Snuffles round 2?

Question
I lost my rabbit, Thumper on the 25/08/06 due to snuffles. It started off with an abscess on her jaw which was removed and i had to drain twice a day aswell as give her antibiotics. It seemed to clear up (no more pus coming out of wound)but was told to carry on but then i noticed she had sneezing fits which was quickly followed by conjuntivitis and a thick white discharge coming from her nose, she also lost her appetite too and the weight dropped off her. I rushed her to the vet again and was given more antibiotics and then as a last resort she had her nasal passage drained with little success and she never seemed to recover, having to be put to sleep 2 days later when she couldnt move and was barely breathing. She was 2 weeks away from being 9 years old. I was devastated to say the least as i had her since she was 10 weeks old.
She left behind her brother, Snowy who iam now paranoid about and hope i dont have to go down that terrible road again but its not looking good.
As soon as i noticed Snowy had a discharge coming from his eyes i rushed him to the vet, this was a few days before Thumper passed away and was told it was just conjunctivitis and was given drops. I was told that it isnt snuffles like Thumper as it was past the incubation period and not to worry. I was slightly relieved (as they had told me it wasnt contagious from the start even though i read differently on the internet) but iam not convinced. Iam starting to see more and more of those dreadful signs that my Thumper had. Snowy can only use one front paw (one day he just stopped using it and now leaps instead of hops, hes had x rays but they dont know what it is. If you know any answers to that too i would be very grateful!) but it has the slight crusting to the inside of the one he can use, aswell as a dirty mark from a runny nose. Tonight, when i was holding him he started trying to scratch his ear. When i rubbed both his ears i got the same reaction. Again, i looked on the internet and found they can all be linked to this pasteurella bacteria and am worried he got it from Thumper.
I will be taking him to the vet tomorrow but i need a second opinion. Hes still scoffing everything in sight and has weight on his side as hes a lot heavier than what Thumper was and still happilly leaps about on his 3 legs but age is not on his side as hes the same age as Thumper (9 now).
The vets have given me the option before of flushing his tear ducts but iam scared to death he doesnt recover from the anaesthtic just like Thumper.
Any advice? Is it snuffles all over again? Is it just a simple little infection like the vets say? My mum has used that vet for over 20 years so i dont want to say they are wrong but iam doubting them slightly and need expert advice from someone that specialises in rabbits.
Please help!!!!

Answer
Dear Michelle,

I am sorry about the loss of Thumper.  Many elderly rabbits succumb to infections that younger rabbits can handle, and this seems to have been the case with your friend, although I don't know what treatment she was given for the jaw abscess she had.  Please read this:

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

"Snuffles" is a catch-all term that's not very useful.  You can read more about this here:

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

so you'll have a better idea of what you might be facing with Snowy.  I doubt that he "caught" Pasteurella from his sister.  It is more likely that both rabbits have carried it all their lives, and only now that they are older with more compromised immune systems are the bacteria causing a problem.  

If a culture and sensitivity test was never done on the nasal discharge, then this is an absolute must:

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

It's good that Snowy's still strong and has a good attitude.  That's very important if he's to successfully fight off the infection.  

Here in the U.S. (I'm guessing you're in the U.K.), NO ONE does a tear duct flush under total anesthesia!  It's not safe. The rabbit must be able to sneeze out the flush solution rather than accidentally inhale it and cause a life-threatening problem.  Maybe it's done differently where you are, but the idea of a tear duct flush done under full anesthesia would make *me* very nervous, too.  We just numb the eye with an appropriate topical anesthetic and use a very small catheter to flush.  Takes only a few minutes.

If you are in the U.K., you might wish to contact the Rabbit Welfare Association:

http://www.houserabbit.co.uk/

for help finding a good rabbit vet.  If you're in the U.S. or Canada, try this:

www.rabbit.org/vets

I hope this helps!

Dana