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anthony27

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2015
Messages
47
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Location
Adelaide, South Oz
Hi All,
great forum you have here,
I am a bit worried about my Holland lop, she is almost 5 yrs, spayed and up to date with all her vaccines, and has a good diet and get plenty of exercise, for the last few months she has us worried, it begin when I heard her one night sniffing around, it was a new sound I have not heard before, but as the days went on, this became more frequent and louder, plus sneezing and other odd sounds, we took her to the vet, they said she is fine, and its probably an allergy to something, so we have tried changing her food, cleaning her hutch more, but it keeps getting worse!she lives outside under the verendah and is covered with a tarp and blanket at night, this winter in South Australia has been bitterly bitterly cold, now she is really unwell, and struggles a lot, you can hear her breathing in an out for every breath, we took her to the vet again last night and they have given her Cerenia, which is supposed to help in this situation, apparently its a bit of an experiment, but I was wondering should she been on some sort of intravenous antibiotic? she has no discharge which is a good thing, but you can hear her breathing even from a far distance,
Hope you can help,
Cheers
Anthony
 
Does she have any kind of nasal discharge? Is she acting any different? I assume the vet did an xray to see if she had any kind of obstruction. I am reading that Cerenia is used for motion sickness in dogs, which doesn't make any sense to me.
 
Does she have any kind of nasal discharge? Is she acting any different? I assume the vet did an xray to see if she had any kind of obstruction. I am reading that Cerenia is used for motion sickness in dogs, which doesn't make any sense to me.

No she has not had any Xrays as of yet, I have suggested them, but the vets have not done it , In Australia they don't treat Rabbits as good as dogs and cats in my opinion, Cerenia is apparently supposed to also help with the snuffles for some reason according to some doctors.
 
It sounds like your rabbit has an upper respiratory infection. This needs to be treated with several weeks to months of the appropriate rabbit safe antibiotic. If your rabbit is mouth breathing at all or seems to have difficulty breathing, it may have developed into pneumonia and your rabbit will need immediate emergency treatment. A few other medications that are commonly prescribed for a URI are meloxicam to help reduce inflammation to help ease the breathing, and bisolvon to help thin mucous secretions. Some rabbit owners also give their rabbits a bit of echinacea leaf or drops to help boost the immune system.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Respiratory/Bacterial/URI.htm

It doesn't sound as if your vet is terribly rabbit savvy. Seeing a rabbit savvy vet can make all the difference in a rabbit getting the appropriate diagnosis and treatment. If at all possible try and find a rabbit savvy vet. There are several members on here from Australia. You can post a thread asking for a 'rabbit savvy vet in' your area. Or you can take a look at these lists to see if there might be a rabbit vet listing near you.
http://members.shaw.ca/cocoasun/AustralianRabbitVets.htm
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/showthread.php?t=12014
http://www.boingonline.com/rabbit_vet_lis.html
 
It sounds like your rabbit has an upper respiratory infection. This needs to be treated with several weeks to months of the appropriate rabbit safe antibiotic. If your rabbit is mouth breathing at all or seems to have difficulty breathing, it may have developed into pneumonia and your rabbit will need immediate emergency treatment. A few other medications that are commonly prescribed for a URI are meloxicam to help reduce inflammation to help ease the breathing, and bisolvon to help thin mucous secretions. Some rabbit owners also give their rabbits a bit of echinacea leaf or drops to help boost the immune system.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Respiratory/Bacterial/URI.htm

It doesn't sound as if your vet is terribly rabbit savvy. Seeing a rabbit savvy vet can make all the difference in a rabbit getting the appropriate diagnosis and treatment. If at all possible try and find a rabbit savvy vet. There are several members on here from Australia. You can post a thread asking for a 'rabbit savvy vet in' your area. Or you can take a look at these lists to see if there might be a rabbit vet listing near you.
http://members.shaw.ca/cocoasun/AustralianRabbitVets.htm
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/showthread.php?t=12014
http://www.boingonline.com/rabbit_vet_lis.html

Hi JBun,
my vet is on the list for South Australia, Holden Hill Vet, they are trying their best, my suspicion is that Apple requires a full antibiotic treatment, I ll see how she goes by the weekend, she is mouth breathing all the time, and makes some horrid gurgling sounds, might try some echinacea in the meantime
how long can she stay like this? how do i know if she has Pneumonia?
 
You need to get your rabbit to the vet IMMEDIATELY!!!

A rabbit mouth breathing is a sign of severe respiratory distress. Rabbits never breath through their mouths unless they are having significant difficulty getting enough air. Your rabbit may have pneumonia and if it isn't treated appropriately and promptly, your rabbit may not survive. Even with treatment it is often fatal.

And if the vet is aware of this and didn't immediately want to admit your rabbit and put her on IV antibiotics, oxygen, and to nebulize your rabbit, I would have serious doubts as to the rabbit savviness of the vet. If your vet isn't aware of the mouth breathing, they need to be immediately informed.

But please get your rabbit to the vet immediately! This truly is life threatening.

