# help. rabbit still sneezing after antibiotic is gone



## mjthekidd (Aug 23, 2012)

Hi all,

I have a 3 month old lionhead whose been sick since I got him home from the pet store. He was sneezing a lot with a white discharge so I took him to the vet and they gave me .2ml of baytril to give him twice a day for 14 days. 

After the first week he seemed to be getting better, the white snots were gone and he wasn't sneezing anywhere near as much as he was before. During the 2nd week, he seemed to plateau and didn't make any additional progress. Here I am now, and the 14 day treatment is over but he is still sneezing. It seems as though the antibiotic is no longer having an effect and he may even be worsening. (His sneezing seems to be getting worse again)

Does anyone have any recommendations as to what I should do now? Was the baytril not given for long enough or is it not really the right antibiotic to cure this?

It seems obvious that an additional vet visit is required, but given a lot of vets poor experience with small animals, I want to make sure I have a good idea what needs to be done before I go. (This way I can check the vet and steer them in a better direction if needed)


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## Mariah (Aug 23, 2012)

I had the same issue with Kiwi when I first brought her home from the breeder. She was on baytril as well. She needed to be on it for 30 days. After the first 14 days she started sneezing again. After the 30 days she was good. My vet did say that after the 30 days of she wasent better, they would do a swab and send it out for a culture and sensitivity to see which type of antibiotic would work best. You could aways try that route?

Good luck!


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## LakeCondo (Aug 23, 2012)

I think a swab should be done. It could be a virus rather than a bacterial infection, so the antibiotic would be doing more harm than good by killing off the good bacteria. I hope you're giving a probiotic such as benebac to restore them.


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## SteviesMom (Aug 23, 2012)

You can try giving a pro-biotic (ie. bene-bac) you can buy it at PetCo. It has helped keep my little guy healthy. The anti-biotics kill the bacteria but also kill the good bacteria and enzymes. Some say the pro-biotic never reaches the needed area, but it has kept Stevie healthy. Good Luck!


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## Bunnylova4eva (Aug 23, 2012)

Unfortunely, snuffles seems to be a really common thing these days in bunnies, especailly when they come from pet stores or bad breeders.

Do you know for sure that this is a rabbit-savvy vet? (Check out the House Rabbit Society listing if you're unsure). 

When we've had snuffley bunnies, the Baytril has never seemed to help no matter how long we leave them on in it. 

I would definitely get the swab done, so that they can determine the correct antibiotic for the bacteria present and get the bunny going on it ASAP. The longer it goes, the harder it can be to treat. I also agree with Skyler(SteviesMom)-I'd try a probiotic to keep everything in check with his gut, otherwise you can be forced to quit a med in the middle due to it bothering their tummy.


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## mjthekidd (Aug 23, 2012)

hhhmm searching around online and through these forums I've seen many people question the effectiveness of baytril on upper respiratory infections. Is there another antibiotic that anyone on here has had better luck with in fighting URIs?

The vet I'm going to claims to be good with small animals and rabbits. I'll probably have them do a culture but am wondering if there is a better antibiotic I could suggest as well?


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## SteviesMom (Aug 23, 2012)

Pro-biotic is also important! Otherwise, when your bunny comes off the anti-biotic their immune system will be really weak and it will be more likely for them to continue having I also nebulized my bunny when he has snuffles symptoms. You can run the shower really hot and let them sit in the steamy bathroom for awhile. Baytril worked for me, but their are many other options available and doing a culture will help determine which anti-biotic will be most effective depending on the strain of bacteria. Your Vet should know what to prescribe from there. Good Luck!


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## Bunnylova4eva (Aug 24, 2012)

I think if I remember from when my little Charlie was sick, the injectible penicillan seemed to help some, but didn't claer it up by any means. Other than that, I'm not sure which ones may be more effective. Really, without the Culture being done, it's really hard to know any for sure that will work at all better than the Baytril. The reason the baytril probably didn't work is because its not right for the bacteria involved. Really, there's no sense in throwing antibiotics at it hoping one will work-find out exactly which one is needed and that should do it.

As to the vet, lots of vets say they do small animals. Check though around and see if you can find others who have had success from going there. 

Here is the House Rabbit society listing: http://www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html 

Is your vet listed there? Also, you may want to send a message to JimD, a Moderator here on the forum and see if there's a vet he recomends, since he's in New Jersey, maybe there's one near you that's good with rabbits.


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## LakeCondo (Aug 24, 2012)

Part of the what the culture shows is what antibiotic or combination of antibiotics generally does best with the particular bad bacterium found.


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