Collapsing trachea?

Question
I have a 7 and half year old rabbit, who has developed over the past two weeks a 'whooping' when breathing. He has been brought to the vet and has had many tests and the vet believes that it possibly be a collapsing trachea? He is constantly on Baytrail. What is the prognosis/likey treatment for this condition in rabbits?

Answer
Dear Ruth,

I have not heard of a collapsing trachea in a rabbit, although I suppose this is possible.  This condition is by far most common in dogs.  In dogs, the most common treatments for the condition include administration of corticosteroids, bronchodilators, and antitussives (cough suppressants).  Treatment is fairly successful in dogs (one source I found said 70% of cases improve with such treatments--but that's just one source).  But I have absolutely no data for this in rabbits, since I do not think this condition is commonly described in rabbits.

To be truthful, this diagnosis makes me wonder whether the veterinarian seeing your rabbit is primarily a dog/cat vet, and not an exotics vet with extensive experience with rabbits.

Were any chest radiographs done to rule out the possibility of pneumonia?  If the vet suspects an infection, was a culture and sensitivity test done on any nasal discharge?  Please read this to understand the importance of this test:

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

If this were my rabbit, I would seriously want a second opinion from a vet who is known to be experienced and competent in rabbit medicine.  You can find the closest such vet in your area with the list linked here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

If the vet you are seeing *is* an expert in rabbit medicine, the I suppose it still would not hurt to get a second opinion, since this is such an unusual diagnosis.

I hope this helps, and that your bunny makes a full recovery soon.

Take care,
Dana