Sneezing.

[Ramjet]

Have a doe that's sneezing but shows no other symptoms of illness , have moved her to quarantine and been observing her for the last 7 days or so with no changes. There has been no snot or discharge , just the occasional sneeze.

Wondering if its disease or something else causing it as its not accompanied by the discharge usually associated with disease. No change in food consumption and appears healthy otherwise.


My cages and equipment are kept spotless & no others seem to be affected.

Should I put her down or continue to watch .... What to watch for ??? First time I've dealt with possible illness / disease in my herd.

/highly concerned

 

[Zass]

Just wondering, is it abnormally humid where you are?

I had one doe dry sneeze for a while during a really warm and humid part of summer. The occasional sneezing stopped after the humidity passed, and never started back up. I quarantined her for almost 6 months, but never saw any other symptom and eventually relaxed.

 

[Ramjet]

Just wondering, is it abnormally humid where you are?

I had one doe dry sneeze for a while during a really warm and humid part of summer. The occasional sneezing stopped after the humidity passed, and never started back up. I quarantined her for almost 6 months, but never saw any other symptom and eventually relaxed.

Yes , its very humid here , typical summer day is ~75% humidity.

 

[Miss M]

You can go either way. There are some members who would cull for that, and others who would quarantine.

There could be something blooming that she's allergic to, or the most recent bag of pellets could be dustier than normal, that kind of thing.

I'm leaning toward it being an allergy of some kind, but I would definitely fully quarantine her if that's the route you decide to continue with. Allergies are still a hardiness issue, and some cull for it. I had a doe with allergies. She passed it on to her kits, too. Some of them were such sneezers, you expected their heads to explode.

It is trying on the nerves, though, if you decide to put up with it. Constantly worrying you might have misdiagnosed.

 

[Ramjet]

You can go either way. There are some members who would cull for that, and others who would quarantine.

There could be something blooming that she's allergic to, or the most recent bag of pellets could be dustier than normal, that kind of thing.

I'm leaning toward it being an allergy of some kind, but I would definitely fully quarantine her if that's the route you decide to continue with. Allergies are still a hardiness issue, and some cull for it. I had a doe with allergies. She passed it on to her kits, too. Some of them were such sneezers, you expected their heads to explode.

It is trying on the nerves, though, if you decide to put up with it. Constantly worrying you might have misdiagnosed.

That's my biggest concern , this being the first time I've dealt with this type of thing with rabbits. I'm scared to infect my herd. I have too much time invested in them to make a mistake.

As soon as I noticed this doe sneezing she went directly to quarantine and the entire rabbitry , every cage , water bowl and j-feeder & wall was scrubbed with bleach. That was no fun.

The timing of it leads me to believe it is something in the air (other than bacteria) causing it as she had never done that before spring time & she has no other outward signs of illness & has a healthy appetite.

It's really going to bug me because I'm leaving Friday for a month & my son will be caring for the herd ... ugh. At least she's in quarantine and shouldn't be able affect the others in the mean time.

I'll cull her if it continues .... Not going to allow that to be passed on to future generations nor infect anybunny else if I have misdiagnosed the problem.

 

[wildeden]

Have a doe that's sneezing but shows no other symptoms of illness , have moved her to quarantine and been observing her for the last 7 days or so with no changes. There has been no snot or discharge , just the occasional sneeze.

Wondering if its disease or something else causing it as its not accompanied by the discharge usually associated with disease. No change in food consumption and appears healthy otherwise

I'm seeing a few of these in my herd as well. If I see it being a regular thing (rapid session, wet sounding, more than a few times), I automatically quarantine.

Just wondering, is it abnormally humid where you are?

I had one doe dry sneeze for a while during a really warm and humid part of summer. The occasional sneezing stopped after the humidity passed, and never started back up. I quarantined her for almost 6 months, but never saw any other symptom and eventually relaxed.

I really feel like the humidity can be part of the issue. In Maine here, we've been experiencing a lot of that and some of my rabbits who have never left the barn or been near another rabbit who's been out of my barn has begun sneezing. Yesterday and the day before was a cool day...no sneezes from anyone!

 

[Miss M]

I'm scared to infect my herd.

I have too much time invested in them to make a mistake.

I'm leaving Friday for a month & my son will be caring for the herd

Not going to allow that to be passed on to future generations nor infect anybunny else if I have misdiagnosed the problem.

You have answered your question. I think you should cull her before you leave Friday.

If you don't, you will worry about your herd the entire month you are away. You will wonder if your son is really observing proper quarantine protocol.

Also, you have determined that you don't want do deal with the uncertainty of a sneezing rabbit, and that you don't want to pass it on. There is no reason to keep her around any longer.

The sneezer I had was the first rabbit we had bought. Total investment: $20 plus food. Hutch was free, buck we rescued when someone set it loose. I could afford to take a chance on a rabbit that sneezed with no snot.

 

[Zass]

I tend to agree. Protecting your herd is worth more than the life of one rabbit. It's one thing when you can be there following strict quarantine procedures yourself. I never really trust others to understand how contagious rabbit diseases can be.

In the case of a doe I felt worth keeping in quarantine for 6 months? Well, she was the mother of all my favorite and most productive does. Lets just say it took a pretty special doe to be worth the risk.
But then, I was here, watching her closely every day. If I'd of had to leave them in another's care right after it had started up, I'd have culled her, and not regretted it.

 

[Ramjet]

I guess I just needed someone to say it ..... I really hate putting them down , even if I'm going to eat them.

 

[Miss M]

I guess I just needed someone to say it

I had a feeling that was the case. I know sometimes I have trouble making a decision, but once I start bouncing my thoughts off of someone else, I realize I really have made the decision... I just didn't like the decision I had made, and needed a little time to accept it.

I really hate putting them down , even if I'm going to eat them.

Them? Do you just mean rabbits in general, or do you have another sneezer now?

 

[Ramjet]

I guess I just needed someone to say it

I had a feeling that was the case. I know sometimes I have trouble making a decision, but once I start bouncing my thoughts off of someone else, I realize I really have made the decision... I just didn't like the decision I had made, and needed a little time to accept it.

That was the case , I had the decision made , just didn't like the decision even knowing it was the right decision.

I really hate putting them down , even if I'm going to eat them.

Them? Do you just mean rabbits in general, or do you have another sneezer now?[/quote]

No , don't have another sneezer , was just talking about dispatching rabbits in general. I really hate to do it. I spend ~10 weeks caring for them , makes for a difficult moment .... Now once the deed is done , I have no problem skinning / butchering / cooking / eating .... but doing the deed is not a part of rabbit keeping I enjoy at all.