baby bun sick??...have video

Question
QUESTION: hello again....you answered some questions and (imho) saved my buns life a few months back.....it appered to be stasis or mycotoxin psning or a combo.
I now have a baby bun (probably actually about a yr old) who has had labored bresthing for a while. Vet gave her the all clear. However, she is now sitting in her box w/ labored breathing, eyes half closed, etc....added today is an inability to move around normally. She tries to "wobble" out of her box but gets one back leg caught, seems at times to stiffen and veer to the side, etc. As of last night, she had the hard breathing, but steady on her feet...ate her hay and greens voraciously as usual, + water consumption.
~buns get no pellets, just fresh grass hay for bedding and timothy to eat, fresh parsley, collards, etc at least every other day, fresh water at all times.
~no recent changes in these offered foods
~no other sick buns
~no head tilt, but does seem to lift head/raise nose occasionally
~no grinding,posturing, etc.
~ resp rate of roughly 90 breaths per min
~not spayed
~caged alone
~roughly 1.5lbs - 2lbs in weight
~only a small amount of clear nasal discharge OCCASIONALLY over the last 6 weeks
~one or 2 little sneezing fits over the last 6 weeks (spurts of 10-20 quick little sneezes in a row)
whats your opinion? I unfortunately have nothing on hand but Buprenex  and Benadryl 8(
My impression is that although she doesn't seem to be in frank pain, she seems to just be concentrating all her effort on breathing alone.
I took 2 short videos I can email you....couldn't find your direct email.

ANSWER: Dear Suzanne,

You don't need to send a video:  your description makes it pretty clear that this bunny has pneumonia, and needs immediate veterinary care and nebulization if she is to survive.  Please ask your vet about putting her on both systemic antibiotics as well as nebulizing her 2-3 times a day.  Our vets use the following "cocktail":

10cc sterile saline
2.0cc amikacin (antibiotic)
1.0cc aminophylline (20%; opens airways)
0.4cc Mucomyst (acetylcysteine; loosens mucus)

We nebulize 2-3 times a day and apply gentle cuppage (tapping the ribcage with fingertips, to help loosen lung gunk).

You might need to purchase a nebulizer for this, and the vet will have to sell you a veterinary mask to replace the human nose mask that comes with the nebulizer.  Some places require a prescription for a nebulizer, so please be sure to ask the vet about this.

I hope you can get baby to the vet immediately.  This sounds like a pretty dire emergency.

Dana

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

QUESTION: Hi Dana...
We sadly lost this battle with our baby at 9:45 this morning. Our vet provided more Buprenex last night, but then called to tell me she couldn't see me until 10a.m.....the appt was for 7a.m.
She was just so out of it, and barely breathing...but seemed to be in no distress w/the meds (in fact, she really seemed to be "elsewhere" since yesterday afternoon.) I had given her 0.02cc, the vet said up it to 0.03...and when I saw the condition she was in at 11pm when the next dose was due, I gave her 0.04. Did I "snow" her like a human on morphine? Maybe, but at that point she would no longer even blink when we stroked her cheek, respond to touch, light....nothing. (My fiancee had been diligently getting her to blink and keep her eyes moist.)
She just slowed down more and more till she just left us all together, poor baby. There was no agonal phase,  she just slipped away.
Anyway....thanks again for being here to turn to...since apparently there are not any vets locally that I can rely on in emergencies. (For less than $400 to walk in anyway...)
I am LESS than hppy with my vet for cancelling appts on this (twice over 2 days), failure of staff to give vets messages (admittedly, my vet only found out our plight yesterday at 4p.m...) and in my opinion, contributing to her demise. It may have been a lost cause, but I would have liked to have had a chance to see.
Thank you again.....

Answer
Dear Suzanne,

You are a wonderful bunny mom.  Please know that you made your little baby's passing merciful and peaceful as it could be by insisting on the buprenex.  Yes, she was gorked out, but who wouldn't want to be in such a condition.

I am glad you were there for her.  Her life was too short, but it was filled with love and caring, which is something most bunnies never have.  She will always live in your heart.  I'm just sorry you had to go through so much pain and grief.

Take care,

Dana