My Rabbit sounds congested

[happymoon]

I purchased my rabbit a week from today. At the time I didn't notice anything odd. It was a 2 hour drive to get him to my house and in that time I didn't notice anything worrisome. His name is Oliver, and on the way home he was breathing fine, however after two days I noticed that he began sneezing. When he ate it was like he was honking. Sometimes when Oliver began to breathe deeply his sounded like he was squeaking. It seemed to get worse with his hay, so I changed it and it helped a bit, but it hasn't solved the issue. He was living in my bathroom until I could find a carrier. I finally got something for him so he doesn't have to breathe the damp air and this hasn't helped either. It seems to be much worse I'm going to take him on a car ride today to see if it might be my carpet. I moved in about 2 days before I got him and they steam cleaned my floors.

I'm fearing that it might be snuffles as Oliver has white discharge from his nose, which is hard to see because he cleans it away so quickly. Aside from sneezing and sounding more and more congested, he's eating fine, but drinking less, I wonder if it's caused by me trying to put echinacea into his water. he's very picky. I changed the water several times since then. I noticed that while he tends to be fairly active this morning Oliver isn't as active as usual. In fact he just fell asleep. I tried giving him ACV diluted in a dropper, and it worked for a little while, but he won't take it anymore.

I don't have a lot of money right now, so I'm not sure a vet visit is in my budget. Is there anything I can do to help him at home, or should I just take him to the vet?

 

[Aki]

I would take him to a vet. It could be snuffles but also a simple rhinitis. The thing is a white discharge indicates infection which means your rabbit probably needs antibiotics. Rhinitis can have several causes, including (but not limited to) allergies, something stuck in the nostril and stress. It's easy to cure if taken early and treated correctly - it's really best not to wait until it gets worse. Unfortunately, having pets is expensive and they never wait for you to have money to get sick, go figure...
I personnally opened a separate bank account when I got my first pet as an adult, where I've been putting some money every month ever since (about 15$, so not much, but the deposit is automatic so that I don't forget). I don't touch it at all as long as the situation is not desperate (I work free lance, so I also have some very tight months, financially speaking) and it really helps when you wake up to a 'surprise' emergency and you are already super stressed about your pet's health. I don't know about your situation, which is maybe circumstantial, but it might be a good idea to do something like that. Rabbits are by no mean cheap to maintain and when they need vet care it generally can't wait at all (Aki had to go to the emergency vet just three days ago and I think she will pull through but she probably wouldn't have if I had waited for even a day as she was deshydrated and in stasis... that was after the yearly vaccination last month and three weeks ago, my dog scratched his eye while running around like an idiot so another emergency trip to the vet - I don't even want to think about how much I spent at the vet this summer ^^').
For right now, I would try to find a vet knowledgeable about rabbits and call to explain your situation. Some vets accept to be paid in instalments and can be pretty understanding when it comes to money issues.

 

[happymoon]

Thank you for the advice. I've looked into some vets in and around my city and have found 4 that will treat rabbits. He hasn't sneezed since I got home this afternoon, but he's still doing some honking. He's also drinking his water again so I'll see if I can get him an appointment soon, and I'll take that savings idea to heart.

 

[Aki]

I hope it's nothing. Keep an eye on the discharge thing. Just a bit of sneezing isn't alarming, discharge is.

 

[happymoon]

Hello! I just wanted to update you. I was able to find a vet for a reasonable price and knew a lot about rabbits. I was given Sulfatrim. Half a tablet twice daily. It seems to help with the discharge as I haven't seen any since he got the medication last Tuesday, but he's still doing some sneezing.

I was also able to confirm that he sneezes due to dust more than not as I got him out of my house for a few days visiting family. He only sneezed when he came in contact with dirt. A vacuum will be my next major purchase.