Pet Information > ASK Experts > Exotic Pets > Rabbits > Could it be a lower respitory infection?

Could it be a lower respitory infection?

22 10:53:29

Question
First, thank you for always being so knowledgeable and helpful with my questions! I asked a question about Bella the bunny's snoring a month or so ago. It seems that my little girl has been through it in the past year and a half. Bella is nearing 7, she is a dwarf(less than 2 pounds) black silver martin (and light of my life!). Since she was about 5 and a half she has been experiencing periodic dental issues. However, most recently she has had a case of uveitis (now forming cataract) and she is recovering from a bout of head tilt. She has had a head CT, an ultrasound of her eye, and serial tests for ecuniculi. All of these tests have produced negative results. She has recovered from dental abscesses in the past year. She was tested for pastuerella at age 5 and a half. My vet at the time began aggressively treating her with Pen G by injection. However, when we moved my current vet (at Tufts University) reviewed her culture results and informed me that Bella was barely positive for pasturella. We stopped the Pen G immediately. Now, about 2 and half months later she is experiencing this multitude of health problems. She is currently on doxycycline to treat a suspected inner ear infection that caused the head tilt. Two weeks after we began treatment her head is no longer tilting and she has regained most of her balance. She is eating drinking and begging to run around (though she has trouble on the hard wood). I have noticed over the course of the last two weeks that her "snoring" which she has done for a couple of years now, has increased in volume and frequency. Still, she only does it when she sleeps. I have changed her bedding as recommended by the vet at tufts. I am using hardwood pellet fuel (though she does not sit directly in it). My questions are bulleted below.
-What are the signs of a lower respitory infection (are they different from an upper respitory infection)?

-Could Bella have an undiagnosed systemic infection that is causing all of these seemingly unrelated symptoms?

-Finally, Bella has never chowed down hay like most rabbits. I have never stopped offering it to her. Once she was diagnosed with dental disease (and I realized the lack of hay was contributing) I became obsessed with trying to get her to eat it. I have had little success. Bella loves her Oxbow pellets and always cleans her bowl. How can I encourage (force) my bunny to eat hay?  

Answer
Dear Elizabeth

I'll answer the bullets in order:

1.  A lower respiratory infection would be pneumonia.  The symptoms are sometimes absolutely nil until things are very serious, at which point the bunny may sit with her nose in the air (trying to open her airways), have slow, labored breathing or fast panting, and may even breathe with her mouth open.  

Radiographs of the chest would reveal if there is any congestion in the lungs to worry about, so if you're concerned, then please ask your vet about this.

It's worth noting that some bunnies with pneumonia do not sound abnormal upon auscultation (listening with a stethoscoep).  Your vet will know best how to advise you about whether she thinks radiographs are necessary.

2.  A systemic infection usually means that bacteria have invaded the bloodstream and are taking over. It's very serious.  It doesn't sound as if Bella has a systemic infection.  But it does sound as if she's immunocompromised, whether for genetic reasons or some other reason it's not possible to say.

You might want to ask your vet about adding echinacea for a week on, week off, to see if that helps her fight off some of this stuff.  Some folks swear by it, and one German study did find a significant difference in patients' ability to ward of illness if they were taking echinacea.

3.  The only thing I can recommend is trying to offer something *irresistible*, such as American Pet Diner "Timmy Gold" hay, which is so fragrant and green that YOU will want to eat it.  But bunnies with chronic molar pain are often picky, so short of sticking it in her mouth and moving her jaws up and down, there's not much you can do if she refuses.

Withholding some pellets might help.  Hungry bunny is more likely to munch.

Hope that helps!

Dana