GoinBackToCali
Well-Known Member
Ok.. here's the official scenario...
I am new to rabbit breeding.There was a lack of quality healthy Californian breeders in the area, and I was interested in ARBA shows, as were my kids. I do have a herd of over 30 discarded Easter bunnies, all healthy and happy,so im not exactly an old hand at rabbits as a whole, over the past 5 years I have had over 90 pass through my barn. I purchased an already pregnant doe from a reputable breeder. Out of her litter of 12, 10 survived, I ended up getting another buck, which is basically a half brother to mine.. (same dad, diff mom).
About a week ago,my original buck was lethargic. Thanksgiving eve he took a turn for the worse and developed what was believed to be wryneck.. classic symptoms of the darty eyes, rolling, lack of balance, head lop..however, I have since suspected Pastuerella. He had a rasp to him, heavy white nasal discharge, and very hot to the touch ears.
I called another breeder friend of mine, and he agreed to look at him. His assessment was to shoot him and burn the body, as was a relative of mine, who is also a breeder. I elected to try my hand at saving him. The guy gave him some oral Penicillin with Provacaine, and sent me home with some more. I held the rabbit all night, cold washcloth on his ears, ice pack on top of that. By morning he had stopped with the eye movement, by noon he had head control but was weak. By chance I ran into the feed store owner Thanksgiving day and she sold me some more penicillin and Bene-bac.
Today he is up.. scarfing down the water provided, which is laced with a 4 way electrolyte acid pack, Nibbling food, and grooming himself. He is still weak. I assume because with anyone who is violently ill.. it takes awhile to get your strength up. Vet's here do NOT treat rabbits, so I am on my own. However, he was in my barn with all my other rabbits, who are all fine.. They did all get a dose of Penicillin for good measure. I have sense been admonished for dosing healthy rabbits.. so now I know better. My rabbitry conditions are clean, being in a huge lighted barn with central ac/heat, bunny run, and cleaned daily.
However, being in SouthEast Texas, we have literally gone to extremes overnight, with it so warm, the barn ac was on high, and the squirrel fans going, and the very next day, temps drop to high 30's, with the barn closed up,heaters on and hay bedding provided. I have read that extreme temperature changes can cause carriers to develop illness.
I also wanted to note that the rabbit never had any drainage till it got full force sick.. no matting on front paws,ever, no discharge whatsoever till he was lopsided. As I said before, it all hit quickly and happened in succession. Also, as soon as he was able to regain head composure, and his eyes stopped with the darty-ness, his nasal drainage slowed as well. Just a drip here and there. As soon as he was able to be up and groom himself, what I had not cleaned off when he was weak, was cleaned off by him. Still no matted paws. The only thing that remains is a really bad clingy stuck to his fur *booger* that when I try to clean it off or sometimes even when he tries to clean it off, and it pulls his fur, he goes beserk..like pullin duct tape off a moustache...
Also, when examining him, my breeder friend noticed that his gums surrounding his left top front tooth were red and inflamed. This has since subsided with the antibiotics. While I was out of town, my son, instead of moving cages around,he placed a board between him and another buck so they could not see each other to spray and bicker. I had suspected that perhaps the sickly buck had chewed on the board, injured himself in the gum area, developed the infection and fell ill.. but like I said, I am a novice.. so I might just be grasping at straws...I just called a vet in another city, and he said he most likely had an inner ear infection, because penicillin the grade of penicillin given to the rabbit was not strong enough to knock out pastuerella that quick..
So here's my questions..
1.) So was it Wry neck or sounds more like Pasteurella? Or are the 2 terminologys used to describe one illness?
2.) Why was he the only one affected, all others are fine?
3.) Since the others in the same line seem unaffected, is it possible it was an isolated case?
4.) What is the length of recovery? Days? Weeks?
5.) Is he contagious? When, if ever, can he return to the barn and be
removed from isolation?
Sorry to be so lengthy... My options here, with no vet for rabbits, is to go it on my own.. or follow the *redneck contingent* and shoot him in the head..and I ain't much on shootin things...
