One of our boys is sneezing

[Cyber-Wizard]

The vet said that the x-rays showed that part of Bert's nasal passages had calcified and was reducing the overall size of the nasal passage.
They did a tear duct flush, and a nasal flush while they had him in. They said that they got a lot of gunk cleared out. Usually after a tear duct flush his sneezing clears up for at least a week or two. This time he was sneezing the day after the vet visit.
The vet recommended steam to help keep his sinuses clear so my showers in the morning are now a family affair. We put down some soft towels on the tile in the bathroom and round up bunnies to let them hang out in there while I shower in the hopes that the change in air temperature when we let Bert out helps him.
Bert gets pretty panicky without Ernie so we've been taking both of them in with us. Ernie is not a fan of being corralled in the bathroom and can get nippy when he thinks he's trapped so we might try bringing Bert in by himself again once he's gone through it a few times.

Apparently the calcification "might" be removable with surgery but the vet said it would require a specialist and she's not aware of this having been done on rabbits before so there may not even be surgical equipment small enough to allow it to be done on a bunny. Given his age it seems a better option to try and keep him comfortable rather than risk surgery anyway.

 

[JBun]

I don't know if this is something that will work or is available in Canada, but I know in the UK that bisolvon syrup(bromhexine) is sometimes prescribed to rabbits with URI's to help thin mucous secretions and keep the nasal passage clear.

I've also read of some owners finding adding echinacea herb to their rabbits diet, seemed to help boost their immune system and reduce URI symptoms. So those may be things to look at and ask your vet about to help with the ongoing management of your rabbits condition.

 

[Cyber-Wizard]

Bert has joined me in the bathroom when I shower every morning for the last two weeks.
He is still sneezing but not as often, and not as many sneezes at one time. Sometimes he does hunch over and squeak a bit while sneezing so they must be pretty much uncontrollable for him.
Based on the x-ray results I'm not certain that he's sneezing so much as just trying to blow something out of his nose the squeaking would seem to indicate that it's a pretty violent sneeze. In either case it feels to me like having him spend time in the bathroom while I steam it up with a hot shower seems to be helping.
After the first few showers, we stopped bringing Ernie in with us as he tends to nip at The Mrs to let her know how little he wants to be there. Bert has gotten used to it and is fine in there now on his own. He let us know that he would prefer there to be a litter box available while we're in the bathroom if we don't want the towels to be peed on. It's a bit of a production getting everything in the bathroom every day but it seems to be having at least a little benefit. After the first few times with Bert on his own we opened the door to find Ernie standing there. He would immediately barge in and check out the whole room. Now he lounges on their new mattress and waits for Bert to come back. Presumably he enjoys the break from Bert's humping.