is my baby is ill??

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diamond

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Hello,I am new to this board.My name is diamond.

:shock:My bun Thumper has been drinking alot of water and keeps sniffling.:shock:

:(Whats wrong????:(
 
You have to be very careful of thesniffling. Please read the story below written by BunnyMommyand check out the websites she notes in it.

A storyof Sherman written by BunnyMommy...



UPDATE! The testresults are back, and Sherman gets a clean bill of health! :D

DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical practitioner, so anyobservations in this post should be interpreted simply as a matter ofmy personal opinion. Any symptomatic treatment regarding yourbunny should be done in affiliation with a licensed veterinarian underthe auspices of established medical practices and good commonsense.

Now, that being said, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty! Asyou all know, Sherman was adopted. Because I only had amarginal picture of his past medical illnesses and medical care, Ibecame greatly concerned when he started sniffling on the day that webrought him home. In all of the research that I’d done beforewe got him, a common theme emerged in regards to sniffling andsneezing: Respiratory illness is the leading cause ofmorbidity and mortality in bunnies if left untreated. Somemay think that it was overkill to take as many steps as I did and tospend as much money as we have to ensure Sherman’s health, but mypersonal philosophy is that he is now a member of our family, and it’sour responsibility to make just as much effort to maintain his healthand curry his longevity as we would for any other familymember.

I’m writing this very long narrative in the hopes that it will helpothers who have sneezing/sniffling bunnies and will give them a roadmapof the steps that they might need to take to restore their bunnies backto full and optimal health.

Sherman started sniffling on the ride home on the day that we pickedhim up. I assumed that since he was outdoors when we went toget him and that the pollen count was extremely high that he was justhaving an allergic reaction. However, he continued to sniffleand eventually started sneezing too. I continued to check himfor discharge—eyes, nose, ears, paws (from wiping his nose), but noneever materialized, so I continued to operate under the assumption thathe just had “allergies”. The sneezing and sniffling began toincrease in frequency and finally, around the fifth or sixth day or so,I was on the floor playing with him. He sneezed and five orsix droplets of thick yellow mucus were excreted onto my leg.

Since one of the most definitive indicators of infection is a thickyellow discharge, I got on the phone to one of the 24 hour animalemergency rooms here, one of the best in the city, and spoke to a nurseand asked her if she felt that his symptoms warranted an emergencyvisit or could we wait until the next day during normal businesshours. The nurse stated that rabbits were classified anexotic species and as such their physiology was verydelicate. She confirmed that potentially a respiratoryinfection could indeed be fatal to our bunny and that he could declinequickly without warning. In any wise, they couldn’t make adefinitive diagnosis without actually seeing him.

So … at 11:00 p.m. that night we packed up my sweet baby and whiskedhim to the emergency room. There he was examined anddiagnosed symptomatically. The vet was able to see signs ofthe discharge in his nasal cavity. His official diagnosticimpression was “potential respiratory infection”. He wasprescribed Baytril suspension 20 mg/ml. We were instructed togive 1.0 ml orally every 12 hours for 10 days. The antibioticwas to be kept refrigerated, and we were to shake it well before eachuse.

A word about Baytril (generic name: enrofloxacin):My research indicates that Baytril is one of the few antibioticsindicated to be well tolerated and effective with no negative sideeffects to the bunny. It’s my understanding that the bunny’sdigestive system is very delicately balanced and any disruption in itsnormal operation can lead to death. Baytril can even be usedlong-term without detriment. For more information aboutBaytril, visit
http://www.baytril.com .

On the night of his ER visit, Sherman was also given a subcutaneousinjection of fluids (in his ear). His discharge instructionsstated, “Sherman should be rechecked immediately if you see any signsof difficulty breathing, rapid breathing, lethargy, depression,diarrhea, or not eating/drinking.”

(*I must also emphasize here as an aside that the best veterinarianfor bunnies is one who sees high numbers of exotic species as theirphysiology is so unique that it requires specializedcare.)

Sherman’s symptoms cleared completely two to three days after startinghis medication regimen. Fortunately for me, when I postedthis to the board, Buck and Carolyn had the courage and integrity totactfully inform me that there was a real possibility that his symptomsmight recur and may even be incurable. Painful as thisrevelation was, I processed it, and filed it away for futurereference.

Sherman did very well for a week to 10 days after hisrecovery. Then it happened again … a sniffle. I gota little apprehensive, but my husband told me not to lose mycool. It was just one sniffle. The next day ithappened again—more than once. The day after that he wassniffling and sneezing, approximately four to five times in total thatday. I again looked for signs of discharge.Nothing.

