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How serious is pasturella?

Suzi Wong

Mama Doe
My little Jasper started sneezing and a snotty nose about a month ago, he was on baytril for a week but didn't improve, then we stopped the baytril to clear it out of his system then the vet took a swab test up his nose and sent it off.
It came back and he says it is pasturella, Jasper is back on baytril he is having 0.8 mls a day for 20 days then we have to go back to the vet.

Apart from the snotty nose and sneezing though he is absolutely fine, eating and drinking and running round the house as usual and still gaining weight.

How serious is pasturella?
 
pasturella or more common name for it snuffels can be quite serious and in the past iv know a few that have been pts cause it got so bad, it is very contagous (sp) to other bunnies too.
iv heard for others that baytril only maskes the problem and they will still carry the bactiria event when it starts to look better cause the treament only masks the problem and will come out again at some point so it is not always a good idea to introduce another rabbit
but iv also heard that some rabbits have had it b4 lived a good life
becky
 
My rabbit cheeky is now 5 and a half and has had pasturella for 5 years now . He has been on and off baytril all that time but we have managed to keep it under control . There will be times when the infection will be more prominent and your bunny will be feeling quite low , but with the care of a good vet and you there is no reason why your bunny cannot live a full and normal life . At present cheeky is on 0.5ml of baytril every single day , the vet plans to take him off this in dec to see how he goes . You may also want to keep an eye on your rabbits teeth as pasturella and teeth problems can go hand in hand . Cheeky has had surgery 4 times on his back molars for spurs but he has responded well to this . If you were to meet cheeky then you would never know that he has this dreadful infection , he looks normal but I always have to keep a very close eye on him . As you have already been told , pasturella is infectious and can easily be passed onto an unaffected rabbit . All in all though I would just keep a watchful eye on your bun , take your vets advice - there is no reason why your rabbit should have any worse a quality of life as any other rabbit . Cheeky is living proof of this . And he is still " cheeky" in nature .
 
Hi

Rescues sometimes have bunnies in that have pasteurella, and need to be homed with another bunny with pasteurella so you may be able to get him a girlfriend who already has it. Obv that will mean more vets bills, depends upon whether that is ok with you.

Do you keep him inside or outside? The rescue I work at recently rehomed 2 bunnies with pasteurella, as indoor bunnies. Not sure whether the cold weather can affect it, but at least then they can be kept an eye on and kept snuggly.

As long as he gets good veterinary care and attention he should live a happy life :)

Nicola
 
Sorry...forgot to mention that he is a indoor bunny :oops:

I'm having trouble believing he has this horrid thing, as apart from the snotty nose and sneezing you really wouldn't know there is anything wrong with him it's awful :cry:
 
As he is an indoor bun u can keep a close eye on him and keep him snug :)

It is hard to believe sometimes as most are healthy apart from a snuffly nose! It's good tho when they are behaving like their normal selves - less to worry about! It can be managed really effectively - sounds like he is doing OK!
 
Hi

Almost 80% of rabbits have pasturella and in many cases it can amost seem unnoticed.

Yes a lot of rabbits show this condtion through snots, abscesses etc etc but there are also loads of buns who may have the ocasional sneeze and nothing more. Chances are that there are possibly umpteen buns out there who have it but don't show the symptoms that we hear about all the time.

If your rabbit is showing all the signs such as snot etc then it would possible be best not to get him a pal at the moment - although if you were to get hom one then according to the statistics it would possible have pasturella anyway.

We thought Kim had it at one stage as she is quite wheezy at times and we did try Baytril. Not only did she refuse the baytril after a couple of days (throwing a right royal paddy) but it only masked her condition. She does still have a few wheezes but has no other symptoms. Funnily enough she is always better when I don't put hay in - bizarrly I think she is allergic to hay as depending on what type I use she can sneeze her little tail off (not literally).Anyway she is taken to my work (the vets) every month for check up.

Because Kim's symptons are mild we decided to get her a friend and Aggie is fine - however if the percentage of 80% with pasturella is right - you would have a hard job finding a bun without this condition.

lol Pam, Kim & Aggie.
 
If a rabbit has full blown pasturells then large doses of batril are needed for at least amonth and a half maybe longer, the latest one of mine that had it was a dwarf lop and weighed in at 5.5 and was on 1mil twice a day, he has been on it for a month now and is back to normal. Batril is very bitter to the taste and if you cannot give it by mouth then you should ask your vet to teach you to inject it. This is as youve heard not a cure but puts them into remmision. personaly i think they do better outside the fresh air does them good. There are many other things that can go wrong with a bunnie that has this condition it can cause lots of things like abbccesses, so keep a long term eye on him. As has been mentioned he will be contagious to other rabbits but it should not be dificult to find a rescue bun with it as it rife all over the country. val
 
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