NOOOOOOOOO

[Susie570]

I feel absolutely sick right now.

Chrissie... CHRISSIE has a snotty nose. Yellow mucous.

I had a suspicion from the very beginning that she might have something. She had that slightly crusty eye when I first got her. It went away. It would show up, just a bit, from time to time but I thought... must not be anything serious.

Just heard her sneezing and checked.

Her cage is right next to Sprinkles. Of course, I just moved it away, but... :/

Her kits....

Oh god.





Ok, so... I mean do I let her raise the kits? See if any of them come up healthy? Maybe it's not pasteurella. Maybe it's one of the other ones. Do I take her to the vet to confirm?

Feeling

 

[MaggieJ]

Susie, I am so sorry! What a rotten thing to have happen.

There are no absolutes here. Just things to consider.

How many rabbits will be at risk if you let her raise her kits?
Can you provide really secure quarantine for her and the kits to minimize the chance of it spreading?
Are you the kind of person who will remember to care for the quarantine cage last and then wash and change clothes afterwards?
What plans do you have for the kits? If you are selling as pets, you may be passing along the problem. If they are intended for freezer camp, it is less of a worry.

One thing for sure . . . I would immediately cull any kit that exhibited symptoms.

 

[Susie570]

Susie, I am so sorry! What a rotten thing to have happen.

There are no absolutes here. Just things to consider.

How many rabbits will be at risk if you let her raise her kits?
Can you provide really secure quarantine for her and the kits to minimize the chance of it spreading?
Are you the kind of person who will remember to care for the quarantine cage last and then wash and change clothes afterwards?
What plans do you have for the kits? If you are selling as pets, you may be passing along the problem. If they are intended for freezer camp, it is less of a worry.

One thing for sure . . . I would immediately cull any kit that exhibited symptoms.

Thank you for your calm words of wisdom, Maggie.

I had intended for these kits to go out as pets. :/

Of course, this is the rabbit I spent $100 on... shows what I get for trying to get a 'really nice rabbit'.

I don't know that there is much chance of increasing exposure risk to my other rabbits... of course we do have some pretty strong emotional attachments to some of them. I've now isolated her and the kits as well as I can. I don't know how high the exposure risk is to the rabbit in the stack below her and everyone else is moved far away. I don't know if there's any sense in trying to take her to the vet or not, with the possibility of it being 'something else'. Her kits will be 2 weeks old in a couple of days. I'm just feeling pretty devastated right now.

In my understanding, if kits are going to be affected, they usually show symptoms around the time they are weaned. Obviously, if any of them are immune, that would be a bonus. <br /><br /> -- Fri Jul 17, 2015 12:14 pm -- <br /><br /> I just talked to her breeder.

She thinks it's very likely that Chrissie just has gotten some sawdust from the bedding up her nose or something. She says she has NEVER had snuffles in her herd.

At this point, I guess it's 'keep her isolated' and do the 'wait and see' thing. Either this will go away, or she'll get worse.

:/

 

[Galadriel]

:clover:

 

[MaggieJ]

It's reassuring that the breeder has never had snuffles in her herd. Let's hope it is something else, like sawdust. I think at this point you are right that you will just have to wait and see. Do the best you can in terms of isolation.

There are several very good threads in the Illnesses, Injuries and Parasites forum about snuffles (Pasteurella), some of which have been "stickied". You might want to review them to increase your awareness. I do remember one case where a rabbit got a piece of grain lodged in its nostril, causing sneezing and mucous. So it can happen.

 

[Dood]

Coloured discharge is infection - clear discharge is irritation (or virus)

She could have picked it up at your place. Your rabbits can be non symptomatic carriers

Personally I'd cull the lot harsh but her immune system is not up to my standards - period

You could give her antibiotics to stop it from getting worse, maybe pet her and her kits out but you'd just be passing along the problem and possibly endangering other rabbits if they have a flare up, plus I personally don't trust people to take a rabbit to a vet (it's "just a rabbit" and vets are not cheap) for treatment so they could be one of the many that "just die"

 

[TF3]

I'm so sorry!
Crazy stressful

My first doe did not come from a great place... she started sneezing a few weeks after kindling but no discharge and it passed after a couple days (we had changed hay and it was dusty~ so I think it was an irritant).
I'm glad I didn't cull her.
A couple weeks later my Cali doe started sneezing and within the day there was thick white snot.
I segregated her, but it didn't stop and I had to cull her.
I have a buck from the same place and he has been fine, as have all the others.
But I am glad I did cull her.

