help 3 poorly rabbits and vets are stumped

Twinkle, Sugarplum and Caramel are all showing the same symptoms. Sneezing and a small amount of clear runny discharge. Because all 3 have it I think its safe to assume its an infection.

Twinkle has had Baytril, Septrin, and depocillin (she has one more dose left), none have made even the slightest bit of difference.

The vet is now stumped as to what to do next. She said a culture might be possible but because there's not much discharge it might be hard. She mentioned referral to a rabbit specialist but thats in Bristol which would be a nightmare to get to and very expensive i should imagine :shock: she also mentioned that it could be TB as its obviously very infectious and resistant to the antibiotics :shock:

Help what do i do now?

No idea or advice, but how worrying for you, hope you get to the bottom of it soon. Does the vet think it could be why Toffee died so suddenly? Really hope they get better soon.

no she didnt mention Toffee, I'd be suprised as Toffee wasn't sneezing. None of the rabbits appear ill apart from the sneezing. They are eating fine and are lively

awww hope they feel better soon

this may sound stupid but i dont suppose you have changed hay or anything recently?

i changed hay makes a few weeks back and my buns were a bit sneezy with a bit of a runny nose one day (i would have taken them to the vets if it hadnt cleared up) so i changed the hay back to the other stuff and they were both fine

(((((vibes))))) to the poorly bunsters

Again this might sound a bit daft but could be the hay.

A couple of weeks ago I started with itchy runny nose, bit of a sore throat and have felt that I was starting with a cold. As this coincided with the arrival of my piggies I wondered if I was allergic to them but noticed a few days ago that my latest bale of farm hay was very dusty (and not the good quality it usually is). I think it's a reaction to the hay.

Lets hope it is as simple as something like this.

Good luck buns.

Rabswood

As well as changing bedding or hay...what do you use to disinfect their cages? Try using just warm water for a while and see if the sneezing stops.....also make sure no sprays such as air freshner are being used near the bunnies..
Good luck

I've been using the same hay and i just use white vinegar to disinfect :?

Hi I have exactly the same thing with my bunny Loki, who has had sneezes and discharge since November last year! The discharge has ranged from large amounts of white goo (technical term!) to a small amount of clear discharge from the bottom of his nose to the crease of his lip. We have been on Baytril and Septrin and although they seemed to have cleared up most of the white discharge we just can't seem to get rid of all the clear discharge. My last trip to the vets was on Tuesday where we decided to stop the Septrin (been on it for 4 weeks now) and basically see what happens. There's not enough discharge for a swab/culture at the moment either! His lungs are clear and he is eating, pooing, drinking and very lively, so we and our vet are at a loss too! The vet mentioned allergies etc, but then said that as the white discharge responded to ab then it didn't seem likely. The next route for us if the discharge gets any worse is a GA and deep swab and x-rays. Has this been mentioned by your vet? I just wanted to post to say that I know what you are going through and wish that Twinkle, Sugarplum and Caramel get better very soon. If I get any updates on Loki's treatment then I will let you know

thanks

Sometimes hay carries tiny spores and mould even if you can't see it :shock: it may be this that is causing the runny nose and sneezing. I know it does with my horse. I have had hay recently, from my usual supplier, and its smelt slightly musty althrough it looks really nice and green .
Hope your bunnies are better soon.

i would go and buy some new hay anyway :wink:
although the hay has been fine up till now and you havent changed it, there is a possibility that it has developed spores.
i must admit that hay was the first thing i thought of when i read the symptoms but i am no expert in the slightest regarding buns. i have a fair amount of experience making/handling hay though :wink:
fingers crossed that it is something as simple as that xx

would dried grass be better for a while?

Just a change to some different hay may help
Dried grass is fine but not in the quantity you feed hay..also is higher in protein so can cause excess caecatrophs in some bunnies

You said somewhere else that you clean their litter boxes once a week. That is enough time for mould and bacteria to multiply to a serious amount. Maybe you could try and clean them more often?
I don't think dried grass is the answer. Keep giving them hay, but maybe buy a new bag, like the others suggested.
When did you first notice the symptoms? Are their eyes ok?

I think using wood pellets they don't need cleaning more than once a week, they're not usually that bad as they have more than 1 each so waste is spread.

Are people thinking that it could be an allergy rather than infection with 3 of the rabbits now showing symptons then?

No, it would be a big coincidence if they all got an allergy at the same time. To me it sounds like an infection or an overreaction to some chemical. The bunnies' noses are so much more sensitive than ours. Even if you can't smell anything, a week worth of urine and poo might be quite irritating to their noses and eyes. That's why I asked about the eyes.
Like Jill said, it could also be some perfume in a cleaning liquid or on yourself.
Remind me, are they indoor or outdoor bunnies?

they're all outdoor. I've had the same routine with them for about 7 years now and there haven't been any problems before. Although Sugarplum and Twinkle are new to me I have had caramel nearly 1 1/2 years. The only symptoms they show are sneezing and slightly damp noses!

Good luck. Keep us posted.

Rabs