Sniffling Bunny

Hello, everyone! I'm new to the forum.

I've been lurking a while and appreciate all of the knowledge that I've gained here.

I adopted a bunny from one of the rescue organizations onSaturday. On the way home he started sniffling a bit, but Iassumed since he was outside when I picked him up that it was anallergic reaction since the pollen count was very high thatday. Today he's still sniffling.

This is my first experience with a sniffling bunny. Is thissomething that I should be concerned enough to take him to the vetabout?

Thanks in advance for your input.

Dose he have a runny nose at all?

No, no runny nose thankfully, just the sniffles and only very occasionally a sneeze.

It is better to be on the safe side. Bring it to a vet.Hope all is well!

Hi Bunnymommy,

If that's a picture of your baby, he's so cute with the tips of his little body being brown.

Are his eyes runny? Do you notice that he was sneezing all the time or just when you got home?

When rabbit's get stressed, their immune systems are affected. Yourlittle guy might just be a bit stressed, he could've just breathed insome hay dust, pollen, or dust.

Just to be on the safe side, I'd take him to a rabbit-saavy vet too.

Welcome to the forum, and do let us know how your little beauty makes out.

-Carolyn

The best thing to do is take the rabbit to get acheck over. Whenever you get new rabbits you should take them to thevet, better to be safe than sorry. Good Luck

Carolyn wrote:

Hi Bunnymommy,

If that's a picture of your baby, he's so cute with the tips of his little body being brown.

Are his eyes runny? Do you notice that he was sneezing all the time or just when you got home?

When rabbit's get stressed, their immune systems are affected. Yourlittle guy might just be a bit stressed, he could've just breathed insome hay dust, pollen, or dust.

Just to be on the safe side, I'd take him to a rabbit-saavy vet too.

Welcome to the forum, and do let us know how your little beauty makes out.

-Carolyn

Click to expand...

Thanks, everyone! My feeling was that I should take him tothe vet too. Better to be safe than sorry!

His eyes aren't running, he doesn't have any type of nasal discharge,and he has tons of energy right now. He's just sniffling withan occasional sneeze. He wasn't sniffling when we went topick him up, but about 15 minutes after we got him into the van hestarted sniffling and he's been sniffling and sneezing every sincethen.

Carolyn, thanks so much for the compliments on him. He's areal doll! You can't tell it well from the photo, but hisears, his nose, and the ring around his mouth are asilver-grey.

Thanks again, everyone!

Hi Bunnymommy,

Those dark tips on your little guy got me. They're so cute and thepicture made me giggle because it looks like he doesn't miss a trickwith that little eye on you.

I'd be willing to bet your little guy was just stressed, but it's wise to get him checked out anyway.

One of my favorite things to read is when someone with a heart like yours rescues a rabbit from a shelter.

Let us know how it goes. So glad to have you here.

-Carolyn

Carolyn, lol! Yes, he watches us like ahawk! He still doesn't completely trust us, sostill a little wary.

Update: We took Sherman to the doctor today andthe verdict is that he has a respiratory infection. I knewthat we really needed to get him there when he sneezed on me and themucus was thick and yellow. They gave him a shot ofantibiotics and we have to give him the liquid antibiotic every 12hours.

He's mad as a wet hornet at us now toofor taking him to thedoctor (as I knew he'd be). He won't take treats from me andwe're getting "The Backside" and as hard a glare as he can give us.

I guess I have a lot of begging to do over the next few days.

Hi BunnyMommy,

Poor little guy! I hope the medication works. Do keep us posted on howhis progress goes. Didn't realize he was having the yellow mucus aswell.

So, you're getting the guilt trip and the anger, ey? *laughs* I'm very familiar with being ignored by a rabbit.

How long did the doctor think it would take for his condition to clear up? I'm praying for the little monster.

-Carolyn

Hi, Carolyn! The mucus didn't start until yesterday.

He has to take a 10-day course of medication, but he is already much,much clearer today, not sniffling as much and not sneezing atall.

I don't think that I've ever had a bunny as angry with me asthisone.

Sometimes these conditions can be alleviated, ofttimes not. In some cases, the bun mightneed medication for the restof its life.andsometimes it can be fatal. I don't want to be a harbinger ofdoom, but I do want to give you a heads up.

Many breeders, who often don't get as attached to their animals as petowners do, would euthanize an animal showing the symptoms Sherman isexhibiting because it is illustrative of a disease called pasturella,which is highly contagious to other rabbits and would threaten the wellbeing of the rest of their herd.

Some breeders claim to be able to cure the disease, but theregimen is highly technical and cost prohibitive for most breeders andpet owners. It would appear most veterinarians are unaware ofmost of these techniques. Most breeders simply say it is notcurable, if it is pasturella, and subsequently euthanize.

For further reading on the matter, visit E-cuniculi by linkingtohttp://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rabrefs.html#ec

The best of luck and my sincerest wishes for Sherman's good health.

Buck

Buck said what I didn't want to say.

-Carolyn

I know what you mean Carolyn, you don't really want to tell someone there's a chance their bun might not make it...



But if this ever happens to me, I want to know if my bun might not havea chance... you guys did a great job of telling me about getting herspayed. My mom says we'll take her to get her spayed in a month or two!

Also, I'd like to announce, after finally wondering what I wanna do forthe past 2 years, I've decided I'm going to study to be a ProfessionalPet Groomer

All I have to do now, is find a school in my area

Oh, dear, Buck and Carolyn! I appreciate your honesty!

I really don't know how to respond to this right now ...

I know, BunnyMommy.

I know.

Love Sherman Up.

That's okay, no need to respond. Isincerely hope I have presented a worst case scenario only, and thatSherman will respond to medical treatment wonderfully.

Buck