need some advice please

[jollysrabbits]

I have an american blue doe (she is not my only one, I have 2 more) she just had a litter of 3 kits and i noticed there is some white discharge on the outside of her nose, when i brought her home 3-3.5 months ago we did the quarantine and she checked out minus being malnourished and earmites. I have not heard her sneeze and she does not seem to have labored breathing but the ever hovering fear of "snuffles" looms in my thoughts. but with the discharge and some dried stuff on her paws Iam wondering if I should just cull and call it a day instead of taking chances (I have 4 other breeds and about 20 rabbits that i need to think about) any input would be much appreciated.

 

[3mina]

white snot is usually the P word, if she was in my herd she'd be culled along with the litter. That sucks but four rabbits versus twenty plus, I'd hate to lose all of them

 

[cowgirl9768]

Could you separate them in a completely different area from your other rabbits and just be sure to wash well between handling them and your other rabbits. That way you can observe her and her litter. I breed pet breeds like dwarfs and lionheads so I'm pretty pathetic when it comes to letting my rabbits go so I actually have a place on the opposite side of my property for sick rabbits. Hasn't failed me yet.

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

any signs of sickness should be culled. She does have pasterualla .. They dont have to sneeze to have it. I wouldnt cull the babies. They are old enough i would take them and cull the doe. Then i would have the babies in quarntine for a long time. Because it dosnt come out for a while in young babies... LIke 3 months or so. Babies can live with out there mother at 3 weeks old. If they are older than that . tHERE IS more of a chance the babies will have it. GIVE them kitchen oatmeal every day that will help allot.
If you dont need the babies and you have the colors and type ect. It is best you cull them to to be safe for everyone. But if you have her with the others. There is a chance others is ging to have it too.

 

[ZRabbits]

As much as I want to say quarantine her and wait and see, sorry pathetic pet owner, I have been on Rabbit Talk long enough to know that it would be in the best interest of your whole herd to cull her. I thought sneezing was a sign too, but others have had rabbits have the nasty "P" word without sneezing.

Maryann gave you some good advise about the kits. I am right now watching 4 Lion head kits for symptoms of Wry Neck (buck had it). I now see that a good immune system is just as important as body type, color, etc. Though it's harsh to me, sorry again a pathetic pet owner, I truly see the value and the urgency to cull for any weak immune systems. In the end, it does help everyone. Your herd and potential buyers.

So sorry to hear about your doe. Hoping the kits don't come up with the illness.

Karen

 

[3mina]

I had a doe come up sick with a litter, I culled the doe after waiting too long but not the litter and that litter grew half as well as the rest. I had kits a month younger that were twice as big. In my herd unthriftiness is a cull point.

 

[-HRanchito]

any signs of sickness should be culled. She does have pasterualla .. They dont have to sneeze to have it. I wouldnt cull the babies. They are old enough i would take them and cull the doe. Then i would have the babies in quarntine for a long time. Because it dosnt come out for a while in young babies... LIke 3 months or so. Babies can live with out there mother at 3 weeks old. If they are older than that . tHERE IS more of a chance the babies will have it. GIVE them kitchen oatmeal every day that will help allot.

Did this in June. Out of the kits - Culled 1 to the freezer for symptoms, sold 2 as pets, sold 1 as breeding stock, kept one as a wooler, kept one as herd buck. Did not keep for breeding anyone who showed any signs of weakness. Any poopy butt or double sneezes or anything.

That buck has an awesome immune system, and he got very nice comments at the show I took him to. I'm glad I didn't cull the kits, but my rabbitry is much smaller than yours.

 

[skysthelimit]

I just culled three rabbits, I would rather have not. I haven't heard a single sneeze since. I did not see any white snot at any time, but the sneezing was enough. If I had saw any snot, it would have been quicker. Even if it was not (P), it's still a matter of building good immune systems in the herd, and these things always seem to come back and plague you if don't.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

White snot and matted paws = pasteurella.....I would cull.

 

[bunei0426]

If you are familiar with ARBA we went to some Rabbitcon classes and they recommended culling the animal straight away before you lose your whole barn to it. Respitory conditions are treatable not CURABLE!!!! If you must give the animal something to subdue the symptoms note that you will be doing this the rest of the bunnies life and it could not come into your barn because it could pass the Pasturella virus along. You could also try a culture just tell the vets to see if there is a pasturella virus in the discharge.

 

[jollysrabbits]

I already moved them while awaiting everybody's responses, today there was no snot dry as a whistle, I don't get it, but she will most likely be culled, had her babies on the wire the other day anyway. I have a beautiful 5 month old doe waiting to take her place!

 

[ZRabbits]

I already moved them while awaiting everybody's responses, today there was no snot dry as a whistle, I don't get it, but she will most likely be culled, had her babies on the wire the other day anyway. I have a beautiful 5 month old doe waiting to take her place!

Symptoms that come and go? But the major "P" is still there? Better safe than sorry?

Wishing you all the luck with your 5 month old doe. Hoping all goes well and she gives you Lovely Blues that are inside the nestbox. Hope you post when she does kindle.

