Let me begin by saying I am not suggesting that you skip the vet if you like to do the vet thing. The issue here is that vets tend to cost more than new rabbits, so our family policy is that we don’t do vets. We don’t even do vets for our goats. If your animal is worth a lot to you — if it is your prize breeding doe, or an award-winning show rabbit — you probably should go to a vet.
So here is the deal.
Daughter Q.’s rabbit, Moonlight, is very naughty. Her temperament is terrible. She bites. Even my husband is afraid to feed her because you never know when she is going to get you. Her parents were meat rabbits, and my guess is that she didn’t have much handling in her infancy. She was young when we got her, but I’ve lately learned that how a baby animal is handled {or not handled} even the first month or so can make a world of difference in their receptivity to humans later on.
Moonlight is currently for sale, by the way.
So, long story short, we decided we were in the market for a new rabbit. Q-Age-Six ended up receiving a rabbit from another 4-H member who had shown him at the Fair and decided subsequently that she was done with raising rabbits.
Being trained to be shown means that he is the sweetest, best tempered rabbit we’ve met yet.
She named him Loppy. {He’s a mini-lop.}
The previous owner mentioned that he had picked up “something” at the Fair — he’d gotten a “cold,” she said — and he’d done a round of antibiotics from the vet.
I didn’t know this until Daughter Q. came to me with concern about Loppy having a runny nose and making a funny noise when he tried to breath. It was then that I remembered that at 4-H they tell us to always quarantine new animals for a while before allowing the animals to mix, but of course that was too late. I’d had their cages side by side for a few days at that point.
A-Age-Eight’s rabbit, Thumper, had already been exposed, and within 24 hours she came to me worried about her rabbit.
So we don’t do vets, but my girls are seriously attached to their rabbits, especially Daughter A., who’s had her rabbit for two years now. After doing a bit of Internet searching and coming to the conclusion that we were probably dealing with something called “snuffles” and that it’s very dangerous and highly contagious, well…you can imagine where my Mommy Brain went. I was horrified to think of the possibility two little girls sobbing over the loss of their beloved pets.
So, I did what I usually do when a child is sick, which is to say that I did research.
I looked up natural remedies, alternative treatments, and so on.
In the end, the treatment of rabbits sounded remarkably similar to the treatment of humans, truth be told. The most important thing I learned is that snuffles is a bacterial infection.
So, I went through my medicine cupboard to see what I could think of. What could I use that I already had on hand? I decided to pack a double punch.
Punch One:
Citricidal Grapefruit Seed Extract
I always have Citricidal GSE on hand. It was hard to decide on a dose because I couldn’t find any instance of anyone trying it. I knew that, as a concentrate, it is very powerful, a little goes a long ways (GSE is a very powerful anti-bacterial agent), and the taste is very bitter.
The rabbits were given two drops in their water bottles. Honestly, I was more fearful they would reject the water from bitterness than that the dose was too high.
Punch Two:
Echinacea and Goldenseal Capsules
Another thing I keep on hand is a cheap bottle of echinacea and goldenseal tablets from Trader Joe’s. It seems very similar to the image above, only those are capsules which makes them even easier to deal with. (Capsules are what I’m buying when I run out.) The tablets I used did have preservatives in them, but it is a tiny amount, and mostly they are just blended up herbs. The rabbits liked them, but weren’t able to consume them whole, so we cut them into tiny pieces with a knife, and they licked them up like candy. This is why I want to use capsules next time! No cutting; just empty it into the food bowl.
They received one tablet per day. Again, I decided on only one out of caution, not because I have any knowledge of a good dose for a rabbit.
Medicine is mostly art in my house. Some of you probably cringe at that, but there you have it: I am a mad scientist and the folks around me are my guinea pigs.
Ahem.
Anyhow, I am pleased to report that not only are the rabbits not dead, but they are doing quite well. Thumper is entirely better, though we’re still doing GSE in the water for a few more days. Loppy’s runny nose is gone, but he still seems to be dragging a little, so we’re treating him with both for a couple more days, and then we’ll continue the GSE a bit beyond that. In the meantime, we are making sure he’s eating lots of fresh food, especially lots of fresh parsley, which is the ideal herb for rabbits in my mostly uneducated opinion.
It is sort of like how barley is the perfect grain for goats, but I digress.
I was going to title this post “HOW TO Treat Rabbit Snuffles Without a Vet” but that’d be a misnomer. This is a way that worked for me, but probably not the ideal way to go about it. For example: you could start by actually knowing what you are doing, and that would be something for sure.
But it did work, and so I thought I’d share it with you, in case you are having a snuffles emergency at your house, too.
And here is another option:
Since I first wrote this post, there are some new products on the market. I haven’t used them because we’ve never had another problem with snuffles (I’m saying this over three years later, by the way). But, in case you want to try something different, here is what I’m talking about:
VetRx Rabbit Aid
This remedy contains other herbs (not mentioned in my approach) that have wonderful anti-bacterial properties — balsam, camphor, and rosemary, to name a few. I’ve heard good things about it, but like I said before, I haven’t tried it.
Also, this is not to be missed for recovery:
Critical Care Supplement
The ingredients in this supplement are fantastic for the normal life of a rabbit, but become even more important for a rabbit that is recovering from an illness.
Hi Folks!
I just wanted to let you all know that I am closing the comments on this post. I wrote it three-and-a-half years ago, and it is still getting comments! Amazing! While most of you have had wonderful comments, I am getting an increasing number of animal rights activist types who disagree with my approach, and while that is their right, it’s also my right to not really want to hear about it. 😉
I do want to clarify one thing: it is not irresponsible to skip using a vet if you learn to treat your animals at home yourself.
There is a difference between actual neglect and gaining the skills to care for animals in such a way that you don’t need a vet very often. For those of us who have trouble affording vets, that is good news.
Also, it is a joy to continue learning how to care for animals ourselves! I appreciate those of you who have made other suggestions and added to my store of knowledge.
Thank you. I have similar situation . I am treating in a similar fashion using the exact medicine u described with a few tweaks to formula
I am using a quadruple punch, instead of a done punch. Thank you for this helpful info.
Hello, my harlequin doe just kindled, and I heard a kit sneeze. My doe has allergies sometimes, not snuffles.:) When my box fan is on in the summer, she doesn’t have them, but when it’s off in the winter, she will get them again. She will have clear discharge, and occasional sneezing. No eye discharge, or weird breathing noises.:) That’s how I know it’s not snuffles. Can she have the echinacea/ golden seal blend while she’s nursing? I want to get rid of the allergies that the kit or (kits) have.:)
I personally have never tried this on a nursing doe, so I’m hesitant. If you try it, I’d try plain echinacea without the goldenseal. In humans, we don’t use goldenseal while nursing or pregnant, so that is what I’d follow with animals as well unless I found research that said differently…
Okay, thank you!:)
After trying every natural antibiotics including I treated two rabbits, mother and youngster for Duffles and found the only one to work was dried echinacea brewed like tea, strained and added to their water. I has taken a long time but both are now snuffle free. I tried always of adding to food but one would leave it and eat the porridge outs it was mixed in. So I think treating two and having two success it can’t be luck. Saving a fortune on vet bills. If you have a rabbit with snuffles, try it.
