Snuffles in a Rabbitry...WWYD?

[Velveteen_Lop]

I don't currently have this problem **thank goodness** but I have before. I ended up destroying all the rabbits. A friend of mine ended up with it in her Rabbitry and only destroyed two or three, the ones that really showed symptoms. One doe she kept, and she supposedly "got over" her symptoms. They have shown her multiple times and although she has place very well, she is obviously still considered a carrier correct? I just don't feel comfortable purchasing any rabbits from her since I hear that rabbits can be a silent carrier of snuffles, or having any of my rabbits transported to or from shows with her stock. Plus, rabbits can get stressed so easily. But, then again, I have had gets tell me it can be successfully treated. Most breeders I have talked to will not take any chances and will outright destroy a rabbit. So, my question: what are any of your thoughts on this?

 

[Kipcha]

Personally, I think it's ridiculous to kill a rabbit for "snuffles", let alone others just because they were around a rabbit with symptoms. It's outdated and there is so much more information on it then before. We have a few that we know are carriers and they do just fine with some management. I understand that it isn't realistic from a breeder perspective, but still, there is no reason to destroy all the rabbits.

"Snuffles" is usually caused by a bacteria called Pasteurella, something that causes different symptoms such as upper respiratory infections, abcesses, conjunctivitis, etc. 80% of ALL rabbits are "silent carriers" of Pasteurella or Snuffles, so chances are, your rabbits probably have it.

Honestly, its the ones that don't that you have to worry about because should one rabbit show symptoms, as far as rabbits that are not sick go, the rabbit that isn't the carrier is more likely to get sick then one already carrying the bacteria. It isn't going to have any defense built up to it.

 

[majorv]

We haven't been faced with having a rabbit with snuffles...yet. A breeder we know was getting out of rabbits and we went to look at the four he had at a show. Three of the four had white snot in their nose, so there was no way we wanted one. We now have the opportunity to get a Tan from a breeder we know. This rabbit is kind of special because its a daughter of a rabbit we sold her previously. She recently told us that due to the weather she had developed a snotty nose, but that she was on medication and it was clearing up. I'm really unsure of getting this rabbit now. Snuffles can affect every rabbit you have if you aren't careful, and that's every breeder's nightmare.

 

[woahlookitsme]

I am going to kind of have this problem possibly. A friend I am getting a doe from turned up with snot right after some bad weather changes (hot to cold and back again). They are treating her and I am willing to take her as long as she doesn't show symptoms. We have never had to deal with this in any of our rabbits but other breeders I know do not deal with it and cull anything showing symptoms. It can be deadly if left untreated (which is sort of easy to occur when there are so many rabbits in one rabbitry) and I know people who have had it affect almost their whole herd. Me being so small having an outbreak would be detrimental and I have the resources to treat it properly and quarantine but not everyone does. This is more of a matter in what is practical for you.

I can't say if I would buy from her. I would probably avoid it. The rabbit I am buying has my lines already and The girl who is giving her to me is selling out. I had to get her just to see what I get out of her (she is a BIS winner)

 

[woahlookitsme]

LOL my mom posted right before me

I also wanted to add. Be careful with saying things like destroying and even culled. This is a rabbitry section but pet people still see it and I know it can offend some. I try to watch my words around here as it has created problems in the past.

 

[ladysown]

cull the ones that show symptoms.

Seriously.

once you've had your rabbitry lost to snuffles you don't want to go there again. It is much easier to cull one rabbit then lose your herd.

AND WHO wants to breed a bunch of sneezing, snuffling health risks that are prone to stress and health issues? Seriously...ones goal in life as a breeder should be to breed the healthiest, happiest rabbits one can. All other goals should be secondary to that.

Should you choose to buy a rabbit from someone, keep it in quarantine for at least one month. Make it a strict quarantine where you feed/water it last, and change your clothes and wash hands before going back to your other rabbits and that is AT LEAST 20 feet downwind from the other rabbits.

It's one thing if you have a pet rabbit(s) it's another thing entirely if you have a rabbitry.

