Snuffles

[belleshadow]

I left to go to the mountains for a week, and we asked some people we knew to take care of the animals. While we were gone it rained a lot, and since my rabbits' pens are on the ground, and do not have a bottom they are supposed to be moved every day. I asked the people who were taking care of the animals to move the rabbits' pens every day, but they did not and now one of my rabbits has the sniffles, and is feeling a bit feverish. I brought him inside, but I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how to help him to heal.

 

[majorv]

Is the discharge anything but clear? If so, you need to have him seen by a vet. If pneumonia sets in you can lose the rabbit pretty fast.

 

[Liinnie]

My Lola had the sniffles and it wasn't bad for about 3 weeks but she got it again last winter and got sick quicky if the discharge is a darkyellow Color around his noise and eyes take him to the vet right away if it's a clear Color like Lola's was I cleared her noise with warm water and used a saline solution nose spray what you can pick up at any CVS or drugstore and just spray a little bit of each nostril that's what my vet told me to do to break up the mucus but if your rabbit seems feverish and is not acting like him self and NIT even eating then I take him to the vet right away

 

[belleshadow]

Thank you for the advice. He is eating well, and his feces are regular and fine. He is a black rabbit though so it is hard to tell if his discharge is green or yellow, I'll try wiping it off and see if I can tell what color it is. He's not very lethargic, I've been letting him run around my room, and he seems just as curious and energetic as usual. I will try some of the saline solution though, and see how that works.

 

[Liinnie]

That's good I always have saline around for Lola just in case her noise gets stuffy it seems like she gets it every so many months a good tip if it's stuck around his nose I use a qtip and soak it in warm water to lose it and w anoyher qtip I put some Neosporin on it to help get it off also and then once it's off sometimes their noses are
Sore so a little bit of Neosporin on it's not going to hurt it actually helps and my bunny has never had a using it

 

[JBun]

If your rabbit has thick colored discharge it means your rabbit has a respiratory infection that needs to be treated with the correct antibiotic. If your rabbit has a fever, there is a possibility it is pneumonia as majorv mentioned, especially since your rabbit was out in wet weather. If your rabbit does in fact have pneumonia and it isn't treated with aggressive antibiotics immediately, there is a very good chance it could prove fatal. But no matter which type of respiratory infection it is it needs to be treated with antibiotics. Saline may thin out some of the discharge but it won't treat the primary problem which is a bacterial infection. Please have your rabbit seen by a rabbit savvy vet right away.

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Respiratory/Bacterial/URI.htm

 

[Liinnie]

Yes she should take him if he has all the above signs Lola did end up have a respiratory infection the sniffles is one thing but if your bunny has a fever and u can tell just by feeling there ears and has a lot of discharge from his nose and eyes won't eat or drink get him there right away a simple sniffles is nothing but can turn into a infection believe me you will no if your bunny is really sick Lola was on antibiotics for a week but her sniffles is chronic and comes and gos some bunnys just have it and some get it because of there teeth bunnys can get sick very quickly u can always call your vet and ask to

 

[JBun]

Yes she should take him if he has all the above signs Lola did end up have a respiratory infection the sniffles is one thing but if your bunny has a fever and u can tell just by feeling there ears and has a lot of discharge from his nose and eyes won't eat or drink get him there right away a simple sniffles is nothing but can turn into a infection believe me you will no if your bunny is really sick Lola was on antibiotics for a week but her sniffles is chronic and comes and gos some bunnys just have it and some get it because of there teeth bunnys can get sick very quickly u can always call your vet and ask to

There is no simple case of snuffles/sniffles when it comes to rabbits. Rabbits don't just get 'colds' like people do. If a rabbit has ongoing nasal discharge, it is almost always a bacterial infection that needs antibiotic treatment. Even if the rabbit doesn't have a fever and is still eating, drinking, and behaving normally, if the discharge is anything other than clear, it means it is a bacterial infection that needs to be treated with antibiotics. Even if the discharge is clear it can still be a bacterial infection, as well as several other possible causes including foreign body up the nostril, dental problems, eye problems, allergies, dust, poor air in the environment, heat stress, most of which require some sort of vet attention. A fever just means that it is a very severe bacterial infection and likely has progressed to pneumonia. Even if the rabbit has no other symptoms besides colored discharge, the rabbit still needs to be seen by a vet and be treated with antibiotics in the least, and the course needs to be for much longer than a week. Antibiotic treatment for a respiratory infection in rabbits should usually last for 4-6 weeks, sometimes even longer depending on the severity.

Jbun
Health and Wellness Moderator

 

[belleshadow]

Well, thank you for all of your advice. I have observed my rabbit further, and it seems that his discharge is white, and it seems clear, it's kind of hard to tell since he's black, but at one point he accidentally rubbed his nose on my arm and got snot all over me, and it was clear, so I think he just has a minor problem. If he had a fever before, he does not seem to have one now, it may have been that he was just hot since it has been very hot outside. I know that I have had rabbits with snuffles before, and that they have healed without any vet intervention. My sister did have one die from snuffles before, but he was old, and she did not take sufficient care of him.