Do I have to put my bunny down?

I'm so upset... I think my 9 week old baby has sniffles since, he's sneezing, he has lil eye boogers and some white snot. I breed Holland Lops, for show. Health is important to me. I recently restarted my rabbitry after moving.... I thoroughly cleaned the cage I bought used, and feeders. His mom and sister have no symptoms!?! But sniffles never go away permanently, so a lot of people cull bunnies with sniffles! Should I? I had a rabbit before with sniffles! She had to be put down, it got really bad. I feel like giving up sometimes.

I've never had one of my buns get the sniffles so I don't know if it was me I would go to the vet because I have read some make it through but if It gets bad I would cull

It is actually called "snuffles."

Rescue rabbits and pet rabbits can contract snuffles and be successfully treated. It needs to be treated asap for best results. I have had a couple rabbits who had it, were treated, and then were symptom-free for the remainder of their lives (many years).

In the breeding world it is common to cull these rabbits because it is highly contagious. Perhaps you would like to ask this question under the Rabbitry and Showoom topic for breeder opinions.

Many rabbits are explosed to pasteurella but it's usually the ones with a weaker immune system that show active symptoms. You could take her to a vet to see if that's what is causing it, but realistically you don't want to expose all your current/future rabbits to this.

We had the chance to get a rabbit from our original line back (this was a granddaughter of our foundation doe who we had to retire). When we found out she had white snot, we decided we couldn't take the chance, and didn't get her.

Thank you guys. I'll try to take him in asap. I just put him in his own cage by himself... Maybe that has affected it? Blue eyes : How where they treated??

Blue eyes said:

It is actually called "snuffles."

Rescue rabbits and pet rabbits can contract snuffles and be successfully treated. It needs to be treated asap for best results. I have had a couple rabbits who had it, were treated, and then were symptom-free for the remainder of their lives (many years).

In the breeding world it is common to cull these rabbits because it is highly contagious. Perhaps you would like to ask this question under the Rabbitry and Showoom topic for breeder opinions.

Click to expand...

What did they use to treat them?

I had the chance to take him to the vet today! :biggrin: The vet said it doesn't look like true snuffles, but that it could be to early to tell.
I put him in quarantine just in case. I have a mellow antibiotic on hand if it gets worse, and he doesn't just have allergies. But we cannot give him the good, stronger, antibiotic, as he's only 9 weeks! So we are hoping it works if I need to give it to him.

you have to ask yourself this important question.

WHY do you want to keep a rabbit with a poor immune system particularly if you breed rabbits.
DO you really want to keep such a rabbit within close proximity of your herd?
Do you really trust that any treatment will KILL the bug? rabbits can appear to be treated for pasturella and simply become carriers of the disease instead...being asymptomatic.

You already know (I hope) that using him for breeding would be a really bad idea right?
So ask yourself... WHY do you want to keep this rabbit and threaten the future viability of your herd AND your reputation?

Having a rabbitry means having to make hard choices. White snot indicates infection, not allergies. You could treat him, only to have the symptoms return. It's happened, and any doe you breed him to is risking their health as well.

I'm sorry I don't recall what was used (it has been awhile). JBun (jenny) is a wealth of information on medical issues. So check some of her posts on this same issue.

The breeders that have posted are experienced and their advice is well worth considering.

Not sure if this is a viable option, but perhaps if you really want to avoid culling this one rabbit, perhaps you could bring it indoors (assuming the rest are outside) and make it just an indoor pet. I'd imagine you'd just have to be extra careful about cross-contamination.

majorv said:

Having a rabbitry means having to make hard choices. White snot indicates infection, not allergies. You could treat him, only to have the symptoms return. It's happened, and any doe you breed him to is risking their health as well.

Click to expand...

Majorv is correct. White snot is a definitive indication that the respiratory symptoms are due to a bacterial infection. This is not an allergy. The snot would be completely clear if an allergy was even a consideration.

Many people use the term 'snuffles' to refer to a respiratory infection caused by the pasteurella bacteria, but snuffles is just a broad term to refer to respiratory illness in rabbits and doesn't define the particular bacteria that may be causing the illness. Pasteurella is the most common bacteria to cause bacterial respiratory disease in rabbits, is very contagious and very often not completely treatable where symptoms clear up entirely, which is why those who breed or show do not want their herd exposed to it. But there are several types of bacteria that can cause an upper respiratory infection, so it's possible the white snot may not be due to the pasteurella bacteria. It's possible that another bacteria may be involved with your rabbit, one that is treatable with the appropriate antibiotic, but to determine what bacteria is causing the respiratory disease, you would need to have a blood test or deep nasal swab and culture done, and then treat with an antibiotic that the bacteria is sensitive to, for an appropriate amount of time to completely clear up the disease.

Being that you breed/show rabbits, you do need to consider the health of the rest of your herd. If you have concerns about keeping a rabbit with a weak immune system in your herd, an alternative would be to find a good pet home for this rabbit, where the prospective owner is fully informed concerning the respiratory illness.

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Respiratory/Bacterial/URI.htm
http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Bacterial/RhinitisRabbits.htm

He is in my house, away from all my other bunns, and i always wash my hands/handles after feeding him etc.
A Lot of good information here, leading to another post im thinking of posting. Only a few months ago I have restarted my rabbitry completely, even the cages! only to come up with snuffles being an issue Again! WOW. So considering, whether or not It IS Pasteurella (or NOT)... him having a weak immune system, like it sounds like, I will find him a pet home with someone who could would be willing to bring him back to the vet if need be. So I am thinking possibly his mom is a carrier... and his sister! What a waste.