My point being... a sneeze can just be a sneeze and ultimately you have to weigh out the costs, especially if she is nursing, and the risks you are willing to take.
My understanding is that vets, unless rabbit specific, are pretty clueless about rabbits? And upper GI can be so many possibilities (most of them bad).
It really stinks to be in this position and to have a valuable doe at risk.

 

[Susie570]

Thanks everyone.

Of course, she's very perky and seems to be breathing fine, but I've seen enough posts to know that doesn't necessarily mean anything.

It looks like a thin, yellowish discharge just under her nose.

Of course, it IS possible that my rabbits are non-symptomatic carriers, or who knows.
I'll be monitoring the situation carefully. I'm glad, at this point, that I haven't gotten emotionally attached to Chrissie (outside of the investment and my hopes for her kits). I also hope that if this turns out to be nasty, she's the only one affected.

 

[Zinnia]

Susie, I am so sorry you have to deal with this. There is good advice here. I was in your shoes earlier this year. I was concerned because I have a LOT of rabbits. Well, this sneezing made the rounds. I tried to make the best of it. This was one way I could cull for better health. Any that got it and didn't recover rapidly on their own were not keepers. I hope this made my herd stronger.

 

[akane]

Vets aren't very helpful because pasteurella is found on swabs of the respiratory tract of about 80% of rabbits with many not having symptoms, ever. You can't really tell what is causing the problem for that reason. They will just put her on a broad spectrum antibiotic and you really can't treat pasteurella. I repeat to myself that you can't treat pasteurella every time I think about when I put Shimo down. Back to the 80% of rabbits test positive... there are carriers everywhere. Whether a rabbit gets sick or not is not just exposure but resistance to disease. If the immune system is weak you will never fully get rid of certain illnesses and they are more likely to overwhelm the immune system of other rabbits if they have an outbreak of symptoms.

 

[Susie570]

Thank you all again. I realize that the timing of this... whatever it is, points to something nasty. I'm also really worried that everyone else will come down with it. This may be the end of my bunny adventure. I will keep you all posted.

 

[Miss M]

I'm so sorry you're having to deal with this!

Perhaps try a different litter/bedding, just to see? :shrug:

 

[Susie570]

I'm so sorry you're having to deal with this!

Perhaps try a different litter/bedding, just to see? :shrug:

Thanks. There really isn't much litter or bedding to deal with. She has a litter pan, but it mostly has berries in it. I do clean them out every few days.

I think I've decided that if/when she takes a turn for the worse, I'll have to broomstick her and try to hand raise the kits, see if they get sick or not.

I'll wipe them all down as best as I can, discard the nesting material and put them on clean hay and see what I can do.

I didn't sleep well last night. :/ <br /><br /> -- Sat Jul 18, 2015 5:57 am -- <br /><br /> I know this has been asked before, but is it safe to eat a rabbit you have to dispatch in this situation? I have no clue how to even dress a rabbit, didn't plan on having to do it myself, but I won't take a sick rabbit to another breeder and ask them to do it, possibly infecting their rabbits.

Does this sound like a good plan? I don't want to foster the kits to anyone else for fear they will infect the other doe and litter (if it isn't too late already).

 

[Zinnia]

Susie, none of mine had mucus that I could see... and I looked often. There were some with goopy eyes, though. And, some had pretty constant noisy sneezing (they came to me this way... not barn dust irritation, either). One doe had a 4 week old litter when it came around to her. I let her raise the kits, as she did not appear to be incapable. She recovered within a few weeks' time and the kits were able to be raised by her, not me. A few of her kits were culled because they exhibited symptoms and did not recover promptly. But, some of her kits appeared resilient or resistant. So, at least I have some of this line and it would appear that they are hardier. Time will tell.

However, if Chrissie is obviously in distress, you may not want to let her live it out to see.

 

[Susie570]

I'm not going to get my hopes up too much... I've seen too many of these 'hopeful' posts when sneezing issues arise, particularly with lactating does :/ but I'm now hopeful that I may have simply overreacted to some sneezing and a little wetness around the nose.

I had forgotten that she actually has some yellow coloring right under her nostrils... it freaked me out when I first brought her home. When I checked her this morning, I noticed that it looked about the same... but not really wet or anything, so I decided to try and wipe her nose off so I can get a checkpoint on how she progresses. The color wouldn't wipe off.

