Noisy breathing

[JG3]

JG3, I'd say you did extremely well working intuitively on this problem. Oregano does have medicinal properties and it is also a safe rabbit food, so it makes sense to continue with it.

If you have no plans to add new stock from another source, I suggest you just continue with the does you have and see what happens. A few sneezes without mucous is probably not a sign of illness.

As I mentioned before, my rabbits apparently were asymptomatic carriers of snuffles. I rarely brought in new rabbits, but the few I did acquire did not do well here. It was some time before I realized that I was bringing them into a problematic situation. None of the rabbits from my original line and none of the offspring born here ever showed symptoms of disease.

The way I see it, if you stick to "no rabbit leaves here alive" then you are doing no harm working with the stock you have.

Thanks for the updates. I hope other members will explore the possibilities of oregano as a rabbit medicinal.

Thank you, Maggie! No live rabbit will leave here, for sure!

So since they’re likely all carriers, you think I should still try breeding the doe that did have snot and recovered, too? Or you mean just the one that didn’t have snot and only sneezed a few times? I do not plan to add new stock from anywhere else. But the one that had the snot is the most promising doe. And as we switch to natural Feeding I suspect they will get healthier and stronger too.

I just have that what if in my head of, maybe it was a one off from the stress of breeding the first time and the scare at the end and as she recovers and has experience it won’t be as stressful next time. But then I’d feel awful if I spread anything to the bucks, but again, they’re likely carrying too, being all from the same farm/barn. LOL. If she got sick again, she would definitely have to be a cull.

Decisions, decisions...

 

[MaggieJ]

I know of no guidelines other than your own good common sense on this question. I bred my asymptomatic rabbits regularly because it was several years before I realized what I was likely dealing with.

I suggest giving the doe that had symptoms an extra few weeks before breeding her. As I recall, she was new to your rabbitry, was bred within a week or so, and the buck somehow hurt her enough that she screamed. Those are three stressful event close together in time. (I'm not criticizing, just looking at the factors involved.) So if she carries a latent form of pasteurella, it was enough to trigger illness. If she continues to improve and reaches a point you are happy with, then try her again. The very worst that can happen is that she will again become ill, which would likely indicate that culling would be the best solution.

Breeding any rabbit who has been ill is not a good idea if the kits are destined for live sale or if you are breeding for show etc. If you keep breeding stock for yourself, make sure the ones you choose are conspicuously healthy and hearty. And if you experience further problems, please do post about it so we can rethink your processes.

~ Maggie

 

[JG3]

I know of no guidelines other than your own good common sense on this question. I bred my asymptomatic rabbits regularly because it was several years before I realized what I was likely dealing with.

I suggest giving the doe that had symptoms an extra few weeks before breeding her. As I recall, she was new to your rabbitry, was bred within a week or so, and the buck somehow hurt her enough that she screamed. Those are three stressful event close together in time. (I'm not criticizing, just looking at the factors involved.) So if she carries a latent form of pasteurella, it was enough to trigger illness. If she continues to improve and reaches a point you are happy with, then try her again. The very worst that can happen is that she will again become ill, which would likely indicate that culling would be the best solution.

Breeding any rabbit who has been ill is not a good idea if the kits are destined for live sale or if you are breeding for show etc. If you keep breeding stock for yourself, make sure the ones you choose are conspicuously healthy and hearty. And if you experience further problems, please do post about it so we can rethink your processes.

~ Maggie

Thank you so much for your wisdom and allowing me to think out loud and bounce stuff off you while dealing with this.

 

[MaggieJ]

My pleasure. I admire people who can work their way through problems. consider all the angles, and then decide on a course of action. You obviously give a lot of thought to caring for your rabbits and you're not afraid to trust your intuition.

 

[JG3]

Figured I’d update that the doe stayed well, kindled 3 days ago with a litter of 10, 8 living, 2 died (one she ate half of, other was on wire) and she hasn’t relapsed at all! Looks like she’s getting the hang of feeding today, so far, so good!

 

[user 8990]

How are they doing today? Curious if they are remaining healthy and whether you are still feeding oregano. It’s a really powerful herb that’s been in my Lyme treatment for years. Thanks for sharing this with us.

 

[JG3]

How are they doing today? Curious if they are remaining healthy and whether you are still feeding oregano. It’s a really powerful herb that’s been in my Lyme treatment for years. Thanks for sharing this with us.

She’s been fine ever since! I continued the oregano for a week past when symptoms stopped and they never came back once we stopped it. All the kits are super strong and healthy too. She’s my best doe, always pregnant with large litters, has Lots of milk and feeds well. She’s even fostered some kits for me from another litter. No one has been sick since. We’re working toward transitioning to fully natural feed, not there yet. But yea, they do get oregano, occasionally. Less so now that it’s winter and I can’t just pick right from my plant. I was worried she might relapse last breeding because she screamed a few times when the buck fell off and was hoping it wasnt too stressful. But she was fine. About to kindle next week.

 

[user 8990]

She’s been fine ever since! I continued the oregano for a week past when symptoms stopped and they never came back once we stopped it. All the kits are super strong and healthy too. She’s my best doe, always pregnant with large litters, has Lots of milk and feeds well. She’s even fostered some kits for me from another litter. No one has been sick since. We’re working toward transitioning to fully natural feed, not there yet. But yea, they do get oregano, occasionally. Less so now that it’s winter and I can’t just pick right from my plant. I was worried she might relapse last breeding because she screamed a few times when the buck fell off and was hoping it wasnt too stressful. But she was fine. About to kindle next week.

This is so great to hear! Plants are truly medicine.