Please advise, or explain, or enlighten me.

[dayna]

Okay, so I've been doing a LOT of research on the dreaded "P" disease.

I have a rabbit that has had some white snot. I moved her to a TOTALLY different part of my 3 acre property. I let my daughter know, we feed her last. We wash up. We don't mix feeder, bottles, etc.

She is a HUGE young pregnant doe.

I do not want to cull her if I don't have to.

However, I will, if the need arises. I wanted to get some advice first.

1. Can I do antibiotics while she is pregnant and nursing and then separate the babies early to keep them safe and then cull?

2. I'm ordering the vaccine, I know that giving a sick animal a vaccine is always a risk. However since this is a guinea pig situation I might be willing to try.

3. I would not sell the offspring, these would only be for eating. They would be forever separate from my "clean" herd.

So here is my dilemma. I read that "most" rabbits carry the dreaded "p" bacteria. Also that it's impossible to fully rid the animal of the bacteria.

So if a large portion of rabbits carry this, what is different about an active infection? How does it spread? Only during snotting? What about carriers?

I'm happy to cull her if that's the final choice. However, I'd like to look at my options, or at least to understand WHY I'm doing something before I do it.

I culled a buck because he bit my daughter. So really, I have no problem if it's best for the herd. I just want some understanding.

 

[Cottie]

So here is my dilemma. I read that "most" rabbits carry the dreaded "p" bacteria. Also that it's impossible to fully rid the animal of the bacteria.

So if a large portion of rabbits carry this, what is different about an active infection? How does it spread? Only during snotting? What about carriers?

It's my understanding (and I'm probably wrong) that P in rabbits is like meningitis in humans.

Yes, most people carry the bacteria. No, most people don't die from it, or even truly colonize it. It hangs out where it's allowed to, doesn't go past the immune system's barriers, and everyone lives at a state of cold war. When the immune system is weakened, it gains a path to start to replicate and take hold in an area where the immune system can't fight it back. Then it can go airborne (through mucus in coughs/sneezes), which allows other animals (or people) to breathe it in. Since the body isn't expecting it to come in through the respiratory system - that's not where the bacteria "lives" - it can't fight it off. And since the original colony of bacteria is so strong, since it's been having a gay old time without the immune system keeping it in check, it's usually pretty tough to stem in the new host.

 

[ottersatin]

This is my opinion and what I do,
not necessarily Gods choice.
I will not keep any rabbit that blows snot,
they will be euthanized. I dealt with Pasteurella
once in the distant past and NEVER will again.
I had to put down a third to one half of my Herd.
That was when I went to breeding for disease resistance,
and it works! I do not treat disease, I eliminate it.
I did this through strict culling, for quite some time.
[Knocking on wood as I post] I have not had any disease
show up for many years, but that is due to my continued
strict culling. I will treat miner things like nestbox eye,
but if it comes back they are culled. Some may consider this heartless,
but by doing so I have rarely seen any disease rear it's head.
Maybe I have just been lucky, but I don't think so!
We all must do what we feel is best for our herd,
any decision must be made by the breeder/owner of said herd.
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

 

[Cottie]

Oh and carriers are tough. It's pretty rare, though, across the board in most illnesses. I'm not 100% clear on how it works, but I do recall reading that the host and the bacteria come to a kind of stalemate. The bacteria can reproduce as it pleases without causing damage, and the host will not attack it. I know it happens with viruses and that's how they're added to DNA. Not sure on bacteria, though.

 

[dayna]

What do you think of keeping the possible infected 100% separate from the rest of the herd? I have three acres, plenty of space!

 

[Zab]

What do you think of keeping the possible infected 100% separate from the rest of the herd? I have three acres, plenty of space!

I would think that one day you or someone else will make something that's not routine and the rabbit will indirectly or directly come to contact with the others.

I'm not sure about P or anything though. But if she gets well from it and gets introduced to the herd... I suppose you'll find out which rabbits are worth to keep in adisease-resistent aspect. If it's contageous even without symptoms.

 

[ladysown]

there are people who maintain two separate herds.

It requires a state of mind of vigilance.

Only you can decide if you can maintain that.

 

[Marinea]

Another thing to think about- not only do YOU have to be vigilant, but if someone is going to take care of your buns for a bit (vacation, illness, etc), THEY have to be vigilant. I am not sure I could rely on that when it comes to my buns.

Whatever you decide to do, my *fingers crossed* that it goes well.

 

[Secuono]

Eventually, the sick rabbit will start to fail, get worse and other issues will develop and it will start to suffer and/or die. They are weaker, so other illnesses can easily get into them and kill them or make living heck for them. If the nose never clears up, get some good kits out of her and replace her with ones that don't develop symptoms. If all rabbits carry it, there's no point not to replace and move on.

 

[AmysMacdog]

Dayna the other thing to consider are mosquitos or other flying pest that could carry it.
I had one years ago (the 80s) and I kept her across the yard along with her mate she came with and it worked out fine doing the same thing you do taking care of them last.
The others didn't get it and there babies didn't all get it. I didn't know better at the time. I don't know if I'd do the samething today or not.
My point is to ask yourself to weigh the risks carefully. Are your other rabbits worth the risk?
If I had those rabbits today the answer would be no! The rabbits I had then were three different line of beautiful french lop rabbits and a pair of NZWs with the snots. They responded to antibiotics so I kept them.
I had a long waiting list for my fl bunnies so looking back on it, it was foolish of me to do what I did.
I'm just saying Be careful.

 

[Ivory]

If she were mine I would keep her until she has raised the litter she is expecting then do the dreaded deed when you process the offspring.

 

[dayna]

Ivory, I think that's the lines I'm thinking along.

 

[ladysown]

If you wanted to keep her bloodlines.. I'd remove her from her kits around day 17. If you've started them on hay and oatmeal then they should be okay.

Reason for early weaning is that they still maintain the immunity/strength gained from milk and the predominate source of infection is removed.