Pasteurellosis is an infection caused by a common bacterium, Pasteurella multocida, and it is one of the best-known illnesses of pet rabbits. Many rabbits carry it with no signs at all, and illness often appears only when something weakens their defences.1College of Veterinary Medicine. Pasteurellosis The same bacterium can also cause very different problems depending on where it settles, from a runny nose to hidden abscesses.
Snuffles The Most Common Sign
The form most owners see first is an upper respiratory infection nicknamed “snuffles,” with sneezing and inflamed eyes.2VIN. Pasteurellosis in Rabbits: Symptoms, Treatment, and Prevention Some rabbits also cough, and both coughing and sneezing can come and go unevenly.3PubMed Central. THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF A RABBIT RESPIRATORY INFECTION Discharge from the nose may be clear and watery, or thick, cloudy, white or yellow.4VIN. Pasteurellosis in Rabbits: Symptoms, Treatment, and Prevention Clear discharge is easy to miss, because a rabbit’s nose is naturally moist and often damp from fresh greens.5PubMed Central. THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF A RABBIT RESPIRATORY INFECTION
The front paws are the giveaway. Rabbits groom carefully and wipe their noses with their front paws, which leaves the fur on the inside of the paws matted and crusted.6VIN. Pasteurellosis in Rabbits: Symptoms, Treatment, and Prevention Wet or matted inner paws suggest the nose has been running, even when the nose itself looks clean.7PubMed Central. THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF A RABBIT RESPIRATORY INFECTION
A fuller check takes a minute. Look at the inside of both front paws for damp, flattened or crusty fur. Check the nostrils for crust or discharge and note its colour. Look under the eyes for wet fur or bald patches. Then think about how often the sneezing happens over a day, since an occasional sneeze from dust differs from repeated bouts.
An occasional sneeze after fresh hay or near dusty bedding, with dry paws, is often just irritation. Ongoing discharge with matted paws points to infection. Any discharge, or sneezing that lasts across several days, is the point to book a vet visit rather than wait.
Eye signs are common too. Conjunctivitis often comes with snuffles, causing watery eyes, discharge and fur loss around the eyes.8VIN. Pasteurellosis in Rabbits: Symptoms, Treatment, and Prevention The tear duct, the small tube that drains tears into the nose, often becomes inflamed and can block.9VIN. Pasteurellosis in Rabbits: Symptoms, Treatment, and Prevention Because rabbits have only one tear duct per eye, a blocked duct can cause tears that run for months.10VIN. Pasteurellosis in Rabbits: Symptoms, Treatment, and Prevention
Many rabbits otherwise seem well. They usually have no fever and eat and behave normally.11PubMed Central. THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF A RABBIT RESPIRATORY INFECTION Signs may clear and return, or slowly worsen so that thick discharge persists for years.12PubMed Central. THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF A RABBIT RESPIRATORY INFECTION
When It Spreads To The Lungs Ears Or Womb
Snuffles can progress to lung infection, eye infection or middle-ear infection.13College of Veterinary Medicine. Pasteurellosis Pneumonia develops in roughly 1 in 5 rabbits with snuffles.14College of Veterinary Medicine. Pasteurellosis Sometimes there is little sign of snuffles first, and a rabbit may only stop eating and seem dull before dying suddenly.15College of Veterinary Medicine. Pasteurellosis Severe lung infection can also spread to the lining of the chest and around the heart, leaving pus-filled pockets.16College of Veterinary Medicine. Pasteurellosis
Breathing is the thing to watch. Faster breathing, visible effort in the chest or belly with each breath, or noisy breathing suggests the lungs may be involved. Rabbits breathe through their noses, so open-mouth breathing signals serious difficulty and needs urgent care. A rabbit that is quiet, hunched, off its food or sitting away from its companions may be unwell even when you hear no sneezing. No eating or no droppings for several hours is urgent in any rabbit.
Infection can also travel up from the nose into the ear.17Laboratory Animals. A strain of Pasteurella multocida associated with infections in rabbit colonies A tilted head is one of the signs linked to the disease.18PubMed Central. In field evaluation of impact on clinical signs of an inactivated autogenous vaccine against Pasteurella multocida in rabbits A sudden head tilt, rolling or circling suggests the ear or balance system is involved and calls for a vet the same day.
