Pasteurella multocida is the most common bacterial respiratory pathogen of pet rabbits, and the snuffles you can hear is just the upper-airway tip of an iceberg that often includes pneumonia, ear infections, dental abscesses, and reproductive disease. Up to 50 to 60 percent of clinically healthy rabbits in survey studies carry Pasteurella in the nasal passages, and stress, dental disease, or poor ventilation tip carriage into active infection (Deeb et al., 1990, JAVMA). A rabbit with persistent nasal discharge, head tilt, weight loss, or labored breathing should be treated as having lower-airway disease until proven otherwise — and treated promptly, because pneumonia kills more pet rabbits than almost any other infection.
Last reviewed: June 2026
How Pasteurella Pneumonia Develops
Pasteurella multocida colonizes the rabbit nasopharynx through direct contact, aerosol, or fomites, and infection spreads from nose to sinuses, middle ear, lungs, eyes, uterus, and bone. The bacterium is opportunistic — stress, poor diet, ammonia from urine-soaked bedding, and concurrent dental disease shift colonization into invasive disease. In the lungs it produces a suppurative bronchopneumonia with consolidation and abscess formation. Chronic cases form thick-walled lung abscesses that are nearly impossible to clear with antibiotics alone. As described in Quesenberry & Carpenter's Ferrets, Rabbits & Rodents, the disease is best thought of as a chronic respiratory syndrome that flares rather than a discrete infection cured in one course.
Signs Beyond the Sneeze
A rabbit with active pneumonia may sound only mildly congested but breathe with increased effort, especially after a small amount of activity. Watch for: increased respiratory rate above 60 breaths per minute at rest, abdominal effort with each breath, head and neck stretched forward to keep the airway open, blue or purple-tinged gums, reduced appetite, and reluctance to move. A drop in hay consumption is often the first behavioral clue. Audible nasal discharge, matted fur on the front paws from face-wiping, and a head tilt suggesting middle-ear involvement are common companion findings.
Diagnosis Beyond a Stethoscope
Auscultation alone misses many pneumonia cases in rabbits because lung sounds are quiet through a small chest. Two-view thoracic radiographs are the most useful first-line test and reliably reveal alveolar pattern, consolidation, or abscess. Computed tomography is far more sensitive for small abscesses, ear infections, and dental root involvement and is increasingly available at exotic referral practices. Nasal cultures alone are not diagnostic because healthy rabbits carry Pasteurella. A deep nasal flush or transtracheal wash plus culture and sensitivity guides antibiotic choice. PCR panels for Pasteurella, Bordetella bronchiseptica, and Mycoplasma pulmonis identify mixed infections that change treatment.
Antibiotic Choices That Actually Work
Pasteurella is intrinsically resistant to several antibiotics commonly used in mammals, so empiric choice matters. The most consistently effective options in published case series and exotic textbook protocols are enrofloxacin or marbofloxacin at the high end of the labeled dose range, azithromycin, chloramphenicol, and parenteral penicillin G in select indications (Carpenter Exotic Animal Formulary, 2023). Oral penicillins, amoxicillin, ampicillin, and cephalosporins must be avoided in rabbits because of the risk of fatal clostridial enterotoxemia. Treatment courses run a minimum of 4 to 6 weeks and frequently must extend to 8 to 12 weeks for established pneumonia. Nebulization with saline or with appropriate antibiotic solutions twice daily is a useful adjunct in rabbits with mucus plugging.
Husbandry Changes That Matter
Antibiotics alone rarely succeed without environmental change. Exotic mammal husbandry guidance specifically emphasizes ammonia-free, well-ventilated housing as the single most modifiable risk factor for chronic respiratory disease in rabbits (AEMV Pet Care Guides, 2024). Move the rabbit to a well-ventilated, low-dust room; switch to a dust-extracted paper or aspen bedding; remove or replace any pine or cedar shavings; reduce ammonia by daily litter scooping and twice-weekly full bedding changes. Provide unlimited grass hay and limit pellets to 20 to 30 grams per kilogram per day to support gut motility during long courses of antibiotics. Address coexisting dental disease at the same time — cheek-tooth spurs and tooth-root abscesses maintain inflammation that prevents pneumonia clearance.
