• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.
  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

Prescribed anti-inflammatory for snuffles?

So, my lovely rabbit Henry has had a bit of a crusty nose for a week now. He's a very energetic, friendly rabbit and his behaviour hasn't changed at all, apart from first thing in the morning he seems a bit stuffy for perhaps a minute.

However, this morning when I opened the hutch and petted him, after a few minutes he sneezed several times in a row. I've never seen him full on sneeze even once before, so I read my rabbit book and did some online searching and figured it sounds like he might have snuffles.

I just had him at the vets an hour ago and was prescribed an anti-inflammatory called meloxicam in the form of Loxicom. The vet said to see how that goes for a week and if it doesnt improve, she'll prescribe antibiotics. Every source I've been able to find doesnt mention anti-inflammatories as a treatment for snuffles, so just wondering if anyone else thinks this is adequate?

In the vet's defence, she did check his lungs to make sure they weren't affected by the infection. I dont think she was being lazy or anything, I'm just worried his condition will worsen with this seemingly mild treatment.

Also, am I right to be picking off the crust around his nose? Obviously I'm being as gentle as possible and taking my time, and the skin doesnt look red/sore, but I dont know if this is too aggressive. I cant leave it there though as I'm at uni 2 hours away from 7am-7pm and I'm worried if he struggles to breathe then I wont be there to help. I'm also reluctant to try to flush it with water in case he inhales any.

I'd really appreciate anyone's insight, thank you!
 
Bumping up for you. I don’t have any experience of snuffles so I can’t advise, but I’m sending lots of vibes xx
 
Poor Henry - I'm pleased to lhear he is coping well though.

TBH i've never heard of metacam / loxicom prescribed as the primary treatment for pasturella. As I understand it, its a bacterial infection & needs anti biotics to treat it effectively, that said its difficult to get a culture & find the right antibiotic sometimes. I'd ask for another vets opinion. I can technically see the benefits of metacam in giving pain relief & reducing inflammation but I doubt on its own it will be enough.

This link answers some of your questions. I have to say I've never been quite so cautious about cross infection & so far luckily not experienced it. for instance I've had a bun with pasurella twice & neither had separate nuggets or water to their bonded friend

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-health/rabbit-snuffles/

lots of well wishes for Henry
 
So, my lovely rabbit Henry has had a bit of a crusty nose for a week now. He's a very energetic, friendly rabbit and his behaviour hasn't changed at all, apart from first thing in the morning he seems a bit stuffy for perhaps a minute.

However, this morning when I opened the hutch and petted him, after a few minutes he sneezed several times in a row. I've never seen him full on sneeze even once before, so I read my rabbit book and did some online searching and figured it sounds like he might have snuffles.

I just had him at the vets an hour ago and was prescribed an anti-inflammatory called meloxicam in the form of Loxicom. The vet said to see how that goes for a week and if it doesnt improve, she'll prescribe antibiotics. Every source I've been able to find doesnt mention anti-inflammatories as a treatment for snuffles, so just wondering if anyone else thinks this is adequate?

In the vet's defence, she did check his lungs to make sure they weren't affected by the infection. I dont think she was being lazy or anything, I'm just worried his condition will worsen with this seemingly mild treatment.

Also, am I right to be picking off the crust around his nose? Obviously I'm being as gentle as possible and taking my time, and the skin doesnt look red/sore, but I dont know if this is too aggressive. I cant leave it there though as I'm at uni 2 hours away from 7am-7pm and I'm worried if he struggles to breathe then I wont be there to help. I'm also reluctant to try to flush it with water in case he inhales any.

I'd really appreciate anyone's insight, thank you!

I think your Vet sounds to have made a decision based on her clinical findings at examination. The prescribing of abx for all species is now taken far more seriously, over prescribing causing a multitude of problems -antibiotic resistance being the most serious.

https://www.bva.co.uk/news-campaign...otic-prescribing-decisions-under-the-cascade/

Your Vet may have felt that there was not enough evidence of active bacterial infection after examining Henry and is considering allergies/inflammation in the nasal passages rather than infection as being the cause of his symptoms. Hence the Vet wants to hold off with the abx to give anti-inflammatory treatment a chance first. One of my Rabbits has recently been given the exact same treatment and her symptoms cleared up WITHOUT any abx.

That said, if Henry has more than a watery totally clear nasal discharge I would want to cross question the Vet about the situation. A creamy thick nasal discharge is more indicative of infection. My Rabbit's nasal discharge was like water. If Henry has thick crusting around his nostrils then that is more indicative of the discharge being thick/infection. I would try to gently remove it using cooled boiled water to soften the crusting first.

In your situation I would give the Vet a call today to express your concerns. The treatment she has given may be absolutely right, as it was for my Rabbit. But as I said, my Rabbit's nasal discharge was like water.

Try to make Henry's environment as dust free as possible- eg no wood shavings (if you use them). Feed only dust extracted hay and even give that a good shake out before serving. Also, make sure his environment is well insulated and dry. If he is an outdoor Rabbit dont bring him indoors to a heated house for 'a run around' and then put him outdoors again. Rabbits can cope with cold weather as long as their accommodation is well insulated and dry. They do not cope well with constantly going from a cool environment to a warm one then back out to a cold one again.

I hope you are able to clarify things with th Vet this morning and that Henry's sneezing soon resolves.
 
snuffles???

So, my lovely rabbit Henry has had a bit of a crusty nose for a week now. He's a very energetic, friendly rabbit and his behaviour hasn't changed at all, apart from first thing in the morning he seems a bit stuffy for perhaps a minute.

However, this morning when I opened the hutch and petted him, after a few minutes he sneezed several times in a row. I've never seen him full on sneeze even once before, so I read my rabbit book and did some online searching and figured it sounds like he might have snuffles.

