Stuffy-nosed bunny...

[ShipGoBoom]

Hello!

I appear to have a rabbit with a cold... Bubbles is a ~17 week old female Flemish Giant (intact, the rescue we adopted her from is arranging for the spaying procedure), weighing around 7lbs. She started sneezing semi-frequently late yesterday morning, and early this afternoon she presented a runny nose with opaque white discharge. Her eyes are clean (no discharge), and behavior-wise, she seems fine (eating, drinking, and defecating normally, playing bunny run-and-jump games), although when her nose is stuffy, she's also a lot more tolerant of prolonged handling than normal (she's a rather squirmy/aloof rabbit).

I say "when" her nose is stuffy because her symptoms come and go... yesterday evening, this morning, and right now, she seems fine - no discharge, no breath sounds - but around 2:30pm she kept having to wake up and sneeze the snot away when she was trying to nap. If it weren't for the white discharge, my first guess would be an allergy (especially since she is prone to dust-related dry sneezes), but I'm concerned that it could be a bacterial infection. I kind of want to bring her in for a check-up and a culture & sensitivity test on the discharge... what do you recommend?

Also, I have another rabbit, Squirt (Bubbles' littermate)... will he be alright living in the same area as her? Because I currently don't know that I have enough bunny-proofed room to completely separate the two...

I've just sent off an email to an HRS-recommended veterinarian in Madison (this post is actually a copy + paste of the email), as well as the rescue we adopted our bunnykids from, but I was just wondering if you guys might have some advice...

Thank you!

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

What bedding material are you using? If the hay really dusty? Litter? Any of these could cause allergies, although alergies more often cause clear discharge.

Bunny respiritory problems aren't something to take lightly-I think they're alot easier to treat if you deal with them right away. I'd have her in to the vet for an appointment as soon as you can to get it checked. She may need some antibiotics and maybe a culture and sensitivity to see which bacteria are involved.

If this truely is infection (which is seems to me) I would be very careful about keeping her with the other bunny. YOu really don't want him to catch it.

 

[ShipGoBoom]

Bedding is cotton-rag rugs and a towel, hay is slightly dusty (but more like crunched-up hay and pollen, not field dust), litter is CareFresh natural... I've been using the same bedding, hay, and litter since I got them in mid-February, though.

 

[ZRabbits]

Any color discharge is an issue of concern. Hope you hear from the Vet soon. And it turns out to be nothing of concern.

Let us know how you make out.

K

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

Yeah it doesn't really sound like there are many things that could cause allergies-especially when you just noticed this and she's had the same things in her cage since you got her.
I would definitly have her to the vet and see what they think.

 

[ShipGoBoom]

One of the reasons I was thinking allergies was because, well, the house isn't exactly air-tight, and my own allergies have been flaring up pretty badly of late... I figured a seasonal thing was possible.

Actually, something just occurred to me... would a fungal infection or irritation cause the same symptoms? We have an unfinished basement that is *usually* pretty dry because that's where the furnace intake is, but there was recently a run of very warm days that brought on the "damp basement ick" smell, and now it's cold enough for the furnace to come back on again. I don't *know* that Bubbles' sneezy snotty fits start when she's hanging out by the vent under my desk (that may just be my brain putting a pattern where there isn't one), but it does seem like it... That would explain the pathogen vector, too, because I otherwise have NO clue where she'd catch anything from...

Haven't heard back from the vet yet (no surprise, it was well after hours when I sent the email), but I'm hoping to schedule an appointment for Saturday morning. Since Bubbles' symptoms are so mild (and keep disappearing), I figure there's no call for panicking and calling in to work so we can rush her to the clinic...

 

[ShipGoBoom]

Update: the vet clinic got back to me... they confirmed both my previous conclusions, A) that it's not an emergency (yay!), and B) I should probably have her checked out just in case, 'cause bunny-problems can turn ugly quickly. Also, Bubbles' symptoms (when they appear) are much less pronounced today than yesterday - frankly, I may not have even noticed them if I wasn't already looking - which is reassuring. So, I'm going to try to schedule an appointment for Saturday morning, relax, and try to figure out how to keep the creature STILL long enough for an exam... Bubbles does NOT like to be handled. I'm thinking maybe take a clean towel and turn her into a bun-rito?

 

[ZRabbits]

So glad to hear there is no emergency. Definitely bring a towel. I did on my first visit, but then again, Dr. Joe was pretty good handling them, and the towel was basically for me. lol

Hoping all is well. Let us know how it goes.

K

 

[ShipGoBoom]

Hi, all!
Got back from the vet a little while ago. Bubbles was a very good, cooperative rabbit at the vet (as was Squirt, who rode along for moral support - I decided two mildly stressed bunnies was better than one very stressed bunny and one very angry bunny). The exam didn't turn up anything much at all - clear lungs, teeth fine, temp within the normal range, clean eyes, etc. She quietly sneezed once at the end of the exam, but it was a dry sneeze that I am inclined to interpret as an expression of indignation...

The diagnosis is that, because she's slightly stressed and hormonal due to bunny puberty (she'll be spayed within the next month), her immune system was doing funky things in reaction to day-to-day bacteria. Because she seems to be steadily getting better (no significant symptoms since Thursday afternoon), it's very likely that she's shaken the infection all by herself, and she wasn't prescribed any antibiotics because at this point the damage to her digestive system would be way more than the benefit to her nose. The vet recommended giving her flax seeds or flax seed oil as an immune booster, and otherwise to just keep a close eye on her in case any symptoms come back.

As an additional note, I think we've found our regular clinic. Everyone seemed friendly and knowledgeable, they deal with rabbits on a regular basis, the price seemed reasonable, and the head vet (who sadly, we did not see) has a serious fondness for Flemmies in particular, and apparently will be quite jealous that she didn't get to meet ours.

 

[ZRabbits]

Glad to hear Bubbles is doing well. Also excellent to hear you found a clinic that you feel comfortable with that knows bunnies.

K