The snuffles

Hii :wave:, I hope you guys can help me.
I adopted my lovely rabbit Michael just under 5 months ago, they told us he has had "the snuffles" in the past but he had been treated with a
course of antibiotics and it had gone. We felt happy about this and went ahead and adopted him, with in a week of having him they can back. so we took him back to the vets and they gave him another course of antibiotics, it never made any difference so we took him back and they gave him another course. It finally cleared up. every now and then he sneezes but nothing comes out (white mucus) lately he has been moulting, his summer coat is coming !! and snot has been coming out I was wondering if anyone has had any experience of this. what antibiotics they have used or if they have had a bunny that's allergic to quite a few things. many thanks mollie:thumb::thumb::thumb:

'Snuffles' can be problematic to 'cure' and even if symptoms resolve after a course of treatment they can recur at times of stress/with a concurrent illness.

The initial antibiotic treatment needs to be of sufficient duration and should continue for several days AFTER all clinical symptoms resolve. This may mean that treatment goes on for a few weeks rather than the usual 7-10 days. Apart from the first line of antibiotics such as Enroflaxacin (Baytril) there are other antibiotics that can be prescribed. Some must only be given by injection. Some antibiotics can also be given via a nebuliser.

Inflammation in the nasal passages can remain a problem and some Rabbits are very sensitive to allergens such as dusty hay. During an active infection the Vet may prescribe a non steroidal anti-inflammatory eg Metacam which can help reduce the inflammation within the nasal passages.

These links may be useful to take a look at :

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Respiratory/Bacterial/URI.htm

http://www.vettimes.co.uk/article/respiratory-diseases-in-rabbits/

all mine are snuffle buns but some worse than others. The bum had it while pregnant and all the babies got it. I was using wood shavings at that time (silly me) and was giving alfalfa to momma mum to help keep her weight up. Both these things trigger mucus and sneezing in my buns so no shavings now and just alfalfa once a week in treat toy. I have also found when they get stressed it can trigger it too. Touch wood we have not had any trouble from any of them in months since starting echinacea. They dont even have that all the time now. Hope your bun feels better soon xx

Mollielowe98 said:

Hii :wave:, I hope you guys can help me.
I adopted my lovely rabbit Michael just under 5 months ago, they told us he has had "the snuffles" in the past but he had been treated with a
course of antibiotics and it had gone. We felt happy about this and went ahead and adopted him, with in a week of having him they can back. so we took him back to the vets and they gave him another course of antibiotics, it never made any difference so we took him back and they gave him another course. It finally cleared up. every now and then he sneezes but nothing comes out (white mucus) lately he has been moulting, his summer coat is coming !! and snot has been coming out I was wondering if anyone has had any experience of this. what antibiotics they have used or if they have had a bunny that's allergic to quite a few things. many thanks mollie:thumb::thumb::thumb:

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I would say the snuffles came back in the first instance when you had him was because of stress. Stress will lower the immune system and cause illnesses that are under control to flare up.

You could try echinacea as an adjunct to antibiotic therapy

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

Check with your vet if you are unsure, but it does no harm.

Allergy is also a possibility and vets find this very hard to diagnose.

Thank you all, I totally agree that the first time it came back it was because of stress, its so weird because it comes and goes he always sneezes but nothing comes out the other times it does, the vet said this was fine :? I don't agree though I think we are going to go to another vets and get another opinion, I don't use any thing in his cage just news paper which is changes everyday he has a hay rack on the outside of the cage which has timothy hay in. The only antibiotic that he has ever been given is baytril. He eats, drinks and poops and wees fine, he also has a healthy weight so his a good healthy rabbit. I am very much so wondering if its due to inflammation.

do your buns still sneeze if so is it ok for them to do so as long as nothings coming out ? on day he will sneeze and something will come out other times he sneezes and nothing comes out do they live outside as at the moment Michael my bun is inside but we are thinking of putting him outside in the summer but this may then cause him to become stressed. what is Echinacea did your vet prescribe it ? thank you

Mollielowe98 said:

do your buns still sneeze if so is it ok for them to do so as long as nothings coming out ? on day he will sneeze and something will come out other times he sneezes and nothing comes out do they live outside as at the moment Michael my bun is inside but we are thinking of putting him outside in the summer but this may then cause him to become stressed. what is Echinacea did your vet prescribe it ? thank you

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Echinacea is a herb that boosts the immune system.

Some vets do prescribe it, yes. Otherwise you can check with the vet it's fine to give and buy some using the link I sent

thank you, have you ever used it with your buns if so how often do you use it and how much do you give ?