Rabbit breathing very fast, drinking lots

Question
Hello, I do hope you can help. I am in the UK. Humphrey is a French lop neutered male about 3/4 years old. he has long term pasterella problems requiring regular endumicin injections (I do these). he has occasionally had tummy problems, as most bunnies do but motillium and metacam and care seem to get him back thankfully. a couple of years ago he did has pueneumonia (spelling sorry) and was very ill..vet didn't think he was ill so after several visits I insisted on bloods, xrays etc and then vet saw he was very ill. When Humphrey's been very poorly before he has stopped eating and toiletting properly. I have a generally good relationship with my vet, though he (in common with many UK vets) is limited in knowledge of rabbits, but I have some drugs at home and am able to self medicate etc, I am sensible, intelligent etc (I hope) but my guys are my world and I will do anything they need.

Last night at about 9.00PM (GMT) Humphrey suddenly started breathing
very fast indeed. I really don't think it had been going on before I
noticed as i was with them in the front room, next to Humphrey and I
would have seen, so I think it started then. he had been with Jacob
on the settee, jumped off for a drink, lay down for a while then
hopped near to me, when I noticed. I watched him for a moment,
wondered if he had been frightened (we had had several people going
past the house noisily but everyone else was Ok and I always talk
and soothe if people noisy).

I put him back next to Jacob and he groomed and cuddled Jacob.
Humphrey eats green veggies/fruit/herbs ravenously and has continued
to do so, he has also eaten his dry food and a bit of hay. he seems
to be toiletting Ok, normal size etc and he's eating them when he
can.

The negative things are very fast breathing, so his body moves and
his head moves in time to his breathing. He seems to be moving
little, though does hop to the tray and bowl etc, generally he just
throws himself straight onto his tummy, legs and tail out, slightly
on one side sometimes, but on tummy. I noticed this morning that his
water bowl (refilled before bed as well as in day) was nearly empty.
I re-filled (they have filtered water). It has only been Humphrey
drinking it and the amount drunk is unusually high.

No particular gurgling, eyes seem wide, nose open but not thrusting
nose into air, not gasping etc.

I phoned my vet twice at about 9.30pm and 11.40pm. On each occasion
I rechecked Humphrey, felt his tummy, not hard and bloated, he let
me touch him. I checked his mouth are, under his chin etc..he nosed
me away and then bit me, but not hard, gentle boy..just
saying 'clear off'. There are no apparent wounds, he will be
stroked, he is alert, he runs for veggies (I was down the garden at
5.45am getting herbs, dandelions, plantain and grass..still
hazy..but the church bells started ringing which lifted my spirits
and made me feel less alone).

He seems perfectly well in so many ways, vet said l;last night
nothing he can do, said rabbits lie down, that's what they do which
REALLY annoyed me..I KNOW WHAT MY BUNNIES DO and they follow
procedure, lie down, after a while maybe legs out but still able to
get up quick, when all well (this can be quick process but still
this way)they will stretch legs behind. They don't immediately do
legs stretched behind and besides, my vet may say it's not tummy,
it's not an obstruction, it's not pueneumonia etc but you can rule
what you like out.. I KNOW SOMETHING IS WRONG.

Sorry to be in capitals, but I felt so afraid last night, so alone
and so unable to do anything. Stupid internet provider going wrong
and not mending it so I'm off from 4.00PM so couldn't come on here.

Can anyone advise. please. I need to see my vet, he says it will be
an emergency call so need to be able to get some good from it, not
just him saying nothing he can do as not usual behaviour for ill an bunny. Humphrey is ill, I need to help him. Please help us.  

Answer
Dear Jennie,

It can be extremely frustrating when a vet doesn't take a rabbit seriously as a patient, nor listen to the usually excellent instincts of a bunny "mom" who is very well attuned to her baby.  ARGH!  I am hoping you might be able to find a more experienced and willing vet with the international vet listings for rabbits here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

It does sound as if something respiratory is going on, and if Humphrey were my rabbit I would want chest radiographs done to see if there is congestion.  Nebulization with a "cocktail" to open his airways and deliver antibiotics would also be recommended if there is any sign that his pneumonia has returned.  (We use amikacin, aminophylline, and acetylcysteine in sterile saline for 15 minutes at a time, several times a day if the condition is very serious; mask-delivered oxygen can also help, once he's been nebulized and is breathing more easily.)

Excessive drinking and excessive urination can be a sign of renal disease.  So once his respiratory problems are being addressed (and this is the most critical right now), it would be a good idea to have the vet draw blood for a complete blood chemistry and cell count.  This will tell whether there might be something going on with the kidneys that needs to be addressed.  

For now, the excessive drinking will not hurt him, so be sure he has constant access to lots of clean water.  If his kidneys are a problem, he's maintaining his osmotic balance on his own with all that drinking.  And if he has lung congestion, he *must* stay well hydrated to keep the mucus and gunk in his lungs from becoming desiccated and difficult to cough up and swallow.

I hope this helps, and that Humphrey will be fine soon!

Dana