My bunny is sick with swollen ears and nose. What should I do now?

Hello, I am very sorry to hear about your rabbit. Rabbits are predisposed to bacterial upper respiratory infections. One of the more common causes is a bacteria called Pasturella, leading to an infection called "Snuffles". If left untreated this bacteria can lead to pneumonia. Rabbits are very sensitive animals and when they become ill they are often predisposed to developing GI problems such as GI stasis. To prevent secondary problems from developing I would recommend having your rabbit evaluated by a veterinarian so that they can perform an examination and evaluate the nasal discharge. Hope this helps, good luck!

I am sorry to hear that Paisley isn’t feeling well, and thank you for your question. From what you are describing, she could have an ear infection. Unfortunately this is very common in lop eared rabbits, and often gets quite severe before they show any clinical signs at home. It may also be affecting both ears, and she may not be showing it. Ear infections can be simple and only affect the external ear, or they can be deep and be present past the ear drum and into the middle and inner ear. My recommendation would be to take Paisley to a veterinarian who is familiar with rabbits. They can perform an exam of the ears and collect samples to look for infection. They can then prescribe anti-inflammatory pain relievers and may prescribe antibiotics as well. If they suspect that the infection may be deep, they would recommend imaging with radiographs (x-rays) or a CT scan. Please don’t give Paisley any human medications, as many of them are harmful to our furry friends. I would not recommend cleaning the ears until you have visited the vet either, as many cleaners are not safe to use if you don’t know if the ear drum is intact or not (i.e. they can be damaging/toxic to the middle and inner ear). I hope that gives you a place to start, and I wish you and Paisley the best of luck!

Hello! This picture does look suspicious for vent disease or possibly ringworm. Vent disease is usually treated with Penicillin, but it doesn't look like it's gotten any better. It may not cured because of using too low of a dose, which can lead to antibiotic resistance and a more difficult infection to treat. This may require that a different antibiotic or a higher dose of the same one is used. If the infection is ringworm, which is another round skin lesion that commonly affects rabbit's faces and is contagious, it will only respond to anti-fungal medication, so antibiotics will not be useful. Ringworm can spread to people as well, but is fairly easily treated. Sometimes, skin mites can cause small lesions of baldness like this. We generally use puppy/kitten Revolution (flea product that also treats mites) on rabbits when we are suspicious of this. It is a very safe product, so an easy treatment to try. I would recommend a vet visit to be totally sure of what you're treating and what doses to use. I think that will get them the quickest recovery. I don't know of any fatal diseases in rabbits that present like this, so rest easy! I hope you find this helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hello. Thank you for using PetCoach. It looks like Ruby has an upper respiratory infection called "snuffles". You need to get her to a vet for an exam and treatment. She will need antibiotics to get this clear up and to keep it from getting worse. Snuffles is caused by a very aggressive bacteria and it can be fatal. Be sure to take her to a vet that is used to treating rabbits. http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=18+1803&aid=2686 http://plantationcentreah.com/exotics-and-pocket-pets/ Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hello! A wet nose in a rabbit usually indicates nasal discharge. Nasal discharge can result from allergy, inflammation, or infection of the nasal passages or even from an infected tooth root. It is very common for rabbits to carry a bacteria called Pasteurella (often referred to as “snuffles”). This bacteria can flare up in times of stress. Most rabbits have at least been exposed to this bacteria, and there are also other bacteria and viruses that could cause similar respiratory illness. The best thing to do for Buddy would be to have him examined by your local vet who can assess the discharge and Buddys breathing and teeth. the vet may recommend blood work, X-rays, or even a CT scan of his head since that will give the best information about the nose and terth. Remember that an oral exam in an awake rabbit is fairly insensitive to disease and any root disease is not visible except with X-rays for a CT scan. Since rabbits can only breath through their nose, it’s important to get this evaluated while Buddy is doing well, since potential profession of disease could be serious. Good luck to you and Buddy!

This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria but mites and fungal infections are possible as well). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Hello! I'm sorry your bun has a nose problem! If it doesn't go away on its own within a few days, or if it starts to spread, I would take your bun in to your veterinarian who may want to do a skin scraping or collect hairs from the area to make sure your bun doesn't have a mite or fungal infection. Some kinds of infections can be spread to people too, so especially if it is getting worse I would make sure to get a diagnosis so you can start treatment.