pet rabbit gagging: Rabbit Heimlich Maneuver

Question
Hi.  My daughter's 2 month old pet rabbit started gagging and "throwing up" greenish brown stuff.  It is sticking it's head straight up in the air and went absolutely besurk when we tried to pick it up.  It acts like it's choking to death.  It's 8:30 pm on a Saturday night and we live in a very rural area with no vet within many miles.  My dh has raised hundreds of rabbits and never saw anything like this.  Any ideas?  Thank you so much.

Answer
Dear Amy,

Rabbits do not have a vomit reflex, but they can choke on their food with the result you saw here.  I hope he's okay now!  If his nose was pointed in the air, then his airway was blocked, and he was trying desperately to get oxygen.

When this happens, and if the rabbit cannot clear his own airway, then the only way to save his life is with the "rabbit Heimlich maneuver" which is difficult to safely perform.  I know it's too late now, but if this ever happens again (not likely, I hope!), you must take the rabbit and firmly align him between your forearms so that his neck and spine are absolutely immobilized.  Swing your arms upward (rabbit nose pointing to the sky), and then smoothly (not *too* fast) swing them down, being extremely careful not to allow the bunny to hit the floor!

Again, it is *vital* to have the neck and back completely immobilized so that the force of the swing doesn't break the delicate back!

The centripetal force of the swing will push the bunny's internal organs forward, forcing air out of the lungs, and (hopefully) clearing the rabbit's trachea.  We have had to do this only a couple of times, and it is very traumatic, sometimes requiring 2-3 swings before the bunny can breathe again.

Once the bunny can breathe, it's important to schedule a veterinary appointment as soon as possible, since aspiration pneumonia can result from an episode like this.

I hope your little bunny recovered from this terrifying incident, and that you'll never need the instructions above again.

Take care,

Dana