Bacterial Infections in Rabbits
Pocket Pet · Oryctolagus cuniculus · typical adult weight 1.00–5.00 kg
5 cited drugs treat Bacterial Infections in rabbits: Chloramphenicol, Enrofloxacin, Marbofloxacin, Moxifloxacin, Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole.
General coverage of susceptible bacterial pathogens. Drug selection turns on the suspected organism's gram-stain, the patient's species (oral β-lactams unsafe in rabbits/guinea pigs), and the infection site (penetration to bone, CSF, or biliary tree).
The overview above describes Bacterial Infections across species; the citations below are the ExoticRx dose rules scoped to rabbits — a reference list, not new species-specific clinical guidance.
Chloramphenicol
Antibiotic| Route | Dose | Frequency | Duration | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PO | 30–50 mg/kg | q12h | 7-14 days | Bacterial infections | Moderate | Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th ed (2023, held copy; the original seed cited the 9th, which was never consulted) — Verified against Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.842 (2026-08-01). — Plumb's 10th ed (held) printed p.248, Chloramphenicol monograph spanning p.245-248; page located 2026-08-05 from the book's own running heads, and carries this exact dose under the matching species heading. — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 10.1 (Antimicrobial Agents Used in Rabbits.a). The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table — not the page — is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook — ISBN 9781394172207, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781394172207; Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929 |
| SC | 30–50 mg/kg | q12h | 7-14 days | Bacterial infections when oral not feasible | Moderate | Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th ed (2023, held copy; the original seed cited the 9th, which was never consulted) — Verified against Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.842 (2026-08-01). — Plumb's 10th ed (held) printed p.248, Chloramphenicol monograph spanning p.245-248; page located 2026-08-05 from the book's own running heads, and carries this exact dose under the matching species heading. — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 10.1 (Antimicrobial Agents Used in Rabbits.a). The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table — not the page — is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook — ISBN 9781394172207, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781394172207; Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929 |
Enrofloxacin(Baytril)
Antibiotic| Route | Dose | Frequency | Duration | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IM | 5–20 mg/kg | q12h | 7-14 days | Bacterial infections | Moderate | Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th ed (2023, held copy; the original seed cited the 9th, which was never consulted) — Verified against Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.843 (2026-08-01). — Plumb's 10th ed (held) printed p.450, Enrofloxacin monograph spanning p.450-454; page located 2026-08-05 from the book's own running heads, verified to name the drug in its body text. — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 10.1 (Antimicrobial Agents Used in Rabbits.a). The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table — not the page — is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook — ISBN 9781394172207, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781394172207; Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929 |
| PO | 5–20 mg/kg | q12h | 7-14 days | Bacterial infections (respiratory, UTI) | Strong | Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th ed (2023, held copy; the original seed cited the 9th, which was never consulted) — Verified against Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.843 (2026-08-01). — Plumb's 10th ed (held) printed p.450, Enrofloxacin monograph spanning p.450-454; page located 2026-08-05 from the book's own running heads, verified to name the drug in its body text. — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 10.1 (Antimicrobial Agents Used in Rabbits.a). The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table — not the page — is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook — ISBN 9781394172207, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781394172207; Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929 |
| SC | 5–20 mg/kg | q12h | 7-14 days | Bacterial infections | Moderate | Verified against Muller & Kirk's Small Animal Dermatology, 7th Ed, p.857 (2026-08-01). — LOCATOR CONVENTION 2026-08-07: the bare 'p.857' in this citation is the PDF index of the held scan, not the printed page. The PRINTED page is p.845; verified by finding the drug named there. If you are holding the book, turn to p.845. — SOURCE EDITION: Muller & Kirk's Small Animal Dermatology — ISBN 9781416000280, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781416000280 |
Marbofloxacin(Zeniquin)
Antibiotic| Route | Dose | Frequency | Duration | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PO | 2–5 mg/kg | q24h | 7-14 days | Bacterial infections | Moderate | Carpenter JW, Pollock CG, Koch DE, et al. Single- and multiple-dose pharmacokinetics of marbofloxacin after oral administration to rabbits. Am J Vet Res. 2009;70:522-526. doi:10.2460/ajvr.70.4.522 — Verified against Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.843 (2026-08-01). — SOURCE EDITION: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929 |
| SC | 2–5 mg/kg | q24h | 7-14 days | Bacterial infections when oral not feasible | Weak | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed., Part B: Exotic Pets, Marbofloxacin, printed p.189 (corpus PDF p.203): 'Mammals: 2-5 mg/kg p.o., s.c., i.m. q24h' — SOURCE EDITION: BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, Part B — Exotic Pets — ISBN 9781910443712, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781910443712 |
Moxifloxacin
Uncategorized| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PO, IM | 5 mg/kg | q24h | Susceptible bacterial infections | Weak | Fernandez-Varon E, Bovaira MJ, Espuny A, et al. Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic integration of moxifloxacin in rabbits after intravenous, intramuscular and oral administration. J Vet Pharmacol Ther. 2005;28:343-348. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.844 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 10.1 (Antimicrobial Agents Used in Rabbits.a). The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table — not the page — is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929 |
Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole(Bactrim, TMS)
Antibiotic| Route | Dose | Frequency | Duration | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PO | 15–30 mg/kg | q12h | 7-14 days | Bacterial infections, coccidiosis | Moderate | Plumb DC. Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 9th ed., Wiley Blackwell, Ames, IA; 2018. — Verified against Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.845 (2026-08-01). — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 10.1 (Antimicrobial Agents Used in Rabbits.a). The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table — not the page — is the citable location. — EDITION NOTE 2026-08-06: this rule's Plumb's reference names the 9th edition, which is not held and was never consulted. The held copy is the 10th ed (2023). The Plumb's line was never confirmed against the held edition, so rely on it only as background; any other source named in this citation is unaffected. — SOURCE EDITION: Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook — ISBN 9781394172207, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781394172207; Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929 |
| SC | 15–30 mg/kg | q12h | 7-14 days | Bacterial infections when oral not feasible | Moderate | Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 10.1 (Antimicrobial Agents Used in Rabbits.a). Located 2026-08-05: the only table covering this species in which the drug's own row prints this dose. The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929 |
Sourced from published veterinary references; awaiting credentialed clinical reviewer. See our editorial process. Reference only — not veterinary advice. Verify against current literature before clinical use.