Views on Snuffles

Interested in peoples views on rabbits that have suffered Snuffles. Do you rehome singley or risk putting them with another bun? What are your reasons?

The last bun I rehomed, Dave the french lop, was a snotster so I specified that he should either go to live with another snotty bun (there are people out there with a snuffly bun who haven't bonded them because they don't want to put another bun at risk), or as a single housebun. As it happens he has gone to a housebunny home where he is absolutely adored and doted on and is incredibly happy.

Although many buns won't develop snuffles just because they live with a snuffly bun, they might do and you won't know unless you try it, and then you've got more snuffly ones! Having said that, I've got one snotster who has been living with another bun for nearly 2 years and the other one hasn't developed any problems; I have also just bonded them in with my other healthy pair, but they have been in close enough proximity, sharing a boundary where they could get to each other's noses, and have shared the garden for so long that if there was going to be a transfer, it would have happened by now, so on that basis I gave it a go!

Personally I would not home a known 'Snuffles' Bun with a Bun that had never ever had any symptoms. Although I know that being asymptomatic is no guarantee that a latent infection is not there. I would just feel uncomfortable about homing a definate Snuffler with a might-be-but-not-yet-had-symptoms Snuffler

Janex

I have rehomed snuffle buns with healthy rabbits with no immune problems.....from experience it is rare that these young and healthy bunnies contract the illness when properly looked after.

I also have a snuffle bun living in my trio and neither of these have ever shown any symptoms.

I guess its down to your personal opinion and what you feel is right for the rabbits concerned.

I would also think that people with healthy buns would be reluctant to take a snuffles bun on for fear that their own bun will become ill, which is sensible I suppose.

Some people are but TBH I have found Snuffles is not the feared illness many rabbit keeping books make it out to be. When I was younger there was a lot of hype about Snuffles, it was considered serious.I have found most rabbits carry on leaving perfectly normal lives with little inconvenience apart from needing to wipe their nose every now and then. There are of course exceptions.

My little Alfie has had a snotty nose since he was a baby, nose swabs didn't detect pastuella and antibiotics didn’t make a difference - he would literally sneeze 10 times in a row and snot would fly out of one nostrel!

I bonded him with Holly who was not a snuffly bunny and she has never sneezed once.

As Alfie has got older I hardly ever here him sneeze particularly now he is living in a large shed, I think having more air has helped him, I cannot actually remember the last time he sneezed!

Everyone on RU said I should have bonded him with an equally snuffly bunny but I went against that advice and followed my own instincts - what if I had bonded him with a bun that had very bad pasturella, Alfie would have got a whole lot worse!

But from a rescue point of view you can't put peoples existing rabbits at risk.

Lucyhp said:

But from a rescue point of view you can't put peoples existing rabbits at risk.

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I if they are healthy and the owners fully understand the concept and associated risks and are happy to procede (and pay for treatment in future) then I dont have an issue with it. It is entirely their decision.

Likewise if someone asked to bond their snuffly bun with one of our rabbits and that rabbit was young and healthy then I would be happy to oblige.

Incidentally rehoming two snuffle buns together from a rescue also impaires both their chances of finding a home.

Lucyhp said:

But from a rescue point of view you can't put peoples existing rabbits at risk.

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I agree and I would never ever say 'Snuffles' is not serious. It has the potential to be a killer
Not all cases remain confined to the URT

Janex

Jack's-Jane said:

I agree and I would never ever say 'Snuffles' is not serious. It has the potential to be a killer
Not all cases remain confined to the URT

Janex

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I think Im being taken out of context...I did say there are exceptions, I was very conscious of that knowing how people like to jump on others on here *LOL smilie*, but many never go onto show serious illness.

I am just providing the opinion which the thread asked for...take it or leave it.

Sooz22 said:

I am just providing the opinion which the thread asked for...take it or leave it.

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Me too

Janex

I agree with Sooz. I've had snuffles rabbits living with healthy rabbits for years and they have never shown any symptoms.

I am aware snuffles can be a serious illness but I do think people hype it up to much and I are quick to treat with antibiotics at the first sign of illness.