Pasturella is alive and well and has a great many symptoms...abscesses, bone disease, lung disease etc.
It can be treated BUT the treatment is generally cost prohibitive for most folks and takes a fair while to do.

 

[RoyalLions18]

Pasturella can be treated to hide symptoms, but it never go's away. I have treated 2 rabbits for it before, who i bought. Treated them for months would get better, then they would start sneezing again. So they had to go. I have not had it in my rabbitry, but if i ever did those showing symptoms would have to go.

 

[Velveteen_Lop]

Ladysown and RoyalLions, that is exactly how I feel about it really. It just makes me sick to think about my current rabbit getting it, let alone when I get my next breeding pair. Its just that you hear so many different stories and what people are willing to go through to keep these rabbits alive. I know for a fact that my current Velveteen is healthy, and I want to keep it that way. I just wish my friend would have culled all of her rabbits at the beginning that had shown symptoms. The one doe she has shown had pretty serious sneezing and discharge if I remember correctly.

 

[Katielovesleo3]

I also wanted to add. Be careful with saying things like destroying and even culled. This is a rabbitry section but pet people still see it and I know it can offend some. I try to watch my words around here as it has created problems in the past.

Lol, that's so funny you said that (im not offended but now I am curious), I read destroyed and I thought of a bunch of people going to the cages with shotguns and just blowing them away....now I am wondering...exactly how did they do it?! lol!

 

[BMT1]

That's just wrong!!!

 

[tonyshuman]

Please remember to follow our forum rules on discussion of euthanasia.
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f39/forum-decorum-10320/

"We do not discuss rabbit dispatch, processing, or consumption, in any form.
Sole Exception: Rabbitry discussion of dispatch of deformed kits. Must be tagged as GRAPHIC."

tyvm

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

Any rabbits showing symptoms of snuffles (or other diseases) should be culled immediately from breeding herds. It's our responsibility as those who raise rabbits to select for healthy animals with strong immune systems.

If we're diligent in selecting for health, we'll see less and less struggling with symptoms of pasteurella. As rabbits are exposed, their immune systems will be better equipped to fight the bacteria, and less rabbits will suffer infection/symptoms.


* Culled = remove from herd.

 

[ladysown]

most people cull quickly and cleanly. NOT going in and blowing heads off. Oh my.. that would indeed just be so wrong.

One's aim in life should be 2 seconds or less of huh? what's going on? oh....

I HOPE That's not causing a problem with forum rules...just wanted to emphasize that people aren't and shouldn't be cruel in the process. Sorry....

 

[missyscove]

Pasteurellosis is a challenging disease to treat and chronic pasteurellosis may indeed have no cure. As a pet owner 3 weeks into treating "snuffles" sympotms in my own rabbit (althugh the culture and sensitivity results did not show pasterurella) I know firsthand how difficult and expensive treatment options can be.

It is important to realize that the health of a herd or other large group of animals typically requires a different approach than treating a single animal for a problem, an approach that sometimes means a few animals must be sacrificed for the good of a large number of animals. My previous research into pasteruella in herds of rabbits indicated that, in order to keep a herd pasterella-free, affected animals should be removed from the herd (however you choose to do so; animals with chronic pasteurella can do quite well in pet homes although they may be symptomatic for life). Further evidence indicated that, while "snuffles" is almost always attributed to pasteurella, animals that are actually tested have a wide variety of pathogens (my own rabbit is an example of this). Additionally, pasteurella can be a commensal bacteria in apparently healthy, symptom-free rabbits, so even removing affected animals from the herd won't eliminate the pasteurella.
Pasteurella-free rabbits are available for research herds, but these are animals that are in a closed environment, not travelling to shows and being sold from one owner to another.

With regards to methods of euthanasia, typically we like to refer to the AVMA's Guidelines on Euthanasia (from 2007 and the update should be available soon) which can give you an idea of what euthanasia methods are and are not acceptable https://www.avma.org/KB/Policies/Documents/euthanasia.pdf

I'm going to close this thread for now pending further discussion by the moderators.