Snuffles/Pasturella in part of my dwarf herd

Question
3 weeks ago I brought a young (4 months?) lionhead home after seeing him in a pet shop for approximately 2 months looking very miserable and matted.  His runny nose was not allergies and did not improve.  A trip to the vet and he was dx'd with upper respiratory infection and given a week's course of antibiotics. He improved immediately.  The entire time he has fed well, been lively, cheerful and other than a mildly gunky nose is a normal little rabbit.

I was away on holiday, during which the minder looked after the herd twice a day and finished his antibiotics. Normally my herd is out during the day and sleeps in the house at night, all separated except 2 bonded couples that are spayed.  While on holiday I had one outdoor hutch which I wasn't confident a bun might not escape from and had him stay in his indoor hutch (same room where the recovering lion was).  As far as I know they had no contact, but they may have.

All seemed well on return, but within a week the sick bunny worsened, sneezing increased, snot turned thick and white, and over the weekend his breathing became like snoring.  On Monday morning, the previously healthy rabbit that had spent the week in the kitchen with him gave out an awful sneeze and his produced a mass of thick white discharge.  He had seemed fine up until that point, other than a scrape on his face which I fear was point of infection.

Both rabbits returned to the vet, dx'd with pasturella infection and were put on a high does of antibiotics for 10 days, at which point they return.  

I am presently watching all to see if anyone else is developing any symptoms.  Other than molting they seem normal.

The rabbits are quarantined together and closely monitored. All discharge has ceased, but they are still sneezing off and on. I have ordered very large indoor houses and they will be kept near each other in our living area year around.  The vet has told me they will probably always be a bit runny at best, particularly the young lion, and must be kept apart from the others but are fine to be in the room together.

I have some questions:

- If I get these lads into top shape and as asymptomatic as possible, would it be worth the risk to get them neutered?  I would prefer them to be if possible!  Can the other 2 males I had scheduled to be fixed still go through with it having been exposed to pasturella?  Their vet says not now, so is there an appropriate waiting period when it might be safe?

-The older bunny is 15 months old and quite gentle for an unnuetered buck (100% gentle with people, not a fighter as he was bullied badly by his larger brother).  The ill buns have both been in a large area with supervision and walked within a foot of each other, then retreated to their houses, without any aggression but much curiosity.  Is there a chance that if I am able to get them fixed they may bond?  Companions in adversity?

- How long/what conditions must happen for the grass/soil in the garden to be safe for the herd to have their playtime on the soil the infected rabbit was on?  I have read anything from now to 3 weeks, and is there anything else I can do beyond bleaching, Virokill hand wash, antibac spray and laundering to keep the rest as safe as possible?

Many thanks!

Answer
Dear Lori,

Fortunately, respiratory pathogens actually do not readily pass from rabbit to rabbit, even in very close living situations.  Infection seems to be more related to immunosuppression caused by inbreeding, stress, etc.  Please see:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sneezing.html

Your questions:

"If I get these lads into top shape and as asymptomatic as possible, would it be worth the risk to get them neutered?  I would prefer them to be if possible!"

This is a tough call, and should be left up to the vet.  If the vet thinks they are adequately healed for surgery, only then would I go through with it.  If they are acting so nuts that neutering is really a must, then you can ask the vet about chemical sterilization (not great, and certainly more uncomfortable) as a last resort.  This can be done with just local anesthesia.

"Can the other 2 males I had scheduled to be fixed still go through with it having been exposed to Pasteurella?  Their vet says not now, so is there an appropriate waiting period when it might be safe?"

If they are not showing signs of respiratory disease, then I'm not sure why the vet thinks it's not safe, except that surgery itself will cause stress and, hence, some degree of immunocompromise.  You might want to discuss with the vet the option of putting them on prophylactic antibiotics before surgery, and to continue them for about a week afterwards.

"-The older bunny is 15 months old and quite gentle for an un-neutered buck (100% gentle with people, not a fighter as he was bullied badly by his larger brother).  The ill buns have both been in a large area with supervision and walked within a foot of each other, then retreated to their houses, without any aggression but much curiosity.  Is there a chance that if I am able to get them fixed they may bond?  Companions in adversity?"

The only way to know is to try. But if any are not neutered, then all bets are off.  You can find good tips for bonding here:

http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-a=00062824-sp00000000&sp-q=bonding

"- How long/what conditions must happen for the grass/soil in the garden to be safe for the herd to have their playtime on the soil the infected rabbit was on?  I have read anything from now to 3 weeks, and is there anything else I can do beyond bleaching, Virokill hand wash, antibac spray and laundering to keep the rest as safe as possible?"

If this really is Pasteurella, then it does not survive for long outside the body.  I would not worry about fomite transmission of this particular pathogen.

Bottom line:  reduce stress, which increases the efficacy of the immune system.  Good care, diet, etc. will make them healthy enough to withstand exposure to pathogens without getting sick.

Hope this helps.

Dana