Took my bunny to the vet today, but still concerned

Question
Hello,
Last night around 11:30 I noticed that my bunny, Delilah, hadn't really touched her hay or pellets at all. Every morning I give her fresh pellets and hay and a little bit of romaine lettuce and parsley.  She ate the lettuce and parsley, but left everything else.  Once I realized she hadn't eaten very much I started trying to get her to eat right away.  I gave her more parsley but this time she wouldn't eat it.  She was interested in it, when I set it down she hopped over and licked it but wouldn't eat it.  After that I mixed some of her pellets with water and fed her with a syringe.  She ate quite a bit of that so I mixed up some more and left it in her cage with her.  I stayed up until about 4am with her making sure I could get her to eat something every couple hours.  I noticed that she was more lethargic than usual and had a little bit of mooshy poo stuck to her bottom.  I called the vet right away this morning and got her in asap.  
She had been diagnosed with snuffles about a month and a half ago and just finished up the antibiotics a few weeks ago.  I told the vet I thought there was something wrong with her teeth because to me it looked like she would try to eat her hay but just couldn't.  She would put it in her mouth and move it around a bit and then spit it back out.  He looked at her teeth and said they were fine, but I only saw him look at the front ones. He said her heart and lungs sounded good and ended up giving me more Baytril to give to her.  He said that the snuffles probably just wasn't knocked out completely the first time.  I also got some Oxbow Critical Care liquid food mix to give to her.  I've been feeding her throughout the day following the instructions on the package and she is interested in the food.  She licks it voluntarily out of the syringe, I don't have to force it or anything.  
Maybe I'm overreacting but I just feel that if she wants to eat the liquid food, but won't eat anything else (especially parsley because that is her absolute favorite) that there is something more going on here.  Is this normal behavior for a rabbit with snuffles? She is only 5 months old so I am very worried about her.  She does seem to be acting better now that I have been feeding her that critical care food all day but I am just concerned.  Could you please give me your opinion on this?  Should I try to find another vet to take her to or is this a reasonable diagnosis?  I live in Nebraska and have been unable to find any recommendations for a good rabbit vet anywhere near me.  I found the clinic I am currently taking her to by calling 10-15 vet clinics out of the phone book and asking who they referred their rabbit cases too and just took her to the one that was given the most.
Sorry this is so long, She just isn't acting anything like she did when she had snuffles before and I'm just really worried about her.
Thank You :),
Jordan

Answer
Hi Jordan....I truly understand your concern with the vets.  In their defense, they get precious little training on exotics in vet school.  Most don't even try and those that do rely primarily on old non-clinical "legends" about treating rabbits.

First,other than not eating and being lethargic, any other presentations like discharge, swelling, etc?  There is really no such thing as "snuffles".  This is an old generic term that has come to mean a lot of things.  Most people use that term to describe an upper repiratory infection.  Baytril is a commonly used broad spectrum antibiotic.  It's been so overused by all areas of veterinary medicine that it isn't very effective, in a positive way, any longer.  I am not a vet but we long ago abandoned Baytril and Sulfa drugs in most cases.  When Baytril is used orally, it can damage the very delicate beneficial bacteria in the GI.  And at 5 months, this rabbit has not established a stable gut.  The usual result of a bacterial imbalance in the GI is a ruuny stool.  It can also cause some pain.

As far as the teeth, it is unlikely but still possible that a tooth problem could be the problem.  Just a visual look at the teeth is insufficient.  The front 6 incisors are easy to see but the pre-molars and molars are a bit more difficult.  The x-rays will look for root impactions and may possibly show soft tissue injury such as the beginning of an abscess.  We have also seen rabbits with ulcers in their mouth.  This appears to be dietary related.

If this is a dental problem....either tooth or ulcers....a round of pain meds might help out.  Metacam or Tramadol would be acceptable.  If there is a discharge, usually indicating a bacterial infection, the most likely pathogen is a bacteria known as Pasteurella Multocida.  Our drug of choice against this bacteria is Azithromycin.  We have also used Zeniquin or Convenia depending on the individual situation.  I would continue the Critical Care and offer greens.  Make sure she is properly hydrated.....learn to do sub-q infusions if necessary.  The use of a probiotic may be of help.  We prefer a product called Bene-Bac.  Comes in a powder or a paste.  Available at many pet stores, vet clinics and online.  Do not use yogurt.  The bacteria in these products will help to stabilize the pH in the gut and allow a favorable climate for the growth of beneficial bacteria.  In some of these situations, a bacteria known as Clostridium will take over the gut.  The usual presentation for this is a mucus covered fecal.  We use a horse product called BioSponge to bind these toxins.

Sorry to be so long but you get the idea.  Should you find a rabbit savvy vet?  Absolutely.  There are numerous online rabbit forums with suggested vets list.  Rabbits Online is one of the larges.  www.rabbitsonline.net  or House Rabbit Society  www.rabbit.org .

This is a lot of information so read it over....several times....and feel free to contact me with any questions.