Respiratory illness

[alakupasina]

My 1 yr old bunny has had arespiratory illness for 5 weeks. I took him to visit the vet 3 times,and he's been on antibiotics for 4 weeks now. Still has wet nose,congested lungs, weight loss, sneezing. He's eating well, affectionate,inquisitive, somewhat active. My questions: Can these meds treat this?The vet wants to do blood labs and xrays. I hesitate due to cost andpossible benefits. What would those tests tell us that we dont alreadyknow? Is it normal to treat a bunny this long with antibiotics withlimited success? He's been up and down, some days better than others.What to do?

 

[Shuu]

Could be pasturella which is pretty deadly. Thatcan be identified with a sample from the nose discharge. I'm sorry tosay that pasturella is what it sounds like. You can find information onit pretty readily as it's a fairly common illness in rabbits.

 

[alakupasina]

how should pasturella be treated?

 

[Shuu]

http://www.theaviary.com/pasturella.shtml

http://www.rabbit.org/care/pasteurella.html

 

[Carolyn]

Welcome to the forum,

Poor little baby. :sad: Blood tests can be run todiagnose the viral disease.

If not caught early on, it can quickly turn into a terminal illness andalthough goes dormant is still active and contageous. If itdoes turn the corner to terminal, then the rabbit must be medicated forthe rest of its life in most cases unless it'll die.

Total elimination of the Pasteurella, especially the rhinitis,infection is difficult, if not impossible. The bacteria lies asequestered pus in the labyrinthine nasal passages and are isolatedfrom antibiotics. Antibiotics can suppress the nasal discharge, but thebacteria will usually remain and repopulate when the antibiotictreatment is stopped.

Be careful of the vet who diagnoses Pasteurella without doing aculture/sensitivity test. With this test, the vet can determine whatpathogen is causing the infection and provide the antibiotics needed.Different strains (i.e., Bordatela brochiseptica, Streptococcus, etc.)would call for different antibiotics, but they're often misdiagnosed asPasteurella because the symptoms parallel.

As Kathy Smith said in her book, "Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bordatellabrochiseptica, Steptococcus, and Staphylococcus infections arefrequently mistaken for Pasturella because the symptoms are verysimilar."

Sometimes a bacteria won't respond to all antibiotics, so that's whyyou really want to get it right as to what bacteria you're dealingwith. In some cases, antibiotics can upset some rabbit's GIsystem. Keep aware of any changes in your rabbit's appetite and stoolswhile on the antibiotics and if you see a shift, you should discuss itimmediately with your vet.

Antibiotics quote from Kathy Smith, author of the book Rabbit Health in the 21st Century - 2nd Edition

"For severe and persistent infections, the same antibiotic may beprescribed in both systematic and topical forms. Alternatively, twosystemic antibiotics from two different drug classes may be prescribedconcurrently, giving a synergistic effect. Usually this consists of adrug that can be safely used long term (for example, a flouroquinolonesuch as Baytril, Ciprofloxacin, or Dicural) and one that should only beused short-term (for example, an aminoglycoside or injectiblepenicillin)."

In addition to looking at the threads Shuu led you too, you can addthis one to the list. As Buck Jones said, there is aconsiderable amount of information upon pasturella link tohttp://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rabrefs.htmlandscroll down to Pasturella, where you will find several othersites to link to, some very graphic, so be advised.

I'll be thinking and praying for you and your little one.

-Carolyn