Some Way to help My Bunny??

Question
Hello,
My name is Jamie and I have been into rabbits for about 4 years now. My first rabbit was a polish black buck. That year at the fair he had part of his lip torn off by the rabbit in the other cage. Since then, he sneezes now and then because of food dust getting into there. Recently, everytime he eats, he sneezes. Is there anything I could do for him? I wipe his nose sometimes and then he is good for a little while. I was just wondering if there was any medicine or something like that to help him.
Thanks for your time and help.
Jamie

Answer
Hi Jamie

He might be having some sort of allergic reaction.  Have you recently changed foods or has your food been sitting around for a while?  If the food sits open it can get mold and dust in it.  If you keep your food open try sealing it in a plastic container.  This will help keep the dust and other things limited.

He may have caught a cold.  If he hasn't been around any other rabbits then he is probably ok.  If he has been around other rabbits he could have caught snuffles.  This is  usually indicated by a white nasal discharge.  If he has white nasal discharge he needs to be taken to the doctor for cultures and medication.  There is really no over the counter medicine for colds.  Just make sure he is eating and check the food to make sure it doesn't have mold in it.  Even sometimes the food you buy that is supposedly fresh can have mold spores.  Especially if you buy it from a feed mill where it is around other foods and stored in damp buildings.

Snuffles can be very serious.  It is much different than a cold and can lead to pneumonia.  If you have any doubt that your rabbit may be infected it is very important to get him treated.  Snuffles will not go away on its own.

This site is from the UK but many of the illnesses are the same.  It has a good picture of advanced snuffles.

http://www.greenwichrabbitrescue.com/commonailments.htm

Goodluck Jamie and I hope your bunny is ok

Thank you

Pam