HAY NOSE?

[Happy Hollands]

Hi all
One of my bunnies has had a yellowish tinge around her nose for about a month now. I clean it with a damp cloth twice per day (I also dry it afterwards). I have quite a few close breeder friends, and they all suggested it is simply hay nose and is not a major health concern since she's acting like herself. One of them recommended I add a bit of oregano oil to her water. Apparently this is a natural remedy to help clear out their nostrils?

After researching myself, I took the advice and I have been giving my bunny Nature's Way Oregano Oil Capsules (diluted one capsule per gallon of water) for about 2-3 weeks. I do not give her water this way everyday, but instead every other day because I am too worried she may dehydrate if she doesn't like the taste of it!

I have noticed no difference in her nose condition so far For reference, she is a purebred Holland Lop and around 4 months old. Seeing as she is a blue-eyed white, it could simply be that it shows up more on her because of her coloring. Here's a picture of her nose before a cleaning:


Any suggestions on how to clear this up? She has a vet appointment scheduled far out, when she is 5 months old (I do this with all my bunnies, it's nice to have an appointment booked for once they are reaching their mature age). Is it worth changing her appointment to sooner? I would like to be clear this is not affecting her well-being and she is perfectly healthy otherwise! Thank you so much!

@JBun you seem to have a lot of experience with health issues, what's your input?

 

[Blue eyes]

Seeing as she is a blue-eyed white, it could simply be that it shows up more on her because of her coloring.

My pure white rabbit never had anything like that on her nose, so it isn't because of her coloring. I've never heard of "hay nose" but I'm not a breeder. I noticed she also has that color on her front paws -- at least it appears that way in the photo. That would be typical if she has been trying to clean off her nose with her paws as they often do with snuffles. Will be curious to here Jenny's (@JBun ) take on this.

 

[Happy Hollands]

Thank you! I believe hay nose is referring to foraging in hay resulting in a snotty mess - I will admit I do not fully understand myself though!

Here is a more recent photo, I would appreciate @JBun 's take on this, too! I do not believe the red is an infection, more just wet. The yellow color on the paws is from being litter box trained (her litter pan is now updated to have a grid as seen in first picture, so she is not sitting directly in her feces).

 

[Happy Hollands]

Now comparing the two pictures, I am thinking maybe the oregano oil IS helping. The original photo was taken when I first discovered it (3 weeks ago), and the second picture is yesterday...

Both photos taken before daily cleaning. Here's a picture of after cleaning, it looks normal, just wet:

 

[zuppa]

How long ago this started? I've got a few white noses as well but never seen anything like this hay nose, if it would be my rabbit I would probably visit a vet

 

[Happy Hollands]

How long ago this started? I've got a few white noses as well but never seen anything like this hay nose, if it would be my rabbit I would probably visit a vet

It started about 3 weeks ago - not a sudden thing, I kind of noticed it getting gradually more noticeable and worse. I may do just that and take her to a vet, but going to wait to see what @JBun has to say

 

[JBun]

So the color is likely due to hay/feed dust, however the dampness around the nose isn't normal. It does look better in the second photo though.

Some possibilities for unusual nasal discharge are heat stress and dampness around the nose from increased respiration and the rabbit trying to cool it's body temp. Really dusty hay or feed causing a lot of nasal irritation and secretions. An upper respiratory infection, usually accompanied with white sticky discharge but not always. An allergy or sensitivity to hay or something else in the rabbits environment. Or a rabbit that gets it's nose and mouth wet when drinking.

If the discharge returns after stopping the oregano, I would suspect it's a URI. In which case you will need to discuss this with your vet and likely your vet will start your rabbit on a course of antibiotics. Just make sure it's a long enough course as some less experienced rabbit vets do too short a course and the URI comes back after the antibiotic is stopped.
Medirabbit (URI in rabbits)

 

[zuppa]

Now comparing the two pictures, I am thinking maybe the oregano oil IS helping. The original photo was taken when I first discovered it (3 weeks ago), and the second picture is yesterday...

Both photos taken before daily cleaning. Here's a picture of after cleaning, it looks normal, just wet:
View attachment 49955

Wet nose isn't normal in rabbits, not for 3 weeks so I would definitely take her to vets so they can run tests and find out why is her nose wet. Hope they can help you to cure it soon, please keep us updated

 

[Happy Hollands]

Thank you very much for the info! The nose is slightly runny, reminds me of a cold (clear discharge). She is young, I was hoping to wait until she was fully grown to take her to the vet. Is this an emergency if it has not affected her daily habits? I will most likely make a call to my vet tomorrow, but if possible I'd like to keep my scheduled appointment

 

[Happy Hollands]

This is what it looks like currently. Just slightly damp.

 

[Happy Hollands]

@JBun is there any other natural remedies I should try? I would like to keep my appointment with the vet which is booked kind of far out if possible. I will definitely give my vet a call, though, sometimes they can give me helpful info.

 

[Happy Hollands]

*UPDATE*

I'm not sure why or how, but her runny nose seems to be clearing up by itself here is an update of what it looks like tonight... still a tad bit wet but seems like serious improvement!



Anyone else had this similar issue? Could this be a seasonal cold? I just recently switched my Timothy hay source, so it could have likely been that helped too

 

[JBun]

That does look much better.

Rabbits don't have seasonal colds. They have bacterial infections, sensitivities or allergies(not common), dental problems, or irritants in the environment(eg dusty hay).

 

[Happy Hollands]

I have a feeling it may be a sensitivity. Since she turned 3 months old, similar to when the "runny nose" started, she had been recently transitioned to getting outdoor play time during the sunny afternoons, so possibly she has a sensitivity / allergy to something in the environment / grass.

After your suggestion that maybe a respiratory infection, I listened to her heartbeat multiple times and it seems fairly normal compared to my other rabbit. I hear no odd sounds when she breathes, and her heartbeat is nice and steady. She does not seem to have difficulty breathing, thankfully!

I vacuum their cages twice a day, so I doubt it would be caused by a dusty environment. She lives indoors.

Could you please expand on what you mean by dental problems? Her front incisors look normal to me