One other question i how may times a day did you give the echinacea and goldenseal? One 450 millgram pill or 3 times a day. Im giving 250 milligrams twice a day with plantain and dandelion. But for humans it’s suppose to be 3 pills a day totaling 900 milligrams. So im just somewhat confused on dosage. I also noticed on the bottle 8 weeks is max unless you take a resting period thats is not listed what it might be. Do you know if you gave it 3 times a day?
I hope that you can still respond to my question. I have a rabbit that weighs about 6 pounds, who has been dealing with the snuffles for over 2 months. He has been on 2 rounds of antibiotics from the vet, and still seems to be a bit wheezy. He has a runny nose, but not too bad and the fluid coming out of his nose is clear now instead of cloudy and thick, I am still concerned about the wheezing. My question is, what size were your rabbits that you treated, so I will know about how to dose him Thanks, I really appreciate your information on this.
Hi, Sherry! They were about 5 pounds. 🙂
I have a expensive rabbit im trying this on i think it is working. Before I found you Blog this rabbit had over $200 worth of vet bills and It didn’t phase it. I found a recipe for rabbit treats on the web i mix one tablet into a heart shaped silcon ice cube tray. Pull them out carefully wet and stick it in a dehydrater. You dont want to cook it it killes of the good properties. My rabbit is at a month of doing this he is drinking the GSE also. I have also added plantain and fresh dandelion. I have not noticed much nasty thick whte snot he has been very energetic yesterday so its looking good as long as it doesn’t come back after treatment is over we got a cure. I will keep you informed if it worked. I have two more that have this stuff that are sick and i know it is Pasturella for sure i have had to cull them off out of that litter . I am very tempted to try this method on one of them for the 8 weeks till symptoms are 100% gone. Then cull it to see if it Pasturella is still present in the rabbit or see if it just covered up the symptoms. I hate to cull them but if it proves its a 100% cure it’s worth it. Culling also permanently gets rid of it the easy way if its out of control.
I left out mixing the pill in the heart shaped treat mixture.
Can you use both of those medications you used with Probios and Vitamins & Electrolytes. I don’t mind taking her off of them but i just wanted to know. They both are just immune system boosters.
I always google around for contraindications just in case before I combine things — but I will say that I know it’s okay with the probios!
Thank you!! 🙂
I am new to raising rabbits any helpful ideas would be great
I have a question, did you give them both of the medications or just one of them?
Thank you, I will give it ago tomorrow, I only do vets if there is too much blood to handle 🙂 js
Ha!
Umm is it safe to use the echinacea goldenseal but blend not root? ?? Because i have a the blend one.
I do not know for sure, but I have used blends on humans and large animals without issues. Personally, with things like that, I try it in a small amount and see what happens. I know not everyone is comfortable with that approach, but that is what I do. 🙂
How long did you feed your rabbit the capsules, like only for a week or a month?
At least a month being symptom free before stopping treatment is my rule of thumb…
Ok and what if your rabbit isn’t eating how do you feed him?
Not eating is a true emergency! A rabbit cannot survive long in this state. This is where you need to decide about a vet — if you don’t go, your rabbit may die. If you DO go, it may still die. No eating is just very bad. I am sorry to say it.
Either way, you need to try to get something into your rabbit ASAP. I usually soak a rabbit pellet until it is mushy and then push it into the mouth with my finger — even if the rabbit spits it back out, it starts to get the digestion going again. If it’s not drinking, I give it water with a dropper. You have to make sure the digestion gets going. Even if you are taking the rabbit to a vet, do this now! You can’t wait for an appointment; that might be too late.
Definitely see a vet. I would recommend that all rabbit owners should have an emergency packet of ‘Critical Care’ handy, you just add water and syringe it in your rabbit’s mouth, so that the rabbit is nourished while waiting for an appointment.
This dropper is great for regular healthy doses since its for children. They really love it too.
http://www.iherb.com/Herbs-for-Kids-Sweet-Echinacea-2-fl-oz-59-ml/7004?gclid=Cj0KEQiA-MPCBRCZ0q23tPGm6_8BEiQAgw_bAlSyA6GPKzQb5bZrIVImqN8cZTC6m_5UOOra7wwvceoaAo338P8HAQ
Actually, this is the one I have been using. It has golden root.
https://www.evitamins.com/echinacea-golden-root-b-herbs-for-kids-10560
Hello. I have a rabbit currently who has snuffles (also known as an upper respiratory infection) as well as dental disease. I understand that vets can be extremely expensive, but disagree with the ‘no-vet-thing’. Snuffles are not always what it appears to be, as in my rabbit Martin’s case, it is due to dental disease. I would therefore advise any rabbit owner to go to regular vet checks and also see the vet if concerned, the sooner the better. Anyone who wants to own a rabbit should be committed, and thoughts of vets should be thought about beforehand. Basically if you can’t afford a vet then you shouldn’t be rabbit owners. Martin and my other rabbit are part of our family, and will always stay that way, even when that sometimes means weekly vet visits. Thank you for taking the time to read this and good luck with your rabbit/s.
I raise high quality show rabbits and currently own 36. I am VERY committed to my rabbits and I spoil each one. But if I took my rabbits to the vet every time they got sick my vet bills would make me homeless. Domesticated rabbits are easily susceptible to many things and Brandy is right, sometimes a new rabbit is just easier than the vet expense. I do everythif I can to prevent disease and keep my buns happy and healthy. How about you think before you speak or do this magical thing called shutting the hell up. She was simply trying to save her daughters buns and did nothing wrong. Circle of life. Get over it.
I found this article very helpful. Thankful to the lady and the bunnies who were the trail blazers for the rest of us. I agree the vet is an extreme resort for our family , but in the last year on two of my bunnies I have spent 1700.00 $at least on the rabbit vet. My other hobby is dressage and rabbits are more costly by far (per pound..lol) than my 1500 lb horse. And I had on bunny still die. And one lived. I count myself lucky. Any ways thanks for th ed tip
THANK YOU!! I also unwittingly picked up a rabbit with snuffles. I also don’t do vets. I also have goats. I’ve lost one rabbit to the disease and am hoping to not lose the other. I had read that as soon as your bunny starts sneezing you may as well kill it, so I’m glad to hear you’ve proven that wrong. I’ll try your method.
Great article, very helpful. It’s so nice to hear that we’re not the only ones with the anti-vet, treat-it-at-home mentality! Thanks again for your time, incite and wisdom!
please, mam can u tell me how to treat injured rabbit at home?
my rabbit got injured , and not eating any item
To be honest, it sounds like you need a vet! I’m not sure what kind of injury, but if it is bad enough to stop your bunny from eating, it needs treatment beyond herbs and vitamins! With that said, you need the rabbit to eat or it will die — ruminants need to be digesting food all the time. So, if you feed pellets, I would water them down into a mash and try to gently force a bit into the rabbits mouth. This will buy you time until you can get to a vet.
One of my bunnies was attacked by another male bunny and he was almost dead. Most of his fur was pulled out and had open sores all over his body. I gave him Echinacea liquid childrens vitamin in a dropper and coconut oil. I also rubbed coconut oil on all his wounds everyday until he literally came back to life.
what dose did you end up using for the GSE?
This is really like. I have another question do you have any home remedies for earmites in rabbits.
