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rabbits sneezing... unknown causes!?

S

SREwaller

Young Bun
I got my rabbit Bear back in late December from a store. a few days later he started sneezing. I've taken him to the vets many times but the cause is still unknown. Still, he was given a course of antibiotics, but has shown no signs of improvement... its not normal for rabbits to sneeze and I am very worried for his health. He doesn't have runny eyes, and he doesn't have continuous discharge from his nose (discharge only come out when he has a sort of sneezing fit, and is white in colour). The vet said nothing is trapped in his nose either. He was put into quarantine for a week in case it was something contageous because he lives with Onyx and Lily, his two friends but they all got very distressed by being separated. The didn't seem to get his symptoms, however now Lily has started sneezing a little bit (not as much as Bear) and i'm worried it is contageous. The vet also did a culture of Bear's nasal discharge and found nothing unusual in it. I'm not sure how to proceed.....


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Welcome to the Forum. Do you use wood shavings as this can cause rabbits to sneeze, or is there any smoke around them. Is the hay you use dusty? Some rabbits are allergic to certain hays, could it be this. I assume you keep your rabbits very clean with no ammonia fumes coming from the urine. The only other thing could be dust in the pellets, I try to feed them without any of the dust that is sometimes in the bag.
 
I do use wood shavings but only in their litter trays. I've tried 3 different brands of wood shavings too.... as for the hay I have also tried going for expensive dust free hay but this has not seemed to make any difference.... perhaps t could be the dust from the pellets but I usually make sure there is as little dust as possible in it. Him and my other male have been spraying a lot, which has meant me cleaning them out 2-3 times a week.
 
As Tonibun has said, wood shavings can cause respiratory problems due to the phenols they give off, so it’s not recommended to use them for rabbits. Most of us use newspaper and hay in litter trays, I use wood pellet cat litter with hay on top as it is very absorbent. I’d recommend trying something different in their trays and seeing if that helps.

Has the vet advised about vaccinations, and neutering/spaying- I assume Lily is a girl? As rabbits are fertile very early on!
 
Thank you @zoobec! I had no idea wood shavings are bad for rabbits... I've used it for years with all my previous rabbits and I've never encountered any issues before! I will take your advice and opt for simply newspaper and hay.

Yes the vet has- my boys are castrated and Lily is only going to reach sexual maturity in April so I think I'm okay! As for vaccinations, they have had their 1st shot of RHD and myxamitosis but because of the sneezing my vet has told me to hit to have their second dose... I am aware that this means they are not totally immune yet, especially as they live outdoors but the vet does not seem to be too concerned.

Love your pets btw!

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Has the vet mentioned pasteurella? One of my rabbits has this, he sneezes fairly regularly and has white discharge from his nose after sneezes. He's been on various antibiotics for this, some of which had no effect, others seem to 'keep it at bay' if he has a bad bout and something called bisolvon in his water which helps. He's not needed any meds for a couple of years now though, it's a chronic condition. A nasal swab can help determine which antibiotics will be effective but I've been advised they often show nothing unless they're done very deep in the nose, which wouldn't be possible in a rabbit not under GA/sedation. Good luck with it all!
 
I've booked an appointment for Wednesday as they all three are now sneezing! I do wish vets would not delay things so much... before it was only Bear who was sneezing. I will tell the vet to do all the necessary checks and not to delay.... I remember the first time I mentioned the sneezing... the vet was very dismissive, just listened to his chest and as he didn't have any breathing problems, the vet just left it at that.

The symptoms of my rabbits are: sneezing occasionally, and sometimes white discharge (but not all the time!). Aside from that, they are eating, excreting and drinking normally. They do not appear subdued in any way and always come up for me for treats (although I know that rabbits often hide how ill they are until its too late, because they are prey animals). On top of this, my boys got castrated last week and had 0 issues during the op, so they do seem to be very healthy aside the abnormal sneezing...



I will keep everyone updated and let you know what the vet says on Wednesday. Fingers crossed they get something done and fast!
 
Liz47 said:
Has the vet mentioned pasteurella?
Click to expand...
yes the vet has but Bear's discharge culture came back negative for this... but he did say that it could be a false negative which I suspect it is.

[/QUOTE] A nasal swab can help determine which antibiotics will be effective but I've been advised they often show nothing unless they're done very deep in the nose, which wouldn't be possible in a rabbit not under GA/sedation. Good luck with it all![/QUOTE]
I will ask my vet to do everything until the cause is known and the adequate treatment given.
 
Has removing the woodshavings not helped at all?

When you see the vet on Wednesday I would discuss vaccinations. I presume your rabbits have just had Nobivac (for RHD1 and Myx)? I would be very nervous about not having rabbits vaccinated also against RHD2, although obviously to get a good result from the vaccination the rabbit needs to be well.
 
No, it hasn't unfortunately, but even so I will not use it with them anymore. Yes they have had Nobivac, I am very nervous about them not having their 2nd vacs but as I said it was my vet who told me to wait.... :/
 
UPDATE: Hello everyone! Took my bunnies to the vet and they are referring Bear to a specialist's to do a deep swab test. It is suspected pasteurella. On the plus side, since we got Bear and Lily from Pets At Home, all vet consultations have been paid for by the store, and the visit to the specialist will also be covered by them. If it is pasteurella they have offered to pay for their treatment too. The only sad thing is I've had these rabbits for nearly a month and a half now and they have yet to be diagnosed!

Thanks for all your support and advice!

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It can be quite frustrating when you cannot get a conclusive diagnosis; yet, I am glad you are having additional testing done to get closer to a cure/control of the issue.
You are fortunate that your rescue will pick up the costs of the treatment and your only option is not returning the animals (something I could not do in the past).
Me and my bunnies are sending you and your bunnies some positive vibes .
 
Thank you @bunnymomma ! Yes it can be especially since it is the 4th time at the vets regarding this issue!:( Hopefully we can get this diagnosed and sorted ASAP
 
SREwaller said:
Thank you @bunnymomma ! Yes it can be especially since it is the 4th time at the vets regarding this issue!:( Hopefully we can get this diagnosed and sorted ASAP
Click to expand...

When only one bunny had the issue there were possible causes that can now be eliminated now that all of your bunnies have the same symptoms. I also think the deep nasal swab will help to determine what type of cells are involved.

Also, even though all of them are sneezing now, it is likely all three were exposed to the same source originally (mother, another bunny at the breeder/rescue) and Bear was just the ones to show symptoms first.

You are a good bunny parent.
 
SREwaller said:
UPDATE: Hello everyone! Took my bunnies to the vet and they are referring Bear to a specialist's to do a deep swab test. It is suspected pasteurella. On the plus side, since we got Bear and Lily from Pets At Home, all vet consultations have been paid for by the store, and the visit to the specialist will also be covered by them. If it is pasteurella they have offered to pay for their treatment too. The only sad thing is I've had these rabbits for nearly a month and a half now and they have yet to be diagnosed!

Thanks for all your support and advice!

51535872_2234166046904513_3917524745393799168_n.jpg
Click to expand...


I'm glad you are getting somewhere, albeit slowly!

Some info on nasal swabs here:

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00...div_TechniquesRabbit/NasalSwabbingRabbits.htm

I also have an article so if you really want to get into the reading about nasal swabs let me know and I can mail it over :)
 
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