Is this normal for a URI?

[DudBun]

Hey there! Dudley is my very first rabbit and he is only 4 months old. A couple weeks ago I noticed he had damp nostrils. Within a couple days his nose got dry and irritated, so I booked an appointment for him.

After checking him/listening to his breathing, the vet determined it to be a “mild case of sniffles” and sent us home with an anti inflammatory and an antibiotic, Meloxyn (5 day dosage) and Baytril (2 week dosage).

So it’s been a little over a week now, he’s only taking the Baytril at this point (twice a day) but his nose doesn’t seem to have improved. Before this I couldn’t hear his breathing but now I can. Is this normal? I felt like after a week of being treated I should at least see some sort of progress?

He does go for a recheck on Nov 8th, but it’d be nice to have some peace of mind that this is normal and it should work.. I know sniffles in rabbits is fairly common so I’m hoping some of you can share your experience of how your recovery went.

It is very difficult to get him still enough for a photo so I took a video and took some screenshots.

I will also note that during this entire time, Dudley has had completely normal poops, and eats and drinks well. Overall acting very normal aside from scratching and grooming the irritated nose and little sneezes.

 

[JBun]

Can you explain what you mean by the nose being dry and irritated as these aren't necessarily signs that would point to a URI? I can't tell from the photos, but are you seeing any lesions, bumps, or swelling around the nose?

 

[DudBun]

Can you explain what you mean by the nose being dry and irritated as these aren't necessarily signs that would point to a URI? I can't tell from the photos, but are you seeing any lesions, bumps, or swelling around the nose?

The top of his nose is crusty and hard (the hair on it) I assume from scratching at it from being irritated by mucus. I try to wipe it was a damp cloth but he really hates me doing it and pulls away.

And yes I’ve noticed there’s a little bump on his nose now and it is still red. I can’t really tell if it’s swollen.

What I’m wondering is in other ppls experiences how long it takes for this symptoms to go away. I feel like/or expected to see some sort of progress by now.

 

[Popsicles]

I would make an earlier appointment for a recheck with your vet, so they know the treatment isn’t working. Make sure your vet is experienced with rabbits.

 

[majorv]

Yes, is your vet experienced with rabbits? It could possibly be URI, but it could be something else based on what you described. I’d go back sooner if it were me.

 

[JBun]

Crusting just on top of the nose and not all around the nose, just isn't usually something that occurs with a URI unless a big glob of mucous were to get flung up there and dry. And rabbits don't usually scratch at their nose from a URI causing sores as it's not itchy. They will usually just wipe at their nose with the undersides(soft part) of their paws, so you may find some crusty fur on the insides of their front legs/paws from the discharge if your rabbit does actually have a URI. If you are seeing actual whitish discharge(white boogers) coming from the nasal cavity, that would be an indication that it is a URI. If you haven't actually seen whitish boogers and it's just the crustiness on top of the nose with some minor clear discharge from the nasal cavity, it would be a good idea to inspect that crustiness on top of the nose very closely and see if you can determine if it's dried boogers on top of the nose, or if it could instead be actual lesions from the skin.

If it's actual lesions and the small bump you describe, and not dried boogers, to me it sounds like you may not be dealing with a URI but possibly treponematosis(rabbit syphilis). It can cause bumps and lesions around the nose. It can also cause them around the eyes and genitals, so maybe a good idea to peak at your buns nether regions to see if there is any evidence of lesions there. If you take a look at this link it has photos of what it can look like.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Bacterial/Syph_gen.html
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Bacterial/Syphilis.htm

If you think treponematosis is a possibility you should discuss this with your vet as your bun would need to be put on pen g procaine/benzathine injections to clear it up, or if your vet isn't very experienced with rabbits, find a more experienced rabbit vet for a second opinion.

If you think you are still dealing with a URI, maybe discuss changing antibiotics with your vet. Baytril isn't always the most effective antibiotic for this type of infection, depending on what bacteria is involved.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Respiratory/Bacterial/URI.htm