please help!my rabbit has pneumonia T_T

[yuri chan]

my rabbit is 2 years old male and last week he started getting sick and his nose was covered with mucus and he was mouth breathing very heavily that i could hear the sound of mucus coming up in airway and we took him to the vet and he said rabbit has pneumonia and he gave antibiotic injections daily for 6 days.his symptoms reduced when he was getting injections but he didnt recover completely and now he is not on any antibiotics or meds bcz vet said antibiotics are enough now.and he is mouth breathing again but not heavily and sneezing,his nose covered with mucus,runny eyes and he is barely eating,drinking.i cannot even touch him bcz all i can feel are just bones sticking out. im scared to syringe feed him bcz he might aspirate them in to lungs accidentally.he has overgrowing teeth and we have to trim his teeth every month.so normally he can't chew any greens.he only eats pellet and rice.i dont know what else to do tbh. it's so distressing to watch him sleeping in a corner all day struggling to breath.we dont have any pet hospitals available in our area besides the vet we go every time when he'sick.can anyone tell me what i should do now?i feel like im lost and im worried about him so much.it's just so hard for me bcz i wake up with the fear that he passed away and i can imagine how hard it is for him.i attached a screenshot of how he looks like currently :'( please give me any ideas,what i should do now.i desperately want him to recover.......

 

[Augustus&HazelGrace]

If you don't syringe feed him He WILL die if he is not eating on his own. I have never heard of a rabbit having pneumonia, but I guess it is possible. But this sounds like a classic case of The Snuffles aka Pasturella. Did you go to an exotic vet or a regular dog and cat vet? I'm sorry but if you went to a regular vet they don't know squat when it comes to rabbits and it could be possible that if it is the snuffles and not pneumonia he could have given the wrong treatment and it could be making him worse. Rice is not good for bunnies because it expands in their stomach and causes bloat. which could be contributing to him not wanting to eat. If you really want him to live you need to take him to an exotic vet even if it means driving a few hours. If you cannot do this then please don't let him suffer anymore and have him put down.

 

[yuri chan]

Thank you so much for replying bcz I was waiting for someone to give me a idea about this condition.I think you are right.symptoms are all similar to snuffles.And I went to the district veterinary surgeon in our area so he knows treats other types of animals but mainly cats and dogs I think.I will start syringe feeding him carefully and as you said I will try to find pet hospital that knows about rabbits better or if I can't I will go to same vet again and ask if this can be cured.I will try everything I can.Thank you again for replying and explaining the situation.It's not easy for me to put him to sleep as I've been caring for him like my own child but I understand if he's in pain I shouldn't make him suffer more.I just don't know how to handle it if it's the only thing left...>~<

 

[Augustus&HazelGrace]

There may also be a blockage and I would go and get some fresh papaya and fresh pineapple this will help clear any blockage. To help encourage him to eat try pure pumpkin make sure it's not the pumpkin pie filling. Also, add a small amount of apple cider vinegar to his water. Go and get some Pedialyte to hydrate him and get some critical care for rabbits so he gets his nutrients. And make sure that the Pedialyte is the plain kind like I have in the picture.

 

[Augustus&HazelGrace]

If he won't eat any of the things I said on his own you will have to syringe feed it to him

 

[Augustus&HazelGrace]

I looked at veterinarians in Sri Lanka beings that's where it said you're located at I would take him to the PetVet clinic. They do exotics. I don't know how far that is from you but it looks like a small country so it looks like maybe a few hours from anywhere. Here is their website http://petvet.lk/

 

[Augustus&HazelGrace]

They are also 24-hour emergency so I would bring him as soon as you can

 

[yuri chan]

Omg you know so much about rabbits!I will get papaya tomorrow.I already have pineapple at home.and we don't have pedialyte available here but we have oral hydration solution available in pharmacy that's used for babies and dehydrated patients.so I'll get it too and try to find that milk.It's now 11pm here and I don't think I can go now but I'll definitely take him there if we find a way to go there bcz the clinic you showed is little far but it's the best place for him.if not I will go to the clinic in my area.I found it moment ago after searching.I will do my very best.It's not easy going to a far place with rabbit but I will try everything I can and I just don't know how to thank you.Thank you for helping me to find pet clinics and giving ideas of what I should feed him and every information you gave me!I was feeling so lost and you amazingly showed up!will never forget this.

