I need help

[Her Farmstead Rabbitry]

Recently my rabbits came down with a respiratory illness. One just randomly started showing symptoms and pretty soon 1/3 of them have it. The buck that started out is looking much better. His appetite is back he I s not snotty but he is still a little raspy. I don't know if it is pasturella or not so I am going to send a culture to pavlab. What are your opinions on the bunnyvac? It is a preventative/treatment for pasturella. I'm not sure if I want to vaccinate my entire herd yearly. I have 13 breeders. But most that are sick are ones from very expensive Satin stock. One of the does that is getting sick has 2 week old babies! I guess I wanted to vent a little because it has been really hard.
Would you guys use the bunnyvac or just wait it out?
Opinions on selling the babies?
I really just need advice. I am already $1000 in the hole for just this year so I would really rather not cull all 5 sick rabbits.
Edit to add: I have been treating with VetRX.

 

[TKT]

I'm too new to really know, but I would isolate the sick ones if possible and also practice biosecurity with the others until you get more answers!

I'm so sorry!

 

[Her Farmstead Rabbitry]

I'm too new to really know, but I would isolate the sick ones if possible and also practice biosecurity with the others until you get more answers!

I'm so sorry!

I feel like I've been pretty good about keeping them separate and safe. But then I had a doe start to get sick and she had no exposure to a sick rabbit!. It's just been depressing.

 

[eco2pia]

I am not a show breeder, and I rarely sell stock. I would wait it out.

If I were showing or selling often I would weigh the cost of the vaccine against the cost of potential lost sales/show opportunities. I have considered vaccinating breeding stock for rhdv, but after trying to find a vet who would even sell/carry it in my area, I opted against.

 

[Her Farmstead Rabbitry]

I am not a show breeder, and I rarely sell stock. I would wait it out.

If I were showing or selling often I would weigh the cost of the vaccine against the cost of potential lost sales/show opportunities. I have considered vaccinating breeding stock for rhdv, but after trying to find a vet who would even sell/carry it in my area, I opted against.

I sell very often. I am about to make hundreds of dollars off of my 4 litters but one of the moms is getting sick so she could infect the babies! The vaccine is not expensive. I just don't know if I want all my breeders to have to have vaccinations.

 

[ladysown]

remove the kits when they are four weeks old, away from the rest of the herd, in a sanitized cage. Any that throw snot DO NOT SELL and I would hard cull. If you have any that don't throw snot (even as a mild respiratory thing) keep those as breeders. Find ways to stress them Snuffles comes out when the immune system is battling something and stress causes the immune system to kick in. do this throughout their growing up time, again removing any that show snot (or dirty front legs). Hopefully they will keep their strong immune systems and give you healthy kits.

I would isolate the rest of the herd until you have replacements for them. Follow the protocol for all litters from the herd. And cull out the adults gradually. it sucks but if you get known for selling sick animals.... people won't buy from you.

 

[ladysown]

problem with the vaccinations is this. Once you start you'll need to continue. AND how will you know who is a carrier?

 

[Her Farmstead Rabbitry]

problem with the vaccinations is this. Once you start you'll need to continue. AND how will you know who is a carrier?

I could probably do it until I can replace all of the breeders. I have 4 satin breeders. The does aren't old enough to breed so I haven't had any satin babies. Only one of the does is not sick. What should I do because I still want to raise satins. The first sick buck is looking much better should I breed them in a few weeks or no?

 

[Alaska Satin]

Many people believe that the organism that causes pasturellosis is pretty much everywhere, and that most rabbits have been exposed. My approach is to eliminate individuals that become symptomatic and breed those that are resistant to the disease. In nearly 20 years I've only had a few rabbits that needed to go, all within the first few years of beginning this herd. My rabbits travel around the state constantly to shows, fairs and other exhibitions, with no issues.

The fact that it's your high-bred Satins having the problem could be that their breeder(s) overlooked health for other priorities. I can vouch for the fact that very often, the best show rabbits in the litter will end up being the ones with some sort of problem! I've sadly culled those rabbits, so it took me longer to get winning rabbits, but it can be done. Honestly, I wouldn't necessarily cull the problem rabbit if she's otherwise excellent, but I'd be hyper-vigilant about which of her offspring I keep or sell.

