New lop eared bunny: pneumonia?

Question
We recently had acquired a lop eared bunny from the humane society, and noticed it has some congestion when it breathes heavily, and sometimes has a slight cough.  It's eating well, and seems to be fine otherwise.  What would you recommend to help our rabbit?  I'd also like to know if they like baths?  He's a bit dirty, and we think he's got fleas that we'd like to cure him of.  Can you hep with a suggestion?  Thank you.

Answer
Dear Cindy and Brian,

A rabbit who shows any sign of labored breathing, especially accompanied by coughing, could have pneumonia.  This can be extremely serious, and should be treated *immediately* by a rabbit savvy vet.  If there is no nasal discharge, the vet might have to guess at the best choice of antibiotics, but if there is nose goo, then ask about a culture and sensitivity test for the best chance of successfully beating this potentially serious condition:

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

If the bunny has pneumonia, the vet might be able to tell just by auscultation (listening to the chest with a stethoscope), or s/he might need to take chest radiographs to know for sure.  But if there is lung congestion, I would *strongly* recommend asking about getting a nebulizer and some oxygen for the best chance of getting this cured.  
When we nebulize, we use the following "cocktail" in the nebulizer liquid chamber:

5.0 cc sterile saline
1.0 cc amikacin (antibiotic; 50mg/ml)
0.5 cc aminophylline (bronchodilator; 200mg/ml)
0.2 cc acetylcysteine (Mucomyst; mucolytic; 20% solution)

We nebulize for 10-15 minutes on a mask and then give the bunny oxygen, and do this twice a day.

I hope you won't need this, but it's good to be ready, just in case.

As far as bathing is concerned:  DON'T.  Especially if the bunny has a respiratory infection, the last thing she needs is wet fur and a chill!  If she's dirty, then you can get her a bit cleaner with the dry bath technique here:

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

For the fleas, use Revolution (selamectin) from your rabbit vet:

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

DO NOT use Frontline, which can be deadly to rabbits.  You can find a good rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Please waste no time in making an appointment, and be sure to tell the vet receptionist that the bunny may have pneumonia, making this a potential emergency.  You should not wait to have this treated ASAP, if it's pneumonia.

I hope this helps.

Dana