I don’t! I’m sorry…we’ve never had those in our little warren…
I use 1/8 cup of mineral oil mixed with 6 drops of tea tree oil. Mix in small container with a lid, apply a couple drops to each ear and massage into ear. Repeat every other day for 2 weeks. We bought some that had ear mite problem. Clears it up right away! My Rabbitry, is small 35 rabbits but when I trim nails every 2 or 3 weeks I also put a drop in both ears now to prevent! No problems since!
I put coconut oil directly in the ear canal, wiped it out and put more in. Then I rubbed the bottom of their ear by the canal and let it sit. This only took once to get rid of them. I was volunteering at a place that had rabbits caged, and one had ear mites. I took it home, bathed it and did this treatment. To this day, she has no more ear mites. I use coconut oil for everything!!
Very supportive on your suggestions. Also added to meals of parsley could be oregano and thyme, both powerful antibacterials and dandelion for detox. All herbs have medicinal properties so I grow them and feed daily. Good link for list and details on medicinal properties of herbs for rabbits (includes GSE): https://riseandshinerabbitry.com/2012/06/09/medicinal-herbs-for-rabbits/
I’ve had good success with Amber Technology’s VIBACTRA and VIBACTRA PLUS – organic herbal Nutraceutical “antibiotic alternative” for animals. I use a echinacea-goldenseal non-alcohol tincture because my buns won’t touch the dry herbs. I’m setting up my website store to carry Amber Technology’s products if you can’t find them locally.
Recently seeing good results with the herb EYEBRITE (organic powder made by Starwest and Frontier). It treats eyes-sinus-nose area combined which is nice because those systems are all connected in our buns and if one area is challenged, they all are. Eyebrite can be used as a daily supplement, not just as medicine in case of illness. If I see an eye component I make a tea with eyebrite, test in my eyes first for stinging (shouldn’t sting), then put a few drops in at least 2x a day. Fresh batches are better so maybe a few days in fridge ok but then make a new batch. You can read many successful stories about eyebrite herbs and eyedrops for humans for a multitude of eye issues.
My website is http://www.LongLiveTheDogs.com but I have a rabbit page *under construction* with a few good links: http://www.longlivethedogs.com/long-live-the-bunnies.html
I have 3 rescued Angora Rabbits and have had rabbits off and on since childhood.
I like your blog for the rabbits and share it with people. Only I must add, the Oxbow Organic rabbit pellet is a good alternative but it is lame that they use Canola as a cheap way out. Canola if you research from Rape seed is highly toxic. But I too am trying to find the best way to feed my rabbits and cure all illness. Thank you! http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/ConsumerAlert/Canola
UNSUBSCRIBE ME FROM THIS COMMENT THREAD! MY RABBIT IS NOW DEAD!
You’re “UNSUBSCRIBE” link in the e-mail just brings me to a 404 Page Not Found. Fix your link and unsubscribe me from this.
Hm. That IS strange. I’ll work on it right now, and unsub you, Jordan. My apologies.
My otherwise healthy 7 yr lop came down with loud sneeze cough and serious mucous congestion problem, requiring that I have to give him regular face and paw washes. In addition to bathing I gave 14 day prescribed Baytril antibiotics which temporarily helped but problem soon came back. Then experimented with several natural remedies most of which did not do anything for him with the exception of Solgar standardized echinacea capsules small doses sprinkled on his fresh veggies in a bowl daily for 10-14 days and BHI Mucous Relief Homeopath tablet x 1 daily dissolved in bowl of fresh water. These 2 remedies have increased his energy appetite and kept symptoms to a dull roar and some days barely noticeable but still not completely cured. Now I will try GSE one drop in water bowl daily for 10-14 days and see how he likes bitter tasting water if not he’ll get one drop daily on his greens. I always experiment with one remedy at a time starting with lowest dose closely monitored to see how he reacts. Other than these issues he appears normal and healthy. I chose to experiment with natural remedies because his issues for 3 yrs now do not appear life threatening and regular vet bills in past have gone thru roof. We live in hot damp tropics with mold issues and notice on dry sunny breezy days that both me and my bunny have less congestion issues than on damp days.
How long did you give the treatments for ?
I am starting your program at the moment.
Please do not let a vet give penicillin to a rabbit. It alone will kill them. Most medicine each provided by doctors and vets are natural occurring ‘drugs’ however scientists modify them to act quicker because of course we don’t like being ill. Antibiotics are constantly being changes to combat super bugs but we have super bugs because we change nature’s way of dealing with bugs. I currently have 5 bunnies 2 of which show clear signs of snuffles which they came down with while pregnant my prize buck is also I’ll but not showing signs of snuffles just yet my so called vet wants me to uthunise all three included 2 does carrying kittens one of which is due in 3 days I do not know if it will be a successfully litter or not but we have to give her a chance right…… would you put a human down if they had cancer? By they way my sister had cancer and is now fully cancer clear. The best thing you can do is improve the health of your bunnies as this disease only takes hold In animals that are compromised e.g pregnancy ……. I am starting a herb treatment today seen as my vet was two willing to send them to rabbit heaven I have chosen to move vets but while I look herbs are my answer
Hello we are new bunny owners.. And your article and replys have been ever so helpful.. Our mini dwarf bunny: Olaf has encountered snuffles. He shows all the signs. Olaf is my 5 yr olds birthday gift. And a gift to myself as i have bounded with him. So i am doing everthing i can to help him get better. I did some internet research and found that there is a natural rabbit aid. It is called VetRX for Rabbits. i ordered it from amazon and thank god we have prime so it arrived the next day..this is day 3 of Olaf taking this and is doing alot better.. Just thought i would share this cause it could be a life saver for rabbits with all these symtoms.
Thank you for posting this. We just got my son a bunny and noticed that he has been snorting every now and then and seems congested. He was kept in pine shavings, which I know can be bad for rats and suspect may be the same for bunnies. I will be ordering this asap!
Hi! How did it go with Olaf? Is he better now?
Well my rabbit has been seeing the vet every week for months and using penicillin, and is definitely NOT DEAD, but instead improving. Another thing that seems to be helping is letting your rabbit sniff steam. When a family member is taking a shower, you can sit outside the shower with your rabbit, close the door and don’t put on the fan. The steam will help your rabbit, clearing it’s nasal passages. Our vet recommended such, and it works well.
I look forward to trying this as I was told after using baytril or flagyl for a few weeks with no relief that the rabbit had to be put down. I am happy for the ideas. Thanks.
I hope it helps, Tammie! ♥
I have taken my mini lop to the Vet three times, 2 different Vets. They gave me ointment for his eyes for pink eye. They done recommend antibiotics. In the meantime my poor boy sneezes, watery eyes, mucus
….. So many different litter products, air purifier, different pens but when I read this, thank you. I will try to ease his discomfort, such a sweet, loving little guy. I have needed help for too long.
Oh, I hope this helps Laurie! That is really tough. 🙁
Well, today I bought all new toys, water, food dishes. Diluted Clorox with water and washed entire new pen. Bought a water bottle rather then bowl. Put Vicks on a Kleenex above cage, coconut oil under nose, and bought GSE and echinacea, followed your directions. Too early to tell but not sneezing much at all, fingers crossed, thanks again?
Hi all! I just thought I’d drop in and mention a recent issue that came up with Loppy, one of our rabbits. He had escaped from his cage and was caught by our dog. The dog didn’t attack him, and just held him in place while waiting for us to get him, but unfortunately the dog’s tooth caught Loppy’s eye. I didn’t have any GSE or echinacea on hand at the time, unfortunately. Because it was the eye, we put a bunch of eyebright herbal tincture in his water, and that seemed to help, but still, it started to look infected.
