Kali's sick

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TK Bunnies

TK Bunnies

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, Wisconsin, USA
Hi everyone. I haven't been on in ages, so a quick update before I get to the point:

Teacup is doing well. She's happy and cheerful. She'll be turning 8 in a couple weeks (March 28)

Vinagan's ok. He's still very shy, but he's starting to come around slowly. He'll be turning 2 in April.

Kali isn't doing so hot right now though. She seems to be ok except she keeps getting violent sneezing attacks. I think she might be coughing too, though I can't really tell the difference. She has goo in her eyes and her nose. I'm pretty worried. She's still eatting, pooping, and running around though she doesn't seem quite her self. The thing is, that these were the sympotoms Bud had when he had pasterella, and Kali ishis sister. Though Bud died 2 summers ago. Could the virus sit dormant for that long? Or does Kali just have an allergy or a regular cold? I want to take her the vet, but the vet's really expensive and we really can't afford it right now as I'm dealing with a couple of injuries. :(

So in conclusion is it crucial that we take her to the vet? How bad is it?

Thanks,

-TK

P.S. here's some backround info on Kali: She's a soon to be 6yr old female spayed rex, she's a bit chubby, she's very active: lots of attitude, likes to play tag
 
Time to go to the vet. Pasurella is a bacterial infection that can often be resistant to many antibiotics. It's often present in bunnies' systems at a level too low to cause an active infection. In fact, almost every bunny has been exposed to it at one time and carries it in their system. Unfortunately, the best thing to do is have the vet do a culture of the eye/nose goo and a sensitivity test to determine which antibiotic to prescribe. It could be anything from Baytril to cipro to bicillin. Giving the wrong antibiotic can just make the bacteria more resistant and make the infection worse. This is one thing home treatment can't help.

Could you try CareCredit? I'd hate to see you lose Kali to an URI, but they can progress to the inner ear and cause balance problems, to the lungs and cause respiratory problems, or to the brainstem and cause BIG problems pretty quick, if I'm remembering right.

There are some things you can do to make her feel better, although they won't cure the infection. I read in some old posts about getting a warm mist vaporizer or Vicks vaporizer thing and putting a bit of eucalyptus oil in the water to help her breathe better. You can kind of "hotbox*" her cage with a towel over the vaporizer and her cage at the same time to get her to breathe it in. Also, if the nose gets really goopy and she has to breathe with her mouth (at least until you can get to the vet) you can get some of the goop out with a baby nose bulb thing.

* not at all condoning the use of illegal drugs, never have done myself, just know the term from popular culture
 
Tonyshuman is right she needs to see the vet :I remember all of you well and especially Bud and kali ,

She needs to see a vet ..

I will pm you my phone number ..maybe your mom or you could call me.
Maureen
 
Thanks. Ok sooooo... I'll see if we can get an apointment. We're busy most of the week, though we'll see if we can get an apointment later towards the end of the week.
 
Thanks again for all your help!! I'm really sorry I didn't get a chance to call you, we've been sooooooooo busy.

Ok, so my parents took Kali to the vet today while I was at school. The vet said she was a little sick and that she has a rattle in one of her lungs, but it's no where near as bad as we thought. We were given some atibiotics (Dispesmz Sulfa Trim liquid) that should help her. They didn't do a culture as the vet was worried that it would freak her out if they opened up her mouth and shoved a swab down it, and if they just did a culture on her nose goo they might get other bacteria then the one that's making her sick. We don't really no what she's sick with, but the antibiotics should clear up most of the bacteria they were worried about.
 
Hi TK

Glad that you went to the vet
How many days did the vet give you medicine for ?
a rattly chest can get serious so you want to make sure thatshe gets over it

Maureen
 
Ok, I hope that works. The drug they gave you is called a sulfa drug, and it's the oldest type of antibiotic. Many bacteria out there are resistant to this kind of drug. Also, did they give you at least 2 weeks of it? I hope that it does do the job, though. Good luck!
 
Thanks again for all your help everybody!!

Okay, so Kali seemed to be getting better at first, she was sneezing less, and her nose wasn't so gooy. But on the 5th day (we were given a 10 day supply) she started to act like before, except now she had lots of clear goo around her nose. So we called the vet and they gave us a weeks supply of Baytrill that we are to inject once a day. So we're going to try that next. We are pretty sure that bactiria is resitant to the 1st medication.

Maureen: I mom wants to call you tonight, she has a bunch of questions. I PMed you, will it be ok if she calls you tonight?

Thanks,
-TK
 
Hi,

Is your vet rabbit savvy? Sulfa drugs are usually not appropriate in rabbits.....mainly because they don't work well against most bacteria a rabbit can acquire and they really are rough on the digestive track. Pasteurella is rapidly becoming resistant to Baytril and Cipro. Zeniquin is a newer version of this family of drugs. Baytil should be buffeted by fluids when injected. If it works, it usually works better when injected. This drug will cause sterile skin abscesses if injected unbuffered.

I would suggest finding a vet that will culture the infection. That way you will know what you are dealing with and exactly what it is sensitive too. While it is most likely Pasteurella, we have been seeing variants of that strain and some others also. If it is Pasteurella, the drugs I have had the most success with is Zithromax, Chloramphenicol or Convenia (safe as an injectable only).

Infections in the head are nothing to play with. I urge you to talk to your current vet about being a bit more aggressive or find another vet that is rabbit savvy and is familiar with treating with more modern techniques. Good luck.

Randy
 
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