Reccuring sneezes and watery eye?

Hi all, I have a bunny with Pasturella (Spelling!?) it was awoken when he had teeth removed, he was on a course of antibiotics and it cleared up thankfully....however the last few days he's started sneezing again and the same eye went watery, so he's back on the antibiotics (last time was Feb)....can rabbits keeping taking antibiotics this often? Obviously we need to clear these sneezes up, but I worry about giving him so much so often? he's on baytril (1ml a day) and I am thinking now this might keep reccurring? Poor little guy!! Any advice would as always be greatfully received!!

Ps. do bunnies sleep most of the day? My guy does....his little eyes look very sleepy during the day? Does it depend on bunny to bunny? :wave:

Colly said:

Hi all, I have a bunny with Pasturella (Spelling!?) it was awoken when he had teeth removed, he was on a course of antibiotics and it cleared up thankfully....however the last few days he's started sneezing again and the same eye went watery, so he's back on the antibiotics (last time was Feb)....can rabbits keeping taking antibiotics this often? Obviously we need to clear these sneezes up, but I worry about giving him so much so often? he's on baytril (1ml a day) and I am thinking now this might keep reccurring? Poor little guy!! Any advice would as always be greatfully received!!

Ps. do bunnies sleep most of the day? My guy does....his little eyes look very sleepy during the day? Does it depend on bunny to bunny? :wave:

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Sorry your bunny is sneezing again. Sometimes a bun gets 'run down' and their immune system is low. Then the antibiotics have a job to work, as they have to rouse the buns immune system against the illness.

You could try giving this immune system booster. Ask your vet if you are unsure if it's appropriate:

http://www.baldwins.co.uk/baldwins-echinacea-angustifolia-herbal-fluid-extract

It's not good for any of us to be on antibiotics one course after the other. Has the vet changed the sort of antibiotics he's taking?

Colly said:

Hi all, I have a bunny with Pasturella (Spelling!?) it was awoken when he had teeth removed, he was on a course of antibiotics and it cleared up thankfully....however the last few days he's started sneezing again and the same eye went watery, so he's back on the antibiotics (last time was Feb)....can rabbits keeping taking antibiotics this often? Obviously we need to clear these sneezes up, but I worry about giving him so much so often? he's on baytril (1ml a day) and I am thinking now this might keep reccurring? Poor little guy!! Any advice would as always be greatfully received!!

Ps. do bunnies sleep most of the day? My guy does....his little eyes look very sleepy during the day? Does it depend on bunny to bunny? :wave:

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When your Bunny had the first course of Baytril how long was he on it for ? Often treatment needs to continue for longer than the usual 7 days, especially with Pasteurella infections which can be very stubborn. When the Vet removed your Rabbits teeth (the Incisors I assume ??) were skull radiographs taken ?

Whilst it is obviously not ideal to have a Rabbit on antibiotics a lot in certain circumstances it is necessary. The important thing is that treatment is not stopped too soon. It needs to continue for several days AFTER all clinical symptoms have resolved. This insures that any ultra hardy bugs which, whilst not causing symptoms, are lying dormant and awaiting the chance to go forth increase and multiply as soon as the antibiotic treatment stops. These hardy residual bacteria can then evolve to become resistant to the antibiotic.

So in your Rabbit's case I would want to make sure that this course of Baytril is of sufficient duration. There are other antibiotics which can be given, but Baytril is usually the first one a Vet prescribes as it is the only one licensed for Rabbits. The Vet has to abide by legal prescribing rules (the 'cascade') and can only prescribe off licence if their is clinical evidence of the necessity to do so.

https://www.rcvs.org.uk/advice-and-...ons/supporting-guidance/veterinary-medicines/

Hopefully a suitably long course of Baytril will knock the infection out, although unfortunately Pasteurella can flare up again, especially at times of stress.

Yes, Rabbits do sleep a lot during the day, they are most active at dawn and dusk. Just as they would be in the wild

Hi Both, thank you so much for your replies and advice, I thought I'd responded...but I obviously forgot to send what I'd typed!