I ended up putting some vitamin C powder in some water and giving it to him by syringe — it was amazing how quickly he perked up after that! I just did a tiny bit since 1/4 a teaspoon is the adult human dose. Anyhow, I thought I’d mention it in case anyone is desperate for something to try — maybe you have this in your medicine cabinet? 🙂
Thanks for posting this. I have raised rabbits for years and fortunately had very little problem with snuffles. Yesterday one of my young bunnies had symptoms, so isolated it and tried the echinacea and goldenseal. No visible symptoms today. These are not pet rabbits, so only need to be healthy until it is time to meet their destiny. Enjoying reading some of your other postings.
I’m so glad it helped! ♥
Hi! I have seven rabbits, who sadly all have snuffles. I have taken one to the vet and they gave me a prescription for two weeks and I did it, but nothing had changed!!! I just wanted to ask: Do you give ALL of those MEDICINES to the ALL of the RABBITS all at once? Please help me because I have knowledge of snuffles, but no knowledge on how to treat it! THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!!!!! I AM DESPERATE FOR A CURE!!! ( will these prescriptions have side affects?)
(how much per day as a dosage?)
(all of the medicines at once to all the rabbits together?)
Well, I have never had seven rabbits at once, so this might feel a little crazy, but yes, I would try everything, especially since the prescription did not work. (Did you isolate during the prescription? Snuffles is highly contagious…) I would not forget to give lots of fresh food — especially parsley, but alfalfa hay is good as well. Snuffles can be hard to beat, and I can’t guarantee that this will work (of course), but I think it’s worth a shot — it’s what I would do.
Thanks so much for getting back to me. So how much should I give each bunny as a dosage of each medicine? And to answer the questions, before I knew about snuggles they all had it so I couldn’t quarentine???????. I do make them a green, healthy salad daily each morning too. I just want you to understand that I am just a little girl who wants to save seven lives. ?
Hey everyone I just want to say if your rabbit is sneezing, take it to a vet right away. You can follow these guidelines as additional treatment but snuffles is caused by a bacteria called pasteurella. A lot of rabbits carry it and their body deals with it and they never show symptoms. But sneezing is a symptom of it and if there is any discharge it is most likely pasteurella as there are not many other causes of sneezing in rabbits other than having something stuck in their nose canal.
I posted here months ago when one of my brand new rabbits Marley was sick. We had taken her to a vet but she was not improving on medication so I was searching for alternative methods. After the vet I took her too told me to simply continue medication even though she was getting worse I took her to another vet I found that actually dealt with rabbits primarily. She told me Marley was extremely sick and put her on a new medication, unfortunately by this time it was too late. The next day she was acting very strange, sitting in her cage weird and staring at the wall, we took her out and she was disorientated and got stuck. Later in the day I was sitting in the kitchen and I heard several horrible yelps, I ran to see what was happening and she was seizing…she died seconds later. I only wish I would have taken her to the second vet first…she might still be with us.
Her brother who we purchased at the same time had not been showing any symptoms during her sickness but shortly after her death he began sneezing. Luckily we knew we had a good vet now and he began taking I believe it was TMS, he improved a little bit but then took a big step backwards he became extremely dizzy, his eyes darting around in his head. He was diagnosed with head tilt (vestibular disease) and started on another round of antibiotics. Again he progressed and then regressed. Now he is on weekly penicillin injections and finally he has been stabilized. He just started his second round (each being six weeks). He still sneezes occasionally and his head is titled (head tilt can often be permanent even after the infection is gone), but he is happy and full of life. He loves booking it around the living room and he binkys like crazy and can leap across the room.
Just wanted to post my story to inform people. Maybe these treatments will work for your bunny, but they didn’t work for mine. I gave them both echinacea (the real dried herb from our local health store) along with chamomile and lavender and I made a tea out of echinacea and chamomile and put some in their water to drink. We tried coconut oil on their noses. But what they needed was medical attention. I know I did everything I could to save Marley so I don’t beat myself up over it and I’m so happy we were able to save Marlo cause he is an amazing little guy so full of love, he loves to give you kisses and he loves being pet, he bumps your hand like a dog or cat would when you stop like “hey, you’re not done here!”
I’d also recommend that you find a good vet that you trust while they are healthy. Then if a situation comes up you are prepared. Our rabbits were barely a few months old when they got sick so we didn’t have time to prepare but now we have a vet who we trust and who has helped us out with some freebies and we even had a couple we met at the vet whose rabbit also had head tilt when he was younger pay for a round of Marlo’s treatment without us knowing.
http://i.imgur.com/ZL1YRpP.jpg Here’s a photo of tilty magee enjoying his favourite treat on his favourite plate.
Sorry to hear about Marly, but glad that Marlo is better. I have a rabbit on penicillin at the moment, because of snuffles and possibly dental desease. It seems to be working though, and he is getting better. The vet we see is really kind and knowledgeable, and specializes in rabbits. She recommended we let Martin inhale steam from a shower (well, not IN the shower!) to clear his nasal passages, which works well.
I’m not sure if the Gse making my bunny have more of intense watery nose I just purchased the capsules and put it in his food bowl…. Was I supposed to give both of these beings at once I started the GS E earlier than the capsule
I tried it on one that had a yucky nose. After a few days it all cleared up. Thanks for this information!
Thank you for your advice. I am going to try this out. Hopefully the results will be similar in my rabbit.
Oh, I hope so! 🙂
Thank you for this information! I have a rabbit that started with a wet nose after getting out and probably beat up by our yard buck. I’m going to try this and see if it helps him. I’m worried about the rest of the buns. One mom’s cage is right beside his cage. It has since been sprayed with bleach water and he’s been removed.
Thank you for this information! And thank you to those who have commented, very helpful and informative.
I have a few questions myself.
I have a rabbit who is nursing 3 3.5 week old kits. She has come down with a runny nose and now all 3 kits also have runny noses and are starting to get a little gunk in their eyes.
I have taken them all to the vet and they are all very healthy other than the runny noses and such.
I will be going to the shops very soon to pick up the products that have been listed. Do you think it would be safe to give to the mother while nursing?
If she goes on antibiotics the vet doesn’t want the kits nursing from her…
Feel a bit lost and confused. The nasal discharge is clear, not white on the mother (from what I can tell) but the kits have some yellow/green starting to come up in their clear discharge.
Some have said it’s likely the stress of nursing the kits that has made her I’ll. She is laying down all the time panting. But not struggling to breath. Just panting as though she’s hot, which she isn’t.
So I’ll be giving her the chamomile and hoping she will take that and calm down.
Some have said to pull the kits out. Others say that’s too stressful on her and the kits. I would worry that they aren’t getting the antibodies from her milk and will go down hill.
Any advice?
Hello! Im a high schooler and have recently adoped my second Rabbit. When i adopted him he was sneezing but at the time i thought it might just be allerges. After a week of sneezing i took him the the vet, who gave me a around of antibiotics but thease have done nothing. He still is sneezing and has white discharge in his nose. Being a highschooler I dont have the money to bring him to the vet agein, especially since i just had him neutered. He acts fine, eating and binking around like always but the runny nose is what really has me worried. Im really hoping thease natural remedies work, thanks so much for the article! I will leave another comment about his results in 10 days or so. Hoping to start him on the treatment tonight. Thanks agein! 🙂
Hello, Thanks for this advice. I’m going to try this treatment for my Guinea Pig. He is 5 and this is the second time he has the runny nose. I have used coconut oil on his skin and feet. now starting the GSE and Echinacea. he is half the size of a rabbit so minimum dose im giving.
