[Gpdd] [Health]<Guinea pigs and rabbits: Bordatella?>

[Liz Kennedy]

Does anyone out there own both rabbits and guinea pigs?

I'm starting the process of adopting a rabbit from the House Rabbit Society 
here in Colorado, and was just informed that rabbits carry Bordatella and 
can give it to guinea pigs.  The person I am in contact with does not know 
much about guinea pigs (only about rabbits), and says she's never seen this 
situation first hand, so doesn't know much about it.
>From what I've read, I've learned this:

"Bordetella bronchiseptica is the most common bacterial respiratory 
infection in guinea pigs or cavies. Symptoms include sneezing, runny nose, 
loss of appetite, depression, weight loss and in severe cases death.  
Bordatella bronchiseptica is commonly found in the respiratory tract of 
rabbits and yet rarely causes respiratory infection.  Because of this, 
rabbits are able to infect guinea pigs with Bordatella even though they are 
not infected themselves.

In guinea pigs treatment is often unsuccessful even when started early, but 
includes a broad spectrum antibiotic such as chloramphenicol. A cavy that 
survives will be a carrier of the infection."

Obviously I don't want to bring a rabbit into my house knowing that they 
could very well get all 6 of my pigs very sick, but I'm wondering if there's 
some kind of solution to this problem, since I know a lot of people who are 
owned by pigs are also owned by rabbits, and vice versa.  Maybe there's some 
kind of vaccine I can give my pigs?  Or some kind of test to see if the 
rabbit indeed carries Bordatella?  I called my vet, and he's had no 
experience with giving the Bordatella vaccine to guinea pigs, so I don't 
want to risk it without some advice from my guinea pig mentors (that'd be 
you guys).  :)

I'd like to continue to let my pigs free range when I'm around, and also let 
the rabbit free range when the pigs are not sometimes, so housing them in 
different rooms and washing my hands in between handling and all those 
precautions would basically be useless and not possible.

Thanks so much!  And Wilson and Winifred send many thanks for the nice 
welcomes!

Liz slave to Baisil, Dot, Myrtle, Phoebe, Wilson and Winifred

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