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Bunny sneezing without Snuffles!

H

HayleyB

New Kit
My little girl, Luna, is 3.5 yrs old. I adopted her as a baby, she had been separated from the rest because of "respiratory issues". So, basically she has ALWAYS had this problem.
Initially I took her to the vet and was told she had Snuffles - even though they never looked up her nose, checked her teeth or took any mucus to test etc - and they prescribed antibiotics. She never got any better. Every few months it got worse and I'd take her back and once again they just give her the Baytril, with no effect. And this went on and on. As my little boy rabbit has NEVER caught this from her I started to think the vets were just fobbing me off and making assumptions, they not once physically checked her over or asked any important questions! So I decided to try things out myself, as by now I didn't believe she even had Snuffles. So, I've been through all sorts of bedding/litter, changed their hay brand and type etc all things to see if it is an allergy. No change. Then recently she's started sneezing/coughing so violently that it sends her in to a panic. She is constantly 'snoring', sounding bunged up too. I try to help relieve some of the breathing struggle with a baby aspirator, but a minute after I've cleared her nose she's snoring again!
So, being very concerned with this new level of sneezing/coughing, I changed vet practice and insisted I see whoever is best with buns. The woman was fantastic; checked her all over! There is nothing up her nose, her teeth are fine, her lungs are clear (all the congestion is in her head area). She told me that if you keep giving rabbits anti-biotics when they don't need them it can make their guts poorly (so glad I left the other vets!!). Because of her history, the vet doesn't think Luna has Snuffles at all, and that perhaps her nostrils are inflamed. So she had been on anti-inflammatory for the past 2 weeks. Unfortunately STILL no change!
She is a happy little girl in herself - eats, drinks, poops and binkys! It's just her poor darn nose! I am about to go and try a makeshift nebuliser, but was wondering if anyone has any ideas or has been though the same thing?
Thank you From a concerned Bun-Mum x
 
HayleyB said:
My little girl, Luna, is 3.5 yrs old. I adopted her as a baby, she had been separated from the rest because of "respiratory issues". So, basically she has ALWAYS had this problem.
Initially I took her to the vet and was told she had Snuffles - even though they never looked up her nose, checked her teeth or took any mucus to test etc - and they prescribed antibiotics. She never got any better. Every few months it got worse and I'd take her back and once again they just give her the Baytril, with no effect. And this went on and on. As my little boy rabbit has NEVER caught this from her I started to think the vets were just fobbing me off and making assumptions, they not once physically checked her over or asked any important questions! So I decided to try things out myself, as by now I didn't believe she even had Snuffles. So, I've been through all sorts of bedding/litter, changed their hay brand and type etc all things to see if it is an allergy. No change. Then recently she's started sneezing/coughing so violently that it sends her in to a panic. She is constantly 'snoring', sounding bunged up too. I try to help relieve some of the breathing struggle with a baby aspirator, but a minute after I've cleared her nose she's snoring again!
So, being very concerned with this new level of sneezing/coughing, I changed vet practice and insisted I see whoever is best with buns. The woman was fantastic; checked her all over! There is nothing up her nose, her teeth are fine, her lungs are clear (all the congestion is in her head area). She told me that if you keep giving rabbits anti-biotics when they don't need them it can make their guts poorly (so glad I left the other vets!!). Because of her history, the vet doesn't think Luna has Snuffles at all, and that perhaps her nostrils are inflamed. So she had been on anti-inflammatory for the past 2 weeks. Unfortunately STILL no change!
She is a happy little girl in herself - eats, drinks, poops and binkys! It's just her poor darn nose! I am about to go and try a makeshift nebuliser, but was wondering if anyone has any ideas or has been though the same thing?
Thank you From a concerned Bun-Mum x
Click to expand...


Hiya Hayley, lovely to have you here :wave:

You did absolutely the right thing to change vets to one that knows more about rabbits.

What you're describing is very common. Sometimes the anti- inflammatories (is it Metacam?) don't seem to make any visible difference. It's sometimes a good idea to keep them up for a while, if your vet agrees.

I would also ask your vet for some Bisolvon. You give a pinch twice daily and it thins the mucous and helps it to pass more easily.

Nebulising is also a very good idea and can work well.

I have to say that repeated courses of antibiotics often don't address the problem. What I am trying at the moment is alternatives and supplements (with my vet's full consent and approval!) to see whether any of those make a difference to snotty nose. I've also noticed that some rabbits with persistent snotty noses tend to lose weight and don't keep it on so easily. I rescue and foster rabbits so I have a fair few pass through my hands ...

I began a thread here:

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?465203-Anyone-experienced-Rabbit-weight-loss

I'd love to know of experiences with snuffles and weight loss, and what people have tried. What works and what doesn't seem to, etc.

I have also said the same thing in the past - 'poor darn nose'!!!

Good luck to you - keep in touch :)
 
Sending lots of vibes. Unfortunately it's very common, if you search for Snuffles there are lots of threads. There was one mega thread but I can't find it ATM!
 
MightyMax said:
Hiya Hayley, lovely to have you here :wave:

You did absolutely the right thing to change vets to one that knows more about rabbits.