I feel hes to old for the vet and Yes they charge for everything. last time he lost use of his rear leg due to arthritis, I bought Osteocare from over seas and it helped him for 2 years. no same situation but I think its also due to his infection, Hair loss, runny nose. will see.
Oh, wow. That’s tough! I hope it helps. Let us know how it goes!
Sorry forgot the site lol. https://riseandshinerabbitrydotcom.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/medicinal-herbs-for-rabbits.pdf
Hi guys here is a link to a very trusted source on medicinal plants and herbs for rabbits, and how to use them. I know this person personally and he is amazing with rabbits! Hope it helps.
Hey there,
Thanks for writing this article. My girlfriend and I just bought two sister rabbits a couple weeks ago. They are about 8 weeks old and unfortunately one has gotten sick. We took her to the vet and he said it was an Upper Respiratory Infection and gave her TMS antibiotics which she has been one for 8 days now, unfortunately she doesn’t seem to be getting better she’s started having sneezing fits with some white boogers coming out of her nose. I’ve been researching like crazy and came across your blog and decided to try this herbal treatment out.
I went to superstore and was able to find some Echinacea drops (http://www.jamiesonvitamins.com/products/echinacea-tincture-echinacea-purpurea-2-000-mg these guys here) and I’m wondering how much I should give them as they sound quite potent. The side of the box says there is the equivalent of 2,000 mg of raw herb in each 2mL. Her current antibiotic dosage is 0.4 mL and I was thinking that might be a good amount to start with. The two girls share a cage and water bowl, so far the other one has just had a few sneezes here and there, she is a lot more relaxed compared to the sick one who is a little skittish so I think maybe her immune system is holding up better. But I figure they might as well both have some just incase. Do you think that would be a good dose? Or can I go higher, I’m not sure how much it would dilute in the water.
As far as grape seed, I wasn’t able to find the drops you mentioned but I already had at home some Grape Seed Extract Capsules (http://www.healthsnap.ca/webber-naturals-grape-seed-extra-strength-90-capsules-100-mg-product?gclid=CJ-RgK_Wm8oCFQqtaQodiYgGzA these guys). Are these safe to give to my rabbits?
I really want these girls to get healthy! I appreciate you taking time to answer peoples questions and I hope you are still active and can answer mine.
I just did a quick search and found that this is available at my local natural food store: https://www.communitynaturalfoods.com/products/anti-cold-echinacea-goldenseal is this a better alternative?
Hi Jordan! 🙂 Legally, I can’t tell you if something is safe for your rabbits or not — I’m not a doctor. So, with that said, I make decisions by asking the question of what a rabbit would and would not eat if left to himself — what is his natural diet? A tincture is much more powerful than a ground form of the herb, so if you choose to use that, my advice would be to just be super careful. It’s hard to get pure options without added ingredients unless you’re buying the raw herb, which can be hard to come by this time of year, so the more limited the number of non-food ingredients, the better it looks to me personally. 🙂
My rule of thumb in working with small animals is to start with low doses and see how they respond before working up to bigger doses. Any of the options you showed I would be comfortable trying out with my rabbits. 🙂
Thanks for your response. I decided to check out my Community Natural Health Food store and I found some dried echinacea and some chamomile flowers. I was thinking of starting with a teaspoon of echinacea and see how she does. And chamomile I read will help to calm stress, she’s very skittish and I think that’s one of the reasons why she is sick because she gets stressed out and her immune system gets out of whack. I hope this helps her out.
Add coconut oil to their diet and rub some on his nose if he had mucous still. They love it. I just leave a tablespoon in their cage and let them eat what they feel they need. It’s awesome for bacterial infections. In use it on everything and everyone even my English bulldog that always gets skin infections.
Jessica! I love this. I haven’t used coconut oil with my rabbits before — even though I regularly use it with other animals — brilliant!
You found it dried! That is great. With the real herb — not drops or anything else that is really concentrated — I just give them a pile and let them self-regulate. It’s really hard for them to OD on the food form, especially if they are still offered other good foods to balance it out.
They don’t seem to like the echinacea, I sneak it in with some camomile flowers and their pellets but a lot of it seems to go uneaten so I’ve just been making some tea and putting it in their water. It’s been two days since the antibiotics finished and she doesn’t seem to be getting any worse but not really any better either. Still sneezing, though I haven’t seen any more boogers – but the fur around her nose has been crusty but this could be from the coconut oil. I have a humidifier right by their cage now as well. Gonna wait it out a few more days and then I may have to take her back to the vet, he said he would do a nasal flush for her. But if it’s an infection I’m not sure how that would help.
Thank you so much! I started by putting eucalyptus and lemon Doterra essential oil in a mister. Also gave a tablespoon of coconut oil and spread some over his nose. That was yesterday. Bybtoday he stopped weazing and sneezing. Today I bought echinacea/goldenroot kids dietary supplement and grape seed oil liquid concentrate to keep their immune systems up. So much better going natural than getting antibiotics.
Thank you!!
You’re welcome! I’m glad he’s doing better already. 🙂
The echinacea with goldenroot that I bought is for kids, so every few days I give him a dropped and let him luck what he feels he needs. He loves it and doesn’t over do it. I have learned from my experience with chickens, that animals will only intake what they need. That how they do in the wild. I keep giving him vicinity oil because he loves it and rub it on his nose. Coconut oil is good for bacteria. He no longer has black mucous and only sneezes a few times. He is also much more active and eats better now too.
Thanks again
Coconut oil, not vicinity oil. Auto correct sorry.
Did your rabbiuts fully recover and did the snuffles recur? Thank you for the information!
Fully recovered, yes! 🙂
Hi there I have just read your article I just wondered if it did actually worked. How long did you give the citricidal grapefruit drops for? I’m trying it as you say vet bills are expensive. I just want to try before I have to go to the vets. He is quiet an old rabbit too at 7 years old. He only has the gunky eyes at the moment.
Hi Sarah!
The last time I did this {different rabbit}, we did it for 10 days. Symptoms had ceased, but we just decided to cover all our bases. With that said, my go-to for gunky eyes in animals {I’ve used this with great success on goats, dogs, rabbits … and the occasional human 😉 } is eyebright tincture. I use 10 drops for humans, and I adjust for the size of the animals — so goats got 10 drops also, but rabbits got 3 or so per dose. Make sense? Anyhow, you might find that is all that is necessary if he only has the eye issue… At our house, I’ve found it is best to make sure I continue giving the drops 2 or 3 days after the eyes clear up. Grapefruit drops can’t been given for really long periods of time, but eyebright can. 🙂
Do you put the eyebright in the rabbit’s water or use it in an eye wash?
I put it in the water — when used as an eye wash, it has to be diluted. I’ve only done that for people, though; not animals. 🙂
Hi,
I totally agree with you i got 16 rabbit for a while until last month 8 of them die of sickness i really sad obout it at last i go to see vet for one of my rabbit thier charge me so expensive that i can buy 2 new rabbit. For check to the doctor only their charge me 30 , injection 30 and 40 for medicine. After seeing the vet my rabbit die at that night. So now i got 8 rabbit left 6 of them still 2 week old that i have to feed them 3 times a day their mother die the one i bring to see vet, i determine to find medicines without see the Vet anymore the doctor also doesn’t know much about rabbit.
