DOES YOUR RABBIT HAVE e. CUNICULI, PASTEURELLA, OR JUST A COLD?

If you don't know the answer, your vet should be able to tell you which is the likely culprit or suggest the proper tests to reveal the true problem. .

Over and over, we're explaining to people why you can't just take your rabbit to just any veterinarian. In a sentence (the title of this little article, above), we've summed it up. If your veterinarian doesn't know what e. cuniculi or pasteurella are, why they're so deadly to rabbits, and the latest treatments for them, then you shouldn't be going to that vet with your rabbit! You might as well just throw your money out the window. You don't take a Saab or an Audi to your local service station for repair do you? Well you have to take that VW Rabbit to an imported car specialist, too. The point we're trying to make is, your rabbit veterinarian has to have had special training to treat rabbits.

And while we're on the topic, we should mention that due to emerging diseases, climate change, moving populations, and more people seeking the most effective treatment for their rabbit via having cultures & sensitivies and/or cytologies performed, it is becoming clear that a rabbit with a bacterial infection could be dealing with quite a number of different organisms. No longer is pasteurella 'the' rabbit bacteria. The rabbit might have a fungal disease as well which they might have picked up from unwashed greens originating from a different hemisphere. So even if a vet pronounces pasteurella to be culprit without having had a culture and sensitivity done, they are making old-fashioned assumptions.

We remember our very first adopter calling to 'blame' us for his newly adopted rabbit having developed a jaw abscess. A jaw abscess is a terrible thing, but it is also not a predictable thing. There was no way we could have known that poor little rabbit would have developed an abscess. She needed immediate surgery and her prognosis would have been good, especially because she was a dwarf - one of the toughest breeds. But the adopter, who could have easily afforded the treatment, refused to take the little bunny to a real rabbit vet even when we offered to pay for it!

He said, "I feel very comfortable with Dr. (Blah blah blah)." That is no qualification! He also relayed to me, "Dr. (Blah Blah) said it is major surgery and even minor surgery is very risky for rabbits and he doesn't feel comfortable doing it."

We immediately replied, "But Fluffy has already had major surgery! She's been spayed! And she recovered just fine!" That's pretty major surgery and if a vet doesn't feel comfortable doing elective surgery on rabbits, then they should refer their client to someone who does; or an exotics vet who only sees exotics and no cats and dogs or sees exotics as their primary clientele.

Remember, a vet will 'see' your rabbit, but if they're a responsible vet, they'll tell you the extent of their experience with exotics and whether they are really qualified to help a sick rabbit. Ask them, 'do you think it's e. cuniculi, pasteurella, or just a cold?' and if they look taken aback, go somewhere else. You should feel comfortable discussing these topics with a vet for your rabbit if you have schooled yourself appropriately to be a responsible rabbit caretaker.

In conclusion, your rabbit's ace in the (rabbit) hole is going to be you carefully choosing a vet for them and trying to stay on top of rabbit medicine yourself as your vet. For more in-depth information on this topic, see my article, Selecting A Qualified House Rabbit Veterinarian. And we highly recommend the book Rabbit Health in the 21st Century by Kathy Smith.