In female rabbits, the bacterium can cause pus in the womb and egg tubes and abscesses on the ovaries.19PubMed. Ovarian abscesses and pyometra in a domestic rabbit Vaginal discharge is among the recorded signs.20PubMed Central. In field evaluation of impact on clinical signs of an inactivated autogenous vaccine against Pasteurella multocida in rabbits In breeding does, though, other bacteria cause womb infections more often than Pasteurella does.21PubMed. Effects of induced endometritis on the life-span of corpora lutea in pseudopregnant rabbits and incidence of spontaneous uterine infections related to fertility of breeding does A doe with bloody or creamy vaginal discharge needs a vet check, because womb infection can look like mild tiredness until it is advanced. Spaying is a discussion to have with your vet, since removing the womb removes that risk.
Abscesses And Lumps
An abscess is a pocket of pus made of bacteria and the white blood cells fighting them.22House Rabbit Network. Your Bunny Probably Has It – Pasteurella Pasteurella abscesses can form anywhere on the body, and tooth-root abscesses on the face are common.23House Rabbit Network. Your Bunny Probably Has It – Pasteurella Abscesses under the skin or inside the body can stay silent for a long time and then burst.24Merck Veterinary Manual. Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases of Rabbits – Exotic and Laboratory Animals Fight wounds between males housed together often turn into abscesses.25Merck Veterinary Manual. Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases of Rabbits – Exotic and Laboratory Animals
Rabbit pus is different from the pus in many other animals. In rabbits it is thick and cheese-like and will not drain.26House Rabbit Network. Your Bunny Probably Has It – Pasteurella So, unlike in cats, lancing or draining is not the recommended treatment, and thick-walled abscesses are best removed whole by surgery where possible.27Merck Veterinary Manual. Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases of Rabbits – Exotic and Laboratory Animals Facial abscesses linked to tooth disease can spread into the jaw bone and behind the eye, needing specialised surgery.28PubMed. Surgical Treatment of Facial Abscesses and Facial Surgery in Pet Rabbits
Running your fingers along the jaw, cheeks and under the chin once a week is the best way to catch a lump early. A Pasteurella abscess typically feels like a firm, rounded lump under the skin, often not obviously painful to touch. Growths, injury swellings and other conditions can feel similar, so a vet has to examine it. Note the size, or photograph it with a coin beside it, so you can tell the vet whether it is growing. Drooling, dropping food or one bulging eye can signal a facial abscess. Don’t squeeze or try to open a lump at home.
In surgery the vet usually removes the whole capsule and may pack or flush the site. Tooth-root abscesses may require removing affected teeth. Rechecks are typical, since abscesses can recur.
How Vets Diagnose And Treat It
Signs like matted paws and thick discharge often make snuffles clear on examination.29PubMed Central. THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF A RABBIT RESPIRATORY INFECTION A blood test that detects antibodies to the bacterium can identify both sick rabbits and those carrying it without signs.30PubMed Central. Serological Response to Pasteurella multocida NanH Sialidase in Persistently Colonized Rabbits A positive result alone doesn’t mean a rabbit is ill, and a negative result isn’t an absolute guarantee either. The test is most helpful for screening a new rabbit before it meets others.
At the appointment, the vet will listen to the chest, look in the nose and eyes, check the ears and teeth, and feel for lumps, because signs can be spread across the body. Expect questions about how long the signs have lasted, whether they come and go, and whether other rabbits are affected. A swab of discharge can be sent to a lab to grow the bacteria and test which antibiotics work, which is most useful when a first course hasn’t worked. Chest X-rays may be suggested when breathing is affected, to show whether the lungs are involved.
Antibiotics prescribed by a vet are the main treatment. But in experimentally infected rabbits treated with enrofloxacin, a common rabbit antibiotic, illness was milder while the bacteria were still found in every inflamed area.31PubMed Central. Alternative treatment of serious and mild Pasteurella multocida infection in New Zealand White rabbits Some vets add antibiotic nose drops, nebulised antibiotics or mucus-thinning medicines.32Ask A Vet. Rabbit Snuffles (Upper Respiratory Infection): Vet Guide for 2025 🐇🩺
Never use leftover or human antibiotics, as some are dangerous to a rabbit’s gut. Finish the full course even if signs fade early, and report soft droppings or appetite loss during treatment straight away.
Supportive care keeps the rabbit going. Very sick rabbits may get fluids by drip or under the skin, help to breathe, and medicine to keep their gut moving.33PDSA. Respiratory infections/snuffles in rabbits A nebuliser can soothe the airways.34PDSA. Respiratory infections/snuffles in rabbits Warmth and hand-feeding with a critical-care food are part of nursing.35Ask A Vet. Rabbit Snuffles (Upper Respiratory Infection): Vet Guide for 2025 🐇🩺
At home, gently wipe the nose and eyes with damp cotton wool. Keep the room warm but well ventilated and free of dust. Offer favourite greens and water, and syringe-feed critical-care food if your vet advises. Track droppings and appetite daily and report drops quickly.
