Sally WAS sick!

by Luci B
(Jupiter FL)


I have been reading your info and testimonials. It's very helpful to a novice like me. We bought a doe and a buck in September to start breeding for meat. The buck (NZ White) is fine but the doe (NZ/Chinchilla mix) got the dreaded pastuerella. I went out one morning to feed and check on them and there she was with a swollen face and abscesses beginning! I took her to one vet who diagnosed her, shot her with Baytril and sent me home with Orbax 20mg. I gave them to her for 10 days and within 36 hours the symptoms were back. I put her on another round of the Orbax and the abscesses came back again! In fact I don't think they ever really left.


I took her to a second vet who shot her w/Baytril and sent me home w/liquid Bactrim 1.5 cc 2x daily for 2 weeks and Mupirocin 2% for the open sores. She has been off the meds for 4 days and so far appears very healthy.

My dilemma is whether to cull her out for the freezer or keep as a pet. I'm so mad at myself for getting attached! As soon as I discovered what she had, we separated her from the other rabbits. I suspect it's not a good idea to breed her for any reason? What do you think?

***** Karen Sez *****
Ugh, so sorry. Glad the doe is doing better finally. Wonder how long it'll last?

Here's your dilemma: if you cross your fingers and breed the doe, the stress of the pregnancy will trigger another round of symptoms that her immune system has already shown you it cannot handle adequately. But you can certainly try it, and if you do, please check back to this thread and let us all know what happens, just for the record.

Supposing you keep the doe as a pet, and you can certainly do this as well, you must consider this doe a carrier of dangerous germs even if she is asymptomatic. For as long as you are caring for her, you risk carrying germs from her to the other rabbits, and triggering periodic outbreaks among the rabbits you think and hope are healthy.

I think the rabbit itself will end up dictating your course of action. With all those meds on board, she shouldn't be consumed unless she is butchered beyond all drug withdrawal times.

Good luck with everything.

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Jan 08, 2013
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by: Luci B

Karen, thanks for your input. Spreading any germs to rest of the herd is a definite concern. She's been off any meds since the beginning of Dec and is doing well; showing no signs of the Pastuerella.

However, we will not be breeding her and decided she will go in the pot in the next couple of weeks. It's sad that we couldn't use her for breeding as she has a wonderful temperament.

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