Please help with coughing but, no runny nose or eyes.

[HappyFunJenn]

I’d say I mostly see it when he’s lying down trying to sleep and occasionally while he’s trying to eat. It’s almost always just a single cough as opposed to a coughing fit. His eyes and nose are completely normal. Forever ago I was a smoker and I remember that if I had some phlegm in my lungs I might have an involuntary single cough and cough up a little phlegm. It kind of looks like that to me when he coughs. It’s almost like he chews something in his mouth afterwards. The vet told me to look for heavy breathing, runny nose or eyes but, I don’t see any of those symptoms. In fact, other than this cough he seems like a super happy bun.
I’m really worried about my little guy. Lucky bun bun is new to me. I only adopted him a month ago so I don’t have any insight on what it happened with him before he lived with me except that the previous owner kept him in a hutch with a wire bottom and pine shavings underneath it. I have read that the pine shavings are super bad for them and I had immediately thrown the shavings out when Lucky came home.
Today that cough seems more prevalent than any day before. I’m very worried. Does anyone have any insight or experience like this?

[jerseygirl]

I have 2 rabbits that do a sort of cough. One does it often after drinking so I think it’s just due to the speed he drinks. The other has had some health challenges though. He does what I describe as a gag/cough. Ive mentioned it many times to the vet but we only end up speculating on the cause. He does have affected facial muscles so one side of his face is pulled up and he gets a bit wet under the chin. He manages to eat well though so his chewing and swallowing does not seem to be affected by the spasm. I do wonder of he produces more saliva then the norm and part of it is his continually swallowing that down? Or if he has something like post-nasal drip if that’s possible in rabbits.
He does have sneezing episodes but no discharge.

If your vet does find there is more saliva in your rabbit, that might be a clue to some dental issues. Or over-active saliva gland perhaps. Another thing that could happen is if there are some molar spurs that are hooking food at the back of the mouth and triggering a gag or cough.

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