URGENT Badly Wheezing Buck

foxviewfarm

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So my star breeding buck has been breathing a little loudly for a couple weeks. I didn't think much of it until today, when his breathing was quite labored. After giving him a feel, he has also lost some weight (could just be winter weight loss, but can't be sure). He doesn't have any discharge of his eyes or nose, he is keeping himself clean, haven't heard any sneezing, and he is still eating,. My first thought is pasteurellosis because A)of the last 3 litters he has sired, one kit from each has ended up with next box eye (which some believe can be caused by pasteurella) and B) the doe of his 2nd litter just had to be treated for mastitis (which she could have gotten from an infected kit nursing on her). Do we think these are just coincidental events, or combined with his upper respiratory problem, is it probably pasteurellosis and he should be culled? I don't want to jump to conclusions and cull him if its something more treatable, but I don't want to keep him as my prime breeding buck if he is still carrying pasteurella- IF I can nurse him back from his current state.
*the barn is well ventilated
**his hay is not dusty
***he has a sift feeder, so dusty feed is of minimal concern
 

promiseacres

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Nestbox eye in my experience has been dirty box/bacterial.

Definately could be pasterella.. very hard to say. You could treat him with antibiotics and see if he improves, if he does you could probably rule out pasterella.
I culled two bucks last Spring, both had nasal discharge. One only slightly responded to antibiotics then would worsen, no one else near him or in our small shed got sick. A couple weeks after I culled him I discovered 3 of his 5 kits had terrible teeth. My conclusion after that was that he had a bad molar where I couldn't see it. I have one kit from his line, her teeth appear fine, she drinks fine from a water bottle (he never did). I have kept her as he was an expensive buck and I wanted those lines. I will be watching her future offspring very close for bad teeth. The other was one I raised and he always had clear discharge and overall acted fine. I really think his was allergies. But I had several healthy daughters out of him so I culled him for this reason. I miss both of them... but I really didn't want any ill or unthrifty rabbits. Now if someone is sneezing I know it's a new issue and not just one.
 

foxviewfarm

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I am treating him for now with antibiotics. Luckily I have a good friend who is a large animal vet (rabbits are new to him, but he is always up to a challenge). We will take a swab and send it for some sort of stain test to determine if it is pasteurella or not. Hoping for the best.
**I welcome ANY suggestions or experiences with Pasteurella. There are so many different fields of thought on the bacterial infection, and I'm curious to know how everybody deals with it"***
 

foxviewfarm

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So my buck has been on penicillin for a week now. He seemed to be responding pretty well, but now he has blood in his urine. And I am definitely not mistaking it for very concentrated urine. There are actual little blood droplets/globs sitting in his urine-soaked shavings. I have never known this to be a side effect on antibiotics, so I am assuming it is the infection (whatever type of bacteria it may be) spreading to his other systems. Thoughts, anyone?
 
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