The next day I called the vet. I was able to keep calmbecause I’d had time to prepare my mind thanks to Buck’s and Carolyn’swarning—but still, a little voice in the back of my head keptwhispering, “Pasturella”. Those of you familiar to the rabbitworld know that this is a word that holds the resonance of manyconsequences, especially for those who breed rabbits. This isthe dreaded of the dreaded in terms of respiratory infections inbunnies. For more detailed information on Pasturella, followthis link:
http://www.rabbit.org/care/pasturella.html .

I had three primary objectives in getting Sherman to the vet:

· Treatment
·A blood culture to definitively ascertain whether he had Pasturella ornot
·To discuss long-term therapy options if he did indeed have the disease(euthanasia was just not an option for me).

Sherman had an in-depth physical examination and the bloodtest. The blood test portion of the exam alone came to$74.00. To accomplish the test, the vet shaved a portion ofone of Sherman’s legs and drew blood from there. He warned usthat there might be a little bruising in the area. Shermanseemed no worse for the wear. The blood tests were to returnin three to four business days.

The doctor told us that based on his physical exam findings thatSherman was in excellent health, and that we were doing a good job ofmeeting his nutritional needs. He checked his vital signs,his lungs were clear, and there were no signs of discharge atall. There was just the sneezing.

We were told that possibly Sherman had “allergies”. He saidthat this could be due to any number of factors, i.e. dust from hisbedding or hay, exposure to environmental allergens, and that indeed itwas quite normal for some bunnies to sneeze every now and then justbecause. During the course of our conversation and asI began to ask the doctor more and more questions, it occurred to methat there was a possibility that the majority of Sherman’s favoritehiding places probably were … ahem … a little dusty. He likesto hide under the treadmill, behind some of the furniture, under thesofa, behind the TV, etc.

When we got home I got down on my hands and knees with a flashlight andinspected. I wasn’t surprised to see that these wereparticular areas were rather dusty. We got down to springcleaning, moving furniture, vacuuming and cleaning carpets.When the carpet dried and we began to allow Sherman access again hissymptoms immediately disappeared.

On this morning the vet called and informed us that Sherman’s bloodtest was completely clear; not only did he not have the disease, but hehad never even been exposed to it.

The moral of this story: Although everything turned out wellfor us, as bunny owners I think that it’s always prudent to err on theside of caution. I’d rather be safe than sorry anyday. A bunny’s system is very delicate and they hide theirsymptoms very well, sometimes until it’s too late. The storycould very well have turned in another direction.

Some points that I think are important:

·A relationship with a veterinarian should be established in advance ofa bunny emergency so that he/she will already be familiar with yourpet’s medical history.

·More importantly, it’s best to establish a relationship with a vet whospecializes in the care of exotics. Bunnies require a levelof medical care over and beyond the traditional.

·When bunnies exhibit signs of respiratory illness, it’s good to get theopinion of a medical professional. Sometimes diagnostictesting is required.

·Look for signs of discharge from the eyes, ears, nose, or on the pawsfrom bunny wiping his nose.

·Is the bunny acting depressed or lethargic? Is heeating/drinking normally?

·MAKE SURE YOUR VET DOESN’T PRESCRIBE AMOXICILLIN FOR YOURBUNNY. IT CAN BE FATAL. (A vet with real bunnyexperience wouldn’t do this anyway.)

·Carolyn gave Sherman a bottle of a product calledVetRx[suB]TM[/suB](
http://www.compasnac.com/cvp/14/1438/1438009.htm ). This may be helpful inalleviating your bunny’s symptoms.

·Your bunny’s respiratory symptoms may not be serious; then to, they maybe. Err on the side of caution.

Many thanks to all of you for your prayers, encouragement, and supportduring Sherman’s illness. You are greatlyappreciated.

Hope this helps!



 
:DThankyou so much Carolyn!!!!:D



:)This will really help!!!!!I will take care of Thumpers sniffles andbring him to the vet straight away!!But I am still very worried.:(

:)P.S.Thankyou bunnymommy!!!!:D
 
I brought Thumper to the vet today ad the vett:?:?k some tests and said they will come back s:?:?n.He said thatthere is more of a chance that Thumper will pass on.:(:(.

Please pray very hard.:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(.
 
Oh No!! I'm so sorry, Diamond! I will pray very hard. Give our little punkin a kiss for me.





-Carolyn
 
I will pray my hardest for Thumper. Give a hugand kiss to her for me. I hope your baby will be fine in theend. Best of prayers and luck, Cassandra
 
Thank you for your comments on sneezing. I don'tthink my last rabbit ever sneezed when I was around (and we live in thesame room). Now my new baby does, and I was more than a little worried.But I think he must have allergies, since the only time he sneezes iswhen he is in a certain place. Still your comments were reassuring thatthey have allergies too.
 
I well pray for your little bun thumper (it was just said before i finshed this and I well say it as many times as I can.

God Bless

Peter
 
iT'S A MERICLE THUMPER IS O.K!tHANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE FOR YOU'RE SUPPORT!





DIAMOND:p
 

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