Bunny having trouble breathing?

Question
QUESTION: I recently bought a 3 month old cashmere lop and she was fine until a couple of days ago. She just got her shot against calicivirus and the vet also prescribed eye drops for a swollen weepy eye as it turned out she scratched it following an eye test. She also had a snuffly nose which the vet said was probably an irritation from dust in a new home, but now her breathing sounds very 'forced' as in she isn't constantly twitching her nose, she is really forcing a twitch. There's also a slight whistling noise. Please help!

ANSWER: Dear Steph,

I can't know for sure without seeing the bunny in person, but she could have either a severe upper respiratory infection causing inflammation and swelling of the nasal mucosa, or she might have pneumonia.  In either case, she needs to be back at the vet for a full exam and proper diagnosis, so that the appropriate medication and treatment can be started right away.  

Labored breathing in a rabbit is very serious, and if there is no nasal discharge, then please ask the vet to check her lungs for signs of pneumonia.  But note that we have seen cases of severe pnuemonia that could not be detected upon auscultation (listening to the chest with a stethoscope)--only radiographs revealed the severe congestion.

If this is the case, then you may want to ask about getting a nebulizer so you can nebulize her at home 2-3 times a day with a "cocktail" of amikacin, Mucomyst (acetylcysteine) and aminophylline (to open the airways).  In many--but not all--cases, rabbits with pneumonia respond well to injectable Penicillin-G Procaine and/or to a strong fluoroquinolone, such as marbofloxacin (Zeniquin), and since there is no way to culture anything from the lungs safely, the vet may have to make an educated guess about which antibiotic(s) to use.  

But the bottom line is:  If your bunny is having trouble breathing, get her to the vet NOW.  If you can't, then try to help her by placing her in a bathroom and letting the faucets run HOT to produce steam.  This can help loosen mucus and allow drainage.  But don't leave her in there to overheat.  About 10-15 minutes at a time is more than sufficient.

Please also see:

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

if she seems lethargic.


I hope this helps.

Dana

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

QUESTION: Thank you for that, one other thing is she doesn't seem to be 'struggling' for air, as she is not holding her neck high or pointing her nose up. It's hard to describe without actually showing you the rabbit in question but the best i can do to describe it is there's no rapid nose movement like usual it's a very slow twitch that moves her whole body and every nose movement lasts (from nose up to down) about 2 secs. She's still eating and drinking water and wont say no to any treats, it's just this breathing thing.

ANSWER: Dear Steph,

I wish I could see her to better judge.  If she doesn't seem to be laboring to breathe, it could just be that she's calm, and breathing slowly and deeply.  If she's pulling her nostrils open, she might be sniffing for something interesting:  rabbits will sometimes do that when you enter the room, or when something changes.  The bunny will kind of look at the object of interest, and then sort of "wrinkle" the nose to open the nostrils very wide, taking long, slow sniffs.  Then they usually go back to their relaxed position once they're satisfied they've gathered all the necessary information.  :)

But if you have the slightest concern that she might be having trouble breathing, it won't hurt to have her checked out by a good rabbit vet.  Better for peace of mind.  You can find a bunny vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Hope that helps!

Dana

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

QUESTION: Can't express how thankful I am for your help, and sorry for all the questions but of course I'm not exactly rolling in the finances and it's helpful to know you CAN talk to experts/vets here on the net.

Last night (I live in Australia) it appeared that she was breathing through her mouth, yet this morning normal nasal breathing but still very slow and sounding wet and clogged. Is this a definite needs to see vet NOW?

Answer
Dear Steph,

If you saw her mouth breathing, then you must get her to a vet without delay.  If her nostrils are clogged, you can try unclogging them with gentle suction via pediatric ear syringe, and if you really can't get to a vet until tomorrow, then you might get some pediatric Benadryl drops over-the-counter and instill them into her nostrils so she can at least breathe through her nose.  

If she still mouth-breathes though you've unclogged her nostrils, the situation is *very* serious--likely pneumonia.  She will need systemic antibiotics and--if at all possible--nebulization 2-3 times a day with the "cocktail" I described previously until she is stabilized.

Ask the vet about subcutaneous fluids, which will help liquefy mucus and gunk in her lungs and nose, keeping it easy for the cilia in her respiratory tracts to sweep up into her throat, where she can swallow it.

I hope you can get her to a good vet ASAP.

Dana