Why It Keeps Coming Back
Many rabbits carry the bacteria without looking sick, and they can still pass them to others, particularly through close contact.36College of Veterinary Medicine. Pasteurellosis With several rabbits, one illness may be linked to carriers in the group, not only the sick one, and a vet can advise on testing and on whether rabbits should be kept together.
The bacteria can also live in a slimy protective layer that shields them from antibiotics and the immune system.37Haya: The Saudi Journal of Life Sciences. Pasteurella multocida in Veterinary Medicine Emerging Resistance, Vaccination Challenges, and Control Approaches This layer is thought to explain why snuffles returns and responds poorly to treatment.38Haya: The Saudi Journal of Life Sciences. Pasteurella multocida in Veterinary Medicine Emerging Resistance, Vaccination Challenges, and Control Approaches Bacteria released from it may be more contagious to other animals.39PubMed Central. Capsular Polysaccharide Interferes with Biofilm Formation by Pasteurella multocida Serogroup A
Stress tips the balance. Housing conditions plus age, pregnancy and general health decide whether a rabbit falls ill and how badly.40Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science. A Study of the Influence of Environmental Factors and the Prevalence of Pasteurellosis in Rabbits Disease worsens and deaths rise during pregnancy and nursing.41Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science. A Study of the Influence of Environmental Factors and the Prevalence of Pasteurellosis in Rabbits Common triggers for a flare-up include moving house, new companions or loud surroundings, dental disease or another illness, ammonia from dirty litter and dusty bedding, and heat or sudden temperature swings.
Preventing Pasteurellosis
The bacterium spreads mainly by direct contact between rabbits and less often through the air.42College of Veterinary Medicine. Pasteurellosis Poor housing, poor ventilation and no quarantine for new rabbits help it spread.43PubMed Central. Clinical, Pathological, and Antimicrobial Characteristics of Pasteurella multocida Infections in Extensively Reared Rabbits in Western Romania Shows and swapping rabbits can carry infection between homes.44PubMed Central. Clinical, Pathological, and Antimicrobial Characteristics of Pasteurella multocida Infections in Extensively Reared Rabbits in Western Romania
A newcomer that looks well can still pass it on, so avoid mixing rabbits straight away. Keep the newcomer in a separate room for a few weeks. Wash hands and change clothes between rabbits. Have the new rabbit checked by a vet before bonding, and watch for sneezing or wet paws during quarantine.
The environment matters too. The more aspects of housing fall short of ideal, the more often breathing problems appear.45Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science. A Study of the Influence of Environmental Factors and the Prevalence of Pasteurellosis in Rabbits Good airflow, clean litter and low dust are your main defences. Clean litter trays often to prevent ammonia build-up, choose dust-extracted hay and bedding, and avoid stuffy hutches or closed garages.
Vaccines have shown promise. In one trial, an injected vaccine left 1 of 15 rabbits sick compared with 10 of 15 unvaccinated rabbits.46PubMed Central. Field Trial of a Pasteurella multocida Extract Vaccine in Rabbits Protection from that vaccine fell noticeably by about 6 months.47PubMed Central. Field Trial of a Pasteurella multocida Extract Vaccine in Rabbits On rabbit farms, a vaccine made from the local strain cut deaths and signs like runny nose, head tilt and discharge.48PubMed Central. In field evaluation of impact on clinical signs of an inactivated autogenous vaccine against Pasteurella multocida in rabbits Availability varies, so ask your vet whether a Pasteurella vaccine is offered where you live.
Can People Catch It From Rabbits
People can catch Pasteurella from rabbits through bites or scratches, and possibly by breathing it in.49Veteris. Pasteurella in Rabbits: Causes and Treatment Options Scratches are common because nervous rabbits are often picked up, and territorial rabbits may bite when you reach into their space.50PubMed Central. Spreading of Pasteurella multocida Infection in a Pet Rabbit Breeding and Possible Implications on Healed Bunnies The type most common in sick rabbits is also almost the only type found in human infections.51PubMed Central. Spreading of Pasteurella multocida Infection in a Pet Rabbit Breeding and Possible Implications on Healed Bunnies Elderly people and those with weakened immunity are most at risk.52Veteris. Pasteurella in Rabbits: Causes and Treatment Options
After a bite or scratch, wash it with soap and running water straight away. Watch for redness, swelling or pain over the next day or two, and see a doctor promptly if it worsens, mentioning the rabbit. People with weak immunity should seek advice even for minor wounds. People with weakened immunity, older adults and very young children may prefer that someone else handles a sick rabbit and its medicines during a flare-up.