What you're describing is very common. Sometimes the anti- inflammatories (is it Metacam?) don't seem to make any visible difference. It's sometimes a good idea to keep them up for a while, if your vet agrees.

I would also ask your vet for some Bisolvon. You give a pinch twice daily and it thins the mucous and helps it to pass more easily.

Nebulising is also a very good idea and can work well.

I have to say that repeated courses of antibiotics often don't address the problem. What I am trying at the moment is alternatives and supplements (with my vet's full consent and approval!) to see whether any of those make a difference to snotty nose. I've also noticed that some rabbits with persistent snotty noses tend to lose weight and don't keep it on so easily. I rescue and foster rabbits so I have a fair few pass through my hands ...

I began a thread here:

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?465203-Anyone-experienced-Rabbit-weight-loss

I'd love to know of experiences with snuffles and weight loss, and what people have tried. What works and what doesn't seem to, etc.

I have also said the same thing in the past - 'poor darn nose'!!!

Good luck to you - keep in touch :)
Click to expand...

Hi, thanks for replying! Yes she's on Metacam. What is Bisolvon? I am going to take her back to the vet next week and ask if she can take some samples to test. This is actually her 3rd vet, the first one, when she was a baby just told me to put her down! I hate how for a lot of vets that's the solution with a poorly bunny! Another rabbit I had before had some tummy troubles and I was told to put her down, but with my own research and tlc she lived another happy 4 years! I just wish I could make Luna better! We had a cuddle under a sheet with a bowl of steaming water yesterday - didn't notice any difference in her breathing, but she had a nice snooze while we were there! I'll try again tonight :)
 
Zoobec said:
Sending lots of vibes. Unfortunately it's very common, if you search for Snuffles there are lots of threads. There was one mega thread but I can't find it ATM!
Click to expand...

Trouble is I had one vet say it was snuffles and the other say it's not! Everything I have read says that Snuffles is super contagious, but my other rabbit has not once even sneezed in the 3 years they've been together :S which makes me think it's not that. I'm worried it's perhaps actually something physically wrong with her, like her bone structure or something that we can't cure! :(
 
HayleyB said:
Hi, thanks for replying! Yes she's on Metacam. What is Bisolvon? I am going to take her back to the vet next week and ask if she can take some samples to test. This is actually her 3rd vet, the first one, when she was a baby just told me to put her down! I hate how for a lot of vets that's the solution with a poorly bunny! Another rabbit I had before had some tummy troubles and I was told to put her down, but with my own research and tlc she lived another happy 4 years! I just wish I could make Luna better! We had a cuddle under a sheet with a bowl of steaming water yesterday - didn't notice any difference in her breathing, but she had a nice snooze while we were there! I'll try again tonight :)
Click to expand...


Bisolvon is a mucolytic. It's just a little sachet of white powder and they have a pinch twice daily This means it thins the mucous and enables it to pass more easily. It's often used with upper respiratory conditions.

Regarding the transference of snuffles - I haven't found evidence that a companion rabbit will definitely get a case of snuffles, even living with a confirmed partner. It all depends on the immune system of the rabbit. A rabbit can easily be with a snuffles one and not get it because their own immune system is strong.

I tend not to worry about snuffles.

Have you thought about nebulising? It can help a snuffles bunny by clearing the respiratory tract.
 
I agree with MM :) My Hiro was a sneezy bun when he was a baby and our vet thinks his later ear infection was linked to pasteurella but our other bun has never sneezed in his life and they spend every second together!

Did your vet try the same antibiotic each time or were different antibiotics tried?
 
roxyroller88 said:
I agree with MM :) My Hiro was a sneezy bun when he was a baby and our vet thinks his later ear infection was linked to pasteurella but our other bun has never sneezed in his life and they spend every second together!

Did your vet try the same antibiotic each time or were different antibiotics tried?
Click to expand...

No they only gave the same antibiotic every time!
 
Well... that could also be the problem.

It might be worth trying a different antibiotic. There are so many available! A lot of mone rabbit savvy vets seem to stick to Baytril and then Baytril again and then again.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results!
 
roxyroller88 said:
Well... that could also be the problem.

It might be worth trying a different antibiotic. There are so many available! A lot of mone rabbit savvy vets seem to stick to Baytril and then Baytril again and then again.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results!
Click to expand...


Haha, love it :lol:

Well my vet has refused to give antibiotics for snuffles - how about that! She feels that they really don't help a lot, and can do more harm than good. I'm trying a different approach, boosting the immune system. It's so hard to get rid of the constant inflammatory reaction in the nose - and I can see my vet's point of view.

I do think that nebulising and bisolvon may be of great benefit in helping release all the mucous ... My vet agrees with this too, so I hope I won't be shot down in flames by the 'anti-natural' brigade :lol:
 
My bunny Dave has snuffles, I gave him echinacea on MMS advice and I'm sure it helped. Now he's in with Lucy I can't tell if he eats the nuggets with echinacea on or Lucy eats it, so I stopped using it. Thinking about it, I don't think echinacea would be bad for Lucy would it, so I could start again? The sneezing doesn't seem to bother him though, and I decided it was better for him to have a wife bun than to live alone, Lucy has not started so hopefully she hasn't 'caught' it.
 
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