Skull radiographs were not taken as far as I know. Yes agreed I don't believe he was on antibiotics for long enough to really get rid of the pasturalla. I have been back to the vets and they have given me about 4 weeks worth of Baytrill, but we have discussed doing a swab test (which I believe they have to sedate bunny to take a swab from the back of his throat) he has to be off his antibiotics for a week, and this test can help identify the right antibiotic to kill off (if only temporarily) the pasturalla, I'm totally unsure whether to do this as the stress it will cause Obi worries me, although having said that listening to him sneezing his poor little head off all through the night is keeping me awake with worry....the vet has uped his Bayril dose to 1.6ml and I'm praying this now start s to help him as his is so snotty and down....thankfully he's eaing and drinking well. Sorry for the ramble....but I'm one very worried bunny owner

Colly said:

Hi Both, thank you so much for your replies and advice, I thought I'd responded...but I obviously forgot to send what I'd typed!

Skull radiographs were not taken as far as I know. Yes agreed I don't believe he was on antibiotics for long enough to really get rid of the pasturalla. I have been back to the vets and they have given me about 4 weeks worth of Baytrill, but we have discussed doing a swab test (which I believe they have to sedate bunny to take a swab from the back of his throat) he has to be off his antibiotics for a week, and this test can help identify the right antibiotic to kill off (if only temporarily) the pasturalla, I'm totally unsure whether to do this as the stress it will cause Obi worries me, although having said that listening to him sneezing his poor little head off all through the night is keeping me awake with worry....the vet has uped his Bayril dose to 1.6ml and I'm praying this now start s to help him as his is so snotty and down....thankfully he's eaing and drinking well. Sorry for the ramble....but I'm one very worried bunny owner

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I would suggest asking the Vet about also giving Obi a mucolytic (Bisolvon, a Powder you can sprinkle on food) to thin out the mucus secretions. Trying to get his sinuses draining can only help shift all the 'nasties' up there. Sometimes a non steroidal anti-inflammatory such as Metacam can be useful too. It can reduce the inflammatory in the nasal passages/sinuses and thus reduce the violent sneezing fits. Some Rabbits benefit from being nebulised, either with just saline or with F10 Solution or even with an antibiotic. I'd run that idea past the Vet too.

This thread is long, but you may pick up some useful tips if you read it

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?340086-Snuffle-bunny-thread&highlight=snuffles

Hi, thats great thank you. I will definately be asking the vet about the suggestions above. How do you use a nebuliser with a bunny, as I can imagine that must be tricky but give great relief to snuffly buns. :wave:

Colly said:

Hi, thats great thank you. I will definately be asking the vet about the suggestions above. How do you use a nebuliser with a bunny, as I can imagine that must be tricky but give great relief to snuffly buns. :wave:

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Either via a mask for Rabbits who are not stressed by this



I have this Nebuliser

http://www.medisave.co.uk/omron-compair-ne-c28p-nebuliser.html

Or in a 'Nebulising Chamber'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JpVeWhJ8RA

Colly said:

Hi, thats great thank you. I will definately be asking the vet about the suggestions above. How do you use a nebuliser with a bunny, as I can imagine that must be tricky but give great relief to snuffly buns. :wave:

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Some bunnies will tolerate having the mask held to their face. I had a bunny with pneumonia, any stress would trigger mouth breathing so using the mask wasn't an option. For Wallace we made a nebulising chamber, using a pet carrier with cling film over the wire door at the front. We made a little hole in the cling film and poked the nebuliser through a hole in the cling film and attached the mask on the other side to help with diffusing. Wallace acually liked it in there, it was his little den and he felt safe and comfortable inside it.

When nebulising F10, you have to make sure you don't inhale the nebulised F10 yourself. F10 is harmful for us to breath in apparently. I used to put Wallace in his nebulising chamber, switch the nebuliser on and then leave the room. I 'd check on him part-way through and was only ever in the next room so could hear what he was up to.

Wallace also had a drug called Corvental, which opens the airways, it was recommended by Molly Varga when my vets contacted her for advice. I don't know whether it's appropriate for upper respiratory infection, Wallace's main problems were in his lungs, but it might be worth asking you vet about it just in case it would help. Wallace also had Bisolvon, which Jane has already suggested, when his infection briefy tracked upwards to the upper respiratory tract and he became sneezy and snotty.

