Rapid Heart Beat

Question
Hi,
We have a 4 month old dutch rabbit. This morning we got up and she was acting a bit "crazy" She has a very rapid heart beat - ears at alert always - very large pupils and biting at the cage door to get out.
All we can think that might have happened is she did eat a little of the grass on our front lawn yesterday when my daughter had her out on the harness and there was fertilizer put on  the grass a while ago.
Please any help as to what we should do or if  we should just wait it out would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Carolyn Murphy

Answer
Dear Carolyn,

Rabbits normally have a very rapid heartbeat (upwards of 220bpm), so unless it was significantly higher than that (and I'm not sure how you'd successfully count!), I wouldn't worry.

It could be that something passing by frightened her, or that she just wanted to be let out to play.

It's definitely not a good idea to let a bunny graze on freshly fertilized or pesticide-treated lawns, though.  I would not let her do that again.  

If you fear that the grass might have done her harm, please get her to a good rabbit vet:

www.rabbit.org/vets

for bloodwork to test her liver and kidney functions.  The results will tell the vet whether any further treatments are necessary.

I hope this helps. Please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana