Pneumonia in rabbits- MILTON HAS GONE TO BUNNY HEAVEN

Hiya
Our beautiful Grey Angora Milton is seriously ill with Pneumonia type symptoms
He has been a very fit bunny up until very recently, when he started puffing after any exertion.
The puffing is now visible at rest too, and very upsetting to watch
Milton has been on Baytril for a week, and it seemed to have some affect, but things became dire once again this morning
I rushed our Milton to the vet, who gave him more antibiotics, and a steroid injection.
** MILTONS TEMPERATURE IS BELOW NORMAL, so not elevated as may be expected in an infected state..any ideas??
We discussed Milton having an X Ray, but felt it would not get us any further along treatment wise, and Miltons breathing is so bad, any stress could be his demise.
Milton is so lovely, he really is a very special bunny, please send him all your positive vibes.
The vet was not hopeful , but I have not given up on Milton yet, I cannot, life without my favourite boy is unthinkable Milton is only 3 and THE most pampered bunny , and lives in our kitchen.

I wondered whether anyone could tell me the causes of Pneumonia, I know there are several different types..the vet mentionned possibilities of a tumour in Miltons Chest ..causing the symptoms, or any infection.
Are there any other treatments for Pneumonia in bunnies?
How long does it take for the antibitics to work on such a nasty infection, if that is what it is?
We have had a run of bunnies passing away here recently, all older bunnies, but Milton is still a youngster relatively speaking, I cannot bear it, I really cant

love a very fraught Bunny Mummy
XX

Adele I am so sorry to hear about Milton.

Unfortunately i know nothing about this but wanted to send you positive vibes anyway xx

Oh Adele i am sorry Xx I know nothing about this but Kay's bunny Mr Thumps had Pneumonia or a Pneumonia type bug it may be worth sending her a pm XX Lots of Snuggles to Milton and big hugs for you XXX

Oh No Adele not dear Milton
When I have had Bunnies with the symptoms you describe they have been prescribed SEPTRIN (antibiotic) or MARBOCYL (another antibiotic).
Some of the poorly bunnies were thought to have contracted pneumonia secondary to a past history of 'snuffles'. Pasteurella being the suspected bacteria but this was not confirmed by any diagnostic test.
To be honest Baytril has never really been helpful in any case of pneumonia I have seen, although my previous Vet ALWAYS prescribed it in the first instance.
I did have a Bun with a tumour in his just and although he did display similar respiratory symptoms he also lost a dramatic amount of weight very quickly despite having a good appetite. Sadly he passed away under anaesthetic for the X-ray.
The only other thing that comes to mind is a heart problem. If Milton has a build up of fluid in his chest due to his heart not functioning properly then his lungs wont be able to inflate fully and he will have to make a greater respiratory effort. If this were to be the case then a diuretic would be of great help. It is what Becks has to have every day along with a drug to lower his blood pressure.
I so hope your dear Milton gets better. At least he is at the Vets where he can also be given oxygen if necessary. Sending lots of healing vibes to Milton and a BIG HUG to you. Janex

i have no suggestions but wanted to send my love your way.

sorry to hear this Adele - I thought immediately of heart problems like Jane said, as you mentioned it was worse after exercise - try frusimide diuretic maybe? A diuretic reduces the workload of the heart, but he will probably also need antibiotics and maybe a nebuliser if it's bacterial pneumonia. Hope he finds the right meds soon.

Oh no Adele, I was just going to email you to see how Milton was doing when I saw this thread.

I do not have any expertise to give, but just wanted you to know we are both rooting for the lovely boy.

Oh, poor Milton.

He is the first Bunny I have ever cuddled.

I cannot offer any advice just send loads of healling vibes your way.

I know he has not been well for a little while with his tummy and he seemed to have conquered that, -- but now this.
You seemd to know something else was not quite right when you asked about good vets in your area yesterday. I hope you were able to use that new vet.
And that he is getting the best medical care he can.

Callie cat and I send lots of healing vibes your way, and a cyber hug for you Adele and David too as ytoiu must both be so worried.
And a little kiss for Milton from Auntie Michele.

Would it not be worth taking him back to the vets?

Awwwwwww Adele,
I`m so sorry Milton`s not so well. Hope the vet can sort it out...........

