sneezing bunny

[luna21]

My hendrix has been having frequent sneezing fits but with no nasal or eye discharge or loss of appetite, he also wheezes a little while eating and sleeping. This has been going on now for 2 weeks and i havent seen a vet because i thought the cause was possibly the type of hay or litter im using . It has not seemed to slow him down as he still runs around and behaves as he normally would. The fits are not getting more frequent and are subsiding as time goes on but im thinking i will still take him in to be seen. Is it possible for him to have something other than the Pasteurella or Bortedella bugs? i know pasteurella can lie dormant and can flare up? would blood work or nasal swab be needed to detect it? i hear its very difficult to treat :-(

 

[squidpop]

Medirabbit lists 7 other bacteria besides pasteurella that can cause snuffle symptoms. http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Respiratory/Bacterial/URI.htm
Speaking from my own experience, go to the best rabbit vet you can find even if you have to drive several hours. My rabbit was sneezing white snot and I went to three local vets who gave Baytril, then a Tetracycline, each time my rabbit got better for about 10 days but then symptoms came back while still on the drug. When I went to the vet the third time he just wanted to keep treating with the Tetracycline but it didn't seem to be working. So finally, I drove out of town and went to a rabbit specialist vet (which was what I should have done in the first place) this Vet bred rabbits before she went to Vet school. She prescribed Zithromax and said if that didn't work next thing would be injectable Penicillin. But the Zithromax worked and my rabbit has been fine for four years with no reoccurrence of symptoms. So, what ever your rabbit has there's a good chance it can be treated, just make sure you go to a really great rabbit vet. My vet did not do the culture. Many recommend doing a culture but I am not sure because others believe they can be really inconclusive because the bacteria can be so far back in the sinuses that the swab can't reach it, and they are expensive. But I suppose if you have the money it would be best to get a culture even if there is a chance it could be inconclusive.

Having your rabbits teeth checked would also be a good idea, on one of the posts on this site a rabbit was having sinus problems and it turned out to be related to overgrown tooth roots.

 

[luna21]

thanks for the link ! I know of a really good rabbit vet and thats where i will be taking him