I just had him at the vets an hour ago and was prescribed an anti-inflammatory called meloxicam in the form of Loxicom. The vet said to see how that goes for a week and if it doesnt improve, she'll prescribe antibiotics. Every source I've been able to find doesnt mention anti-inflammatories as a treatment for snuffles, so just wondering if anyone else thinks this is adequate?

In the vet's defence, she did check his lungs to make sure they weren't affected by the infection. I dont think she was being lazy or anything, I'm just worried his condition will worsen with this seemingly mild treatment.

Also, am I right to be picking off the crust around his nose? Obviously I'm being as gentle as possible and taking my time, and the skin doesnt look red/sore, but I dont know if this is too aggressive. I cant leave it there though as I'm at uni 2 hours away from 7am-7pm and I'm worried if he struggles to breathe then I wont be there to help. I'm also reluctant to try to flush it with water in case he inhales any.

I'd really appreciate anyone's insight, thank you!
dearjodivaughan,--if I read this correct,the dvm should be aware this is a rabbit and a nasal culture is mandatory to isolate the bacteria,.-my god,-how dare anyone prescribe meds for a rabbit wthout a proper diagnosis.,very dangerous,-I fear for your precious bun--we rely on the information from our dvm,s.therefore-.rabbits must be seen by an exotic dvm.,I,m sorry but I am deeply concerned-sincerely james waller from the other kent-usa:love::love::wave:
 
Thank you so much everyone for such helpful and thorough advice! I've been watching his progress with loxicom for the last few days and I cant see I notice any improvement, but I havent noticed any decline either, hes still as energetic and hungry as ever. I also haven't seen him sneeze since that first incident. I've had a very close look at his nose (bless him, he must hate me at the moment) and there's definitely still discharge. I never see it running from his nose so I cant imagine its runny unless he's rubbing it off right away. It looks a bit white-ish, not opaque but not clear.

The vet told me to see how the medicine goes for a week - I think I'm going to give it only until the next day I have some time available, Tuesday,and if his nose is still snotty at all I'll take him back and bring up the idea of antibiotics and testing for the bacteria type.

My biggest concern right now is getting the dried discharge off. It feels cruel trying to pull it off because some of it is pretty stuck on there and I can tell it causes discomfort for him. I'm going to take the advice and try warm water, just on a cotton swab though so he cant breathe it in of course. I'll let you all know how that goes and will keep giving updates, thank you again!
 
Thank you for such a helpful response, I really appreciate it! I visited that link and can definitely say Henry's symptoms are not even close to being as severe as seen in those photos. His eyes just get a slight bit of discharge which doesnt build up, the only obvious symptom that made me think its snuffles is the runny nose.

He gets dust extracted hay specifically marketed towards rabbits and a few months ago now I heard how problematic shavings can be and swapped to megazorb and lots of hay. Hes always outside and apart from at night, the hutch is always left open for them to run around in the grass in their pen. I am now wondering if this is actually a good idea for Henry right now, as it's raining a lot so the grass is wet, getting him wet and possibly not helping with his situation. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
 
antibiotics

dear jodievaughan,--try to keep henry dry,they are consummate groomers-and don,t like wet,--some people think they are like a pup and need a bathe-very bad idea.--rabbits have enough health problems..-I use timothy grasses[hay]-for everything,grass bin-poop box,etc.lots of clean drinking water in a heavy bowl.,quality pellets for food,and greens for treats.-[indoor buns]-are easier to view before health problems occur.--sincerely james waller from the other kent-usa,-ps-warning-rabbits are strictly[herbivoures]-grass eaters,the gut flora-[bacteria] must be maintained-,any antibiotics requires ingestion of probiotics.-ask you exotic dvm.:love::love::wave:
 
Last edited:
My rabbit Pandora has had chronic nasal infections for a couple of years now. We've tried a few things, such as baytril, sulfatrim (iirc) and even paracetamol (which she liked!). We kept it managed for a long time until suddenly she got a major chest infection and was on high dose baytril and depocillin injections.

Her original swab came back negative for everything (either because she'd been on antibiotics or because the actual infection was too deep in the nasal passages). When she went under for a dental recently I asked the vet to do a deep nasal swab. This came back that the nasty responsible was in fact Klebsiella Pneumoniae. If he ever goes under for anything else, it might be worth asking for just to check what it is and what it is resistant/susceptible to if the less invasive swab doesn't come up with anything.
 
Ok well i have been treating my rescue rabbits for 2 years for snuggles (bordatella) and I have learned this - if a rabbit shows any sneezing there is only one thing, check through nasal swabs for infection of batteries and virus.
-have lab tests done for find out specific bacteria
-have live culture in lab to test any antibiotic resistance before commencing of any treatment as this will prevent anti biotic resistance build up, putting bunnies through any uneccesary medication, getting the correct treatment.
- start nebulising with at least saline this is like dreaming with a cold and will help bunny feel more comfy. This is done by placing bunny in carrier and towel over it and attaching nebuliser to carrier.
-hopefully you have insurance or good funds and request ct scan referal to a rabbit specialist hospital. This will show where the inflamation and how far it's spread.
-Ensure your car is rabbit savvy.
-Dont be fooled the no symptoms that are clear.
No rabbit is ever clear of snuffles once infected and at most will become a carrier.

My bunny was showing sign of cronic sneezing but get heard everything was clear other than a bit of sound in nose. He was clean no discharge so no worry. But for me I knew this was the the case and had to video his 2 minute solid sneezing fits meanwhile the others sneezed too. Referal Dr scan told a very different story.
If you have guinea pigs or any other animals keep separate barriers and keep them away from each other even from room sharing and clothing and overall changes.
Use strong rabbit safe disinfectants like F10 disinfectant and anagine.
 
Back
Top