I wanted to take this time to say thank you for putting this information out there. I to have a lope eared rabbit that came down with snuffles . She had it for almost two weeks before I found this, and am proud to say is much better. I got this for her on your recommendation and started treating her. It took about two more weeks of treatment with this and I have a well rabbit. Once again thank you so much.
I’m so glad you found it helpful, Renee!
Hello. Firstly, thank you for this article. I adopted my rabbit Roger, about 7 months ago. I knew he had snuffles but was told it had been ‘treated’ and was OK now, I would just have to keep an eye on him. That was not the case. Not only were his lungs extremely phloem filled, he had ear infections in both ears and his runny nose looked so uncomfortable. He is fairly healthy for a long term snuffles bunny, but the antibiotics in the vets are not only expensive, but make him quite doppy and take his lovely personality away. So I’m going to try both of these. Luckily, I work in Holland and Baretts, which is a natural remedy store in case you don’t know, and we stock both of these!
Thank you so much for sharing this successful “experiment”! I currently have three rabbits with snuffles, they don’t have it real bad…but it still concerns me. I will definitely try this method of treatment and see how it goes. I am not against ever going to a vet, however I am discouraged by the cost of vets who specialize in rabbits. I have found so much great information about curing/treating rabbits with natural remedies and alternative treatments for many common illnesses, but never really found any alternative treatments for “snuffles” until now, thank you so much for providing your experience and medical treatments for the bunnies!
I just wanted to say, thank you for posting this. My Bubba (Cream d’Argent) has it pretty bad. I have started him on the Echinacea Extract that has a combination of Echinacea purpurea extract and Echinacea angustifolia which I hope is ok. I live in a very, very small town and the next closest pharmacy would be about 40 minutes away. Do you think, in your own personal opinion, if I need the grapefruit seed extract also? And if it the combination of the 2 that helps them get better? I will go to the other town and get the grapefruit seed extract if it has a better chance of him getting better.
You know, I have treated other animals — mainly goats — with Echinacea without the grapefruit seed, so if it were my rabbit {and the drive were that far!} I would definitely try it on its own and see what happened. Of course, it depends on how sick the rabbit was. These rabbits of mine were sick, but I did not feel that they were in a life-threatening situation.
I came across using Vicks to help clear up the congestion and I must say, it works great! He hasn’t sneezed in 3 days but has a wet nose.
I put a a very small amount above his nose and then some on a tissue above his cage.
Hopefully this will be a quick fix until he stops shedding. He still eats normal and no watery eyes.
Just wanted to share!
Good news! 🙂
Have you tried the liquid echinacea/ golden seal? I was thinking it may be easier?
Oh, that totally sounds easier! I haven’t tried it simply because I have always used what I keep on hand here at the house. BUT…all I would do is check the ingredients and make sure they all seem safe for rabbits. Some liquids have preservatives that aren’t necessarily okay for animals, but many are just alcohol based and totally fine…Good idea, Moxie!
My bunny has snuffles, I have tried a round of baytril and penicillin. It went away but once he started shedding again it came back.
I tried using dried echinacea and dandelion leaf and mixing it with some honey and weetabix (australian cereal). I gave him the mixture daily with his food. It helped a bit but not fast enough.
I recently got some echinacea capsules and he does not like the taste. Can you recommend something I can mix it with to get him to eat it? I tried a bit of honey water but he didn’t like that.
I have not tried the grapefruit seed extract, I am not able to locate it in my country yet.
Weetbix Ingredients: Wholegrain Wheat (95%), Malted Barley Extract, Sugar, Salt, Niacin, Iron, Riboflavin (B2), Thiamin (B1), Folic Acid.
I wonder — do you have access to goldenseal? It is a an herb/flower that rabbits will eat naturally in the wild here, and the research on it says that it is very high in antibiotic properties. I have been able to buy it as a loose herb here, so I wonder if you could find it. I have used it safely on rabbits and also dairy goats…and also human children. 🙂
Here are some things that we do to support overall rabbit health: fresh parsley (cilantro works as well), access to granulated kelp (they eat it free choice), and raw apple cider vinegar mixed in their water (I do 1-2 tsp. per liter — I’m sorry — you probably don’t use teaspoons, but I do not know what is equivalent measurement). A friend of mine who breeds rabbits uses a probiotic powder designed for rabbits in addition to these things. I have never needed to go to that extreme, but they are usually sold by veterinary supply stores and you may be able to find them there.
I really do not know how to get him to eat it. I hesitate to add more sugar if he’s not interested because sugar feeds bacteria.
Hello, I used the Echinacea capsules for 2 weeks and I want to believe it worked but soon after he started to shed which for some odd reason triggers more white sneezing. (This has happened in his last 2 sheds) I feel like he is allergic to himself. His cage is kept very clear with paper pellets in his litter box and some hay which has been shaken out. He spends most of his time on the couch and this one spot near our desk.
I was able to located Echinacea-Goldenseal liquid, should I still try this?
I will be adding the apple cider vinegar to his water in a few days when I can pick it up.
I found he eats the enhinacea powder when its sprinkled in veggies and mixed in with his pellets.
Sorry for the late reply, I never got an email telling me you answered me. I might have missed the check box!
No worries! It happens. 🙂
That is so strange! I know it is possible for rabbits to have allergies, but I haven’t seen it before!
I definitely think you can try the echinacea/goldenseal combo to see if your rabbit responds any differently. Just make sure that you do not give goldenseal for longer than 10 days in a row — the body needs a break of about a week after taking goldenseal for 10 days. Or, at least, that is our rule of thumb with humans. 🙂
The ACV might help with the allergies…I don’t know. I’ll be curious to see! It’s supposed to be a general immune boost, and our rabbits always respond very well to it. I can tell when they haven’t been getting it — they just seem less vibrant in general…
Just an update, I have tried ACV for about 3 weeks now and no improvement. I even have a humidifier in the room above where my bunny likes to lay. I really think he is just allergic to himself. Its at the worst while he is shedding. No leaky eyes, just sneezing white boogers and a wet nose (new from the humidifier) He eats and plays just fine. His teeth look good, his cage is almost dust free with paper pellets and shaken out/ low dust hay. ( he doesn’t like hay very much). I am going to continue with some ACV in his water and enchinea pills (once a week) and see how he does after his shed. I even sat there and plucked all his hair out to help. =)
Poor guy! It really does sound like allergies. I wonder if you could google animal allergies and see if anything comes up for helping build a better immune response to his environment. I know that ACV helps, but if you haven’t seen a change, it alone isn’t enough for him. Good thing he has such a loving owner! ♥
Hello brandy I have a giant flemish rabbit he is 6 months old I believe he has snuffles he sneezes all time and grunts and when he sleep he sounds terrible. I want to start him on the golden combination. Can you tell me if there is any different being that he is a giant Flemish? Thank you
I am not a doctor. {You know I have to say that, right? 🙂 } BUT. If he were my rabbit, I would give him a bit more, just as if he were a tiny guy, I’d give him less. I raise a herd of organic dairy goats, and all of their medicine is herbal. For them, they get large amounts of herbs when they have a problem, and with their babies, we adjust the dosage by weight. This is a very effective way to do it. So, my guess is that you could — and probably should — give him more. I don’t know exactly how much bigger he is though, so you will have to experiment. The rabbits I had treated at the time of writing this post were a full grown mini-low and a full-grown Californian, so you can try and compare the size of your rabbit to what I was working with. 🙂
And ps. don’t forget the fresh parsley. The very first organic breeder I ever spoke with swore by fresh parsley when a rabbit was under the weather and we have since found it to be good for boosting overall health when we don’t know exactly what is wrong.