Now, I don't know if her fur just got stained from the mucous, or if what I was seeing was actually just her yellow fur looking kind of wet from her sneezes, or if she is having a small bout of something that she's fighting off... or if it will come back in full force and I'll still have to cull her. I'm keeping my options open right now, maintaining isolation procedures and watching her closely.

Good lord but rabbits can be stressful. :/ Anyway, hopefully I have a plan in place that I can follow through with if she takes a turn for the worse.

 

[jeannie]

Are you sure the yellow coloring is not staining from the straw/hay? I know my does rearrange their nests often by pushing the straw around.

 

[Susie570]

Susie, none of mine had mucus that I could see... and I looked often. There were some with goopy eyes, though. And, some had pretty constant noisy sneezing (they came to me this way... not barn dust irritation, either). One doe had a 4 week old litter when it came around to her. I let her raise the kits, as she did not appear to be incapable. She recovered within a few weeks' time and the kits were able to be raised by her, not me. A few of her kits were culled because they exhibited symptoms and did not recover promptly. But, some of her kits appeared resilient or resistant. So, at least I have some of this line and it would appear that they are hardier. Time will tell.

However, if Chrissie is obviously in distress, you may not want to let her live it out to see.

That's helpful information.

No, if she goes into distress I certainly will not let her linger on. I'm keeping a watchful eye on her progress now. At this time, she's very perky, eating and drinking well and doesn't seem to be having and trouble breathing. I'm REALLY hoping this turns out to be a 'false alarm'... or at the worst, a quick bout with 'something' that her system is fighting off. I don't know, but I'm watching carefully. <br /><br /> -- Sat Jul 18, 2015 9:03 am -- <br /><br />

Are you sure the yellow coloring is not staining from the straw/hay? I know my does rearrange their nests often by pushing the straw around.

At this point I really have to wait and see.

She's been eating a lot of hay, burying her face in it, that's one reason I'm hoping it's 'something else'.
Obviously if she starts sneezing out thick mucous or showing distress, I'll have no other choice. :/

Trying to just be calm about the whole situation, but it's difficult.

 

[MaggieJ]

"Hope for the best but be prepared for the worst." It's about all you can do, Susie. (((HUGS)))

If she gets worse and you decide to cull her, yes, you can eat the meat -- it's cooked, after all. I would not give any raw parts to pets, however. If it comes to that we will steer you towards some helpful posts about processing.

How old are the kits? If you can keep Chrissie going without suffering until they are about three weeks, you should be able to wean them. It's not ideal, but many people have hand-fed kits of that age. They're past needing the syringe or bottle to feed from and the success rate is much higher than with infant kits.

 

[Susie570]

"Hope for the best but be prepared for the worst." It's about all you can do, Susie. (((HUGS)))

If she gets worse and you decide to cull her, yes, you can eat the meat -- it's cooked, after all. I would not give any raw parts to pets, however. If it comes to that we will steer you towards some helpful posts about processing.

How old are the kits? If you can keep Chrissie going without suffering until they are about three weeks, you should be able to wean them. It's not ideal, but many people have hand-fed kits of that age. They're past needing the syringe or bottle to feed from and the success rate is much higher than with infant kits.

Thank you.

They're almost 2 weeks old now... adorable little hoppers, grooming each other, bouncing around in the nest. :/

Yup, hoping for the best for sure.

 

[Preitler]

I can't give any advice about how to handle snot and sneezing, but all the local breeders here seem completly ignorant about that and such diseases, the next meat breeder down the road has a snotty doe - she is almost 10 years old, kits were fine, his buck with runny eyes about 8. No other buns affected. I'm sure all my rabbits I bought were confronted with this or that, and I have no idea what else to do than carry on. After reading too much on the net I really got worried over every sneeze, but there wasn't ever a sign that it causes something serious, only happens when one bun is really stressed out, isn't intense and doesn't last.

Only my grey doe has runny eyes, for almost a year now, it's not contagious, antbiotica did nothing (beside making her really grumpy about beeing picked up trice a day), but she is fine, happy now since I give her Bepanthen on the bald spots at her eyes (she lets me apply it without holding her). Got pretty chubby since I didn't breed her this year because I didn't know how that would develop.

When thinking about handraising - consider that they become very sweet buns, and someone like me gets awfully attached by that, well, I'm really not looking forward to send my ex-runt to freezer camp :x