heavy breathing

Question
I have a 9month old rabbit who since yesterday has been breathing heavily. Shes eating fine and drinking fine and gets excited every time I walk in the room. She is also still grooming herself and hopping up and down levels of her cage. Were calling the vet but Its making me nervous is there anything I can do?

Answer
Dear Kayla,

The only thing you can do is exactly what you are doing:  get her to a good, experienced rabbit vet and have them do an in-person exam.  Heavy breathing can indicate pneumonia, which needs to be treated aggressively with antibiotics, and even with nebulization if the condition is severe.

If you are not sure the vet you're seeing is a rabbit expert, check the list linked here to find one who is:

www.rabbit.org/vets

I hope this helps.

Dana