Holland Lop breathing rythm

Question
QUESTION: Hello,

I have just bought my very first Holland Lop the other day. It looked rather playful in the pet shop, but now that I have taken it back home it appears to be sad and nervous. I understand that a new environment can cause discomfort at the beginning, but I am worried it is more than that.
It appears to be breathing heavily (tummy movement) and gets shaky all over, although it is in its cage and is kept in an air conditioned room. It is pretty hot and humid where I live, so keeping the rabbit cool is something I need to keep tabs on. & I am worried. Is the heavy breathing caused by it being frightened? Uncomfortable with it's new environment? Or is it a heatwave? & if it may be the case, how can I know its body temperature and whether or not it is feeling hot? Should I be very worried?

Thank you,
Sara

(I apologize if the question appears rather repetitive, but I was skeptical about some of the answers as the environmental conditions did not apply.)

ANSWER: Dear Sara,

I hope your little pal has settled a bit now.  I am sorry for the delay, caused by my being engulfed by a middle school ecology program that has just ended.  I'm still trying to catch up!

Please see:

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

and especially:

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

It's normal for the bunny to be stressed and scared at first, but gentle encouragement from you (as described in the first article above) will bring him out of his shell.  You are wise to keep him in the air conditioning; any temperature above about 78 Farenheit is getting to be too warm.  Mid 70s is fine, and the cooler the better, down to about 60 Farenheit.  (Rabbits need shelter from cold, too.  But for now, you won't have to worry about that.)

Please be sure you have a good rabbit vet in case of emergencies:

www.rabbit.org/vets

and for all the best, most accurate information on caring for your new pal, visit:

www.rabbit.org/

I hope you will become fast friends and have many years of love and fun together.

Dana

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dr. Krempels,

Thank you for the reply, and I hope the program went well.

I've got extremely worried over the past few days as I have also noticed a liquid discharge from one of the eyes. I took her to the vet and she told me that the white cheese like discharge is not normal, or healthy. She, Brownie, was prescribed with Opticin Ointment, Baytril, and Panacur. It has just been 2 days, but she's been sneezing a lot, and I wouldn't say the eyes are showing great improvement.

Do prescription usually take effect within the first week, or is there a chance that it'll stay for a longer period of time? Should I be worried and expect the worst? (she's only 2 months old) & although I wasn't asked for a follow up session, is it advisable to make another visit to the vet when the medicine's superscribed dates are over?

Thank you for the reads, they were very helpful. I'm starting to notice an improvement with the me vs. rabbit bonding, but I am guessing she's depressed as she's been taken away from her litter and needs some company-hopefully after she gets better. I just hope she gets cured soon.

Thank you so much.
Sara

Answer
Dear Sara,

It might actually be good for her health and progress if you could find it in your heart to buy one of her littermates for company for her.  Rabbits do much better in pairs, and because stress can compromise the immune system (especially in such a young baby), getting back with one of her littermates might make all the difference in the world to her.  

If you decide to do this, bring her to where you got her and introduce her, in a neutral territory, to a male littermate.  Opposite sex pairs are much easier to stay bonded, and the male can be neutered as soon as the testicles descend (usually at about 3 months of age) to prevent pregnancies.  If she's been away from the litter for a few days, there might be some snarking initially, but in a neutral territory they should be fine.  Bonding tips can be found here:

http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-a=00062824-sp00000000&sp-q=bonding

Alternatively, you could get a bunny who is NOT a Holland Lop, since you've already discovered that these little guys can come with a host of health problems.

Holland Lops, with their short faces and malformed ear canals (thank you, breeders), are more prone than most other breeds to ear infections and dental problems.  It's very unusual for such a young baby to already show signs of tear duct blockage (the white discharge you see is probably tears, possibly containing some pus--but rabbit tears are normally somewhat milky looking.  Kind of like coconut water (not milk).), but not impossible.  If the vet you saw is not very experienced with rabbits, you might want to find a rabbit-savvy vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

who can have a look at her molars to be sure there are no congenital problems already showing up.  Please also read:

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

for more information on some of the causes and treatments of runny eyes and nose.

Antibiotics can work quickly (causing improvement within one or two days) or more slowly, depending on the severity of the infection and the susceptibility of the bacteria to the antibiotics you're using.  Baytril is a safe first choice, so be sure to keep it up for the full course.  If you see no improvement in 10 days or so, then it may be time to culture:

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

I hope this helps.

Dana