Newbie.breathing problems!

Hollywood · Feb 22, 2005

Hello,
i was wondering if anyone could advise me. i have a lovely french lop called Dillon who for about 3 weeks has had breathing problems and runny eyes. shes had courses of antibiotics and her tear ducts have been cleared. although her breathing has improved slightly shes still wheezy and im quite sure its made worse by the dust in the hay and straw. ive asked the vets about other bedding but they say rabbits often eat things like shredded paper which could possibly result in her having to be put to sleep. Has anyone else had this problem or have any ideas what i could bed her on that is safe and warm?
thanx. :lol:

Mikeymoo · Feb 22, 2005

You could try Vetbed - that would keep them nice and warm

bunnylove · Feb 22, 2005

YOU CAN BUY VET BED FROM EBAY OR PETS AT HOME

bunnytales · Feb 22, 2005

Awwww 3 week old French Lop eh!! - sounds an absolute cutey - perhaps when he is feeling a little better you could post us bunny mad folks some pickies of the lovely Dillon.

Regarding bedding - every bunster is an individual - I know lots of good folks on here pop their bunnies on shredded paper without any probs - also a product called Magazorb is really good as its dust extracted - all mine are on this now and (touch wood :roll: ) - I've had no probs with them eating it - they much prefer their scrummy hay feed :wink:

Where do you get your Hay from at moment :?: - sometimes you can get a bad batch which is particularly dusty some of the general Pet Store Hay can be quite poor so its good to shop around.

Also regarding Dillons breathing probs - if its severe you can pop a decongestant in his immediate area - CALLING BUNNY FOLKS - I'm sure someone will pop up in a while to tell you the best one to use and if it might give him a bit of relief whilst the Antibiotics continue to do their work.

Hope this helps - sending a snuggle to the lovely Dillon - hope he feels better soon.

Alice · Feb 22, 2005

I had a bun with these problems.....she did still have hay and straw but I always made sure it was not dusty and used the russell Rabbit bales.

If she is kept inside central heating can often irratate these problems if the house is too warm.....

Bunnyboarding · Feb 22, 2005

Sounds like near full-blown snuffles to me :shock: & as you've only had the rabbit 3 wks it could easily have been brought to the surface by the environmental change/stress (stress in a clinical sense)that rabbits are prone to.

We were chatting about this on another forum the other day & the reality is that rabbits rarely get trivial 'colds'& 'allergies' in the same way as people which makes it harder for people to understand.

You will need to seek the help of a vet if one day she seems very poorly & can't get enough oxygen into her lungs

Tamsin · Feb 22, 2005

How long was the antibiotic course? If her symptoms were improved by it but she still has a few left then I would think a longer course is needed.

Tam

nicolar · Feb 22, 2005

Hi

I would def advise Vetbed as it keeps buns warm and if they wee on it the fluid sinks to the bottom so they don't have to sit on it. She will still need hay to munch on, good quality Timothy hay or something like that is very good.

When Pippa had a snuffly throat, I put a flannel on the outside of her hutch and a few drops of Olbas Oil onto it. That combined with Bisolvon which is a decongestant powder available from the vets, and a course of Baytril did the trick. Does sound like your bun could do with a longer course of Baytril.

Have you mentioned the possibility of teeth problems to your vet which could be causing the runny eye if it doesn't clear up? Does sound like snuffles though which can be ongoing throughout life needing Baytril to clear it up.

Nicola

Hollywood · Feb 22, 2005

Hello,
thanx for the quick replys.
im sorry but im not very good at my english and shes not 3 weeks old shes about 1 now and shes just had the breathing problems for about 3 weeks.
i keep her in a stable in a hutch but looking at other posts i think the she may be better off in a shed so i can ventilate it more.thanx for the good suggestions im going to look around the pet shops. i actually get bales from a local college that they use for their horses as ive found most of the pet shop stuff is rather dusty. i took her back to the vets today and got some more antibiotics but was slightly worried that this would upset her tummy. if it would just get warmer i could reduce the amount of hay and straw.
thanx for your help.

nicolar · Feb 22, 2005

How about getting her a cosy cat bed? Or a snugglesafe - which is a microwavable hot water bottle specially for animals - if you are worried about bun getting cold?

I'd def recommend getting some probiotics so that she doesn't get an upset tum from the antibiotics. If you want some good websites just say

Nicola

taylor v 109 · Feb 22, 2005

It does sound like pasturella to me, the fresh air will be better and the antibiotics idealy needs to be given in high dosage for at least a month. val

Bunnyboarding · Feb 22, 2005

Hi Hollywood,

Try this the topics on Pasteurella (also known as Snuffles) on this link;

http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rabrefs.html

Also be very careful that the rabbit does not come into contact with other rabbits as it is infectious.

Weepy eyes/nose & funny breathing are all symptoms of Pasteurella/Snuffles which is very common in rabbits.

Marlene · Feb 22, 2005

Hi Hollywood ':wave:' ..I hope Dillon feels better soon

Newbie.breathing problems!

Hollywood

New Kit

Mikeymoo

Mama Doe

bunnylove

Wise Old Thumper

bunnytales

Mama Doe

Alice

Warren Scout

Bunnyboarding

Alpha Buck

Tamsin

Administrator

nicolar

Mama Doe

Hollywood

New Kit

nicolar

Mama Doe

taylor v 109

Mama Doe

Bunnyboarding

Alpha Buck

Marlene

Mama Doe

Similar threads