Here`s sending bucket loads of positive vibes................
Su.x

ahh Adele, so sorry to hear about Milton

just to say that even though his temp was low, it still could be infection. One of the main things with tiny creatures is their metabolism cannot cope with the strain of an infection, and so their own metabolic rate reduces, hence temp reduces too. - this is a big problem with the tiny babies I deal with at work, they need extra energy to enable them to fight the infection, but because their metabolic rate slows they are too weak to feed, we give them tube feeds, perhaps for a bunny you would need to syringe feed some recovery??

sorry can't be more help

Sorry to hear Milton is unwell I hope he recovers.

One of my rabbits had pneumonia this time last year, he had 3 courses of antibiotics and injections, I syringe fed and watered him. It took months but he is all better, his lung capacity is much less then normal and he always looks puffy but he is fit and health and bossy

I hope Milton gets well soon xxxxxxx

I wish I could help Adele and wave a magic wand for you and Milton....all I can offer is my hope and prayers for you

Love from

Hi, im so sorry to hear about Milton, i do hope he gets better soon. Me and alfie are sending him lots of get well vibes~~

Im sorry to say this but i did sadly loose a rabbit to snuffles which showed similar symptons - his breathing was really heavy and so heart braking to watch, he also had lots of nasal discharge- does Milton have this?if not the following might not be of much use to you.

The problem for us was that we were away at the time and the people who were ment to be looking after him didnt realise he was ill

The good thing is that what ever it is you've picked it up quickly, i would try another antibiotic after this course of baytril if theres still no sign of improvement. baytril didnt seem to do much for my bun, i did read somewhere that if theres any nasal discharge some vets when pushed will take a swob to be analyised, then if it is something like snuffles the most appropriate antibiotic can be selected. Since otherwise its a bit hit and miss with what they are treating.
we were also advised to syringe feed Dudley at least 4 times aday with babyfood and that recovery mix- sorry can't remember the actual name its the standard stuff you get from the vets that your ment to syringe feed them-mixed with warm water but it blocks up the syringe and is difficult to use.

Because of the nasal discharge we were also advised to take him in the bathroom with us when having a shower as the steam would help him to breath and hopefully then he would eat - rabbits wont eat if they can't smell! also olbas oil was suggested added to a bowl of hot water and put under the hutch or like under a chair that your bun is sitting on.
Sorry this info might not be much use, especially if Milton doesn't have any nasal discharge, just thought i'd share what little advice I do have, incase any of it helps. I just know how desperate I was to help my Dudley.

Good luck to you both i hope you can soon sort out whats going on, sending lots of get well vibes ~~ kristin and Alfie xxxx

Hope Milton is feeling better soon.

I'm sorry to hear about Milton, I lost Treacle to pneumonia recently but he was very weak with other things too. I hope he gets better soon, sending hugs! x

Thank you so very much for all your wonderful messages of support and advice. I apologise for not replying to you individually, and hope you will understand in the circumstances, as I have been back and forth to the vets several times the past few days.

UPDATE RE MILTON: He has been seen by a rabbit Specialist at a local surgery, and taken in for tests on his lungs, an X Ray of his chest (which he does not need a GA for as he will sit still!!), and an ultra sound scan of his heart/ lungs.
The Vet has been absolutely super and is prepared to do all he can to get a proper diagnosis, and is doing the ultra sound for free as it will help his work with bunnies in the future
Sadly it looks like the prognosis for Milton is extremely poor, heart failure is likely, or a tumour in the lungs
The vet drew some fluid off Miltons lungs in a needle, so we know there is pleuracy (fluid) around the lungs and possibly around the heart.
I have go go back to the vets at 3pm to discuss the options (if any), or to make the decision to have Milton PTS, if appropriate
Please send all your love and thoughts to Milton, and some hugs for me, really need those right now......thank you everyone
At least I feel Milton is in expert hands, and if anything can be done to save him it will. Either way, I know all the options will have been exhausted.

Thank you again for your lovely messages, I will give you another update later.
XXX

Awww Adele, sending huge hugs to you and special snuggles to Milton XXX

Oh how awful, I'm pleased that you have been able to see a rabbit specialist and that they are doing all they can.

Sending lots of positive and healing vibes your way.

Lots of vibes for you and Milton Adele, sounds like you are doing the best you can for Milton xx