respiratory infection that never goes away

Question
Hello Dana Krempel,

I have a question regarding bacterial upper respiratory infections in rabbits.   My rabbit has been to the vet several times.  She gets antibiotics in oral medication form and vitamins.   I clean her cage every day and I also give her cage a deep cleaning every three months.  When the infection clears, I take her back to the vet for another follow up check to make sure that the infection is gone.    About six or seven months later the infection is back.  My rabbit seems to get these infections a lot.  The vet knows me on a first name basis now.  The rabbit eats only green leafy vegetables and vitamin water along with a half cup of pellets, fresh water and lots grass hay.  No sweets for her because my rabbit would not eat her vegetables, if I give her a treat. The vet thought this was a good idea also.  My home's temperature is about 70 degrees Fahrenheit.  It is very quiet during the day so I know her sleep is not disturbed by other family members. A good day's sleep for a bunny is important. :)   I tried very thing to help her stay healthy and I am on a budget.  Please help!


Answer
Dear Stacy,

Unfortunately, many rabbits suffer from chronic upper respiratory infections.  It's nearly impossible to completely kill off an entire population of bacteria, and every time she goes on antibiotics and they leave a few survivors, you run the risk of selecting a resistant strain of bacteria.  

I think it's important that you have a culture and sensitivity test done, so you'll know what you're facing:

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

and also please read:

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

since other factors can contribute to chronic URI.

If you're not sure your present vet is very familiar with rabbit medicine, find another one here for a second opinion:

www.rabbit.org/vets

I hope this helps.

Dana