How long for snuffles to clear?

[Genevieve's_Dad]

My gorgeous 4 1/2 month year old ? (thought flemish giant but now don't think so) rabbit has had active snuffles since she got stressed on the car ride home. We took her to the vet as advised here and she has been on antibiotics for two weeks...

The vet cultured her snot and it came up as Pastuerella for sure, this antibiotic WAS effective in treating it so I don't believe it's the wrong one...

Is is strange she is still sneezing with some white snot? The symptoms are definitely less, but it worries me that they didn't clear in a week as I have read here.

 

[JBun]

Respiratory infections in rabbits rarely clear up in a week. You should see some improvement in the first couple of weeks if it's the right antibiotic, but URI's are very difficult to clear up in rabbits, particularly when it's caused by pasteurella. It usually takes at least 4-6 weeks, sometimes longer. And sometimes it can take several months or even need to be given long term.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Respiratory/Bacterial/URI.htm

If you don't feel you are seeing improvement then I would suggest asking your vet about possibly trying another antibiotic to combine with the one you are giving or just trying a separate one completely. Even though a culture shows an antibiotic should be effective, sometimes it doesn't work out that way when in actual practice.

If there is sufficient improvement on this antibiotic then just give it time and make sure to continue with the antibiotic as long as needed and as long as it is proving effective. Nothing worse then stopping them too early when the infection hasn't been eliminated and having the infection come back, now possibly resistant to that antibiotic.

 

[majorv]

Your vet probably told you that pasteurella can/will come back again with the right triggers.

At some point you might ask your vet about BunnyVac, a vaccine for pasteurella. Again, it doesn’t cure it once a rabbit has it but it can reduce the severity of the symptoms. It is contagious...something to consider if you get another rabbit.

I saw your other post and rabbits don’t just get snuffles from stress unless they were already exposed to it - in this case, most likely at the breeders. You may not have seen it if there wasn’t an active case at the time. That’s why new rabbits should always be quarantined for 30 days if you already have other rabbits in the home. Sorry, but that’s a peeve of mine as a breeder. We never had to deal with it, thank goodness!

 

[SableSteel]

Snuffles doesn't ever really go away. Antibiotics and other medications can treat the symptoms, but the rabbit can still be contagious and the symptoms might come back if it is stressed. It's a bacterial disease so the rabbit needs to have been exposed for it to catch the disease, but often they don't show symptoms unless they're stressed (such as when you brought it home, to a new environment). If you do get a second rabbit, be aware that it has a chance to catch snuffles as well (you might want to look into BunnyVac, see if you can find a breeder who vaccinates around you or try to vaccinate the new one and keep the rabbits separate for a while so it has a chance for the vaccine to work before you introduce the two. Or if you see an adoption prospect that already has snuffles....). Be very transparent about this fact if you ever go to places with other rabbits, it's a very contagious disease that can be hard to get under control.

 

[Genevieve's_Dad]

I absolutely have no intention of getting another rabbit or exposing her to other Rabbits unless my vet says it's fine...

I also know there is no "curing" pastuerella, I'm just wondering how long until the symptoms disappear.

From my research, I've read almost 100% percent of rabbits have been exposed to snuffles at some point and most just carry the disease without manifesting symptoms.

 

[majorv]

That’s partially true. A rabbit with good genetics and a strong immune system would likely not get snuffles if exposed. A good breeder will strive to keep only healthy rabbits.
As for symptoms, with the right antibiotic it should clear up, but be aware that as time goes on a particular antibiotic that worked before may stop working. It may get harder to clear up the symptoms as your rabbit gets older. I do think it’s worth your while to look into the vaccine we mentioned.

 

[Genevieve's_Dad]

That’s partially true. A rabbit with good genetics and a strong immune system would likely not get snuffles if exposed. A good breeder will strive to keep only healthy rabbits.
As for symptoms, with the right antibiotic it should clear up, but be aware that as time goes on a particular antibiotic that worked before may stop working. It may get harder to clear up the symptoms as your rabbit gets older. I do think it’s worth your while to look into the vaccine we mentioned.

I would love to have her vaccinated but my gf has read that the vaccine isn't available in Canada?

The vet did not think the snuffles should affect her life expectancy unless they became much more severe and there were complications... I sure hope she's right!