Thank you brandy I’ve taken my bunny to the vet to be sure he does have a mild case of snuffles he is pretty big he is over 10 pounds the doctor gave him baytril 2cc daily I want to try to see how this works then go for the goldenseal formula I’ve heard that snuffles comes right back thanks for all of your information. I will let you know what happens
Sounds good! I hope he gets well soon. 🙂
“I don’t do vets”. “Vets are more expensive than a new rabbit”.
As a rancher with more than 25 years experience plus 12 additional years showing longhair guinea pigs, I am really amazed that you brag about being cheap. There is a time for home remedies and a time when a professional veterinarian is required.
If you want to cure a rabbit with snuffles, you need to provide a dust-free, environment with proper temperature and humidity, a good rabbit complete feed, a mixed hay, some red clover, fresh vegetables and fruit every day (pick a different one each day), thick dry bedding, and dedication. If Batril does not work, then you should move to a sulfa drug. Keep at it and consult a rabbit expert.
Your herb therapy is bunk. Herbs for humans do not work the same for all animals. Case in point: there are 127 cures for laboratory rats with cancer. NONE of them work in humans.
And vice versa.
Natural is always better. Most drugs are simply synthetic versions of herbs because they can be patented and sold by big pharma and are very profitable.
Herbs can’t be patented, they are what they are. And I have had more long term success with herbs than drugs.
You can’t always believe everything you are told.
Hello,
I am so glad I found this site, I like your thinking and believe that herbal remedies work better ( I found this true with my guinea pigs after failed treatment with antibiotics).
I am a new Rabbit owner and Olaf is just 3 moths old, he started sneezing occasionally on Friday and by Monday he was sneezing a lot more and I could see a clear discharge in his nostrils, he was fine in himself, eating and drinking normally, normal droppings and very playful.
I gave him some fresh washed and dried grass from the garden (small bunch) and one dandelion leaf, I added some pro-c probiotic to drinking water as well.
The following morning he was sneezing a lot less only occasionally like he was on Friday and I can’t see any watery discharge in his nostrils
Oh, that sounds great! I really agree with you that the herbal remedies work better than antibiotics in these sweet animals of ours. I even think that is often true in people, but that is another post for another day. 😉
Good job with your rabbit!
Hello,
My rabbit is sneezing and has a light yellow watery wet nose. She other wise acts fine. I was wondering where did you find the information on what herbs to use? I would like to start her on the vitamins you mentioned and give her some fresh herbs. I’m just not sure what which herb is for.
Thank you,
Beth
I made this choice based upon my own study of herbs and natural medicine. With that said, here is a good link to get you started:
– http://riseandshinerabbitry.com/2012/06/09/medicinal-herbs-for-rabbits/
I hope that helps!
As far as what I used for my own rabbit, these are actually things I use with my own family when they have respiratory infections, so all I did was check and see if they were safe for use in rabbits. 🙂
Hi have a dwarf lop buck who has had 4 treatments of baytril for a runny nose he has sneezing fits every now and then, I’ve changed his bedding also his hay but no luck what do you think? Should I try your treatment sounds promising, his teeth are fine he eats runs around no problem xx
I would definitely try it, were he my rabbit! We’ve had such great success with it, and herbs are so gentle on rabbits, since they are their natural food, that it seems like a great option. I’m not a doctor, but rabbit-owner to rabbit-owner, I think it is worth a try. 🙂
Ah thank you! I bought the ones exactly as you pictured. Except I got the capsules instead of the tablets. Thank you!!
Hey Brandy!
I loved the article you wrote. I have some questions though…my dwarf rabbit is just about a year old and a little less than 2lbs. Since I’ve bought him, he’s always had one runny eyes (I assumed it was hay allergies, that’s what the breeder told me) Eventually I took him the vet and had him neutered and found out that the vet thinks he has snuffles or some sort of upper respiratory track bacterial infection. So he was prescribed a 10 day antibiotic eye drops for just his eyes. During the treatment, he was completely fine but a week after the treatment stopped it came right back. The vet then switched me to baytril, I opted to give the baytril tablets instead of getting the baytril liquid because that requires giving him a shot everyday. Long story short, I’ve tried the Baytril treatment twice already and it’s not working (seemed to have no effect at all). I would like to try out your method, so do you think a capsule of the Echinacea and Goldenseal & 1-2 drops of the Citricidal Grapefruit Seed Extract will be ok for a rabbit his size and age? Is there anything else that you think might help that I should do? I pray that you still check this page! haha advice very much needed.
Thanks, April
If he were my rabbit, the one thing I would change is that I’d start with only one drop of GSE and then increase to two once you know he does okay with it. He is quite a bit smaller than my rabbits, I think. The herbs should be a big deal. Rabbits commonly gorge themselves on herbs when they can.
Another thing I’d suggest is putting a tablespoon or two of raw apple cider vinegar in his water. This is just generally good for rabbit health. We decided to do this all the time for our rabbits because it just seems to keep them chipper. In our 4H rabbits class, it was highly suggested for keeping their immunity up or helping them fight illness.
I hope this goes well for you! Sorry about your rabbit. It is so sad when they can’t breath! 🙁
Hey Brandy,
Thanks for replying. Can the raw apple cider vinegar be added with the GSE or should I lay off on the vinegar for now? As for the Echinacea and Goldenseal how much of that should I give him? I’ve tried giving him cilantro and baby bokchoy but he doesn’t like either. I also give him the oxbox immune system tablets and bene-bac the probiotics powder thing. What fresh veggies do you recommend that I give him daily?
And thanks! I’ll follow up in the future with you to let you know how he is doing. As for his area, do I need to sanitize or something? I clean it weekly with nature’s miracle, clorox wipes, & water. Do i need to do something else?
I don’t know what type of echinacea/goldenseal you are using, but if it is the capsules, I would just try one per day and see how it goes. Just remember I’m not a vet! 🙂 GSE and vinegar can be combined. As far as fresh veggies, I think the best thing to do is to look on Pinterest for “natural rabbit feeding” or “feeding rabbits naturally” and there is a lot there that is good reading. Just keep in mind that any animal that is moving from pellets to fresh foods needs to transition slowly so that its digestive system has time to adjust.
As far as sanitizing, I always think that sunlight is natures best sanitizer, so we cleaned everything really good and then let it all dry in the sun while our rabbits were struggling with this.
My dear Snowball has snuffles 🙁 I am so happy I read this I will try it out thank you for posting this option 🙂
Oh, I’m sorry, Paola! I hope Snowball feels better soon! 🙁
Thank you sooo very much … I haven’t heard my bunny sneeze in days so far 🙂 No more crying for me . Thank you ..