Tracy said:

Some bunnies will tolerate having the mask held to their face. I had a bunny with pneumonia, any stress would trigger mouth breathing so using the mask wasn't an option. For Wallace we made a nebulising chamber, using a pet carrier with cling film over the wire door at the front. We made a little hole in the cling film and poked the nebuliser through a hole in the cling film and attached the mask on the other side to help with diffusing. Wallace acually liked it in there, it was his little den and he felt safe and comfortable inside it.

When nebulising F10, you have to make sure you don't inhale the nebulised F10 yourself. F10 is harmful for us to breath in apparently. I used to put Wallace in his nebulising chamber, switch the nebuliser on and then leave the room. I 'd check on him part-way through and was only ever in the next room so could hear what he was up to.

Wallace also had a drug called Corvental, which opens the airways, it was recommended by Molly Varga when my vets contacted her for advice. I don't know whether it's appropriate for upper respiratory infection, Wallace's main problems were in his lungs, but it might be worth asking you vet about it just in case it would help. Wallace also had Bisolvon, which Jane has already suggested, when his infection briefy tracked upwards to the upper respiratory tract and he became sneezy and snotty.

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Tracy this is very valuable advice. I didn't know about F10 being harmful for humans to breathe in.

Colly, I have used the Bisolven many times, and it's good stuff. I've also nebulised seriously ill bunnies, using both the mask and a nebulising chamber (home-made).

Good luck with persuading your vet to try more/different treatments. I hope it goes well for you both x

Hi all,

I just wanted to say a BIG thank you for all your advice above, and the picture ( which as I check in usually on my work laptop hadn't opened, but then the other day on my Kindle there it was!). I'll be keeping all of it as I think I'll be here again sadly but for now the sneezing fits have ended, and he seems to be almost back to good health again after hitting the pasturella hard with antibiotics. He's been sneezing fit free for about 5 days and I'm still giving him the anti b's, he was on 1.6ml but I've lowered it to 1ml....now when do I stop!? The vets gave me a months worth so I have plenty left and I don't want to speak to soon and stop them, but equally don't want him to be on them to much longer..I guess I should ask vet ??

Colly said:

Hi all,

I just wanted to say a BIG thank you for all your advice above, and the picture ( which as I check in usually on my work laptop hadn't opened, but then the other day on my Kindle there it was!). I'll be keeping all of it as I think I'll be here again sadly but for now the sneezing fits have ended, and he seems to be almost back to good health again after hitting the pasturella hard with antibiotics. He's been sneezing fit free for about 5 days and I'm still giving him the anti b's, he was on 1.6ml but I've lowered it to 1ml....now when do I stop!? The vets gave me a months worth so I have plenty left and I don't want to speak to soon and stop them, but equally don't want him to be on them to much longer..I guess I should ask vet ??

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Yes, definitely It's very encouraging to hear that he's been sneeze free for 5 days. Long may that continue xx

Colly said:

Hi all,

I just wanted to say a BIG thank you for all your advice above, and the picture ( which as I check in usually on my work laptop hadn't opened, but then the other day on my Kindle there it was!). I'll be keeping all of it as I think I'll be here again sadly but for now the sneezing fits have ended, and he seems to be almost back to good health again after hitting the pasturella hard with antibiotics. He's been sneezing fit free for about 5 days and I'm still giving him the anti b's, he was on 1.6ml but I've lowered it to 1ml....now when do I stop!? The vets gave me a months worth so I have plenty left and I don't want to speak to soon and stop them, but equally don't want him to be on them to much longer..I guess I should ask vet ??

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What great news! Fingers crossed the improvement maintains.

I should ask the vet about the antibiotics. We can't really advise how long a course should be when it's been prescribed by a vet ... Can I ask though - did the Vet tell you to lower the dose?

No, he started off on 1ml then the vet put it up to 1.6ml but since he's stopped sneezing fits I've reduced it slightly, just feels like a lot of antibiotics to give him...I possibly should have left it at 1.6ml? ? :?

Colly said:

No, he started off on 1ml then the vet put it up to 1.6ml but since he's stopped sneezing fits I've reduced it slightly, just feels like a lot of antibiotics to give him...I possibly should have left it at 1.6ml? ? :?

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Yes, it is important to keep to the prescribed dose unless the Vet says otherwise xx