HELP! Rabbit with pneumonia?

Question
My rabbit Oreo has been having runny nose with a thick white-ish draingage, and drainage from the eye. It is only on the right side. He is also breathing heavily with his mouth open. Sometimes he does the head tilt thing. I took Oreo to the vet and he said Oreo have snuffles with the bacteria pasturella. He prescribe 3 Baytril injections with Tetracycline drops. He was not getting better, but got worse when I gave him the last shot of his Baytril. He stop eating too, so I stop the Tetracycline and took him back to the vet and then he started him on Ketonazole. The vet says that he won't make it any longer. I started syringe feeding him, something I research about and giving him Mucomyst nebulizer treatment. Oreo so far has survived past the time the vet has predicted. I ask about the bicillin injections and the vet saids that is not safe and Oreo will die from it. Right now I'm only giving the Baytril injections and Ketonazole once a day. I'm scared to try the bicillin but then the Baytril is not working, is only keeping him "OK" for now but is not a cure. His symptoms has not went aways and is been a month already. I'm scared that I'm running out of time, please help!

Answer
Dear Nghi,

You need to find a vet who is more experienced with rabbits, and who understands that *injectible* Penicillin G Procain (as in bicillin) is safe for rabbits, and can be very effective against Pasteurella, if that's what this is.

Ketoconazole is an anti-fungal agent, and will not kill bacteria. In fact, it could make things worse.  Not quite sure why the vet would prescribe that.

The runny eye and difficulty breathing could be from a number of things, but it's not good.  If the bunny has pneumonia, this can be diagnosed via chest radiograph.  And if this is the case, being masked with oxygen will help him feel better until you can get the nebulizer and "cocktail" to go with it. As you've already seen, we use:

10ml sterile saline
2.0ml amikacin (antibiotic)
1.0ml aminophylline (to open the airways)
0.3ml Mucomyst/acetylcysteine (to loosen mucus)

Nebulize for about 15 minutes 3 times a day, depending on the bunny's need.  

It is possible that your bunny has a molar root and/or ear abscess that is the root of all this, and sometimes bicillin is the only thing that will really penetrate effectively.  I hope you can find a vet who will treat your rabbit more aggressively, because there *is* more that can be done for him, no matter what your present vet is saying!  Please waste no time in getting him to a more experienced rabbit vet.  I hope he will be under better treatment soon.

Dana