Coughing/ choking bunny? Help please.

[Chronicambitions]

When I let my bunnies out today, jet was sitting right in front of me and it sounded like he sneezed. I looked up because I have never heard him sneeze before. My other bunny sneezes all the time, but not jet. I looked at him and he was sitting up on his hind legs with is mouth open and he was scratching at his face. There was this little wheezing noise coming out of his mouth like he couldn’t breathe and a frantic look in his eyes. I got up to see if he was ok and he immediately ran under the bed.
I grabbed the box of raisins and crinkled the bag because my bunnies always come running whenever they hear it. I knew if he didn’t come out for raisins that something would be seriously wrong. Momo ran straight over to me but Jet took a but longer than usual. He took raisins but jumped anytime my hand went near his face. He meatloafed and let me pet his back for a few minutes while I gave him raisins which is really unusual. Jet is not a cuddly bunny at all. He was shedding a lot might have been from stress though. As soon as he realized I was done giving him treats he ran faster than I’ve ever seen him run under the bed and thumped really loudly.

What do you guys think? Hairball maybe? I’ve been trying to brush them as much as I can. I know my vet is closed today for the holiday. Not really sure what to do other than watch him.
My boyfriend is probably going to be mad when I tell him I need to stay home and watch my bunny on our anniversary.

[longhairmike]

bunnies dont get hairballs,, they get blockages if they dont get enough hay.

this time of year you want to make sure you give them plenty of brushing & gentle plucking.
if its a full-on shed, the plucking will make his fur look patchy for a few weeks, but its better that you dispose of the fur than him to lick it off.
he will also be a lot more comfortable.
grooming while shedding can often lead to a major nose-tickle. a bout of sneezing is normal from time to time, but you want to check his nose to see if it is wet or has any discharge, and listen in the nose to see if he sounds snotty.

[jerseygirl]

Sometimes if they’ve gagged on something or drink too fast it can sound like a wet sneeze.
It sounds like he was able to dislodge what was bothering him.

I would keep an eye in him when he’s eating to check he’s not eating too fast OR is becoming slower with eating.

Frequent gagging/choking could be indicator of some teeth troubles, as is slower eating, trouble picking up the food and/or dropping it etc.
And ditto LHM, keep watch nothing developing with his nose.

[RabbitPam]

I thought the First Aid post included choking, but it didn’t. Here is that link anyway, because it’s good info. to have:
https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/113683/Default.aspx

Combing/brushing often can keep the shedding fur down, as does sweeping up or picking up the shed fur from the habitat and places around the house.
He may still need to see the vet tomorrow if any of those symptoms continue. Otherwise, give lots of hay (less treats and other foods to tempt him) so he will pass any blockages starting to form. Lots of water readily available, too.
I’d possibly confine him for today so if he has another problem, you can reach him rather than trying to lure him out from under furniture if he’s in distress. If he’s choking on some kind of obstruction, even fur, you don’t want to add a solid food to it at that moment.

[RabbitPam]

Here’s a quote from Dr. Dana Krempels:

Answer to similar question on her site:
Dear Paula,
It sounds as if your bunny may have aspirated something and been choking, and your quick manipulation may have saved him.  If this ever happens again (which isn’t particularly likely, unless he has molar spurs that are contributing to the problem), then the safest thing to do is just hold him securely, supporting his back and neck, with his nose pointing downward so that gravity can do its work.  You can help by giving small shakes to help jar any obstruction loose, if you don’t feel comfortable with swinging or the Heimlich.

Another answer seems to describe the Heimlich:

This is a pretty rare occurrence, but it does happen on occasion.  I hope it never happens again. But if it does, you can help the bunny dislodge the aspirated particle by holding her with nose pointed towards the ground (you must stabilize the back and neck *very* firmly to prevent injury!), and firmly and sharply pressing upwards from the belly towards the lungs, punching against the diaphragm.  This will send air out of the lungs, and this can help dislodge whatever is stuck in the trachea:  a sort of bunny Heimlich maneuver.  Don’t use deadly force, of course. Just enough to dislodge the object.

[RabbitPam]

And this is the swinging:
An answer on Allexperts.com says
“Rabbits do not have a vomit reflex, but they can choke on their food….If his nose was pointed in the air, then his airway was blocked, and he was trying desperately to get oxygen.

