picked up some rabbits today! question about conjuctivitis

[bunhallarabbitry]

I just picked up 6 free rabbits today. An adult buck (black rex, but looks to be an otter), an adult doe (angora/lop/lionhead), and 4 3 month old babies from them. The mom looks great, and so do the babies, but the rex male has conjunctivitis. I'm researching right now about it, but I thought I'd ask you guys how you've treated it if you've had the problem. His eyes look clear, he just has the white discharge coming from them.

Thank you!

 

[ottersatin]

Be very very careful!
That white discharge could very well be a precursor
for/of Pasteurella.
If were me I would never have purchased those rabbits
regardless of the price. There has got to be a reason they were FREE!
Beware of gift Horses, often they are not a gift at all.
More often they are a liability/problem.
If it were me I would cull them immediately
if not sooner and disinfect anything these "FREE" rabbits came in contact with.
Sorry, but just don't believe that you got a bargain!
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

 

[bunhallarabbitry]

Be very very careful!
That white discharge could very well be a precursor
for/of Pasteurella.
If were me I would never have purchased those rabbits
regardless of the price. There has got to be a reason they were FREE!
Beware of gift Horses, often they are not a gift at all.
More often they are a liability/problem.
If it were me I would cull them immediately
if not sooner and disinfect anything these "FREE" rabbits came in contact with.
Sorry, but just don't believe that you got a bargain!
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

Thank you for your input but I'm trying to see how to solve the problem we have, not to be lectured about picking up an ill rabbit
From what I've read about Pasteurella, he seems to not show any other symptoms. Feces and urine look totally normal. No nose discharge either. I listened closely to his breathing and it sounds normal. We haven't heard any snuffles or sneezes, but we will be keeping a very close eye on him. All of the other rabbits look healthy as well.

 

[MaggieJ]

You need to look past Ottersatin's bluntness and what you perceive as lecturing and see that Ottersatin was expressing a valid and sincere concern for your rabbits. One of our other members recently lost all her rabbits to pasteurella when she brought home a rabbit from the feed store. It appeared perfectly healthy at the time of purchase.

I hope you quarantine this rabbit from all your others and practice good in isolation protocols until you can be certain it has no communicable disease.

 

[eco2pia]

Sorry, but I agree with maggiej, also, conjunctivitis often IS a communicable disease, so please do follow good quarantine procedures. I would be a little less quick to cull, but I am fairly paranoid and might have left them there.

That said, there are a variety of ophthalmic ointments you can buy at the feed store, including terramycin/vetrimycin. I would try one of those, also have heard a teabag compress can be very helpful.

 

[bunhallarabbitry]

Thank you guys for your input. I didn't mean to sound rude in response to what Ottersatin said, I just don't appreciate 6 sentences of "You shouldn't have done that." I'm aware we shouldn't have brought him home. Unfortunately I didn't get a good look at him until they had left and we were on our way home. We are discussing just putting him down though.
He is quarantined quite a bit away from our other rabbits right now. I'm looking into ointments to use if we chose to keep him, and for now we are trying Chamomile eye drops to ease discomfort until we come up with a decision.
Off-topic but I've actually never pet a Rex before, and wow! What nice fur.

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

You can rinse the eyes out with the saline solution that contact lens wearers use, as well. Keep a bottle in your rabbit medicine cabinet!

 

[ottersatin]

not to be lectured about picking up an ill rabbit
From what I've read about Pasteurella, he seems to not show any other symptoms.

Well, Excuuuse ME Bunhallarabbitry.
I did not mean to insult you by posting legitimate
information and what I would have done, and I did NOT say that
YOU must get rid of the rabbits, I just made a suggestion!
Even just one possible symptom is reason enough to be quite concerned.
Been there done that! Having learned a very hard lesson the hard way I was
just trying to spare you the experience.
I suppose I should learn to keep my thoughts and suggestions to myself
and allow all to learn by their possible mistakes.
Sorry, sorry, sorry, it will not happen again.
Ottersatin. ldtimer: :bdh:

 

[bunhallarabbitry]

You can rinse the eyes out with the saline solution that contact lens wearers use, as well. Keep a bottle in your rabbit medicine cabinet!

I'll definitely look into that!
I was just reading that rabbit eyes and human eyes are pretty similar, and some people have successfully used human eye ointments on their rabbits as well.<br /><br />__________ Sun Jul 17, 2011 7:00 pm __________<br /><br />

not to be lectured about picking up an ill rabbit
From what I've read about Pasteurella, he seems to not show any other symptoms.

Well, Excuuuse ME Bunhallarabbitry.
I did not mean to insult you by posting legitimate
information and what I would have done, and I did NOT say that
YOU must get rid of the rabbits, I just made a suggestion!
Even just one possible symptom is reason enough to be quite concerned.
Been there done that! Having learned a very hard lesson the hard way I was
just trying to spare you the experience.
I suppose I should learn to keep my thoughts and suggestions to myself
and allow all to learn by their possible mistakes.
Sorry, sorry, sorry, it will not happen again.
Ottersatin. ldtimer: :bdh:

Thank you again for your input.

