Hello,
I hope you dont mind me posting on the end of the thread! I have just got a 4 month old dwarf lop who has previously suffered from snuffles so we have him bedded on megazorb and are giving him dust free hay to eat. Is there anything else we could do to reduce the risk of a flare up?
I have also got him some Echinacea liquid but wondered how much to give him and how is best to administer it?
Another other advice will be greatly apprecaited!
Many Thanks
Emma and Ralph
:wave: Hi Poppy rabbit & welcome to RU, & to this thread.
I'd check out the dust free hay by sticking my nose in a handful & breathing in. I suspect that one of the dust problems is that hay in
bags has to have all the water extracted from it or it will go mouldy. This makes the grass very brittle & it breaks up during transport etc. Some hays are better than others in this respect.
At present I'm tossing hay over a plastic crate. All the tiny bits bunny might breath in up his nose fall to the bottom. The long fibers roll off easily.
I got some plastic mesh which looks like grey tapestry canvass from a garden center (it's really cheap). It's designed to stop gravel sinking into soil.
Stage 2) having tossed the hay, I put a thin
layer loosely in a clean crate with the mesh on top & then use the long tubular attachment of the vacuum cleaner to suck any remaining dust out.
I'm also trying to get hold of some sun dried farmer's hay/bailed hay. There's a bit more moisture in it but it won't go mouldy as long as it isn't enclosed in plastic.
I'm at the experimental stage too!
Maizey has the most experience of using echinacea - she gives her recommendations just a few posts back.
Basil is a kitchen herb. Many supermarkets sell them growing in pots, but you're best to grow your own next month 1 plant per pot. The leaves can be folded into little cups 1 drop of echinacea for a small lop, & tip it into bunny's mouth when he starts to take the leaf is ideal.
Getting to know your bunny & really simple things to make them feel safe help. Benjie is quite nervous. I've given him an enormous box with 2 entrance holes & cushions inside. That's his sacrosanct hidey hole. (Fortunately he's not as good as Thumper at knowing med time so he doesn't do a runner just when I want him:lol
It's a very personal opinion, I'm still learning the early signs of snuffles in Benjie - how he's very noisy eating & grooming, & how he grooms away any evidence of discharge quickly. I've already found getting the secretions more "runny" is incredibly helpful. I'd say dust control, stress reduction/improving the immune system & getting runny secretions are the 3 big keys to controling this illness.
We're using Bisolvon for this while he has an acute flare up. It
looks as if he's getting worse, the discharge returned, but it was soooo much easier for him to clear his nose & he's sneezing less. He's better in himself too. He's charging around the place & getting into mischief like all young buns do. I suspect we're just beginning to unblock the sinuses.
I'd like to continue the bisolvon for a goodly time after we stop ABx.
I've also got a nebuliser which is another way to make secretions runny. I hope we won't need it until later, but when he gets through this, I'll be slowly getting him used to it so he isn't scared when we need to use it.
:wave: Good luck & please let us know if
you find something which is very helpful.