When this happens, and if the rabbit cannot clear his own airway, then the only way to save his life is with the “rabbit Heimlich maneuver” which is difficult to safely perform. I know it’s too late now, but if this ever happens again (not likely, I hope!), you must take the rabbit and firmly align him between your forearms so that his neck and spine are absolutely immobilized. Swing your arms upward (rabbit nose pointing to the sky), and then smoothly (not *too* fast) swing them down, being extremely careful not to allow the bunny to hit the floor!

Again, it is *vital* to have the neck and back completely immobilized so that the force of the swing doesn’t break the delicate back!

The centripetal force of the swing will push the bunny’s internal organs forward, forcing air out of the lungs, and (hopefully) clearing the rabbit’s trachea. We have had to do this only a couple of times, and it is very traumatic, sometimes requiring 2-3 swings before the bunny can breathe again.

Once the bunny can breathe, it’s important to schedule a veterinary appointment as soon as possible, since aspiration pneumonia can result from an episode like this.”

[LittlePuffyTail]

Something like that happening is very scary. Was he eating anything right before it happened?

Sounds very similar to something that happened to Bindi. He was eating pellets (more like inhaling, since he eats in a super fast panic) and all of a sudden he got this awful look on his face, opened his mouth and started drooling and gagging. It was pretty much the worst 2 minutes ever. He just ran in the corner of his house and wouldn’t let me near him. I suspect he got a pellet stuck in his throat. After a few minutes, he was fine and went back to eating. I now only give him wet pellets that are mushed up so this won’t happen again.

Let’s all pray that none of our bunnies ever need the bunny heimlich. What a horrible ordeal that would be.

[Chronicambitions]

Thank you everyone for your advice. Jet is back to his normal self no choking at all.
He has been eating a lot of hay but I cleaned out his litter box and put in fresh hay just in case.
He wasn’t eating anything at the time he was choking. My bunnies get very little pellets because my vet doesn’t like what they do to teeth. (They do get a ton of veggies to make up for it). So that’s why I thought it might be from hair.
When I went to the vet last month she told me his teeth were perfect. I just looked at them and the front teeth are fine. Of course I’m not as sure of the back teeth, but this is the only time I’ve seen him choking.
I’m going to make sure that I’m grooming him better from now on and I’ve cleaned their area really well.

Pam: thank you for posting all of that. At least I know what to do if I ever see this happen again. It was scary not knowing what to do. Plus the fact that that none of my bunnies have ever done this made it extra scary.

I’m going to cut all of their veggies up extra small tonight and give them only a bit at a time so I can watch him.

Thank you again to everyone.

I’ll watch him tonight and decide in the morning whether or not to take him to the vet.

[Stacey12]

Albert, my bunny has chronic cough and occasional sneeze. The cough is so loud and can last 45 seconds or so.  He also “bubbles” when he breathes sometimes.  My vet finally found a cure for him. using a NEBULIZER for about 15 minutes to deliver medication consisting of 5 cc Sodium Chloride 0.9 % solution and 0.25 ml of Gentamicin Sulfate 100 mg/ml.  Albert has been coughing and “bubbling” on and off for 3 years.  I take him to THE most bunny savvy vet there is.  We tried Baytril, Ciprofloxacin  and nasal flush and none worked.  I changed his environment and bought hay that is as dust free as possible.  I use vinegar to clean his environment.  I gave him Oxbow Immune Support tablet.  None of these measures I took was effective.  After one treatment using Nebulizer to deliver medicine, Albert stopped coughing and “bubbling” through his nostrils.  I have been using the nebulizer for two weeks now and the symptoms of coughing and “bubbling” has not returned.  I am so thrilled!

If you decide to use a nebulizer, make sure to put the tube where the mist comes out  doesn’t blow out to the bunnies body and get the body moist.  If the mist gets absorbed in the fur, less goes to bunny to breath in.  Also tap the container that holds the medicine after about 10-12 minutes so more medicine will flow down.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Hi, Stacey. We ask that members please not reply to old threads. This one is from 2013. If you’d like to share your info, please start a new thread. This just saves on confusion. Thanks

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