 

[SatinsRule]

I didn't mean to sound rude in response to what Ottersatin said, I just don't appreciate 6 sentences of "You shouldn't have done that."

BHR, some of the members who post here are just more blunt and to the point than others. I'm just the opposite, in that I take forever to post a few words.

Ottersatin means well, I can assure you of that, and he's one of the most helpful people on the forums, so glean what info he's throwing out there for you. It's nothing personal. He's responded to just about everyone on the forums like that in his days on the forums, he's very knowledgable and experienced in rabbit raising, and all he's trying to do is help you.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

BHR, I want to STRONGLY caution you to keep ALL of the rabbits that you got from this person, not just the one with white goop in the eyes, FAR AWAY from all your other rabbits. They have ALL been exposed to whatever it has. Conjuctivitis usually has one/some/all of the following symptoms:

-eye is bulging
-swollen eyelid
-area around eye is red
-hair loss around eye area
-clear discharge from eye
-yellowish, thick discharge from eye
-tear stains on cheeks
-frequent scratching of the eye area
-eye swollen shut

If his eyes look clear, that is NOT conjuctivitis. The very nature of the illness means "inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eye" and the white of his eye would be bloodshot. A normal conjuctivitis does not cause WHITE disharge, that is a sign of Pasteurella. It lives in the nasal and sinus cavities. The rabbit may not be sneezing, it may NEVER sneeze. It could be just a carrier.

As others have said, OtterSatin was not trying to make you feel bad, he was trying to impress on you the seriousness of what you are possibly facing. I am the person who recently lost over TWO DOZEN rabbits...my entire herd...to Pasteurella. He told me the same thing, interestingly enough... )...along with several others on the list.

If you DO keep them, care for them last. Make sure they are down wind of your other rabbits if outside. I would NOT keep a rabbit with possible P. Multocida in my house. It is extremely contagious. Clean everything they come in contact with in bleach water and put your clothing straight into the washer. If it were me, I would cull the one with eye discharge NOW. I know this sounds extreme, but having been there recently, I could have saved myself three months of futile effort if I had just listened to what the voices of experience on this board shared with me.

 

[bunhallarabbitry]

We are going to go ahead and put him down just to be on the safe side. I do have 2 questions though.
1) How should we safely dispose of the body?
2) How should we sanitize? I was thinking using the torch on the cages. Is there anything else we should do as well?

 

[ottersatin]

I am hoping that I can shed some light on the subject of "Pasteurella"
I apologize if what I said in any of the other posts seemed to be too harsh and demanding,
it was not meant to be.
Here is the reason I am so adamant on the subject and treatment/reaction.
It was quite a few years ago that I went round and round with Pasteurella!
I was forced to euthanize at least half and maybe it was two thirds of my herd of satins.
Due to the futility of trying to treat/cure some members of the herd.
Needless to say, I was devastated just at the thought of having to put down
some of the members of my herd that were important and dear to me.
It was after this devastation that I decided to breed my herd toward disease resistance.
This is why I CULL any rabbit that shows any weakness in it's immunity.
It is NOT easy and certainly NOT FUN, but it works!
I have not had [knocking on wood] any diseases raise there ugly head
in more years than I care to mention.
This is why I always state that we all must do what we feel is best for our herd.
What works for one does not always work for another.
Once again, I apologize to anyone who felt that my post were offensive.
I hope all of your rabbit ventures go smoothly without a glitch.
I wish mine would.
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

 

[bunhallarabbitry]

I am hoping that I can shed some light on the subject of "Pasteurella"
I apologize if what I said in any of the other posts seemed to be too harsh and demanding,
it was not meant to be.
Here is the reason I am so adamant on the subject and treatment/reaction.
It was quite a few years ago that I went round and round with Pasteurella!
I was forced to euthanize at least half and maybe it was two thirds of my herd of satins.
Due to the futility of trying to treat/cure some members of the herd.
Needless to say, I was devastated just at the thought of having to put down
some of the members of my herd that were important and dear to me.
It was after this devastation that I decided to breed my herd toward disease resistance.
This is why I CULL any rabbit that shows any weakness in it's immunity.
It is NOT easy and certainly NOT FUN, but it works!
I have not had [knocking on wood] any diseases raise there ugly head
in more years than I care to mention.
This is why I always state that we all must do what we feel is best for our herd.
What works for one does not always work for another.
Once again, I apologize to anyone who felt that my post were offensive.
I hope all of your rabbit ventures go smoothly without a glitch.
I wish mine would.
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

I totally understand why you said, and I do appreciate that you stated your opinion. Generally being blunt is better than sitting to the side while someone who needs help makes a mistake. With my rats that I breed, I do cull any rats that show aggression, bad moms, especially nervous rats, etc. So far I have wonderful rats, and not one health problem. The only rat that has died so far with me was from old age. I would like to keep my rabbits the exact same way! Reading back, I was pretty rude with how I reacted. This last week has been fairly stressful for us do to my fiance injuring his wrist (trip to the ER, now needing an MRI) just after we canceled his health insurance so he can switch over here after moving here from New York. We have guests coming in a couple weeks and my mom is going off the wall with cleaning. Plus adding an picking up a potentially very ill rabbit just adds more stress. I am sorry for being snappy.
I didn't know you breed Satins. I'm guessing thats why your username is Ottersatin? I'm thinking about breeding Satins for meat and possibly show. I'd love to speak to you about your experiences with them.