 

[Augustus&HazelGrace]

You are very welcome. If you have any more questions just ask I will be happy to help. It is not mandatory here but I know in other countries it is mandatory for your rabbits to get a myxomatosis vaccine and rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD). We don't have these diseases here but they do in foreign countries. I do not know the symptoms of these but it may be good to check to see if that is in your area and if he needs these vaccines.

 

[JBun]

@Augustus&HazelGrace please stop offering dangerous medical advice when you do not have the necessary medical knowledge to offer the correct information. This rabbit does not just have snuffles or pasteurella. This rabbit is mouth breathing which means it is in respiratory distress and likely has pneumonia, which is an extremely critical condition and can prove fatal very quickly. This rabbit needs immediate medical attention and aggressive antibiotic treatment of the correct rabbit safe antibiotic.

One of the last things this person needs to be worrying about concerning their rabbits health at this moment is giving it papaya or pineapple, or even syringe feeding.
Though feeding him is eventually important, the most CRITICAL thing right now is the pneumonia and getting the rabbit on immediate aggressive antibiotic treatment. Once that has been taken care of, then syringe feeding can be considered.

@yuri chan , it is absolutely essential that you find a vet that will start your rabbit on a rabbit safe antibiotic today, immediately. Pneumonia can become fatal very quickly. Get your bun to the vet now. Your rabbit needs aggressive antibiotic treatment now, of the correct rabbit safe antibiotic, and this antibiotic will likely need to be given at least for 2 weeks(depending on the antibiotic prescribed), but usually it needs to be given for 4-6 weeks to make sure the infection is completely cleared up. The pneumonia came back because the antibiotic wasn't given for a long enough period of time to completely clear up the infection. So now the pneumonia has come back and may be resistant to the antibiotic you used first. Which may mean a different antibiotic will need to be used this time, one that is also safe to be given to rabbits(which not all antibiotics are).
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Respiratory/Illness/Pneumonia/Pneumon_en.htm
http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medication/Antibiotics/Safe_antibiotics.htm
http://www.medirabbit.com/Unsafe_medication/dangerous_antibiotics.htm

Then once your rabbit is on antibiotics and any other medications that might be needed, then you can worry about syringe feeding if your rabbit isn't eating very well or at all, on his own. But do not feed him the pineapple or the papaya, he doesn't need it and these sugars can sometimes cause serious digestive upset, especially for a rabbit that will be on antibiotics, which will already make the rabbits digestive system sensitive to developing problems. And definitely do not be feeding him any sort of milk. Use an appropriate syringe feeding mix made for rabbits, given every 4 hours and syringe feeding very carefully so it isn't aspirated, or his usual pellets made into a pellet mush can also sometimes be used. Follow your vets instructions for syringe feeding correctly.


Jbun
Health and Wellness Moderator

 

[Popsicles]

Couldn’t agree with jbun more.

 

[Augustus&HazelGrace]

@JBun I'm sorry I was just trying to help and I didn't say it wasn't pneumonia, I just said that it sounded like the snuffles I guess I missed the part about the mouth breathing. And I was trying to get them to go to an exotic vet, and figure out what is wrong and getting treatment and after finding out then they COULD use the advice I was telling them to get the rabbit to eat and get hydrated. I figured that eating was very important too, beings the whole 24 hour thing,

 

[Lynn Reid]

my rabbit is 2 years old male and last week he started getting sick and his nose was covered with mucus and he was mouth breathing very heavily that i could hear the sound of mucus coming up in airway and we took him to the vet and he said rabbit has pneumonia and he gave antibiotic injections daily for 6 days.his symptoms reduced when he was getting injections but he didnt recover completely and now he is not on any antibiotics or meds bcz vet said antibiotics are enough now.and he is mouth breathing again but not heavily and sneezing,his nose covered with mucus,runny eyes and he is barely eating,drinking.i cannot even touch him bcz all i can feel are just bones sticking out. im scared to syringe feed him bcz he might aspirate them in to lungs accidentally.he has overgrowing teeth and we have to trim his teeth every month.so normally he can't chew any greens.he only eats pellet and rice.i dont know what else to do tbh. it's so distressing to watch him sleeping in a corner all day struggling to breath.we dont have any pet hospitals available in our area besides the vet we go every time when he'sick.can anyone tell me what i should do now?i feel like im lost and im worried about him so much.it's just so hard for me bcz i wake up with the fear that he passed away and i can imagine how hard it is for him.i attached a screenshot of how he looks like currently :'( please give me any ideas,what i should do now.i desperately want him to recover.......

