gagging

Question
My male bunny is, having sneezing attacks, we took him to the vet last saturday and he could not determine anything to be wrong, so he gave him eye drops and told us to bring him back in 10 days. He is eating and drinking fine, his poop is normal. there is no discharge from the nose or eyes, or any other negative symptoms. However, his sneezing attacks are getting worse, they last anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes and he gags a lot while sneezing and he makes an odd chirping noise. The vet is a rabbit expert and says he shows no signs of upper respiratory illness or any other signs of illness. Do you have any idea what may be causing this? We did just recently move to a new place, could it be allergies? It started about 2 weeks after moving in, is there anything I can do to determine if it's allergies and what is causing the allergic reaction?

Answer
Dear Jeff,

Has the vet done a deep oral exam to check for molar spurs?  These can sometimes cause inflammation of the surrounding tissues, and cause gagging and sneezing.  A foreign body up the nose is also a possiblity.  

Please see:

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

and

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

for more information and ideas.  You might also consult another rabbit vet for a second opinion:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Hope this helps.

Dana