How to Treat Snuffles (Pasteurella) in Rabbits
Take your rabbit to your vet., Have your vet select the right antibiotic., Administer the antibiotic., Monitor your rabbit for GI problems., Watch for signs of improvement., Have your vet flush your rabbit’s tear ducts., Make a chamomile tea., Allow...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Take your rabbit to your vet.
Symptoms of snuffles include runny eyes and runny nose.
The fur on the front paws is usually matted and crusty from a rabbit using its paws to wipe the discharge from its eyes and nose.
Sneezing is another symptom of snuffles.If your rabbit has any of these symptoms, take it to your vet for diagnosis and treatment. -
Step 2: Have your vet select the right antibiotic.
Many antibiotics are available to treat bacterial diseases.
To determine which antibiotic to prescribe, your vet will take a sample of discharge from your rabbit and perform what’s called a culture and sensitivity test.
This test will indicate which bacteria is causing your rabbit's snuffles and which antibiotic will be most effective against that bacteria.Some antibiotics can cause serious gastrointestinal (GI) problems in rabbits.
Your vet will select the antibiotic that is not only effective, but also least likely to cause GI problems in your rabbit.Be aware that no antibiotic is a definite cure for snuffles.The culture and sensitivity test may take several days to perform. , To treat snuffles, your vet will prescribe oral antibiotics, which will be in liquid form and given using a syringe.
To make things easier, ask your vet to pre-fill syringes with the correct amount of antibiotic (per dose).
To administer the oral antibiotics, hold your rabbit snugly.
Place the syringe in the corner of your rabbit’s mouth and gently empty the syringe’s contents into the mouth.
Your vet may also prescribe antibiotic eye drops if your rabbit has conjunctivitis (inflammation of the eye's inner lining).To give the eye drops, hold your rabbit and slowly drop the prescribed number of drops onto your rabbit’s affected eye.
Antibiotic treatment for snuffles can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, especially if your rabbit’s snuffles is chronic.Give your rabbit the entire course of antibiotics, even if your rabbit starts getting better.
If you stop the treatment early, the remaining bacteria in your rabbit’s system could become resistant to antibiotics.If you are not sure how to give the antibiotics, ask your vet to show you how. , Your rabbit’s GI system contains ‘good’ bacteria that help with food digestion.
Antibiotics can suppress the good bacteria and allow ‘bad’ bacteria to multiply in your rabbit’s gut.
These bad bacteria can release toxins that could make your rabbit extremely sick.Signs of GI problems in your rabbit include a reduction in fecal pellets and a doughy-feeling stomach (due to gas buildup).If your rabbit is having GI problems with antibiotic treatment, contact your vet right away.
Your vet will need to put your rabbit on a different antibiotic.
Probiotics are products that contain healthy digestive bacteria.
Talk with your vet about giving your rabbit probiotics to restore the population of good bacteria in your rabbit’s GI system., With antibiotic treatment, your rabbit should start feeling better.
The nose and eye discharge should stop, as well as the sneezing.
However, the improvement may be only temporary—your rabbit may get sick again after antibiotic treatment stops.If your rabbit’s symptoms come back, it may have chronic snuffles.
Take your rabbit to your vet if the symptoms return. , Rabbits have tear ducts that allow tears to flow from the eyes and into the nasal cavity.With snuffles, these tear ducts can become blocked with pus and bacteria.
If your rabbit’s tear ducts are blocked, your vet will want to flush them with a clear saline solution.
Your rabbit may need to be sedated for your vet to do the flushing.During the flushing, your vet will take care not to damage the ducts., Chamomile tea for your rabbit will help him/her to breath better as well as calm your rabbit down.
Brew it stronger than you would drink it, add a teaspoon of honey.
Consider purchasing some Echinacea drops (all natural-some contain goldenseal which is safe for your rabbit) to add to the tea.
Add two drops in aprox. half a cup of tea.
Echinacea works well for stuffy noses.
Some rabbits who have been on echinacea drops respond better to this natural remedy over antibiotics that a vet may give. , When a rabbit has snuffles, the body may try to ‘wall off’ the infection by forming abscesses (pockets of infection).
These abscesses can form in different parts of a rabbit’s body, such as the lungs or under the skin.
