General pasteurella question

Hi again!

I've done a lot of reading here and elsewhere, trying to get my head around the whole snuffles thing.

What I think I understand so far is that sneezing can be caused by a handful of things. Pasteurella, bordatella, pneumonia, allergies, hay up the nose.. :roll:

Some people cull at the first sneeze, other folks quarantine the sneezer and wait to see what's going on, other folks don't quarantine and wait.

Am I right in that most folks don't do a diagnostic test before culling, assuming it is pasteurella? I have read of cultures, nasal swabs right, but that most domestic bunnies have been exposed and a nasal culture can show organisms in a non-diseased rabbit.

Does anyone here do a blood draw for a pasteurella antibody test?

It sounds like pasteurella is the big scary condition that is the most contagious within a herd of bunnies and will also potentially be fatal to bunnies. And that is the disease that culling is meant to prevent or halt. Although I could be wrong there.

I'm confused on resistant and non-resistant rabbits. I am guessing that the goal is healthy, asymptomatic rabbits, but it sounds like even those rabbits appearing healthy can be carriers and that disease is suppressed and can "break" (is this the right word?) when the rabbit is stressed. And it sounds like we don't want carriers even when they appear healthy.

So is a disease resistant rabbit potentially a carrier that will never show symptoms? And that is a good rabbit to keep?

Like the person who keeps from getting a cold when everyone around is coughing and sneezing...

Thanks in advance, I'm on a learning curve here!

I have never personally had snuffels in my heard, but I have had runny eyes. And to answer some of the basic questions, rabbits are not always worth taking to the vet. They do not do well with transition in general, or even simple car rides. The reason a lot of people just immediately cull is because they know that its good to get rid of a potential problem asap, and they do not feel the steps taking would be worth the risk.

The other side is, the ONLY way to know for sure if it is snuffles is to go to the vet and get them tested.

Many breeders reserve this type of treatment for their show animals or best breeding stock. Its really a personal opinion, and depends on what you are wanting and willing to do. Culling is a quick and pretty painless option compared to living with sickness, so that's another reason it's used often.

If you know you have a resistant rabbit that has it, it would not be a good rabbit to keep as it will keep infecting others through breeding or kindling/nursing, and those could likely die from it or be sold as pets and then pass later. Most people dont know that they may have a carrier until one is compromised then it may turn up tho, since there are no routine tests.

These are JMHO, and we all customize our handling of these kinds of things to our liking. I personally like to quarantine and keep an eye on things, but I also have never had snuffles wipe out my whole heard. Someone that has gone thru that would tell you to immediately cull probably. So its also where you are coming from, what you have dealt with, and your own opinions and feelings.