Doe Sneezing

[TMTex]

When I got home today, the fans and misters were off in the rabbit run. The thermometer showed about 99 degrees. After turning the stuff back on, I checked on everyone. My sweet cali doe with 5 kits was sneezing a lot.

I brought ice out for everyone, but she needed to come inside the house to cool off. She's in the living room now. Cooling her off has helped the sneezing, but she still sneezes every once in a while. No discharge yet.

I was going to wait until she weaned her kits to vaccinate her, but I decided to do it right away. I gave her 0.5cc of Bunny Vac and 0.5cc of Oxytetracycline Sub Q. I'll continue the Oxytetracycline for 7 days.

I'm hoping for the best. I hope she and the kits come out ok.

 

[AmysMacdog]

Sorry to hear this TMTex.
I don't know if that vaccine works in the face of infection but its worth a try and the kits will hopefully getting some through mothers milk. Only time will tell.
How old are her kits?

 

[ladysown]

She may simply have had a fluid build up because of excess heat. Give her some time to clear out her lungs and nose and then evaluate.

Rabbits that overheat get this weird fluid build up thing going that looks really odd and they can die from that. Sounds like you were close to losing her, so give her time to get herself back together.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

The antibiotic will suppress any symptoms, so it will be difficult to know now if she IS ill or not. Also, giving that AND the vaccine at the same time will make it more difficult to know if the vaccine has any affect at all. What I normally do is WATCH when I suspect illness, to see if there are some definite clinical signs of illness before attempting any treatment. Sneezing doesn't always mean illness.

 

[TMTex]

I guess I understood anti-biotics and vaccines wrong. I thought the anti-biotic would attack the infection while the vaccine would present itself to the animal's immune system so it could recognize the invading organism.

I got the idea to use both from http://www.zinnsrabbitfarm.com/rabbit_health.htm
They evidently use a different vaccine.

Then again, I'm not a vet, but my wife knows someone who saw one on TV once.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

I guess I understood anti-biotics and vaccines wrong. I thought the anti-biotic would attack the infection while the vaccine would present itself to the animal's immune system so it could recognize the invading organism.

I got the idea to use both from http://www.zinnsrabbitfarm.com/rabbit_health.htm
They evidently use a different vaccine.

Then again, I'm not a vet, but my wife knows someone who saw one on TV once.

I just read thru that link and I have to say..... ullhair:

First of all, Poly Bac is a CATTLE vaccine. Tested and approved for the prevention of P in COWS. Cattle that have P can be successfully treated with antibiotics, unlike rabbits. Because of the way a rabbits nasal and sinus passages are made, there is very little blood flow in that area, so the vaccine/antibiotic doesn't get up in there where the bacteria makes a reservoir. She isn't preventing or curing anything with her way of doing things. She is keeping the symptoms suppressed and retaining infected rabbits.

 

[TMTex]

Thanks, OneAcreFarm. I'll finish the antibiotic course, since one should never start and then stop one. I'm pretty happy that Bob Glass came up with Bunny Vac. It gives my herd a fighting chance. I'll eventually vaccinate all of them.

I read several places that almost all rabbits harbor the Pasturella bacteria and that the illness comes out from stress or overwhelmed immune systems. Makes sense to me, but in that case, aren't almost all rabbits carriers?

My cali doe is back inside on her "perch" in the living room. She sneezed once since I brought her in. Just a single sneeze so she seems a lot better. I'm giving her a small amount plantain, dandelion, basil, lavender and thyme. I sprinkled her regular food with probiotics to offset the antibiotic.<br /><br />__________ Wed Jun 26, 2013 9:18 am __________<br /><br />An update - She's not sneezing anymore and seems happy and healthy again. She demands to be petted and will push her head into my hand when it's within reach.

I'm continuing the oxytetracycline for the full 7 day course just to complete the cycle. She doesn't seem to mind the injections. I'm using 3cc syringes with 22 gauge needles from TSC. It's what was available. I have 100 1cc syringes with 25 gauge needles ordered.

I'm still giving probiotics and taking her indoors during the hottest part of the day.

The vaccination site is developing a knot. I've been massaging it, but it's not going away. If it becomes hard, I'll lance it.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

You need to keep her quarantined for at least a month after finishing the antibiotics. And you should contact Bob Glass about the injection site issue.

PLEASE, if you don't take anything else away from this thread, DO NOT depend on that vaccine to treat or cure this rabbit, or to prevent infection in the rest of your herd. From the maker's own literature, it doesn't completely prevent infection of P.

I don't personally believe they all CARRY it, but I do believe that they will all be exposed to it at one time or another during their lives. It is like the menigincoccal meningitis bacteria. It can live in the nasal passages of people totally harmlessly if they get exposed. However, if they somehow transmit the bacteria elsewhere (ie, rub nose, then rub eyes) etc., they can cause an active infection in those whose immune systems cannot fight it off. A CARRIER is one that gets an active infection, with symptoms, which seems to get better, but they still harbor a reservoir of infection in their body.

 

[TMTex]

Thanks OneAcreFarm. I'm not sure that'll be necessary since she's been in constant physical contact with the buck that came with her. There's a wire divider between them, but they snuggle up to each other all the time. Neither he, nor her kits are showing any symptoms. I'm thinking it was heat stress that had her sneezing.

There was never any discharge, so it doesn't match Pasturella symptoms. She's through with her oxytetracycline injections and I'll keep an eye on the know from the vaccine.

Also, I'll need the quarantine area for my new Flemish Giant that I'll be picking up this evening.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Thanks OneAcreFarm. I'm not sure that'll be necessary since she's been in constant physical contact with the buck that came with her. There's a wire divider between them, but they snuggle up to each other all the time. Neither he, nor her kits are showing any symptoms. I'm thinking it was heat stress that had her sneezing.

There was never any discharge, so it doesn't match Pasturella symptoms. She's through with her oxytetracycline injections and I'll keep an eye on the know from the vaccine. Also, I'll need the quarantine area for my new Flemish Giant that I'll be picking up this evening.

If she did not ever have any discharge, why treat with ABX? Dry sneezing can be from dust, fines, or other things like that...

 

[LauraNJ]

If you join the P. vaccine facebook page you will see that a few people have had issues with the injection site developing a knot. As far as I have read they have all resolved themselves within a month.