Pasturella

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h2ofrq1

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I have a female lop that is approximately 5 years old. Yesterday I discovered an eye issue that I believe is pasturella. She is eating but unusually skinny. Her nose is wet but not running. I had an older bunny die a few months ago from pasturella but her symptoms were different. She had hair loss on her back and her front paws were swollen and pus filled. These 2 rabbits never had contact. Is pasturella treatable? Isn't it contagious? I have a vet appointment Monday.
 
Pasturella is contagious, but it is treatable! However, it can be VERY hard to treat. I would say take her to the vet- but you already have an appointment! If she stops eating or seems to have difficulty breathing, bring her in to an emergency clinic.

Pasturella is quite common in the environment (particularly common in cat mouths), and is a fairly common infection in many species. Good luck and let us know how she does after the vet!
 
Are you sure they had pasteurella? That's a respiratory disease typically with sneezing and nasal discharge. The rabbit that's eating but skinny, has it been checked for parasites (worms)?
 
I would agree that it doesn't really sound like Pasteurella to me, I would almost wonder if it's more likely a tooth issue. That would explain the runny eye, weight loss and even a wet nose in some cases. Teeth, especially when the roots go bad, cause a lot of problems in their head.
 
I'm sure it is pasturella. You can't see her eye. Her eye is swollen, red and all you can see is a round blob of pus.
 
Pasteurella Multocida (ocular pasteurella) can indeed cause an eye swollen shut and filled with pus. If it's the case here, it's treated with an antibiotic eyewash and a general antibiotic taken orally. Pasteurella is hard to treat and tends to come back, but a rabbit can live for years with it if it's managed correctly. On the other hand the symptoms you describe can match with other types of infections (even an infection caused by something stuck in her tear duct... it's hard to tell without seeing it).
 
Vet said eye has ruptured and is pasturella. She gave me baytril and eye drops. Said she should recover nicely but will be blind in that eye. She also said that all of my rabbits probably have it and I can treat it but never get rid of it.
 
Yeah, the treatment sounds right. Your rabbit should do fine even if she can't see in one eye - rabbits are very adaptable. On the other hand I agree with your vet: Pasteurella is really contagious so it's likely all of your rabbits are infected - I knew a rabbit who got it just by being kept in the same house than an infected rabbit for a few days. In some case you can completely get rid of it but it's generally not the case.
You can just keep an eye on them and make sure they are all eating, breathing and pooping well. Watch your doe closely as antibiotics can mess up the guts and give diarrhea. You might want to gently clean her nose with a wet cloth if she has trouble breathing.
 
The strange thing is, none of my rabbits sneeze or have runny noses. I don't know what else to look for. All my rabbits eat extremely well, probably too much.
 

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