Pasteurellosis
It seems like many breeders are very hush-hush about pasteurella and pasteurellosis, but I think it is an issue that should be discussed much more frequently and honestly. Every rabbit breeder will run into pasteurellosis at some point sooner or later, and it can be devastating.
As someone used to humans, puppies and kittens, it is a major shift in thought. For those species, you can vaccinate for most diseases and cure or reliably avoid all the rest. I think breeders are so scared to talk about it because the are afraid they might scare people off, or get a reputation for selling sick rabbits.
If you are considering getting rabbits, from anyone, here are a few basic facts to be aware of. A lot of this is well known info, but the rest is all my opinion, as a rabbit breeder of about a year, and other people may have different ideas. My opinion may change over time as I put my theories to practice.
As someone used to humans, puppies and kittens, it is a major shift in thought. For those species, you can vaccinate for most diseases and cure or reliably avoid all the rest. I think breeders are so scared to talk about it because the are afraid they might scare people off, or get a reputation for selling sick rabbits.
If you are considering getting rabbits, from anyone, here are a few basic facts to be aware of. A lot of this is well known info, but the rest is all my opinion, as a rabbit breeder of about a year, and other people may have different ideas. My opinion may change over time as I put my theories to practice.
The Facts
- There is no cure or vaccine for pasteurellosis
- Pasteurellosis can appear differently in different rabbits - colored snot, abscesses, head tilting, etc.
- Pasteurella is very contagious
- All herds have pasteurella organisms, unless they are in a lab. The bacteria is everywhere.
- Not all rabbits get sick from pasteurella
- There are many different pasteurella strains
An Ounce of Prevention
Though it is tempting to start your herd with ten different lines. I really don't recommend it. When rabbits are stressed, they are more likely to get sick. Introducing them to multiple foreign strains of bacteria practically ensures someone will come down with sneezes. This happened to me and I have seen it again and again where a new breeder will get several different lines at once and soon they have a full blown epidemic.
- Only get new acquisitions from one rabbitry at a time
- Minimize other sources of stress shortly after a move (no dogs, no kids, no quick feed changes, yes treat for mites, yes shear or pluck long coats, put rabbits from indoors to outdoors primarily during spring or fall)
- Quarantine new rabbits far from established ones for one month or longer. Change clothes and wash hands between caring for rabbits, and do not share grooming tools, etc between new and home rabbits.
What Can You Do About It?
Paseurellosis is a very uncomfortable condition for a rabbit, so letting nature take it's course is not an option. There are two primary courses of action that people can and do take when pasteurellosis crops up-
Sadly, this is the best choice for people who have more than a few rabbits. An active pasteurellosis infection, especially if it is in the respiratory tract, can destroy a whole herd in weeks.
- Treat with antibiotics for the rest of the rabbit's life
- Rabbits that would get sick, if not treated instead are bred and pass on their genes to their kits.
- It could also contribute to developing antibiotic resistant bacteria, of all kinds, in rabbits that are constantly medicated.
- When a rabbit is sold, not only will the stress of moving increase the chance of pasteurellosis, but suddenly going off antibiotics will expose any latent infections
- Humanely cull the rabbit
Sadly, this is the best choice for people who have more than a few rabbits. An active pasteurellosis infection, especially if it is in the respiratory tract, can destroy a whole herd in weeks.
My Experience and My 2 Cents
When I first got my rabbits, I got them from two separate breeders. One of the rabbits, a doe with kits, came down with snuffles shortly thereafter. At first, I was really angry that the breeders had sold me sick rabbits, but then I realized that there was no way they could have known the rabbit would get sick. After much research, I decided to cull her humanely and raise the kits. Two kits also started to sneeze, and I culled them also. No more of my rabbits at this point have had any issues with white snot in my rabbitry, but the spectre of pasteurella still haunts my rabbitry. I had a doe go off feed and die recently, and I know it was not wool block, and there were no clear signs of pasteurella, but I wonder if that was the underlying cause. I also worry that any rabbits I sell will get sick if they move. This is why most breeders do not offer a health guarantee -- there is just no way to predict which rabbits will get sick, or whether that illness is from a home strain or something it just picked up. Even a lab cannot tell the difference between strains or what is causing an illness.
Some breeders advocate a closed rabbitry, which makes a lot of sense if you only intend to keep rabbits for your homestead. Over time, with responsible culling, the rabbits will be resistant to whatever strains exist in the herd, and there will be little stress as rabbits grow up and live only in the rabbitry they are born in.
However, I wish to show, sell, and help others with an interest in Satin Angoras, so a no-stress environment with no new germs is not an option for me. Rabbits are bound to bring home the occasional bug from a show, and I want them to be able to handle it without getting sick. When I set new breeders up with a pair or trio, I want them to be able to settle in with no problems and live robust, healthy lives, able to kindle and raise litters, or travel and adapt to new environments.
Therefore, I believe that the best choice is not to coddle the rabbits -- never letting them experience any stress whatsoever. Instead, I plan to choose the very healthiest and liveliest kits that I can for my breeding and other's, and expose each generation to a higher level of stressors, so my rabbits will resist any bacteria they encounter.
Some breeders advocate a closed rabbitry, which makes a lot of sense if you only intend to keep rabbits for your homestead. Over time, with responsible culling, the rabbits will be resistant to whatever strains exist in the herd, and there will be little stress as rabbits grow up and live only in the rabbitry they are born in.
However, I wish to show, sell, and help others with an interest in Satin Angoras, so a no-stress environment with no new germs is not an option for me. Rabbits are bound to bring home the occasional bug from a show, and I want them to be able to handle it without getting sick. When I set new breeders up with a pair or trio, I want them to be able to settle in with no problems and live robust, healthy lives, able to kindle and raise litters, or travel and adapt to new environments.
Therefore, I believe that the best choice is not to coddle the rabbits -- never letting them experience any stress whatsoever. Instead, I plan to choose the very healthiest and liveliest kits that I can for my breeding and other's, and expose each generation to a higher level of stressors, so my rabbits will resist any bacteria they encounter.