I agree with @ladysown regarding hard culling and the caution about going down the vaccination road. If you start that, you'll never get a resistant herd, as you will cover up the tendency to become symptomatic. Vaccines also have a potential to mess with other health/immune system parameters. Big production facilities have some rationale for vaccination, but a small breeder (show, meat or pet) really should be able to manage their herd to produce healthy bunnies. And if you're selling meat, you can't advertise shot-free.

I don't, however, wean at 4 weeks. At that stage, I've seen that growth and development suffer, at least in the short term, which is a concern in meat and show rabbits. I understand that stressing the kits can cause those that are susceptible to pasteurellosis to become symptomatic, thus aiding in identification of weak kits, but the stress of weaning that early can also have other consequences. I liked the suggestion - it might have been @eco2pia - to put the whole litter in a carrier and take them on a drive for a few hours. That lower level of stress should provoke incipient illness without causing the developmental issues I've seen with early weaning.

 

[eco2pia]

Many people believe that the organism that causes pasturellosis is pretty much everywhere, and that most rabbits have been exposed. My approach is to eliminate individuals that become symptomatic and breed those that are resistant to the disease. In nearly 20 years I've only had a few rabbits that needed to go, all within the first few years of beginning this herd. My rabbits travel around the state constantly to shows, fairs and other exhibitions, with no issues.

The fact that it's one of your high-bred Satins having the problem could be that their breeder(s) overlooked health for other priorities. I can vouch for the fact that very often, the best show rabbits in the litter will end up being the one with some sort of problem! I've sadly culled those rabbits, so it took me longer to get winning rabbits, but it can be done. Honestly, I wouldn't necessarily cull the problem rabbit if she's otherwise excellent, but I'd be hyper-vigilant about which of her offspring I keep or sell.

I agree with @eco2pia regarding hard culling and the caution about going down the vaccination road. If you start that, you'll never get a resistant herd, as you will cover up the tendency to become symptomatic. Vaccines also have a potential to mess with other health/immune system parameters. Big production facilities have some rationale for vaccination, but a small breeder (show, meat or pet) really should be able to manage their herd to produce healthy bunnies. And if you're selling meat, you can't advertise shot-free.

I don't, however, wean at 4 weeks. At that stage, I've seen that growth and development suffer, at least in the short term, which is a concern in meat and show rabbits. I understand that stressing the kits can cause those that are susceptible to pasteurellosis to become symptomatic, thus aiding in identification of weak kits, but the stress of weaning that early can also have other consequences. I liked the suggestion - it might also have been @eco2pia - to put the whole litter in a carrier and take them on a drive for a few hours. That lower level of stress should provoke incipient illness without causing the developmental issues I've seen with early weaning.

I think I am being credited with more than my share of brilliance here. I think it was @ladysown who suggested most of this. But I absolutely agree with all of it. I don't show or sell, but I happily and without compunction hard cull my rabbits all the time. It helps that that is their primary purpose anyway in my life. It is always hard that the friendliest and cutest gain the least and end up being dinner, but it is for the best in the end.

 

[Her Farmstead Rabbitry]

I did decide not to vaccinate. I will cull if needed and wait it out! I will wait until they get better and keep offspring to replace sick ones.

 

[ladysown]

I don't, however, wean at 4 weeks. At that stage, I've seen that growth and development suffer, at least in the short term, which is a concern in meat and show rabbits. I understand that stressing the kits can cause those that are susceptible to pasteurellosis to become symptomatic, thus aiding in identification of weak kits, but the stress of weaning that early can also have other consequences. I liked the suggestion - it might have been @eco2pia - to put the whole litter in a carrier and take them on a drive for a few hours. That lower level of stress should provoke incipient illness without causing the developmental issues I've seen with early weaning.

allow me to clarify why in this situation I say wean at four weeks. I don't normally wean this early, but I have found that with sick does and currently healthy kits that four weeks is a good marker week.

At four weeks kits still retain some immunity through nursing, the older they get the more that immunity fades.

So weaning at four weeks protects them from momma's continued shedding of the virus and allows them the best chance to be clear of the active virus. Let them grow and gradually stress them over time.