Thanks for any input..
Zin
I am new to rabbit breeding.There was a lack of quality healthy Californian breeders in the area, and I was interested in ARBA shows, as were my kids. I do have a herd of over 30 discarded Easter bunnies, all healthy and happy,so im not exactly an old hand at rabbits as a whole, over the past 5 years I have had over 90 pass through my barn. I purchased an already pregnant doe from a reputable breeder. Out of her litter of 12, 10 survived, I ended up getting another buck, which is basically a half brother to mine.. (same dad, diff mom).
About a week ago,my original buck was lethargic. Thanksgiving eve he took a turn for the worse and developed what was believed to be wryneck.. classic symptoms of the darty eyes, rolling, lack of balance, head lop..however, I have since suspected Pastuerella. He had a rasp to him, heavy white nasal discharge, and very hot to the touch ears.
I called another breeder friend of mine, and he agreed to look at him. His assessment was to shoot him and burn the body, as was a relative of mine, who is also a breeder. I elected to try my hand at saving him. The guy gave him some oral Penicillin with Provacaine, and sent me home with some more. I held the rabbit all night, cold washcloth on his ears, ice pack on top of that. By morning he had stopped with the eye movement, by noon he had head control but was weak. By chance I ran into the feed store owner Thanksgiving day and she sold me some more penicillin and Bene-bac.
Today he is up.. scarfing down the water provided, which is laced with a 4 way electrolyte acid pack, Nibbling food, and grooming himself. He is still weak. I assume because with anyone who is violently ill.. it takes awhile to get your strength up. Vet's here do NOT treat rabbits, so I am on my own. However, he was in my barn with all my other rabbits, who are all fine.. They did all get a dose of Penicillin for good measure. I have sense been admonished for dosing healthy rabbits.. so now I know better. My rabbitry conditions are clean, being in a huge lighted barn with central ac/heat, bunny run, and cleaned daily.
However, being in SouthEast Texas, we have literally gone to extremes overnight, with it so warm, the barn ac was on high, and the squirrel fans going, and the very next day, temps drop to high 30's, with the barn closed up,heaters on and hay bedding provided. I have read that extreme temperature changes can cause carriers to develop illness.
I also wanted to note that the rabbit never had any drainage till it got full force sick.. no matting on front paws,ever, no discharge whatsoever till he was lopsided. As I said before, it all hit quickly and happened in succession. Also, as soon as he was able to regain head composure, and his eyes stopped with the darty-ness, his nasal drainage slowed as well. Just a drip here and there. As soon as he was able to be up and groom himself, what I had not cleaned off when he was weak, was cleaned off by him. Still no matted paws. The only thing that remains is a really bad clingy stuck to his fur *booger* that when I try to clean it off or sometimes even when he tries to clean it off, and it pulls his fur, he goes beserk..like pullin duct tape off a moustache...
Also, when examining him, my breeder friend noticed that his gums surrounding his left top front tooth were red and inflamed. This has since subsided with the antibiotics. While I was out of town, my son, instead of moving cages around,he placed a board between him and another buck so they could not see each other to spray and bicker. I had suspected that perhaps the sickly buck had chewed on the board, injured himself in the gum area, developed the infection and fell ill.. but like I said, I am a novice.. so I might just be grasping at straws...I just called a vet in another city, and he said he most likely had an inner ear infection, because penicillin the grade of penicillin given to the rabbit was not strong enough to knock out pastuerella that quick..
So here's my questions..
1.) So was it Wry neck or sounds more like Pasteurella? Or are the 2 terminologys used to describe one illness?
2.) Why was he the only one affected, all others are fine?
3.) Since the others in the same line seem unaffected, is it possible it was an isolated case?
4.) What is the length of recovery? Days? Weeks?
5.) Is he contagious? When, if ever, can he return to the barn and be
removed from isolation?
Sorry to be so lengthy... My options here, with no vet for rabbits, is to go it on my own.. or follow the *redneck contingent* and shoot him in the head..and I ain't much on shootin things...
Thanks for any input..
Zin
(Love your description).
