Fast breathing?

[Jenna]

I have a five month old Flemish Giant doe. She was spayed three weeks ago and since then I have noticed she has been breathing very rapidly. I may be over reacting and just hyper aware of her breathing as I have been hovering since her spay (I had a guinea pig who developed an abscess and a uri after his neuter so I was very nervous). I find she does breath rapidly even when she is resting. She is eating and drinking normally, as well as pooping and peeing. She is also does binkies and zoomies. I have not noticed her wheezing or that her breathing is raspy. She has no discharge from her eyes or nose. She has sneezed a handful of times since her spay as well as made a whistling/strange noise from her nose about two or three times since her spay also. I will attach some videos if I can. The darker one is of her while she is eating/sniffing my phone, one is her a few seconds after laying down and the one filmed front on is her semi sleeping.

Thank you

https://binkybunny.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/20210804_204336.mp4

https://binkybunny.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/20210804_204630.mp4

https://binkybunny.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/20210804_211746.mp4

(All three video links reviewed and approved by Wick)

[Wick & Fable]

If it seems like she has successfully recovered from the spay with no issues (i.e. appetite and energy back to normal, no indicators of pain/discomfort, poop and pee output and quality normal), it probably isn’t spay-related. She actually reminds me a lot of my Fable, who at baseline is a rapid breather. Since there is no discharge, wheezing, or sneezing, I would recommend monitoring for now– she may just be a faster-paced rabbit. She is becoming an adult and growing into who she is and how her body is, so this may be a baseline for her.

I would also think about the environment. It is getting hot in some areas of the world, and faster breathing can be an indicator of being too hot.

Anxiety/hyper-vigilance could also be at play, potentially as a result of going through a spay (i.e. a stressful experience), so she is generally more alert now, rather than as relaxed. My Fable is a rabbit who is easily spooked/worried, so this is something I know impacts her breathing specifically.

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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