Oh, I’m so happy for you and your bunny! 🙂
Hello, My dear sister (who adores rabbits) purchased a baby bunny from the flea market. They had told her it was a 2 month old dwarf bunny thats why it was so small but even as I stood there I thought to myself, ‘It looks awful small doesnt it need its mother still?’
My sister bought it anyway feeling terribly bad for it. She took it home and it was sneezing and wheezing and had a runny nose. She also found out it still needed to drink momma milk and now has to bottle feed her several times throughout the day. The vet visit only helped a little. After the antibiotics ran out she started sneezing again. I do think my sister went to the vet again and got more antibiotics but she is visiting and didnt bring them and I feel awful about the poor snuffled bunny next to me. What would you think the dosage is for a 4 week (im assuming its four weeks it fits in my hand and its paws are smaller than my index finger) old baby dwarf hotot bunny. Would it be safe to feed her this at such a young age?
Oh my! They are SO tiny at that age that I just don’t know! Usually, herbal doses are adjusted by weight of the animal, which in this case is negligible…I would try adding maybe 1-2 drops to her drinking water so that it’s really diluted, and you can add raw apple cider vinegar to that as well. Does your sister have other rabbits? You want to keep this one quarantined while it has symptoms.
Fresh food cures a lot in rabbits, so parsley, comfrey, and/or dandelion can help. Leafy green tops of root vegetables (carrot tops, beet tops, etc) can also help.
Both of the rabbits I’ve treated this way acted pretty normal throughout treatment. I know that stress can have a HUGE impact on rabbits — they are all very sensitive, and it sounds like you have an extra-sensitive one!
Other than keeping his stress down, I would try to find fresh foods that he will eat — parsley is especially good, as is comfrey, if you can find it. Anytime you see a decline in appetite you want to take actions quickly when it comes to rabbits.
Hi. How would u treat very young bunnies? This bunny is still nursing. I’ve researched snuffles online and it said the sickness can travel to their ears and cause inner ear infections, which cause the rabbit to become unbalanced and unable to stand. The little bunny still has goop coming out of his nose, but he’s not standing and walking like his litter mates. Its effecting his health. He’s become so bony. I don’t know how to treat young californians who are still nursing. I’m afraid he’ll give it to his litter mates or his mother, but I don’t want to separate him for fear that he will starve. Any tips on how to fix this before its too late? Please let me know.
I would definitely speak with a vet about one so little — it is hard to tell what is wrong with them when they are so little! Other than that, if it was my rabbit, I would treat the mother since so much of this transfers into the milk. Still, I wouldn’t consider that a replacement for professional consultation! 🙂
So sorry about your bunny!
Hi Brandy, I am so grateful for your sharing this post with us. My bunny is experiencing, what I think sounds like “snuffels”. I had thought he had recovered. ( I’d changed things around here) as In= he and his mate, have been with me nearly 3 years, and totally roam free in our home. I took in 2 other rabbits, and a kitten in the last 2 months, put him, and his sis, in a hutch for a few days, and he developed this. So once I realized, what it seemed to be, I immediately removed he and his sis from the hutch, to roam free, and he began recovering, and seemed like his old self…. until one eve, he got stressed out again, because, I think he wants to be the only rabbit, or cat here, except for his mate/sis. I am so concerned, and I have gone out and purchased grapefruit seed extract, and Echinacea and goldenseal drops. He had been eating just fine, and he LOVES LOVES LOVES Dandilions, but insead of devouring them, he seems to just not really ant them. I am letting him sleep right now, and I have given him 1 droplet of each, on an apple tinybit. He is my sweet baby, and I pray and Pray that his little system recovers quickly. He is a sensitive rabbit, more so than any of the others. Blessing’s for sharing. If you feel like sharing any of how your rabbits behaved during treatment, I would love to hear. I know he would not do well without his mate, so they have been together this whole time, he has been experiencing this seeming snuffels. He is not snorting like he was in the beginning, just looking like he is swallowing running nose kind of stuff. Oh he is so precious! Thank you so much again, Sincerely, Tamara
We use 1 liter bottles. 🙂
Were the water bottles standard or 2 litre? I got both products in dropper form and was trying to decide how much to put in our 2 litre bottles.
I got liquid form. How many ‘drops’ did you add? I have echinacea/goldenseal (supreme-alcohol free) and the GSE. I’m terrified to add too many drops especially being that rabbits have highly sensitive upper resp system. He is also a very small Bunn, maybe 2#’s
I would check the dosage on the dropper bottle first. When I was using echinacea/goldenseal tablets, the dosage for an adult human was something like six per day. So I gave the rabbits ONE tablet — or 1/6th of a human dosage. Of course, my rabbits are at least twice the size of yours. So if a human would take 12 drops per day, maybe give your rabbit 1 drop and see the impact? I would definitely err on the side of caution.
The ech-glnd suggests, 40-60 drops 4-6 times A DAY!
The GSE says 10. I’m pretty sure I have the same one as you.
I guess I’m wondering how you would treat mr.bug, (prob the most beautiful bunn I’ve ever seen-hence the absurd name), and how many drops you’d do for each.
Also, I, taking oregano leaf drops for sinus thing. Any thoughts?
WOW! That’s a lot of drops! I am not a doctor, but I had success with the echinacea/goldenseal by giving 1/6th of the human dose for my own rabbits. For the GSE, I started with 1 drop and then did 2 once I saw that they were okay with 1. As I said in article, GSE is very bitter, and that was my bigger concern.
With oregano, I just prefer to feed fresh. If you do not grow oregano, you can buy a bunch at the grocery store. Rabbits totally eat it up. 🙂
Are the rabbits that were treated still well at the present moment? Or did they become sick again? I’m considering trying your method.
One of the rabbits — our dear Thumper — died of pregnancy toxemia earlier this year. She was, however, completely snuffle-free when she died. The other is still with us and just fine. 🙂
Hi there, do you know what kind of store would sell this kind of stuff? Would Walmart have it or would I have to go to one of those nature stores? Thanks.
I usually buy mine on Amazon, which is what the links go to. Echinacea/Goldenseal is often everywhere, even at a grocery store, but Citricidal would probably only be at a healthfood store or a place that sells vitamins and supplements.
I bought mine in a health food store
How long were they on this from start to finish?
For the mild case, it was eight or nine days, but for the more severe one it was two weeks.
I’m with you in treading sickness as natural as possible. For us though it was to late. Our cat had some diarreah for a few days and we didn’t think much about it, thought we probably should do something, but he seemed to be ok, but then from one day to the day he threw up in the morning ( and all day, but we were gone all day) and when we got home he was lagergic and dehydrated, but while is till tried to figure out how to help him he died.We might have stopped it if we done something earlier, though it was sad we still didn’t want to pay 100 of $ for the vet.I should have thought about GSE. also read about Apple cider vinegar in the water.
I wish I could post a picture, but ever since I found this blog I have continued to use both the echinacea/goldenroot and the grapefruit seed extract in their water. To this day I have never had another reoccurance and I never separated them when the one got it in the first place. The echinacea/goldenroot brand I bought was by herbs for kids. It has a dropper that if I catch one sneeze I give it directly to them in their mouth. They love it, drink it up. I have 2 half gallon water jugs for them and keep one just water and the other one with about 3 droppers full of the echinacea/goldenroot and about 20 drops of the GSE. That way they can decide for themselves when they need a boost in their immune system. And everyone in a while I let them lick off a spoon with coconut oil. They enjoy that very much!