QuestionThis past week, I have taken my rabbits to the vet for what I will call unsteady hopping, laid back ears and sometimes seizure like behavior. Our vet is treating them with baytol. It seemed to help for the first couple of days but now the bunnies have returned to their symptoms and have developed a more pronounced raspy breathing. More then snuffles or just a runny nose, almost like a wheezing and often "cough" or blow to clear their nasal passages. They have been extremely thirsty and were eating and going to the bathroom. However, over the past day, they are not eating as much as normal. Do you have any suggestions. Our vet does not have any other treatment for them and I don't know what else to do! Please help.
AnswerDear Kelly,
While Baytril (enrofloxacin) is an antibiotic that's safe for rabbits, I see nothing in the symptoms you describe to suggest that this is obviously an infection. I would definitely get your bunnies to a veterinarian who is more experienced with rabbits. You can find one here:
www.rabbit.org/vets
If there is nasal discharge and sneezing, there may indeed be upper respiratory infection, but that will not explain the unsteady hopping seizures. Please read:
www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sneezing.html
and
www.bio.miami.edu/hare/culture.html
for information about the sneezing and how to safely treat infections (with the help of your good rabbit vet). But for the other symptoms, there is very likely something more sinister going on.
Are the rabbits ever outside where wild rabbits graze? Are there raccoons or skunks in your area that could leave feces or urine where the rabbits play or graze? If so, they could be showing symptoms of parasitic infection typical of an intermediate host (cysticercosis from tapeworms) or, worse, infestation by Baylisascaris procyoni (or other species) from raccoons or skunks. I hope it's not these, as these conditions are not curable.
There is also a possibility that a parasite known as Encephalitozoon cuniculi is involved. In this case, please read:
www.bio.miami.edu/hare/paresis.html
for more information. This parasite can be treated with fenbendazole (Panacur) or ponazuril (Marquis) from your vet.
But time is of the essence.
Please get the bunnies to a good rabbit vet ASAP.
I hope this helps.
Dana