Louise

Maybe I am over anxious about 'Snuffles' :?
I think seeing how very sick Bobbie became has made me paranoid
Just found this on the 'All Experts' site

Expert: Dana Krempels, Ph.D.
Date: 3/10/2004
Subject: Pasteurella

Question
I was wondering if you knew of any tests that could be done to see if a rabbit has pasturella. There is no snot, no symptoms to sample for a culture. See, we have separate groups of rabbits, and we'd like to bond them, but fear that one group might have pasturella (they're domestic rescues from the wild). Like I already said, there are no symptoms that they do, except they have a wet nose. Are wet noses a sign? If not, do you know why my bunnies have them? It's not white, it's clear.

Thanks

Alexandra and Bunns

Answer
Dear Alexandra,

Even if the new bunnies do have Pasteurella, this bacterium will not necessarily be transmitted to anyone else. We have had *many* bunnies who tested positive for Pasteurella (via culture and sensitivity testing, which is explained here: www.bio.miami.edu/hare/culture.html), and not one ever had an uninfected companion contract the microorganism. Pasteurella is really quite a delicate beast, and many experienced vets now suspect that a rabbit will contract it in infancy, or not at all. Transmission is suspected to occur via contact with infected bodily fluids (snot, saliva, etc.), but a healthy adult rabbit exposed to such fomites usually isn't all that susceptible. The immune system handles it.

And some rabbits with Pasteurella never show any serious symptoms. It's just not the horrible demon it's made out to be: it's simply a bacterium that's not uncommon in rabbits, and in some immunocompromised individuals, it can cause disease that may manifest as an abscess, an upper respiratory infection, or even an acute systemic infection.

But it is quite treatable, though the specific rabbit-safe antibiotic that would be best to use can be determined only via culture and sensitivity testing.

Even if there is no pus, and the nasal discharge is clear, your vet can take a deep nasal culture and see if the bunnies are harboring any Pasteurella (see the article at the URL above). If they are, it's really not a big deal. But the only way to know is via culture and sensitivity testing.

I hope this helps. Please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana (Krempels)

So it looks as though the thinking is that a Bun is most likely to contract Pasteurella at birth. But if a healthy adult Bun comes into contact with it his/her immune system should cope with it.

I am still not sure how I would feel about homing a known Snuffler to a person with a Bun who's never had symtoms though :? I would feel terrible and very responsible if the 'healthy' Bun did become ill :?

Janex

I had 2 rescue buns come in a few years ago and one of them had snuffles and his partner never caught it at they were together for 6.5 yrs. I suppose it depends on each individual rabbit

Oh ok, thats really interesting. So thats suggesting that a healthy adult should be fine with a bun who's previously had snuffles. It's a shame there is no more conclusive evidence as I'm sure someone will find a report to say the opposite :lol:

Lucyhp said:

Oh ok, thats really interesting. So thats suggesting that a healthy adult should be fine with a bun who's previously had snuffles. It's a shame there is no more conclusive evidence as I'm sure someone will find a report to say the opposite :lol:

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Yep, just when we *think* we understand someone comes along to show us we dont!! :roll: :lol: :lol:

Janex

Phew! :wave: What a relief. After spending upwards of £200 trying to get rid of my bunnies sneezing - and it not working - I've been worrying about what we should do. The vet suggested a rabit specialist or an anaesthetic and nose swab, but they both seem healthy if a little snotty sometimes.

I was thinking that I was cruel not doing anything - the youngest one won't come near us as since we got her in April she has spent a lot of time going back and forward to the vets and thinks if we go near her she's off for another injection.

Thank you for this thread

Ailz

Thank you also from me! I think I am obsessed with snuffles! :shock:

I personally wouldn't take in a rabbit with snuffles (or symtoms) unless I had no other rabbits

If one of my buns had symtoms I wouldn't allow it to come into contact with anyone else's buns and would assume that my other buns were also infected even if no symtoms as it is so contagious, I personally don't think it's worth the risk of other buns catching it

Of course there are bunnies who survive with the symptoms but I'm sure we would rather they didn't have it?