 

[ottersatin]

Cool bunhallarabbitry,
I am always willing to share with those who are interested.
Though I have had quite a few other breeds in the Rabbitry
because both my Daughter and Wife were involved awhile back.
I was a 4H rabbit club leader for 13+ years and County Rabbit adviser
for that time. I have learned much from the youth I worked with.
You never stop learning, everybody has something to share of value.
I don't get angry, [Yeah sure!] I get even! :twisted:
I hope you can get hold of some good breeding stock.
If you were still in N.Y. [upstate] I would be glad to sell you a trio.
Check out my website: http://crescentvalley.webs.com/
you will see the whole rabbit herd as of this moment.
Not counting any of the possible Juniors I am still assessing.
At this moment I am trying to catch or kill a pesky Raccoon.
He is really pretty smart, but I am hoping that I am smarter.
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

 

[bunhallarabbitry]

Cool bunhallarabbitry,
I am always willing to share with those who are interested.
Though I have had quite a few other breeds in the Rabbitry
because both my Daughter and Wife were involved awhile back.
I was a 4H rabbit club leader for 13+ years and County Rabbit adviser
for that time. I have learned much from the youth I worked with.
You never stop learning, everybody has something to share of value.
I don't get angry, [Yeah sure!] I get even! :twisted:
I hope you can get hold of some good breeding stock.
If you were still in N.Y. [upstate] I would be glad to sell you a trio.
Check out my website: http://crescentvalley.webs.com/
you will see the whole rabbit herd as of this moment.
Not counting any of the possible Juniors I am still assessing.
At this moment I am trying to catch or kill a pesky Raccoon.
He is really pretty smart, but I am hoping that I am smarter.
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

I'll PM you some questions tonight! I'm in touch with a breeder over here right now. She has pedigreed stock, but then again, that doesn't mean they are great quality. Though showing will be something to do in the future, I don't want to start with stock that I'll eventually have to replace.
I actually moved here to Washington from Los Angeles. My boyfriend was the one that moved here from New York. I do have family there, but never been there myself. His family had a vacation house somewhere upstate, but they actually live in Queens.
So far we haven't had any problems with predators. But usually around this time bears start coming around, and we've had reports of a grizzly roaming around. Hopefully they don't decide to pay the rabbits a visit.
I'll talk to you tonight!

 

[OneAcreFarm]

BHR,

I would just bury it, that is what we did with our buck recently. You can use the torch just be careful not to spend too much time on any one spot or it will weaken the wire, I would follow that up with bleach water, rinse with plain water and sit in the sun for some "natural UV disinfection". Sorry you are dealing with this, it can be such a let down.

Shannon

We are going to go ahead and put him down just to be on the safe side. I do have 2 questions though.
1) How should we safely dispose of the body?
2) How should we sanitize? I was thinking using the torch on the cages. Is there anything else we should do as well?

 

[bunhallarabbitry]

BHR,

I would just bury it, that is what we did with our buck recently. You can use the torch just be careful not to spend too much time on any one spot or it will weaken the wire, I would follow that up with bleach water, rinse with plain water and sit in the sun for some "natural UV disinfection". Sorry you are dealing with this, it can be such a let down.

Shannon

Ok, thank you Shannon! I'm hoping it isn't Pasturella, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. He is a sweet little guy, gorgeous too.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Ok, thank you Shannon! I'm hoping it isn't Pasturella, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. He is a sweet little guy, gorgeous too.

Just breaks your heart, doesn't it? I cried when we put down our three does...they had all just had their first litters, in the box, and were taking such good care of them. We waited till the kits were weaned, hoping that some would be resistant but they all eventually got sick. I felt so bad because I was the one that brought home the rabbit that got them all sick...but, we are starting over and I feel I have learned alot from the experience.

 

[bunhallarabbitry]

Just breaks your heart, doesn't it? I cried when we put down our three does...they had all just had their first litters, in the box, and were taking such good care of them. We waited till the kits were weaned, hoping that some would be resistant but they all eventually got sick. I felt so bad because I was the one that brought home the rabbit that got them all sick...but, we are starting over and I feel I have learned alot from the experience.

That is really sad Did the rabbit you brought home show any signs of illness at all?