Karen

 

[OneAcreFarm]

My personal opinion is to always err on the side of caution...P.multocida can flare and then lay dormant. And the kits would have to kept quarantined until breeding age to see if kindling would cause the latent infection to flare. After three months of watching, medicating, and then losing every single rabbit, one after the other, I won't do that again. White Snot = Crock Pot!

 

[jollysrabbits]

that was my next question, this was a $60 rabbit I would at least like to eat it! so as long as the liver doesn't have spots were still good to eat,or give it to the dogs. (never dealt with a sick rabbit like this)

 

[cowgirl9768]

As much as I want to say quarantine her and wait and see, sorry pathetic pet owner, I have been on Rabbit Talk long enough to know that it would be in the best interest of your whole herd to cull her. I thought sneezing was a sign too, but others have had rabbits have the nasty "P" word without sneezing.

Maryann gave you some good advise about the kits. I am right now watching 4 Lion head kits for symptoms of Wry Neck (buck had it). I now see that a good immune system is just as important as body type, color, etc. Though it's harsh to me, sorry again a pathetic pet owner, I truly see the value and the urgency to cull for any weak immune systems. In the end, it does help everyone. Your herd and potential buyers.

So sorry to hear about your doe. Hoping the kits don't come up with the illness.

Karen

Haha don't be sorry I have nothing against culling a sick bun..... I just don't always do it with my lions. I have done it with many other animals from cows to poultry and understand why it can be needed.

 

[ZRabbits]

As much as I want to say quarantine her and wait and see, sorry pathetic pet owner, I have been on Rabbit Talk long enough to know that it would be in the best interest of your whole herd to cull her. I thought sneezing was a sign too, but others have had rabbits have the nasty "P" word without sneezing.

Maryann gave you some good advise about the kits. I am right now watching 4 Lion head kits for symptoms of Wry Neck (buck had it). I now see that a good immune system is just as important as body type, color, etc. Though it's harsh to me, sorry again a pathetic pet owner, I truly see the value and the urgency to cull for any weak immune systems. In the end, it does help everyone. Your herd and potential buyers.

So sorry to hear about your doe. Hoping the kits don't come up with the illness.

Karen

Haha don't be sorry I have nothing against culling a sick bun..... I just don't always do it with my lions. I have done it with many other animals from cows to poultry and understand why it can be needed.

When Neville got Wry Neck, I had to at least see if I could help him. Thankfully with my research and my Rabbit Savy Vet, we were able to pull Neville through. We now call him "Level" Neville. I know others on here would not breed a rabbit who had wry neck, and truly understand and respect their views, but he's been healthy ever since and the kits, now at 8 weeks, are all doing fine. But will continue to keep my eye on them. It will be interesting to see if what Neville had would be passed on to his kits. Kind of like the BEW and seizures.

I have such a soft spot for my LH's. But then again, I have to say that for all my Tribe Members. From the smallest (Kreacher my Polish) to the biggest (Fawkes, my Flemish).

Karen

 

[OneAcreFarm]

You just discard the lungs...everything else is fine to eat. As with any meat, cook it well.

 

[jollysrabbits]

awesome, hey great news also, my wife and I do this as a hobby and a small business and although my family (parents and sister) are supportive of everything we do, they don't quite get why we do it but tomorrow my sister is coming over to help dispatch,clean and perform a "rabbit autopsy" and then prep it for a meal. (I think it will be a great learning experience for her)

 

[ZRabbits]

awesome, hey great news also, my wife and I do this as a hobby and a small business and although my family (parents and sister) are supportive of everything we do, they don't quite get why we do it but tomorrow my sister is coming over to help dispatch,clean and perform a "rabbit autopsy" and then prep it for a meal. (I think it will be a great learning experience for her)

Hope your sister has a great experience and really sees what you and your wife do with your hobby and small business.

Hope you post the results of the "rabbit autopsy".

I didn't know you could actually eat a rabbit that was that sickly. Considering that a rabbit that is sick and that contagious to other rabbits where you have to sanatizing everything that rabbit touches, along with your clothes, my thoughts would be that rabbit would not even be good for human or animal consumption. I guess cooking it really, really good does help kill the virus or parasite that brought on this contagious sickness?

Karen

 

[OneAcreFarm]

awesome, hey great news also, my wife and I do this as a hobby and a small business and although my family (parents and sister) are supportive of everything we do, they don't quite get why we do it but tomorrow my sister is coming over to help dispatch,clean and perform a "rabbit autopsy" and then prep it for a meal. (I think it will be a great learning experience for her)

Hope your sister has a great experience and really sees what you and your wife do with your hobby and small business.

Hope you post the results of the "rabbit autopsy".

I didn't know you could actually eat a rabbit that was that sickly. Considering that a rabbit that is sick and that contagious to other rabbits where you have to sanatizing everything that rabbit touches, along with your clothes, my thoughts would be that rabbit would not even be good for human or animal consumption. I guess cooking it really, really good does help kill the virus or parasite that brought on this contagious sickness?

Karen

Only the lungs are infectious, and you discard those. As long as you cook it well, the meat itself is fine.