Diagnosed with Snuffles

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SteviesMom

SteviesMom

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Location
Anaheim, California, USA
So, I've noticed Stevie sneezing a bit lately. I chalked it up to allergies from a new litter but made an appointment with the vet just in case. Right when the vet (who got fantastic reviews for caring for rabbits on yelp) walked in she immediately told me Stevie has snuffles and wouldn't live longer then 2 years. She said I would have to be constantly switching antibiotics and going on different rounds of giving it to him. She then started lecturing me on where I could get a new rabbit after Stevie. I'm absolutely devastated and don't want another rabbit. Stevie is only 6 months old and seems so healthy. She said his lungs sound clear and so are his eyes and ears.

On the info page snuffles didn't sound like a death sentence but this vet said there was absolutely no cure. She prescribed a round of Baytril for 10 days.

Is there anything else I can do for my baby? I'm so upset right now. I wanted to make sure the vet was correct and I know you all are the experts. Thanks.

-Skyler & Stevie
 
Really? That seems odd to me, I've seen plenty of stories of rabbits living for years after being diagnosed with Pasteurella (Did the vet call it snuffles?) and doing just fine. I've seen rabbits go through some antibiotics, clear up the symptoms, and then the bun is fine for years to come. Not to mention the telling you where to get another rabbit is extremely insensitive.

What are the rabbit's symptoms? What tests did the vet run?

I would go to another vet.
 
Amanda, thank you for your reply. You words bring some comfort to us over here.
The vet ran no tests at all. I asked if she was sure it was snuffles and she said she was positive. She did not classify as pasturella or anything else. All she did was look at him, weigh him and listen to his chest (said it sounded clear) I was given Baytril to administer orally 1 time a day.

Does anyone know of any good rabbit vets in the Orange County Ca area? Price doesn't matter.

Also, I have been reading some about nebulizing. Could this help my furry baby? I will do anything to make him more healthy and comfortable.
 
I do not have any experience with nebulizing so I cannot really help you there... But there is a video here if you want to look see,

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9fvjZPEMhc[/ame]

Just reading over your original post, I completely missed for some reason that his lungs are clear? Does he have nasal discharge? If there is no discharge and everything else is clear, I'm a little confused as to what would lead the vet into thinking it's "snuffles" which is not even an actual diagnosis, it's a catch all term for many problems.

Pasteurella can appear in many ways (Respiratory problems, abscesses, head tilt, etc.) and is found in 80% of all rabbits as a dormant bacteria until stress brings it out, so no, it cannot be cured BUT the symptoms can be suppressed and the rabbit will live healthy and happy. It's like the herpes virus in some people, you never know it's there until stress brings it out.

The vet should have performed nasal swabs to help determine the cause, as shown in this video,

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dMDbLDFQnk[/ame]

Here's an awesome page to read on URIs

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Respiratory/Bacterial/URI.htm

Honestly though, if there is no nasal discharge, I would try changing the bedding and just see if an allergy.

Hopefully you can find a better vet...
 
He does have nasal discharge (not a whole lot though, and it looks relatively clear to me) and he has been sneezing a bit. Not constantly. He doesn't have any labored or raspy breathing. He is super happy and eats really well.

I got him an appointment with a new vet for tomorrow morning.

I would GREATLY appreciate any and all advice or info :biggrin:
 
My bunny was diagnosed with pasturella a couple months ago and was given baytril too. It helped at first but then stopped working and the vet told us she would most likely die. We switched vets to someone who took a holistic approach on treating her. She was prescribed Immugen (a nutritional immune support), sheep colostrum, and a homotox remedy. She made a full recovery in less than a month. Good luck with your bunny I hope he feels better soon!
 
Thank you for all the replies! I am going to visit a new vet tomorrow morning. Any other suggestions on questions I should ask or what should all be done would be greatly appreciated.
 
I think Baytril is not the medicine for the job. I've used it with several buns and we've not had it help runny noses at all. I think over time the bacteria in most bunnies has become immune. That's the way it was put to me at least.


If the nose isn't thick, white/green, then I'd question whether its true Pasturella. And, though its very hard to treat, I would not say impossible.