Prognosis and What Long-Term Looks Like
Early uncomplicated pneumonia carries a good prognosis with prompt, appropriately chosen antibiotics. Chronic cases with lung abscesses, established bronchiectasis, or concurrent middle-ear and dental disease are managed rather than cured — many rabbits live well for years with intermittent flares, with treatment cycled during flare-ups and supportive care during quiet periods. Roughly 50 to 70 percent of rabbits with established Pasteurella pneumonia in retrospective series are still alive 1 to 2 years after diagnosis if husbandry is corrected and flares are treated promptly. The biggest predictor of poor outcome is delay before the first appropriately chosen antibiotic course.
When to See a Vet
Call your vet today if:
- Persistent sneezing or nasal discharge for more than 3 to 5 days
- Matted fur on the front paws from repeated face wiping
- Reduced hay intake or fewer cecotropes for more than 24 hours
- A new head tilt, ear scratching, or balance change
- Increased respiratory rate at rest above 60 breaths per minute
Go to the ER immediately if:
- Open-mouth breathing or visible abdominal effort with each breath
- Blue, purple, or pale gums or tongue
- Sudden collapse or unwillingness to stand
- Profuse green, yellow, or blood-tinged nasal discharge with respiratory distress
- A rabbit that has stopped eating and producing droppings for more than 12 hours with respiratory signs
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is snuffles always Pasteurella?
No. Snuffles is a clinical pattern — sneezing and nasal discharge — that can also be caused by Bordetella bronchiseptica, Pseudomonas, Mycoplasma, dental root abscesses pushing into the nasal cavity, allergens, and dust. Pasteurella is the most common single cause but mixed infections are routine. That is why culture, sensitivity, and imaging matter rather than empiric long-term enrofloxacin alone.
How much does Pasteurella diagnosis and treatment cost?
Initial exotic vet exam typically runs $75 to $200, since exotic vets price about 1.5 to 2 times standard. Two-view chest radiographs add $150 to $400. Deep nasal culture and sensitivity is $80 to $200, CT $700 to $1,500. A 6-week course of enrofloxacin or azithromycin for a 2 to 3 kg rabbit runs $80 to $250. Nebulizer equipment is $40 to $120 one-time. Hospitalization for a rabbit in respiratory distress runs $300 to $800 per day. Catching it early dramatically reduces the chance of chronic abscess requiring surgical intervention.
Can my rabbit infect my other rabbits?
Yes, and most do. Pasteurella spreads by direct nose-to-nose contact, sneeze aerosols, and fomites on hands and food bowls. Isolate the symptomatic rabbit during active flares and treat the household as exposed. Healthy carriers are common, so even an asymptomatic bonded mate may be infected. Stress reduction, good ventilation, and rapid response to early signs in any other rabbit in the home are more practical than trying to maintain a Pasteurella-free household.
Can humans catch Pasteurella from rabbits?
Direct rabbit-to-human transmission of Pasteurella multocida is rare but documented, usually through a bite or scratch. Wounds that swell, redden, or develop pus within 24 hours need medical evaluation. Routine handling and nasal discharge contact carry minimal risk for healthy adults. Immunocompromised people should still wash hands after handling any sick rabbit.
Is there a vaccine against Pasteurella in rabbits?
There is no widely available commercial Pasteurella vaccine for pet rabbits in the US. Research vaccines have shown partial protection in laboratory settings but none are practical for the pet population. Prevention rests entirely on husbandry — good ventilation, low dust, low ammonia, stress reduction, and quarantine of new rabbits for at least 2 to 4 weeks.
Still Not Sure if Your Rabbit Needs a Vet?
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