Sick Rabbit

[bunnylady62]

hello,

I was at another forum and read this email plea from a lady needinghelp with her sick rabbit, if anyone has some advice or help i wouldreally appreciate it. Thank you.

Quote:




I take care of two wonderful female rabbits. My wife and I introducedone of them in late 2003 after we had the other one for 3 years. Theolder one has developed a Pasteurella infection. It is not as seriousas some it would seem, but serious enough to me. I love that littlerabbit more than anything. She has been to the vet three times now. Thefirst infection cleared up after 2 different antibiotics were usedDuring the second treatment, her eyes became infected. All was well fortwo weeks and now it has returned. The ear infection is mild accordingto the vet. She is on Otomax and Tobramycin. Sometimes her breathing islouder than normal. The thought of her being in pain is enough to makeme break down in tears. She is so healthy otherwise. It is cold anddamp in Washington state now and I wonder if that is not helping. Theother, younger rabbit is extremely healthy. We are moving to Redding,California in a few months. I am hoping the drier climate will help. Isthere ANY aerosol antibiotic that can penetrate the rabbit sinuses andkill this evil bacteria?? The rabbits are kept seperate, there shouldbe no chance of a reinfection if it is cleared up. You must understandthat desperation and my love for this amazing creature is keeping me upat night. If she is in pain, can I shave a tiny, tiny piece of Tylenolor Advil and add it to her orange juice?? I am so scared of her gettingany sicker. I will do anything to help her, anything. My faith in myvet is being sorely tested. She says injections are not necessary andcan be detrimental. There has to be something I can do, please help me.The rabbit, Bonnie is her name, appears healthy, eats like a Queen, andhas the run of the house. Her poopies are excellent and she is veryaffectionate. The thought of having to give her antibiotics for therest of her life is so depressing. As a pet owner in 2005, I find itamazing that Pasteurella is as prevalent as it is. There are spacecrafton Jupiter's moon and yet a bacteria that causes so much misery is saidto be simply a fact of life. I believe she has many years left and Iwill do anything to make them the best possible. Thank you forlistening. I live 50 miles from Seattle in case you know an excellentrabbit vet. Thanks again.

 

[Fergi]

*Bump*

Fergi's mom

 

[pamnock]

I believe that Ihad readsomereports on aerosol antibiotic therapy in rabbits, but the results ofthis type of therapy in treating Pasteurella weren't very promising.

Pam

 

[bunnylady62]

I was wondering what people's thoughts are onthis? Do you think it is possible to carry on and keep treating therabbit? Or do you think it is best to put her down? I think that if itwere me i would put her down, because of the possabity of spreading tothe other rabbit (especially since this a reoccurring problem). She hadmentioned that she was moving where it its less moist, but i dont thinki would reccomend moving this rabbit and causing it additional stress,could cause Wry neck could it not??? Thank you for the reply's so far.Keep them coming.

 

[pamnock]

Some strains of Pasteurella can be difficult totreat. (I'm assuming that the pathogen was determined to be Pasteurellaand that the vet just wasn't guessing). Bordatella infectionsare alsocommonly found in conjunction withPasteurella).Baytril is commonly used. Otherantibiotics sometimes used are Penn G, Enrofloxacin or Oxytetracycline.

Tylenol (Acetaminophen) should not be given to rabbits. Baby Aspirin and Ibuprofen can be used.

If this is a pet rabbit, I don't see need for having it put to sleep atthis point as its condition does not appear to warrant that.

If she is moving, she should check out the House Rabbit Society websitefor a rabbit savy vet to continue treatment. I also highlyrecommend that she purchase the rabbit health care book by KathySmith. It hast a vast wealth of information on caring for thechronically ill rabbit.

Pam

 

[bunnylady62]

Thank you for the info, I have passed along the advice. Thank you again.

 

[enslaved]

Hi.. My little one has pasteurella aswell. It isquite a horrible situation. Mine had surgery aswell as severalantibiotic treatments. I went through several vets beforeIfound a suitable one. I'm pretty sure that on the House Rabbit Societypage there is vet listingshttp://www.rabbit.org . My vet did notwant to put my little one on full time antibiotics, so were only goingto put her on them when problems could occur. I don't think that longterm antibiotics full time is a good idea for any bunny. They can buildup a tollerance to it and it is not the best on their system. With mylittle one I just make sure she has a excellent diet of timothy hay andpellets aswell as lots of vegetables, this helps keep her pasteurellaundercontrol. If u get the pasteurella undercontrol it can remaindorment in their system (this is what were going for). There are manyexcellent sites on pasteurella if you want to learn more about it. I'vebin through your situation before and I know how it feels.

 

[bunnylady62]

Thank you very much everyone for your replys, Ihave forwarded your messages so she can read them. Lets hope that shecan get her little one better.

 

[Brandy]

welcome to the boardNina!!!!

I was going to PM you and ask you what rabbit board you postedthis on but I forgot then found it on my own hopefully youstick around!!!

 

[bunnylady62]

LOL, Thanks. I hope to stick around for a while, and I hope that the lady can find a solution to her problem.