing with my vet he agreed so on Wednesday Henry went in for a GA and the vet had a good look inside his mouth and down his throat and also took x-rays all of which came back clear, my vet also tried to flush his tear duct which was unfortunately completely blocked...

He is now on baytril and antibiotics again but we don't know what to do next? I hate seeing him so miserable but I really don't feel he's on his last legs. Any suggestions on what to do next?

Click to expand...

I think I suggested having a complete blood profile done, but not sure whether this ever happened? At least then you would know whether his lethargy could be down to organ failure, very common in older buns

Henry_Dixie said:

My 9 year old rabbit Henry has been suffering from what we thought was pasturella for over a year now. He deteriorated quite rapidly at the end of November and was very congested with a white discharge from his right eye and nasal passages, he was put on metacam and baytril and we had several swabs taken which came back growing nothing.

He lost quite a bit of weight from 1.85kg - 1.65kg he stabilised after this but still seemed reluctant to eat and was very lethargic. Someone suggested it could be his tooth roots and after discussing with my vet he agreed so on Wednesday Henry went in for a GA and the vet had a good look inside his mouth and down his throat and also took x-rays all of which came back clear, my vet also tried to flush his tear duct which was unfortunately completely blocked...

He is now on baytril and antibiotics again but we don't know what to do next? I hate seeing him so miserable but I really don't feel he's on his last legs. Any suggestions on what to do next?

Click to expand...

I am sorry that you have no answers as to what is actually wrong. Before the GA did the Vet run a full blood profile to see how your Rabbit's major organs are functioning ? Any signs of anaemia ?

Has your Rabbit had a good recovery from the GA ?

He wasn't great after his GA, he wasn't eating so I helped him along with some fibre paste. I haven't seen him eating an awful lot since, I've been giving him bisolvon for a few weeks now and steaming the bathroom for him with no difference, I was going to try a warm compress under his eye to get things moving.

Would bloods be done under GA?

Henry_Dixie said:

He wasn't great after his GA, he wasn't eating so I helped him along with some fibre paste. I haven't seen him eating an awful lot since, I've been giving him bisolvon for a few weeks now and steaming the bathroom for him with no difference, I was going to try a warm compress under his eye to get things moving.

Would bloods be done under GA?

Click to expand...

They would normally be done prior to administering a GA. Has the Vet not mentioned anything about doing bloods ?

Nope, he's mentioned nothing.

Henry_Dixie said:

Nope, he's mentioned nothing.

Click to expand...

I would ask him if he thinks running a blood profile would be useful in helping to decide what to do now. If your Rabbit has any kidney/liver problems then that would put an entirely different perspective on the situation.

Henry_Dixie said:

He wasn't great after his GA, he wasn't eating so I helped him along with some fibre paste. I haven't seen him eating an awful lot since, I've been giving him bisolvon for a few weeks now and steaming the bathroom for him with no difference, I was going to try a warm compress under his eye to get things moving.

Would bloods be done under GA?

Click to expand...

No, bloods can be done at any time, with the rabbit conscious. You should get the results back within a week. Rabbits with failing kidneys behave in ways very similar to your Henry, so I would hope the blood test would identify any organ failure.

Henry_Dixie said:

He wasn't great after his GA, he wasn't eating so I helped him along with some fibre paste. I haven't seen him eating an awful lot since, I've been giving him bisolvon for a few weeks now and steaming the bathroom for him with no difference, I was going to try a warm compress under his eye to get things moving.

Would bloods be done under GA?

Click to expand...

Last month I lost CX, a 12.5 year old dwarf with which I had the same problems which progressed over the last seven years of his life. He was on baytril for years, had a dental, and head X-rays. We even tried giving him antibiotic eye drops in his nose (the one vet explained they were more gentle). I also tried to give him saline drops in his nose. He was such a good bunny, he let me turn him over so the drop would go in his nose, but it did not take long for him to get onto me. He would still let me turn him over, but he would hold his breath and close his nostrils. If I wanted to add a drop of medicine or saline, I had to wait for him to take a breath.
Last May he got pneumonia and his sneezing was worse than ever. My vet told me he developed 'atropic rhinitis' from damage the infection did to his tissues and the small bones inside his nose that filter his air (nasal tubinite?-Jane would know). This made him prone to both irritation and reinfections. We tried changing his antibiotics and giving meticam with some short term success. The pneumonia cleared and he did not have any bacteria in his snot on his next visit, but he continued to have discharge and sneezing. My vet said he may have walled off the infection so it was still there, but not showing in his snot. We kept him on the antibiotic and metacam. The vet told me steamy air holds less oxygen than dry air (I do not know if it is true) so he advised me not to steam him when he had the pneumonia. In late December he got pneumonia again and he also developed neurological problems. I was heartbroken when he did not get better and I miss him dearly.