Flemish Giant, almost 2, with constant runny nose/itchy - allergies?

Our vet has treated him for various issues since he was little, but this is the one thing that never goes away and he does a lot of scratching/itching too. It's a clear discharge, always runny. He doesn't sneeze, but seems to have a little bit of a wheezy sound any time that he cleans himself down below. She had him on benedryl which helped a little, but then one day when the wheezy sound got worse, she put him on antibiotics. She feels that he has allergies, and occasionally will get an infection because he's more susceptible due to the allergies. After that, she had us switch from benedryl to Atarax (Hydroxyzine Pamo). It seems to help his itching and runny nose a great deal. However, I am worried that it might be harmful in the long run?

Our vet is rabbit savvy, and helps with a lot of rabbit rescues. I feel like she is very trustworthy, but she knows we can't afford a lot of tests, but she has mentioned if we want, she can swab his nasal passage and check to see if there is something going on. I'm just wondering if we should do that? Or, should we just stick with the Atarax?

Anyone else have a bun with allergies? We have tried changing hay, food, environments, etc. Nothing seems to work. He remains with a runny nose and sometimes has these itchy moments.

Also, one other question - we have noticed a few bumps in his ears. There is nothing there but I can feel them. Any cause for concern?

Have you also tried changing the type of litter you use? Some rabbits seem to have an allergy to a particular litter.

With the bumps in the ears, I don't know what they look like, but has the vet checked for ear mites?

We don't use a litter. We use newspaper in his litter box, covered with hay. He gets fresh timothy hay daily. He lives in a large pen with a tile floor, and gets let out daily to run free. He eats pellets and greens daily, and drinks water from a bowl. We have had him checked for mites. I read on another forum that the bumps are normal, so I am not worried about that so much now.

I am more worried about the constant runny nose and itching. No sneezing, no other symptoms. He eats and drinks normally. He acts normally other than the itching episodes.

True allergies in bunnies are rare but you could try getting hay from a different source and see if that changes things. I would be more inclined to think a URI. The bumps in the ears could be itchy ears due to upper respiratory infection. Is your vet certified rabbit savvy through our listings or the House Rabbit Society's? A vet that doesn't immediately think bacterial infection in a rabbit with a runny nose doesn't seem right--that's probably the most common cause I see on here. Second would be tooth root infections. Does he get exposed to a lot of ammonia in his litter pan? That can be irritating on the nose, and I know big bunnies can make a lot of pee (we have a Californian). With just hay and newspaper, the ammonia may be sticking around.

Well, the bumps were just like little clogged hair ducts? She expressed the stuff out of them, and it was fine. The vet was not concerned. But, she was concerned maybe he had another issue with his teeth even though he's only 2 and they trimmed his teeth and checked them about a year ago. So, I took him today to get his teeth trimmed and checked again. They called me a little while ago and they said that he had a huge spur in the back where she couldn't get to in his regular exam. She took care of that, but then she said that it looks like his tooth roots have grown up into his sinuses. I don't know what to think or do now. She says that he will likely have chronic health problems the rest of his life, with the potential for life threatening infections in his teeth and sinuses. She said he will need a tooth trimming every 3-4 months. I don't know how we will afford that (it costs about $300 dollars each time), and my daughter is so attached to this rabbit, like he is her baby. She said the only other options we have is to put him to sleep, and that is not an option right now because she felt it would be premature. And the last option is to give him up to a rescue that will care for him, however long that will be. She said it could be months, or it could be years, but she thinks he definitely won't live as long as other bunnies. My heart says that we made a commitment to him - to love him, to care for him, no matter what. I would hate to wonder how he might feel if we just shipped him off to some rescue where they will likely have other chronically ill rabbits and he won't get as much attention. He would probably be so stressed out! He is family and I don't know how we will do it, but we will first try to find a way to care for him. Has anyone else dealt with this? What is the prognosis for a rabbit with roots growing into the sinuses? The vet says there is nothing she can do, but I have read about some bunnies who have teeth removed to prevent further growth? (Should I make a separate post?)

That is probably too much to charge for a tooth trim.

For bunnies that have serious dental disease like you describe, URI symptoms are usually observed. Things like benadryl help some because they are anti-inflammatory, and there is a lot of inflammation involved in an infection. They treat one of the symptoms of the infection but don't treat the infection like an antibiotic would. I think your bunny needs head x-rays done to see the extent of the problem, then potentially molar removal (bunnies can do fine without any teeth if you're willing to cut up their veggies into small pieces) and/or antibiotic treatment. It's not an easy path, so you will have to decide if it's right for your family. I still would look into another vet, or ask for a price on the molar removal. If the vet is unwilling to do the molar removal surgery, I wouldn't trust them to do rabbit medicine. Tooth issues are a huge part of taking care of rabbits. Here is some helpful info--there is a lot--on rabbit dental issues. What you may be seeing is abscessed tooth roots. Frequently if the crowns (the part you can see above the gumline) are bad, the roots are also bad.

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Dental_diseases/Dental_diseases_main.htm

Well, it wasn't just the tooth trim - it was x-rays, tooth trim, they also shaved his private area because he had some matted areas and they were checking his glands down there to make sure they weren't infected, and that also covered an anti-inflammatory and a shot of penicillin. It was actually $260 without the meds.

This is a rabbit savvy vet - she is on the Indiana House Rabbit Society list, although she is in Kentucky. She works with rescues and different rabbit organizations in the area.

She showed me the x-rays. His roots go up into the sinuses, and down below the line on the bottom too. He also had a good size spur which she thought was the reason he was drooling. She said she could not pull any teeth unless they were absessed. She said they are incredibly difficult to remove if they are not infected. She said he shows no signs of infection, but suspects that the roots in the sinus are irritating them. She did agree that if the teeth become infected, she would remove them. For now, she just wants us to repeat the same process every three months. She felt this was very unusual since the rabbit is two years old, so she felt it had to be a genetic defect.

We have tried to use benedryl in the past and it doesn't really help. She believes the spur was part of his problem along with the roots coming up into the sinus area. She said it wasn't as bad as she first thought when she talked to me this morning.......so she just felt like the best course of action was to keep watch, see how things go within the next few months, and go from there. Her biggest concern was to see how fast they are growing, and find out how often we need to trim them. I really feel like she knows what she is doing and what she is talking about.....she is very compassionate, and as I said, she is very active with some of the local rescues, and often trying to re-home rabbits from the neglect cases in the area. She offers her services to some of the rescues too. So, I really feel like she wouldn't steer us in the wrong direction.

I see. That sounds a bit more reasonable and correct. Knowing that the price was for more than just a trim and that x-rays were done makes me more confident in your vet. The other things you describe also sound correct--that at his age is it likely genetic. Maybe you can keep the frequency at which he needs trims down by offering lots of different kinds of grass and hay, fresh veggies, etc. That might make it go more toward the every 4 months end of how often he needs them. Having a chronic dental bun can be difficult.

Hey could u guys help me my bunny is sneezing and has damp discharge under her nose and is itching her
ears

Cinder_clara - this is a really old post. My poor old Phoenix passed away last year from all his health issues unfortunately.

You might want to make a new thread if you haven't already. But, if your rabbit is sneezing, has a damp discharge under her nose, and is scratching at her ears, it sounds like she could have some sort of respiratory infection and it's important to get her to a rabbit savvy vet in your area as she might need medication.

Oh I'm so sorry about your bunny! Thanks