bringing to a show

[sheandg]

i have 2 rabbits that have an upper respitory infection and just came back from the vet with antibiotics so my question is well i have a few....


I have a show coming up next weekend and will I be ok bringing the other rabbits that show no symptoms? I moved the 2 sick rabbits away from the rest of the herd and everyone else looks fine right now. Will a week be enough time to make sure they aren't going to get sick?

Also I have another show next month will the sick rabbits be ok by then as long as the antibiotics work? I would never want to get any other rabbits sick. I am not sure how mine got sick. They did go to a show a couple weeks ago....

Has anyone else dealt with this in their herd before? I didnt get a culture to


see what it was the vet is just treating it as pasturella because it is the most
common.

 

[polly]

From what I have seen stress will bring it back again respiritory problems can be very persistent. Most likely they picked it up at the show. Iwould keep a close eye even when the antibiotics are finished and make sure those rabbits are not in an area were if they sneeze the others will pick it up.
As for your others if they should be ok for show as long as they have no symptoms.to be very cautious I would not show anything that were either beside or opposite the ones that got sick.
I have only had it a couple of times and if I treat it fast and hard it's gone if it gets any chance to linger then it can become quite a big problem. I have found zithromax very good at treating it.

 

[sheandg]

the vet gave me baytril and to use it for 14 days. Is that going to be strong enough?? Today is day 2 of treatment. I know I caught it very quickly. They only had a runny nose for a day or 2 before I got them in.


one that got it was only 15 weeks old (a french lop) so I am very nervous she will have problems later in life. I am so bonded with her and pray she is ok.


I wish the vet would have given me something stronger......


did you end up keeping the rabbits that had gotten sick and were they ok later in life? or did you remove them from the herd so they wouldn't cause problems?

 

[BlueGiants]

Keep an eye on the others for symptoms. If they show any indications of illness, do not bring them to the show. (and if you go, take precautions that you don't carry any germs with you.)

You have to see how well the rabbits react to the antibiotic before you make decisions about bringing them to a show next month. Keep them seperate from your other rabbits at least 2 weeks after the medication ends. I would prefer not to stress them right after they come off the medications by taking them to a show.. Give them time to recouperate. You wouldn't want them to relapse.

 

[sheandg]

another one of my buns has a wet nose and a little crusted front paws!!! Uggg I am just so upset. I keep everyone so clean and well fed and loved I just feel so bad they are having to deal with this. The other 7 seem fine so far.


So I was wondering what to most breeders do when something like this happens in their herd? after treating if they continue to have problems do you remove them completely? I am hoping that I caught it early and I won't have to deal with this again. I am just so upset and worried about everyone else.

 

[BlueGiants]

You need to have a quarantine area, someplace totally separate from the healthy rabbits. Any bunny showing symptoms needs to be removed from the healthy part of the herd. When you feed and water and take care of the healthy bunnies, do them totally first. Then wash your hands and treat the sick bunnies. Never do the sick bunnies first. That will help prevent the spread of germs from sick rabbits to healthy.

Talk to your vet about getting them cultured to find out what the problem is. Now that you know it's contagious, you need to know what's causing it.

Edited to add: In my humble opinion, I would not plan to go to any shows for the next few weeks. You need to make sure that no one else is going to get sick and those that are sick start healing.

 

[polly]

I have had 2 that I caught very quickly and they have recovered completely. Though I didnt show them for a few months after the symptoms cleared up 1 to be on safe side that they were definately over it and 2 I wasnt sure whther the stress would bring it back up but thankfully it hasnt and they have been fine. However i had an indoor rabbit who had it for a long time before we got him and he has passed it onto the other house rabbits although the symptoms are not as pronounced as his were. They get nowhere near the rabbits in my sheds though its not worth the risk.

Baytril doesnt seem to work very well any more because it was used for so many problems with rabbits so chances are you are going to need something stronger to shift it

 

[sheandg]

The 3 have been moved from the others and so far the rest look fine


Today is day 3 of the meds and there is no runny noses and everyone seems more perky. Jane was doing laps in her cage and looks normal. I hope this baytril is working and I know I caught it very early. I am washing and keeping everything very sterile.

The vet said cultures really don't help them much because most all rabbits carry pasteruella so it would be in the culture anyway.

If after the meds are done and they get it again or it does all go away I will ask for zithromax.


Thanks guys this is so stressful for me I am new to raising rabbits and was dreading something like this in my herd!

 

[sheandg]

The 3 have been moved from the others and so far the rest look fine


Today is day 3 of the meds and there is no runny noses and everyone seems more perky. Jane was doing laps in her cage and looks normal. I hope this baytril is working and I know I caught it very early. I am washing and keeping everything very sterile.

The vet said cultures really don't help them much because most all rabbits carry pasteruella so it would be in the culture anyway.

If after the meds are done and they get it again or it does all go away I will ask for zithromax.


Thanks guys this is so stressful for me I am new to raising rabbits and was dreading something like this in my herd!

 

[BlueGiants]

You are doing everything right, keeping them separate, treating them, etc. Have patience with yourself. We've all been through this.
(When I was first in rabbits, I bought a little Tri-colored Mini Rex doe. Brought her home and put her right in the barn with the others. Within a day, she was sneezing. Within a week, 9 others were sneezing... within 2 months, we lost 6 rabbits... including the little tri. I didn't know to quarantine or separate or anything... learned the hard way... the VERY hard way.)

Yes, the pasturella may show in all the bunnies, but the idea of a culture is to make sure it isn't something else... it's one thing to treat for pasturella, but that may not be the cause...

Any chance you'd have another vet more open to your suggestions? More willing to work with you?

 

[sheandg]

I am trying to get ahold of my neighbor's brother who is a vet and use to raise and breed rabbits. I am going to pick his brain and see what he thinks about the meds and if I should do anything more. I feel bad for all my rabbits I just quick feed and water them and leave. I am so scared to touch anyone for fear of spreading germs. I just stand back and watch them and analyze their noses and listen for any sneezes! So far so good no new victims. they arent getting any out of cage playtime either because i am so paranoid they will pick something up. I just want to fastforward the next few weeks!