Bunny allergies or something to worry about?

Question
Hi -
We have a one year old Holland buck who recently started with one runny eye and also had a very small bit of a white discharge from his nose over the weekend. We had him out playing in the grass and there is a lot of pollen - my mom and I were sneezing like crazy.
He has not sneezed at all and his nose is almost clear but he does have a bit of hard hair on his front paws.
Could it just be allergies with the change of season or do you think it might be snuffles? We separated him from our other rabbits just to be safe.
He is acting normal otherwise - eating, drinking, playing - no sneezing at all.
Thanks for any help!
Jess

Answer
Dear Jess,

Sorry for the delay in answering.  This week was rabbit crisis week, and my email took a beating.

Separating a bunny from his bonded pals if he shows signs of illness is *not* advisable.  I hope you can get him back with his pals immediately, before they become unbonded.  This is important for several reasons:

1.  Bacterial infections are *not* easily transmitted between rabbits, even if they groom and kiss each other

2.  Separation from bondmates is very stressful for both the healthy and the sick rabbit.  The sick rabbit could become even sicker because of this, and the healthy rabbits are more at risk of illness because stress can compromise the immune system

3.  Rabbits can become unbonded relatively quickly, resulting in ferocious fighting upon reintroduction.  This can take days or weeks to correct, and sometimes can't be reversed at all.

In short, NEVER separate a sick bunny from a bonded mate for any reason.  We even take them to the vet together to reduce stress.

The signs you see are consistent with an upper respiratory infection.  Rabbits do not often have allergies, and I would not assume this is allergies.  Please read:

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

for complete information on this, including some about the connection between dental problems and runny nose and eyes.  Holland lops are particularly prone to molar problems that can cause this type of symptom.

You'll need a good rabbit vet who is experienced with rabbit upper respiratory and dental problems, and you can find one here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

I hope this helps, and that your little guy will be back with his pals and healthy very soon!

Take care,
Dana