Keep Naomi in Your Prayers

[LuvaBun]

Laura, I haven't been on the forum much recently, so I was sorry to hear that Naomi has kind of reached a plateau.. Is it this Friday you are going to see Dr Steele? She was great with Pernod - gives you more confidence when you know they have rabbits of their own.

Thinking of you guys.

Jan

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

An update... I believe its pasteurella. Chase is showing signs too. I believe he was the one who was sick originally but he is just sneezing and it was easy to miss if I wasn't out there that much. I noticed a little discharge from his nose when I was cutting his nails. And now thinking back to Reesie, who developed an abscess 2 weeks after being bonded to Chase, it seems that could have been pasteurella as well.

Naomi's recovery sped up a bit more today. She was playing today and gobbled down her fruit/critical care mush. But now I have to consider the health of Mocha and Zoey...

 

[tonyshuman]

Although it is contagious, at least pasturella isn't EC! It does sound like you should be using a more serious antibiotic, since it's been about two weeks without a lot of improvement on the Bactrim. Could the vet do a culture and sensitivity test on bacteria from the nasal discharge? Or maybe try Bicillin (which is only an injectible, but the course commonly prescribed is every other day)?

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

I'm taking 10 pages of information on bicillin tomorrow to try to convince her to let me try it. Every other day is nicer than twice a day. I doubt the vet will take Naomi off Bactrim, since there has been SOME improvement.

I'm not sure a sensitivity test is worth it. To have two differing symptoms of pasteurella crop up at the same time is too coincidental. If the vet wants to do a test, she can but I think we have our answer.

My biggest concern with Chase is that he hates his mouth being touched and I'm afraid he wont tolerate oral antibiotics, I am really hoping she lets me put him on injectible antibiotics for that reason. Plus if she puts them both on injectible antibiotic then she can show me on one and I can try it on the other under her supervision.

 

[krsbunny]

You may "know" in your heart that you are dealing with pasteurella... but IMOthe benefit of the culture/sensitivity is about identifying what antibiotics will (and equally importantly won't) be effective in treating it.

I understand your feeling that for some bunnies an every-other-day injection would be much preferable than twice-a-day oral antibiotics. I don't know how open your vet is to considering that when selecting a treatment (thankfully, mine is), but I would certainly try to discuss that aspect with her. I firmly believe that the stress of giving a medication needs to be weighed alongside the benefits of the treatment itself. My bunny Dante was a great teacher to me in that respect!

This may also be a situation where Randy's suggestion of Convenia is the best answer. I did speak to my vet about it and was pleased to hear that the only concern she had about it if it seemed to be necessary for one of my guys ... was the cost <gr>. Even there, though, once you figure the cost of Baytril (it was $3/day last time I used it on one of my buns) ... even that might balance out.

Good luck!

Kathy Smith

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Doing a quick search on Convenia I can say I highly doubt it as an option. Many sites say it is not to be used in small herbivores and is not licensed for use on then and that there are very few studies on it.

I had enough resistance (from a different vet at the same clinic) when I suggested injectible Bicillin the first time.

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

So tomorrow at 5:00 Naomi and Chase go in, lets pray for some answers and resolution.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

Good Luck! ray:

The painting at the Vet's office.

 

[Maureen Las]

OMG how beautiful!
M

 

[LuvaBun]

Keeping you in my thoughts today. Good luck!!

Jan

 

[tonyshuman]

Kathy is (of course) right that the culture and sensitivity test will tell you which antibiotic to use on the presumed pasturella infection.

I can also understand that it could be easier for some bunnies and people to do every other day injections rather than twice daily oral meds. Good luck and I hope you get to use a stronger antibiotic.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Wow, I sure am glad to hear she's feeling a bit better but I sure hate hearing the latest on this situation with her.

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Okay, back from the vets. Chase will be started on bicillin injections as soon as they can get some ordered or brought in to another clinic nearer to me (they don't use it normally, so don't have it in stock).

Naomi's ear infection appears to have cleared up. The vet was really pleased but we are keeping her on antibiotics for another 3-4 weeks at least. Since Naomi's healing has stalled, she is also double checking the interections between novo-trimel and bicillin to ensure they wont interfere with one another. As long as they don't, Naomi will start on bicillin as well just to see if a more agressive treatment might cause at least a little more improvement.

She was concerned at how tilted Nao's head was but that was a stress thing, it went from about a 45 degree angle to a 90 degree angle when we were at the vets. Luckily I was armed with picture evidence of her head tilt from a few different days so she could compare them. (Her head is back to 'normal' now.)

I'm really positive at how this visit went. And I am continually surprised at how cheap they are! I'm loving this vet/vet clinic!

By the way, Chase was not showing any signs of nasal discharge today so there was nothing to do a culture and sensitivity test on. If it happens that it doesn't improve or he has discharge when I will be at the vet, then I will have it done but nothing I can do if it's not showing itself.

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Oh and another thing, she does agree it is most likely pasteurella given the history and the symptoms so right now we are treating it as such.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

ray:

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Thanks.

I was just outside cleaning pens and Naomi's personality is returning to normal. She was back to her being nosey and getting in the way, she was binkying and playing with toys. If it wasn't for the head tilt, I wouldn't even know she was sick really.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

Thank goodness everything is working out for Naomi. Hope there is no more discharge from Chase. This clinichas one ofthe most inexpensive rates and the most caring people around.

 

[tonyshuman]

I've been there with the "but there was discharge yesterday!" thing. It's like taking your car to the mechanic cuz it's making some weird noise but they can't get it to make the noise. Hopefully that means it's just clearing up on its own (as it did for Tony).

Glad you're going to be giving bicillin. It should be better for her and easier for you. Stress could definitely have contributed to the tilt at the office--she probably knows by now that going in the carrier and the car means pokes and prods and such. It's great that she's acting normal otherwise. I hope she starts improving again!!

 

[LuvaBun]

Sounds like a really positive vet visit . Pleased to hear that Naomi is feeling more like herself.

Keeping everything crossed for continued improvement

Jan

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Well it seems Naomi is slowly getting back to her normal self. Everytime I give her medication and put her back in her pen, she thumps at me and runs around her pen, lol.

I've been giving her this unsweetened fruit blend mixed with critical care and a little Nutrical and while it looks disgusting, Naomi LOVES it. She chows down on it when I put it in her cage. I even managed to hide her Panacur dose in it last night without her noticing.

I was in contact with the vet clinic on Friday, they have arranged for me to take Naomi and Chase to the local vet clinic to have an injection demonstration. It has to wait until Wednesday because they don't normally use bicillin (Dura-pen as its called here) so they have to order it in.

I have to call tomorrow to the vet that has been doing Naomi's checks because I forgot to double check if Naomi could have bicillin too.

But, overall things are looking brighter.