sores on my rabbit

Question
My rabbit has been getting sores on his face and it is rapidly spreading. It is on and under his nose, near his eye, and on the skin of 2 of his nails as well. They started out as really small red dots and were barely visible but then they got bigger and formed a kind of gray and yellow crust and his fur fell out where the sores were spreading. I also noticed his nose was wet and he seemed to be "sneezing" a lot. I took him to the vet right away but all they could tell me was that it was some kind of bacteria and they charged me $59 for that useless info. They prescribed him baytril but I'm not sure it's helping. It's affecting his appetite and I have to hand feed him now. I'm worried and the vet isnt helping. Do you know what is wrong with him?
Thank you so much for your time, it is appreciated dearly.
-Jamie

Answer
It does sound like a bacterial infection. The problem is what kind. That requires actual lab work to see what is the problem. If it is pastreurella, it could be a grim outlook. There is no surefire cure for this bacteria. In fact, it is rare to truly cure it. The best one can usually hope for is to put it into remission. Baytril can be very affective, but a culture needs to be done to make sure the bacteria is not resistant to it.

The other thing to watch out for is Myxomatosis. This is a VERY serious and deadly disease in domestic rabbits. It is characterized by actual lumps around the face. Mucus from sneezing and watery eyes can cause sores (which can then cause the fur to fall out), but if there are actual lumps, it could well be Myxomatosis. Unfortunately, there is simply no cure for this. The UK has a vaccine to prevent it, but the US does not. Depending on the strain, the rabbit could have anywhere from a 50% chance of survival to as low as 10% if it is this.

Both a bacterial infection and Myxomatosis can cause listnessness and loss of appetite. Mysomatosis also can make the rabbit much more prone to respiratory infections (causing sneezing, etc.), so the lumps are the determining factor.