Hi Yuri. Sounds like your little bunny could also have a fungal infection. My Californian rabbit that I only had for 4 months caught a freak fungal virus and we ultimately had to put him down. It's so hard to see them suffering. We tried giving him things to absorb the fungus and then treat him with medication but mine started developing nodules on his body and his nose and he some times had trouble breathing. Could your bunny have pneumonia? You might check with a wild game vet and see if they have any suggestions. Hope it works out for you and bunny.

 

[JBun]

@JBun I'm sorry I was just trying to help and I didn't say it wasn't pneumonia, I just said that it sounded like the snuffles I guess I missed the part about the mouth breathing. And I was trying to get them to go to an exotic vet, and figure out what is wrong and getting treatment and after finding out then they COULD use the advice I was telling them to get the rabbit to eat and get hydrated. I figured that eating was very important too, beings the whole 24 hour thing,

I completely understand that you were just trying to help. That is the intention of most of us on here and why we gladly devote so much of our own time to try and provide other rabbit owners with the information they might need to better care for their rabbits and provide them with the best life possible. The problem was that this situation is actually a life threatening critical one that requires immediate action by the rabbit owner and immediate veterinary intervention, but the information you were providing was directing the OP to think it could be a less life threatening URI(or snuffles), as well as focusing on feeding their rabbit, when all of the OP's attention needs to be focused on the critical nature of their rabbits respiratory distress, and the need for immediate veterinary intervention at this time. If the OP were to follow your suggestions or advice, a delay in treating the immediate life threatening respiratory illness of pneumonia could have been the result, which could affect the chances of survival for their sick rabbit.

While a rabbit eating is a serious consideration in many situations, immediate life threatening problems always need to be considered and dealt with first. Which means if there are indications that an animals airway, breathing, or circulation are critically compromised, these always take priority. A rabbit mouth breathing is a very serious sign of a compromised airway and difficulty breathing. Rabbits don't normally ever breath through their mouth. If you see a rabbit mouth breathing, in almost all instances that means the rabbit is struggling to breath and therefore has to compensate by breathing through their mouth. When you see this occurring it is a sign of respiratory distress, which means the airway is severely obstructed in some way making it very difficult for the rabbit to breath. This is an emergency situation. And this is all the OP needs to be made aware of at this time, so they can make sure to get their rabbit the immediate veterinary care that it needs to save it's life. Once the immediately life threatening pneumonia and respiratory distress is dealt with and treatment started, then the OP can focus on ensuring their rabbit is getting the necessary food it needs to survive by syringe feeding if so needed.

The info on the exotic vet was very helpful. I'm glad you shared it. Hopefully they have found an experienced rabbit vet to get their bun on the correct life saving antibiotics that are necessary to save it's life.

 

[Harrison]

My rabbit is currently recovering from aspiration pneumonia! She was choking and we had to do the bunny Heimlich on her as she couldn't breath. Went to the emergency vet and was prescribed meloxicam (pain relief and anti-nausia) and enrofloxicin (antibiotic) for a week. The next day I had to syringe feed her every 4 hours and with her medication- as antibiotics are really hard on an empty stomach and she wasn't eating or drinking (probably had a sore throat from choking). We kept the temperature in the house up and turned on a humidifier (as it is very dry where I live). She also developed hiccups (it looked like a tic with squeaking) which is common in rabbits with respiratory issues. The next day she was eating on her own so I didn't have to force feed but we did give her pedialite mixed with a tiny bit of apple juice which she drank happily and we monitored her food intake. On the second day we took her to our regular vet who prescribed chloramphenicol palmitate (another antibiotic) for 2 weeks. He said it would not interact with the enrofloxicin so she was on all 3 medications for a few days until the enrofloxicin ran out. I did make my own homemade critical care (with pellets, water and pumpkin) on the first day but bought critical care just in case for the second day, but didn't end up needing it. Our regular vet said pneumonia may last for up to a month and to come back for more antibiotics if it didn't seem she was improving. The hiccups cleared after about 3 days and she only has a few days left on the cloram-palm and I don't think she will need any further antibiotics. I was very scared for my bun so know exactly how you are feeling!

 

[cwebster]

Highly recommend that any mucus be cultured with sensitivity determined to various treatments. to make sure the proper treatment is started. Bacteria and fungal infections require different treatment. Our bunny had a respiratory infection ( pseudomonas and bordetella). Baytil worked. Hope your bunny is all better soon. How is he doing?