Removing the abscesses requires surgery, since the material in the abscesses is too thick to be drained.Below are a few things to keep in mind about surgical abscess removal:
Abscesses found with chronic snuffle cases are difficult to remove, since they’ve had time to become extensive within the body.
The tissue around the abscess may be dead or dying.
Therefore, your vet may need to remove more than just the abscess.
Your rabbit may need multiple surgeries for all of the abscesses to be removed.
After surgery, you will need to care for the wound at home.
At-home care includes keeping the wound clean and monitoring the incision site for infection (swelling, green or yellow discharge). , Sometimes, snuffles can affect the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) in rabbits.
This can cause neurologic problems, such as Wry Neck and rapid, uncontrolled pupil movement.
If your rabbit has neurologic problems, your vet will prescribe medication to treat those problems., Snuffles is a very contagious disease in rabbits.
If your rabbit has snuffles, keep it in a separate cage until it has completed treatment.Without other rabbits in the cage, your sick rabbit will likely feel a little more comfortable. , Snuffles can make a rabbit feel pretty lousy.
Your sick rabbit will want some peace and quiet as it recovers from its illness.
Put your rabbit’s cage away from areas with loud noises (television, radio) or a lot of human activity.
Don’t put the cage too far away, though—it should be where you can easily keep an eye on your rabbit., A constant draft of air in your rabbit’s cage could make your rabbit feel even worse than it already does.
Within that quiet area, make sure the cage is not in the direct path of drafts, such as air vents in the floor or ceiling., A clean cage will help your rabbit feel more comfortable as it recovers from snuffles.
Following a cleaning schedule will ensure that your rabbit’s cage stays clean.
Daily cleaning duties include removing any uneaten food, washing food and water bowls in hot and soapy water, and removing urine and feces.About every two weeks, do a deep clean of your rabbit’s cage.
This includes disinfecting the cage and litter box, washing the bedding, and disinfecting toys.
Remove your rabbit from the cage before you start cleaning.
You can put your rabbit in a separate cage. -
Step 3: Administer the antibiotic.
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Step 4: Monitor your rabbit for GI problems.
-
Step 5: Watch for signs of improvement.
-
Step 6: Have your vet flush your rabbit’s tear ducts.
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Step 7: Make a chamomile tea.
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Step 8: Allow your vet to perform surgery.
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Step 9: Treat your rabbit’s neurologic symptoms.
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Step 10: Put your rabbit in a separate cage.
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Step 11: Place your rabbit’s cage in a quiet area.
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Step 12: Keep the cage away from drafts.
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Step 13: Clean your rabbit’s cage.
Detailed Guide
Symptoms of snuffles include runny eyes and runny nose.
The fur on the front paws is usually matted and crusty from a rabbit using its paws to wipe the discharge from its eyes and nose.
Sneezing is another symptom of snuffles.If your rabbit has any of these symptoms, take it to your vet for diagnosis and treatment.
Many antibiotics are available to treat bacterial diseases.
To determine which antibiotic to prescribe, your vet will take a sample of discharge from your rabbit and perform what’s called a culture and sensitivity test.
This test will indicate which bacteria is causing your rabbit's snuffles and which antibiotic will be most effective against that bacteria.Some antibiotics can cause serious gastrointestinal (GI) problems in rabbits.
Your vet will select the antibiotic that is not only effective, but also least likely to cause GI problems in your rabbit.Be aware that no antibiotic is a definite cure for snuffles.The culture and sensitivity test may take several days to perform. , To treat snuffles, your vet will prescribe oral antibiotics, which will be in liquid form and given using a syringe.
To make things easier, ask your vet to pre-fill syringes with the correct amount of antibiotic (per dose).
To administer the oral antibiotics, hold your rabbit snugly.
Place the syringe in the corner of your rabbit’s mouth and gently empty the syringe’s contents into the mouth.
Your vet may also prescribe antibiotic eye drops if your rabbit has conjunctivitis (inflammation of the eye's inner lining).To give the eye drops, hold your rabbit and slowly drop the prescribed number of drops onto your rabbit’s affected eye.
Antibiotic treatment for snuffles can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, especially if your rabbit’s snuffles is chronic.Give your rabbit the entire course of antibiotics, even if your rabbit starts getting better.
