Babette is sick

[Maureen Las]

Last Oct my 7 yr old mini-lop Babette started to make these coughing/sneezing sounds and breathing heavily. I took her to the only vet available that day who told me that it was most likely pneumonia and prescribed injectable intramauscular baytril for 7 days. I gave her the injectible for about 5 days and then found out that if you don't mix sterile saline with baytril the rabbit can get sterile abscesses.

I took her to another vet who gave me another week of oral Ciprofloxicin and she recovered totally. She also never got abscesses from the several days of IM baytril.


Today she began making the sound of a human who has a cold and is trying to clear their throat. She only does this every now and then but is breathing a little heavier and doesn't look like she feels that great.

This is the problem

In this town I go to different vets for different things as none of them are 100% rabbit saavy. Since she did so well with a combo of IM baytril and then oral baytril I am wondering which vet to go to. I am slightly afraid to ask him to mix the baytril with sterile saline butif others think that the injectable is more effective I will

I already went on the other medical site and only got one response.

 

[HoneyPot]

Hopefully someone who has some knowledge about this will have some input - but I just wanted to let you know I was thinking about you and Babette.

________
Nadia

 

[Maureen Las]

I go to about 4 vets here so today I went to one who has not seen her before but has seen a few of my other rabbits.When I mentioned that sterile saline should be mixed with the baytril she didn't know what I was talking about.

She told me that I should wait a day to put her on anything (I'm not going to do that). I am going to put her on oral Ciprofloxicin (have a lot at home because Beau gets it for his dental issues almost all the time).

When she actually had what looked like pneumonia she didn't look as miserable as she does today. She actually has no discharge at all but makes little sounds that sound like a rabbit cold....little gurgles and half sneezes She also seems much more lethargic.

She is just 7 yrs old and my oldest rabbit. I got her when she fit in the palm of my hand so I've had her 7 yrs. I know that she is now in the beginning of old age and I am somewhat concerned about this because she is bonded to a holland lop 3 yrs younger plus she is my heart

If she is the same tomorrow I am taking her to another vet as she really wasn't diagnosed.
Someone from the medical website e-mailed me that injectable baytril is more effective but it has to be really diluted with sterile saline so it doesn't form abscesses.
Anyway I am keeping my eyes and ears open tonight and moved her and Beau to another room just in case the other rabbits could catch it.

 

[naturestee]

Not again! :hug2:

I'm not very experienced as to what antibiotics are better,etc. Although injected antibiotics are supposed to work better because you don't loose any in the GI tract.

Did the vet listen to her lungs? What did they sound like? I'm wondering if this is more of an upper respiratory infection than a lower one, although I could be wrong.

ray:

 

[Maureen Las]

this is more upper respiratory than lower but she is acting a lot sicker with this than pneumonia

She is eating and drinking but really only pellets. Acting nothing like herself..paying no attention to Beau at all who is very needy and bothering her a lot.
The only good thing is that I have not been hearing any sounds coming from her tonite. She just acts like she doesn't feel good.
I am giving her oral Ciprofloxicin and I'm really hoping that helps her.
The vet also saw beau today and took a look at his teeth
the bad teeth gre back and it looks like he needs more done.
Never ending $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ with rabbits......but I love them.

 

[naturestee]

Try putting her in the bathroom while you take along hot shower. The warm steam will help her breathe better,if only for a little while.

She might be acting more sick, but it's the pneumonia that's more dangerous. I hope she and Beau feel better soon!