Upward tilt and breathing fast with mouth slightly open

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This topic has 14sd replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 2 years, 10 months ago by DanaNM.

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- 03/12/2022 at 6:33 AM
  flopsy
  Participant
  16 posts
  My Rex bunny started putting his head up (not sideways) and has his mouth slightly open and is breathing fast since Thurs. night. No sounds, wheezing, just sticking his nose up and breathing faster. He was eating fine last night but is refusing some food this morning. I have tried to research on the web but can’t find an answer for this unusual position.Of course, this is the weekend so I can’t take him to the vet unless its an emergency.
  
  Could some enlighten me as to what’s going on?
- 03/12/2022 at 6:36 AM
  Wick & Fable
  Moderator
  5819 posts
  Tilting up and mouth breathing are generally signs that your rabbit is having difficulty breathing. This may be from a respiratory infection, something going on in the nasal cavity, or really anything impacting the processes that go into breathing.
  
  If not severe, it may not need an emergency vet visit, but if there is any hint or worry on your part that the inability to breathe may be significantly impairing to his ability to maintain himself until a regular rabbit vet opens, please yes go to an emergency vet.
  
  The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 03/12/2022 at 7:21 AM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9056 posts
  I agree with Wick, that positioning sounds like he’s having trouble breathing.
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 03/12/2022 at 9:02 AM
  flopsy
  Participant
  16 posts
  Thank you. Is there anything I can give him till I can get him into the vet on Monday?
- 03/12/2022 at 12:24 PM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17074 posts
  If the problem is his sinuses, then steam might help. You can run a hot shower in the door closed and the fan off. Then bring him into the bathroom and let him breathe in the steam. Alternatively, you could use one of those steam things designed for people to put their face over. Just don’t add anything to it except water.
- 03/12/2022 at 8:29 PM
  Azerane
  Moderator
  4689 posts
  I would personally be considering this an emergency situation. Just because there isn’t wheezing, doesn’t mean it’s not serious. Restricted breathing is always serious.
- 03/13/2022 at 9:49 AM
  flopsy
  Participant
  16 posts
  Thank you for your responses. I took him to the vet last night. He has GI stasis and the gas is pressing upon his lungs and causing pain and difficulty breathing. The vet gave me simethicone drops and an herb based motility tonic. He took x-rays and showed the blockage. I am feeding him Critical care but he is not swallowing half of it opting to drool it out. I have given him Meloxicam as well. He is not doing well and the vet’s prognosis was that he might not make it.
  
  I really don’t know what to do as today is Sunday and the same emergency vet will be there. I have surgery myself tomorrow so I am in a bind. The issue is that he can’t poop and the drugs are not working to help move things along. If I take him back to emergency what should I tell the vet? I already asked him last night and he said he did whatever he could.
- 03/13/2022 at 9:57 AM
  Moonshadow
  Participant
  41 posts
  I’d keep massaging his stomach and try to give him a bit of water. Really hope he pulls through
- 03/13/2022 at 10:56 AM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17074 posts
  Is there an actual blockage? Or is it just gas build up and stasis?
  - 03/13/2022 at 11:57 AM
    flopsy
    Participant
    16 posts
    The X-Ray showed blockage and gases. He is not doing well.
- 03/13/2022 at 11:06 AM
  Bam
  Moderator
  16982 posts
  I’m very sorry. It sounds like your bun could have gastrointestinal bloat. It is very serious. Here is an article on bloat and treatment for bloat:
  
  https://www.unusualpetvets.com.au/gastric-dilation-in-rabbits/
- 03/13/2022 at 4:39 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9056 posts
  I’m very sorry, how awful 🙁
  
  In some cases, syringe feeding is used to push the blockage through, but it depends on whether it is partial or complete, and where it is. Since the vet told you to syringe feed, I would focus on giving small amounts of very liquidy CC. Hydration can also help break up the mass in the gut. The 1 mL syringes work well for this, I use the larger syringes to fill the small one.
  
  If the ER vet is not a rabbit specialist, then the best course of action may be to provide supportive care until you can get him to a rabbit vet. Can you take his temperature? Rabbits in a lot of pain often have a low body temp which can cause them to crash. if his ears feel cold, you can provide a warm water bottle wrapped in a towel and place it next to him. If he seems very cold you can even lay a blanket loosely over him, as long as he can move away if he gets too warm.
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 03/14/2022 at 6:57 AM
  flopsy
  Participant
  16 posts
  Unfortunately, Ben passed away last night. I held him almost the entire day on a cushion with a hot water bottle, stroking him, intermittently massaging him but he lost the fight. We are very sad, of course and I just feel like a failure. I lost both my bunnies in the space of 5 weeks and had them for 6 years. So, I don’t know what I did wrong, what I fed them that caused this. I am pretty certain it was not a hairball as Ben did not molt with noticeable amounts of fur. I reduced his pellets to two egg cups a day and one cup of greens with a small carrot top. He just never ate enough hay. He had never had stasis before. Just incredibly sad to lose otherwise healthy bunnies who were much loved and appreciated.
  
  Thank you all for your responses. I wish I had come here earlier than an emergency.
- 03/14/2022 at 7:48 AM
  Bam
  Moderator
  16982 posts
  I’m so very sorry about Ben. It’s not fully known what causes bloat. It wasn’t your fault. If a rabbit eats too many pellets and too little hay, the result is as a rule obesity and sticky poop, not bloat. Bloat is thankfully not common, the prognosis is very poor. He could have had something wrong with his intestines that just prevented the passage of food. I’m glad you were with him and kept him as comfortable as could be.
  
  Losing a rabbit pretty much invariably makes us feel like failures. That doesn’t mean we have failed, it just means that we are loving and concientious pet parents. Please don’t blame yourself, you obviously loved Ben and you got him the vet care that was available to you on a weekend. Quite frankly, with bloat, the prognosis is very poor even with the most outstanding state-of-the-art rabbit veterinary interventions.
- 03/14/2022 at 7:50 AM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9056 posts
  I’m so sorry for your loss, even more so with both so close together. As Bam said, it sounds like he may have had true bloat, which is very often fatal, and can occur without any warning.
  
  Again I’m so sorry 🙁
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
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