[gr8ful]

Not sure if anyone here knows much on bordetella...have a question:

We have three rabbits, an English Angora pure bread that is 5, and two dutch rabbits. Our Angora has been diagnosed with Bordetella bronchiseptica and we have just started antibiotics. He apparently got this from one of the dutch rabbits (two female that are sisters) who is a carrier but shows no signs of bordetella. The other dutch shows no signs either. The one who is the carrier we just returned to our local animal rescue center where she was adopted. My question is could we still keep her even though she is a carrier of bordetella while our angora goes through the four weeks of medicine, or is it best that we gave her back and just keep the two....

 

[Nibbler]

i dont know anything about this illness , but if one has it and the others show no signs but one is a carrier have u had it confirmed by a vet which one it is ? also if there already togethier wouldnt they all already be infected by it in some way ? also if u have had it confirmed by the vet which one it is, would it be possible to have the carrier treated for it instead of rehoming her ?

 

[Purple-Hops]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC269539/pdf/jcm00049-0090.pdf
That link is academic but deals with experimentation of the infection.
Other than that, all I can gather from bordetalla is a cold like illness like kennel cough in dogs.
When you returned the bunny you rescued, did you tell them it had tested for bordetalla?!?!!?!? The last thing anyone would want is for an infection to spread! I wouldn't ever return my own animals to an already financially-in-trouble organization bc of a simple illness. I would just have all 3 rabbits treated and do my best.
Good luck,I hope this is cured

 

[gr8ful]

Thanks Purple Haze Hops and Nibller....Hops I agree, the only reason I took her back to the center is they realized she was a carrier when we adopted her 9 months ago, but she showed no physical signs or tested positive for bronchiseptica. It is extremely difficult as many will tell you most rabbits could carry the bordetella bacteria but it never shows until something sparks it, for example stress, or a weakened immunity to a specific strain. In the past it was often confused with snuffles - pasteurella multocida. Once a rabbit has this they do not get rid of it, antibiotics can be used to put it in "remission". What I want to find out and I can't seem to get a clear answer is once a rabbit has bordetella bronchoseptica and it begins taking antibiotics will it be o.k. to expose him to a carrier that was believed to have given him the illness, or will that rabbit pose to much of a health risk to be in contact

 

[Dragonrain]

I would think that now both (or all if they where in contact with each other) of your rabbits would be carriers.

To answer your question - because your rabbit who was sick will most likely always be a carrier now as well, I would think that the damage is already done and that it would be okay to expose him to the carrier that gave it to him in the first place.

These are all things I would be asking my vet though. You should talk with them about the situation and see what they recommend.

But I thought in your first post you said that you have already given the carrier rabbit to the rescue and that she was adopted? If she was already adopted, how would she be coming into contact with your rabbit again?

 

[gr8ful]

I took her back to where she was adopted, not adopted yet....technically all 3 are now carriers, but only one showed signs of sickness (the Angora) the other dutch I still have is the sister of the one returned. We have had her for 3 years. and all tests are fine....it's very confusing