Save or Cull? (Answer quick, please yall)

[-HRanchito]

I've quarantined a few of my bunnies, and the black one is getting hit by the heat - hard. Poor 'goras. He's been sneezing, but I'm not sure if it's from heat or more of the snuffles. He's panting from the heat when I just checked him. Also noticed a white eye crust. Can an eye crust come from heat stroke, or is it DEFINITELY the pasteurella? I don't want to cull anyone without being absolutely sure. But it's either ice on the ears or ice on the rear for him if you know what I mean, and i've gotta choose -- quick.

Help?

 

[Miss M]

Has he ever reacted to hay? There are rabbits that are allergic to hay dust. If you separate him from hay, and put ice on his ears, and he's suddenly better, maybe you can keep him, but I'd never breed him.

If that doesn't help, I'd cull him.

You said "more of the snuffles"... if you've been dealing with snuffles recently, it's probably safest to assume it's snuffles and handle it accordingly.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Is he from the same breeder of the doe you had to cull recently? If so, I would strongly suspect pasteurella.

I wouldn't think the heat would cause sneezing or crusty eyes. Why don't you clean his eye up and see if he produces any more discharge? I'd also move him away from the others, to yet another quarantine area... or at least put up a barrier between his cage and the others so he can't sneeze on them. Feed bags zip-tied to the wire are an easy temporary barrier.

 

[-HRanchito]

Is he from the same breeder of the doe you had to cull recently? If so, I would strongly suspect pasteurella.

I wouldn't think the heat would cause sneezing or crusty eyes. Why don't you clean his eye up and see if he produces any more discharge? I'd also move him away from the others, to yet another quarantine area... or at least put up a barrier between his cage and the others so he can't sneeze on them. Feed bags zip-tied to the wire are an easy temporary barrier.

Yup, same breeder. What a bummer. How did you KNOW I have a bunch of empty feed bags?!? I iced him up for now, but yeah, he's definitely suspect. I just wish there were a pee-test for this or something. It's hard for me to be ruthless when I spent $50 a rabbit.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

How did you KNOW I have a bunch of empty feed bags?!?

Because we all do! :lol:

I feel your pain- I paid $50 a piece for mine too. It makes for an expensive dinner to cull one at that price. They have all been exposed anyway, so if you limit more exposure, you may as well watch him for a day or two.

I had to cull my herd sire due to pasteurella- when I bought him, he had a small blob of white mucous by his nostril, but he never sneezed or produced more. At the time I had no idea pasteurella could be respiratory- I had a house rabbit years ago that developed an abscess in her eye, so that was my only experience with it. Anyway, months later, I had to cull him due to a huge abscess.

These threads tell of my experience:

huge-abscess-t5902.html
post58101.html

I was actually very lucky- I haven't had any other cases that I know of, with the possible exception of a kit with a snotty nose (green mucous, though) which I culled a couple months ago.