I had a bunny like this and the vet said (after trying several medicines without them helping) that we should leave it and see if it got somewhat better on its own. She said some of her patients (as long as it isn't getting worse) do fine and get better. That bunny I felt was getting worse and the breeder offered to try treating her herself. Then we swapped for a different bunny (Ripley) who had a wet nose from day one as well. It was clearish yellow thin discharge and we left it several months like she had told us with Charlie (the other bun). Sure enough, it got all the way better on its own!
This isn't to say not to take your bunny in; more just to say if he doesn't look very bad and meds don't seem to be working, it might be something to try.
 
The visit went very well! I loved the new vet (Tri-City Pet Hospital in Placentia) The vet took his time and looked over Stevie carefully. After he finished he said he didn't agree with the other vets diagnoses. He said it is possible that Stevie was simply allergic to the new litter I was using. We decided to hold off on the nose culture until next week. The vet said it would not hurt Stevie to finish the 10 day round of Baytril so we are going to finish that. I also have started placing his crate in the bathroom and turning the shower really hot for a few minutes to loosen his mucus. I don't really think this is necessary because I don't hear any wheezing but I don't think it could hurt (I put his crate on the bathroom floor not in the actual shower in case anyone was confused) :)I made another appointment with the vet on this coming Friday and they already called to check on him. He has been even more rambunctious the last few days so maybe he is feeling better.

I would still appreciate anymore advice or things to look out for. Thanks!
 
The very first rabbit I bought had allergies. Everyone I talked to said, "Oh, it's snuffles, get it out of the barn." By this point it had been in the barn for 7 months and not a single other rabbit so much as sneezed. She did have a clear discharge when she'd sneeze, but never anything on her front legs. Anyway, I ended up giving her and my Holland lop buck (Romeo) to someone as a pet. She said she hasn't heard her sneezing at all.
 
Thanks for the info Wendy. Stevie had no sneezing or discharge until I introduced a new litter. (It is pressed pine with no oils or chemicals) He also has very little discharge (not enough to muck up his front legs). So far he has seemed much less sneezy and slimy since we started the Baytril and got rid of the litter. Fingers crossed it was just allergies! :)
 
Thanks for the support everyone. Today is day six of Baytril. Stevie seems to be doing well. I still see a bit of discharge from his nose. He seems to have even more energy now and is using his litter box better.

I have a re-check with the vet on Friday
 
Hi - Just to let you know I've had rabbits with Pasturella before, and if Stevie's made it this long and he's on medication he should be fine. Also the rabbits I had (this was some years ago) never suffered from it again. My advice would be to scrub the crap out of everything just to make sure he doesn't re-catch it, and buy him a nice big echinacea plant from the nearest garden center to boost his immune system. he may try to eat all of it at once, but it shouldn't do him any harm.
Erren
 
Hi everyone! Just wanted to give an update. Stevie finished his 10 day round of Baytril on July 20th and has been doing very well the past week! No more runny nose at all. I'm not sure if it was the anti-biotics that helped or the change in his litter.

I made a check-up appointment with his vet for Monday. I'm wondering if getting him fixed would still work? He is 6 months old now. Or will the stress of his procedure cause a flare up of the pasturella (if that was actually the cause for his sniffles)
 
It honestly sounds to me more like allergies... You could ask the vets opinion but I think the neuter would be just fine.
 
I'm glad you found another vet. Your first one was incredibly insensitive and it sounds like she was just plain wrong. I would have been heart broken if a vet said that to me. She needs some additional training, I would say! I don't know what's wrong with some doctors.

:pullhair:

You seem to be on a very good track now. I believe you'll have many, many happy years with your bunny:)

It's amazing what can be done with natural and homeopathic treatments. "When Your Rabbit Needs Special Care--Traditional and Alternative Healing Methods" is a good book on the subject. I think there's a section on "snuffles". I love what you did with the shower!

Just a thought...since the sniffles started with the litter, have you thought about changing that? I'm not an expert but I've read that pine products of any kind aren't good for bunnies.

Your bunny is lucky to have you to figure this out for him!
 
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