Hi, sorry to cross post but I want a reply fairly soon! My Charlie has sneezed ever since we got him. Whilst on holiday, his carer took him to the vets who gave him two lots of Baytrill. Now we're back, he's still sneezing so I took him to our vet who gave him some more antibiotics. I didn't realise until tonight that he'd given him Duphamox LA and having looked on the internet it says 'not to be used on rabbits' Due to go back on Friday but now I'm really worried that he's given him the wrong medicine. Anyone any clues as to whether there will be any side effects?
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Sneezing Bunnies and antibiotics
- Thread starter Jupiter
- Start date
Jack's-Jane
Wise Old Thumper
Are you giving it BY INJECTION?
If not DO NOT give him any more, it is Penicillin type antibiotic and should only be given by injection to Rabbits. Even then it is 'off licence' and is considered a high risk abx for causing gut dysbiosis.
http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/Fort_Dodge_Animal_Health/Duphamox/-32515.html
I would strongly advise you to contact your Vet this morning to request he/she prescribe some QUESTRAN to administer to your Rabbit. Questran will help mop up the 'bad' gut bacteria which are likely to build up when a Bun is on a Penicillin abx.
http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/questran.html
If your Vet prescribed ORAL Duphamox then :shock:
Please keep us posted and I hope your Bun will be OK
Janex
If not DO NOT give him any more, it is Penicillin type antibiotic and should only be given by injection to Rabbits. Even then it is 'off licence' and is considered a high risk abx for causing gut dysbiosis.
http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/Fort_Dodge_Animal_Health/Duphamox/-32515.html
I would strongly advise you to contact your Vet this morning to request he/she prescribe some QUESTRAN to administer to your Rabbit. Questran will help mop up the 'bad' gut bacteria which are likely to build up when a Bun is on a Penicillin abx.
http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/questran.html
If your Vet prescribed ORAL Duphamox then :shock:
Please keep us posted and I hope your Bun will be OK
Janex
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If it's long acting I'd have thought it would definitely be an injectable one.
It looks as if your vet has given a particular type of penicillin which is considered to be high risk in rabbits - there are safer antibiotics and safer types of penicillins to give. My understanding is that this specific type is given a warning because although it can work brilliantly in some rabbits, in others it can cause terrible problems by allowing bad gut bacteria to overgrow. There doesn't seem to be any way of telling which rabbits will be affected hence it is not generally recommended if there are other alternatives.
I would agree with Jane - ask your vet to give you some questran - this can help to 'mop up' the toxins from any bad bacteria which may be given opportunity to grow.
I really hope your little one is ok xxx
It looks as if your vet has given a particular type of penicillin which is considered to be high risk in rabbits - there are safer antibiotics and safer types of penicillins to give. My understanding is that this specific type is given a warning because although it can work brilliantly in some rabbits, in others it can cause terrible problems by allowing bad gut bacteria to overgrow. There doesn't seem to be any way of telling which rabbits will be affected hence it is not generally recommended if there are other alternatives.
I would agree with Jane - ask your vet to give you some questran - this can help to 'mop up' the toxins from any bad bacteria which may be given opportunity to grow.
I really hope your little one is ok xxx
Thanks for the replies. The vet gave Charlie the injection - I'm supposed to take him back on Friday for the second lot. He did mention that he thought the infection was something that Charlie would 'just have to live with' and he's not a poorly bunny at all - quite the opposite, although taking him out to the vet does stress him. I will definitely ask for something to counteract the good/bad bacteria when i go tomorrow.
I tried to contact the original vet today who gave him the Baytril although he wasn't available, I have to ring back tonight - I just want to see what he would have done next. Second opinion sort of thing - his surgery is quite a way from where we live so I didn't want to take Charlie on any longer journey if it wasn't necessary.
Will keep you updated but it's good to know there are lots of people in the same boat!
I tried to contact the original vet today who gave him the Baytril although he wasn't available, I have to ring back tonight - I just want to see what he would have done next. Second opinion sort of thing - his surgery is quite a way from where we live so I didn't want to take Charlie on any longer journey if it wasn't necessary.
Will keep you updated but it's good to know there are lots of people in the same boat!
Does he have any discharge from his nose or is it simply just sneezing? Has it got any better since he's been on any of the antibiotics? Sometimes they get good at hiding a runny nose by wiping their front paws on it - have you seen him do this? It can make their front paws a little discoloured and matted. If you have seen no improvement on the antibiotics and there is no discharge, it is possible that he has an allergy rather than an infection. Is this a possibility?
A common infection which causes sneezing and runny noses is called 'snuffles'. It is usually, though not always, caused by pasteurella bacteria. There are a number of antibiotics which can be used; it can become a chronic problem because it forms pockets of little abscesses in the nasal passages which are very difficult to get antibiotics to.
A rabbit rescue friend recently told me that her vet has said that recent thinking is to give a 6 week course of baytril for snuffles (it takes that long to get to the heart of the abscesses). Other antibiotics often prescribed include septrin, oxytetracycline (the brand my vet uses is called terramycin) or one of the other penicillins. My vet also uses doxycycline occasionally, but her preference is terramycin - it is less risky than the penicillins and the long acting injection lasts for 3 days so it's not a daily thing, and she finds that it generally seems to work well.
Personally, if this was my rabbit, knowing that there are much safer alternatives available, I would refuse another injection of duphamox.
Good luck, please keep us posted on your little one xx
A common infection which causes sneezing and runny noses is called 'snuffles'. It is usually, though not always, caused by pasteurella bacteria. There are a number of antibiotics which can be used; it can become a chronic problem because it forms pockets of little abscesses in the nasal passages which are very difficult to get antibiotics to.
A rabbit rescue friend recently told me that her vet has said that recent thinking is to give a 6 week course of baytril for snuffles (it takes that long to get to the heart of the abscesses). Other antibiotics often prescribed include septrin, oxytetracycline (the brand my vet uses is called terramycin) or one of the other penicillins. My vet also uses doxycycline occasionally, but her preference is terramycin - it is less risky than the penicillins and the long acting injection lasts for 3 days so it's not a daily thing, and she finds that it generally seems to work well.
Personally, if this was my rabbit, knowing that there are much safer alternatives available, I would refuse another injection of duphamox.
Good luck, please keep us posted on your little one xx
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Took Charlie back to the vet and questioned why he had given him Duphamox when it wasn't safe for bunnies. He said that as in injection it was safe for Charlie and as Charlie had white discharge (snuffles) then it was the best medicine for the job. He went into the explanation of why some vets don't use it - kind of put my mind at ease actually and also explained what, if any would be side effects. He took a swab of his nose and I have to take him back on Monday for a check up. Actually, not heard him sneezing at all since :shock: but he's not drinking a lot now. Giving him some green leaves which I hope will give him liquid but he's not really interested in his nuggets. Still eating hay, still pooing and still running around. Will just have to keep my eye on him. I'm trying to give him 'quiet time' just in case he is still a bit stressed out!
The other vet who gave him the first anti b's was most unhelpful! Wouldn't even come to the phone - just left me a message via his receptionist to say if I wanted to change vets they would take him on! Suppose he thought he wouldn't get paid for advice on phone!
The other vet who gave him the first anti b's was most unhelpful! Wouldn't even come to the phone - just left me a message via his receptionist to say if I wanted to change vets they would take him on! Suppose he thought he wouldn't get paid for advice on phone!