If you stop the treatment early, the remaining bacteria in your rabbit’s system could become resistant to antibiotics.If you are not sure how to give the antibiotics, ask your vet to show you how. , Your rabbit’s GI system contains ‘good’ bacteria that help with food digestion.
Antibiotics can suppress the good bacteria and allow ‘bad’ bacteria to multiply in your rabbit’s gut.
These bad bacteria can release toxins that could make your rabbit extremely sick.Signs of GI problems in your rabbit include a reduction in fecal pellets and a doughy-feeling stomach (due to gas buildup).If your rabbit is having GI problems with antibiotic treatment, contact your vet right away.
Your vet will need to put your rabbit on a different antibiotic.
Probiotics are products that contain healthy digestive bacteria.
Talk with your vet about giving your rabbit probiotics to restore the population of good bacteria in your rabbit’s GI system., With antibiotic treatment, your rabbit should start feeling better.
The nose and eye discharge should stop, as well as the sneezing.
However, the improvement may be only temporary—your rabbit may get sick again after antibiotic treatment stops.If your rabbit’s symptoms come back, it may have chronic snuffles.
Take your rabbit to your vet if the symptoms return. , Rabbits have tear ducts that allow tears to flow from the eyes and into the nasal cavity.With snuffles, these tear ducts can become blocked with pus and bacteria.
If your rabbit’s tear ducts are blocked, your vet will want to flush them with a clear saline solution.
Your rabbit may need to be sedated for your vet to do the flushing.During the flushing, your vet will take care not to damage the ducts., Chamomile tea for your rabbit will help him/her to breath better as well as calm your rabbit down.
Brew it stronger than you would drink it, add a teaspoon of honey.
Consider purchasing some Echinacea drops (all natural-some contain goldenseal which is safe for your rabbit) to add to the tea.
Add two drops in aprox. half a cup of tea.
Echinacea works well for stuffy noses.
Some rabbits who have been on echinacea drops respond better to this natural remedy over antibiotics that a vet may give. , When a rabbit has snuffles, the body may try to ‘wall off’ the infection by forming abscesses (pockets of infection).
These abscesses can form in different parts of a rabbit’s body, such as the lungs or under the skin.
Removing the abscesses requires surgery, since the material in the abscesses is too thick to be drained.Below are a few things to keep in mind about surgical abscess removal:
Abscesses found with chronic snuffle cases are difficult to remove, since they’ve had time to become extensive within the body.
The tissue around the abscess may be dead or dying.
Therefore, your vet may need to remove more than just the abscess.
Your rabbit may need multiple surgeries for all of the abscesses to be removed.
After surgery, you will need to care for the wound at home.
At-home care includes keeping the wound clean and monitoring the incision site for infection (swelling, green or yellow discharge). , Sometimes, snuffles can affect the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) in rabbits.
This can cause neurologic problems, such as Wry Neck and rapid, uncontrolled pupil movement.
If your rabbit has neurologic problems, your vet will prescribe medication to treat those problems., Snuffles is a very contagious disease in rabbits.
If your rabbit has snuffles, keep it in a separate cage until it has completed treatment.Without other rabbits in the cage, your sick rabbit will likely feel a little more comfortable. , Snuffles can make a rabbit feel pretty lousy.
Your sick rabbit will want some peace and quiet as it recovers from its illness.
Put your rabbit’s cage away from areas with loud noises (television, radio) or a lot of human activity.
Don’t put the cage too far away, though—it should be where you can easily keep an eye on your rabbit., A constant draft of air in your rabbit’s cage could make your rabbit feel even worse than it already does.
Within that quiet area, make sure the cage is not in the direct path of drafts, such as air vents in the floor or ceiling., A clean cage will help your rabbit feel more comfortable as it recovers from snuffles.
Following a cleaning schedule will ensure that your rabbit’s cage stays clean.
Daily cleaning duties include removing any uneaten food, washing food and water bowls in hot and soapy water, and removing urine and feces.About every two weeks, do a deep clean of your rabbit’s cage.
This includes disinfecting the cage and litter box, washing the bedding, and disinfecting toys.
Remove your rabbit from the cage before you start cleaning.
You can put your rabbit in a separate cage.
About the Author
Doris Sanchez
Enthusiastic about teaching cooking techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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