And don't let them fob you off if they don't take this very seriously and admit your rabbit. Sometimes you need to be an advocate for your rabbit when you know there is something wrong and the vet isn't giving the appropriate treatment. If you don't have confidence in this vet, even though supposedly rabbit savvy, it may be worth getting a second opinion if you have another rabbit vet available, or ask the vet to consult with a rabbit specialist. I believe there is one in Melbourne with a great deal of experience with rabbits. Or even a specialist in the UK could be consulted.
 
You need to get your rabbit to the vet IMMEDIATELY!!!

A rabbit mouth breathing is a sign of severe respiratory distress. Rabbits never breath through their mouths unless they are having significant difficulty getting enough air. Your rabbit may have pneumonia and if it isn't treated appropriately and promptly, your rabbit may not survive. Even with treatment it is often fatal.

And if the vet is aware of this and didn't immediately want to admit your rabbit and put her on IV antibiotics, oxygen, and to nebulize your rabbit, I would have serious doubts as to the rabbit savviness of the vet. If your vet isn't aware of the mouth breathing, they need to be immediately informed.

But please get your rabbit to the vet immediately! This truly is life threatening.

And don't let them fob you off if they don't take this very seriously and admit your rabbit. Sometimes you need to be an advocate for your rabbit when you know there is something wrong and the vet isn't giving the appropriate treatment. If you don't have confidence in this vet, even though supposedly rabbit savvy, it may be worth getting a second opinion if you have another rabbit vet available, or ask the vet to consult with a rabbit specialist. I believe there is one in Melbourne with a great deal of experience with rabbits. Or even a specialist in the UK could be consulted.

i will! thanks for your advice, I will keep you posted,
 
If you are wanting to take your bun to a different vet, I believe RO moderator Azerane, may live in your general area. She posted a vet recommendation on the RO link I posted above. You could shot her a PM to see if she would still recommend them as being rabbit savvy.
 
If you are wanting to take your bun to a different vet, I believe RO moderator Azerane, may live in your general area. She posted a vet recommendation on the RO link I posted above. You could shot her a PM to see if she would still recommend them as being rabbit savvy.

Im in Adelaide South Australia,
 
I have no idea how rabbit savvy they are. You would need to ask her if she still uses them and feels they are good rabbit vets, and if just one vet is rabbit savvy or if both are.

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/showthread.php?t=12014&page=2

'Dr. Cathy Skinner and Dr. Tess Holm

Para Hills Veterinary Clinic
523 Bridge Road, Para Hills, 5096
South Australia
(North/North eastern suburbs of Adelaide)
http://www.parahillsvet.com.au/

Love these guys, very knowledgeable.
Approximate prices for rabbits:
Neuter: $100
Spay: $200
Microchip (best done under anesthetic for small-med rabbits): $45
Consultation/Annual Health check: $62
Calicivirus vaccination: $15
Subcutaneous Fluids: $20
Metomide (gut motility injection): $18.70

As a side note, Vets 4 Pets at Golden Grove keeps some oxbow products in stock, hay cubes, pellets, critical care etc. But I wouldn't recommend them for consults etc. '
 
I'm sorry if I'm delayed too long, Para Hills Veterinary Clinic is the best that I know of in the area, Dr Cathy Skinner and Tess as already mentioned.

Otherwise, if you need an after hours clinic, the Blakes Crossing Veterinary Hostpital does emergency/after hours. I've not been but I'm told that one of their vets, I think it's Louise Bower, it's very rabbit savvy.
 
I'm sorry if I'm delayed too long, Para Hills Veterinary Clinic is the best that I know of in the area, Dr Cathy Skinner and Tess as already mentioned.

Otherwise, if you need an after hours clinic, the Blakes Crossing Veterinary Hostpital does emergency/after hours. I've not been but I'm told that one of their vets, I think it's Louise Bower, it's very rabbit savvy.

Thanks for all your help everyone!
when I got she was okay thankfully, she is now running around the backyard and is pretty content, you still hear her sniffing constantly though, I will bring her in tonight as its quite cold, I will see how she goes by the weekend, and take her to the vet , maybe i should upload a video to show you what she is like?
 
If you wait until the weekend, many clinics are only open Saturday morning for a short time, otherwise you'll likely have to go to an emergency clinic which can be more expensive. I also wouldn't wait and see, but that's just me. Glad to hear she's picked up a little at least :)
 
If you wait until the weekend, many clinics are only open Saturday morning for a short time, otherwise you'll likely have to go to an emergency clinic which can be more expensive. I also wouldn't wait and see, but that's just me. Glad to hear she's picked up a little at least :)

Hi guys,
yep I am planning to take her in tonight after work, i don't want to take any chances!
many thanks
Anthony
 
Any word on your bunny? Wondering how things went.

Hi Azarene,
thank you for asking about Apple,, she is going to the parahills vet tommorow, I think she wasnt mouth breathing but rather she was sniffniling! I will let u know how it goes
Cheers
Anthony
 
Hi Azarene,
thank you for asking about Apple,, she is going to the parahills vet tommorow, I think she wasnt mouth breathing but rather she was sniffniling! I will let u know how it goes
Cheers
Anthony

Ok, would love to hear how it went :) Hope she is recovering.
 

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