Labored Breathing

[RafaelaM89]

Hi! I have a 14 week old Male Rabbit named Stimpy,(Not neutered) who just recently within the last day started breathing very slow and labored. I took him to our Local Pets Emergency Hospital. They said his heart rate and pulse were normal and they didnt see anything out of the ordinary. He is home now, but still breathing labored and hasn’t really had anything to eat or drink. I am very concerned, does anybody have any experience with this? Do you think it could be allergies?

Thanks!

[Mikey]

Is it warm where you are at? My buns like it 72F or lower, and i know most rabbits have a hard time over 80F

[jerseygirl]

Definitely see if temperature is the issue as Mikey suggests. If not, I would seek opinion of another vet. {{{Stimpy}}}

[RafaelaM89]

@Mikey I live in Colorado, so it is moderately warm.They are Indoor/Outdoor bunnies, and he was out earlier in the day but I brought him back inside.
@Jerseygirl I think I am going to schedule an appointment with our regular Vet tomorrow if not at least see if I can get a call back and speak with her over the phone. He seems to be pretty normal with the exception of not really eating/drinking well and laboring breaths. It makes me so worried for him, as my 7 year old is very attached.

[RafaelaM89]

*Update* Just saw him eating and drinking a bit of food and water. He is now laying down on his stomach next to his sister Wren. I think Stimpy should pull through but need to get him to see his regular vet for sure

[RafaelaM89]

*

[jerseygirl]

Oh that’s good. Has his breathing improved at all?

[RafaelaM89]

His breathing hasn’t really improved, but now he is what I would say “Sneezing”. At least thats what it looks like.

[jerseygirl]

Maybe he got something lodged up his nose from when he was outside? Like a grass seed. Or he got stung? Does his nose look swollen at all?
Is there any discharge? If there is, we can sometimes help by clearing that away. Using a baby nasal aspirator or empty medicine syringe.

[RafaelaM89]

That is a great idea that I didn’t even think about Jerseygirl, I will look today and see if there might be a seed or something lodged in there. He very well might have gotten stung, we have squash and pumpkin growing in the back and they attract bees, so that for sure could have happened. He seems to be acting much more normal now, eating treats and trying to mount his sister. All things I like to see from him. I wonder if we have a baby nasal aspirator around here somewhere… I appreciate the help guys!

[Mikey]

If you dont have a baby nasal arpirator, you can take your bun into the bathroom and kick on a warm shower to cause steam. One of my bunnies has allergies so when hes sneezing more often than normal, we use the bathroom steam to help him get it all out

[RafaelaM89]

Ok, I totally did this and it helped really clear his sinuses. He is back to normal now, no labored breathing at all, which makes me so happy. Thanks so much for the great idea! 

[Author]

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