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Unsure on what is wrong with my rabbit

H

Harvey_Rabbit

New Kit
Yesterday our 3 month old male rabbit went in to be neutered but it was called off at the last minute as they weren't happy with his breathing and they described it as 'rattley'. When we took him for a checkup they made a note of his breathing being rattley (two weeks ago) however they put this down to stress. Paul was at the vets for 5 hours yesterday (I dropped him off before work and couldn't pick him up until after) and they said he quickly settled in and seemed very relaxed but his breathing stayed with a rattle to it.

They've prescribed him Baytril which he is on twice a day but they seemed to have no idea what was wrong with him. He does sneeze but there is no discharge and seems more than happy and excitable in himself. I have started to notice his breathing can be quite loud and he does sometimes make noises while eating. We've moved him into a separate room to our other rabbit. Is it best to keep him warm and rested or just let him act as normal (normally a house rabbit with access to most of the house)?

Our other rabbit had the snuffles but he was given the all clear 2 weeks ago after a blood test and a check over by the vet and the vet didn't seem to think it would be a possibility... They're both kept inside, no sawdust and kept in a fairly clean environment (no masses amounts of dust) and they have dust free hay.

Thankyou :cry:
 
Harvey_Rabbit said:
Yesterday our 3 month old male rabbit went in to be neutered but it was called off at the last minute as they weren't happy with his breathing and they described it as 'rattley'. When we took him for a checkup they made a note of his breathing being rattley (two weeks ago) however they put this down to stress. Paul was at the vets for 5 hours yesterday (I dropped him off before work and couldn't pick him up until after) and they said he quickly settled in and seemed very relaxed but his breathing stayed with a rattle to it.

They've prescribed him Baytril which he is on twice a day but they seemed to have no idea what was wrong with him. He does sneeze but there is no discharge and seems more than happy and excitable in himself. I have started to notice his breathing can be quite loud and he does sometimes make noises while eating. We've moved him into a separate room to our other rabbit. Is it best to keep him warm and rested or just let him act as normal (normally a house rabbit with access to most of the house)?

Our other rabbit had the snuffles but he was given the all clear 2 weeks ago after a blood test and a check over by the vet and the vet didn't seem to think it would be a possibility... They're both kept inside, no sawdust and kept in a fairly clean environment (no masses amounts of dust) and they have dust free hay.

Thankyou :cry:
Click to expand...

It sounds as though your Vet suspects that Paul may have a lower respiratory tract infection. This would fit with 'rattly breathing' and 'dry sneezing'. LRT infections can respond well to antibiotics, but the course of treatment may need to be a long one and the Vet should re-examine the Rabbit every 5-7 days. If the lungs remain rattly despite the first choice of antibiotics the Vet would probably decide to change the antibiotic. There are several alternatives to Baytril, some need to be given by injection and some can be given via a nebuliser.

Rabbits can also develop asthma, so that would be another possibility, although less likely than a bacterial infection.

If your house has central heating then this can sometimes exacerbate respiratory tract problems in Rabbits as the central heating can cause a very dry atmosphere. Using humidifiers can sometimes help. An ambient room temperature of about 18C is OK but if it's too warm that too can exacerbate breathing problems.

I would let Paul go about his day to day life as normal at the moment, trying to confine him would probably stress him out and be counter-productive.

I hope he will respond well to his treatment x
 
Harvey_Rabbit said:
Yesterday our 3 month old male rabbit went in to be neutered but it was called off at the last minute as they weren't happy with his breathing and they described it as 'rattley'. When we took him for a checkup they made a note of his breathing being rattley (two weeks ago) however they put this down to stress. Paul was at the vets for 5 hours yesterday (I dropped him off before work and couldn't pick him up until after) and they said he quickly settled in and seemed very relaxed but his breathing stayed with a rattle to it.

They've prescribed him Baytril which he is on twice a day but they seemed to have no idea what was wrong with him. He does sneeze but there is no discharge and seems more than happy and excitable in himself. I have started to notice his breathing can be quite loud and he does sometimes make noises while eating. We've moved him into a separate room to our other rabbit. Is it best to keep him warm and rested or just let him act as normal (normally a house rabbit with access to most of the house)?

Our other rabbit had the snuffles but he was given the all clear 2 weeks ago after a blood test and a check over by the vet and the vet didn't seem to think it would be a possibility... They're both kept inside, no sawdust and kept in a fairly clean environment (no masses amounts of dust) and they have dust free hay.

Thankyou :cry:
Click to expand...

Personally I would just let Paul act as normally as possible, doing the things he enjoys doing. It's difficult to predict the outcome but I'm glad your vet felt it was a good idea to delay the neutering and put him on antibiotics.

How long a course of Baytril is he on? He would need at least a couple of weeks on that antibiotic before thinking of changing to another one.

You could also try to boost his immune system by giving the herb echinacea - which is very effective in humans too!

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

You can use a tincture or open a capsule and sprinkle it onto his food.

Good luck, he sounds like he's in good hands with you!
 
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