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Rabbit is sometimes making strange sound when breathing all of a sudden

22 9:52:08

Question
My lionhead rabbit is almost a year old.  I thought I heard him sneeze a couple days ago.  He sounds as though he has a stuffy nose.  It is not constant but about 1/4 of the time I have been with him tonight he has made a sort of rattling (not wheezing) sound when breathing.  He is otherwise fine.  He is eating, drinking, peeing, pooping, and playing.  I am worried about him and will be completely tied up and unable to even call the vet tomorrow.  I think that because he is acting fine it does not warrant an emergency call to the vet tonight.  The rabbit is a little on the heavy/fat side.

Answer
Dear Susan,

The sooner you can get your bunny to the vet, the better.  Conditions like this can worsen rapidly--or they can be stable for quite a while.   It really depends on whether this is a sinus problem or in the lungs.

I hope you will be able to find a good rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

who will see your bunny today or tomorrow.  This will give you peace of mind.  But there is really nothing you can do on your own at home for a respiratory infection.  Don't use over-the-counter medications, as they can do more harm than good!

Please also see:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sneezing.html

I hope this helps.

Dana