Strange Breathing Sounds

[bunnyfriend]

Hi, I am having trouble figuring out why my rabbit is making strange noises.  I tried looking at other topics, but couldn’t find anything that described the same variety of sounds that my rabbit is making.  He didn’t used to make many sounds, but he is now making a lot of sounds daily.  He isn’t making sounds all of the time, but it seems to be happening every time I give him food, pet him, or pick him up.  He also makes the sounds randomly while resting sometimes.  The noises almost sound like he is congested, but there is no discharge from his nose or eyes.  The noises are sometimes soft when he is breathing calmly.  The sometimes sound like a loud honk randomly, unprovoked.  Also, the sounds are like a high pitched repetitive squeak when I pick him up to give him his medicine.  I have brought him to the vet (a small animal, exotics vet), and the vet said he did not know what was wrong.  This veterinarian seems to be knowledgeable of rabbits, and comes highly recommended from the local animal hospital.  He gave him an x-ray, and said at least the rabbit does not have pneumonia.  He did not think that the rabbit had snuffles, but put him on an antibiotic anyways.  He has been on the antibiotic for 2 weeks, and the noises have not lessened.  He eats, drinks, urinates, and defecates as usual, and his activity is also normal.  It sometimes seems like he may be breathing hard, but I am not sure if that is just because I am paying more attention to his breathing now.  The rabbit is 4 years old and otherwise healthy.   If you have any information that might help, or have any ideas of what may be wrong, please let me know.  I am very worried about my rabbit, and want to do whatever I need to help him.  

Here is a youtube link of him making some of the sounds: https://youtu.be/o2ApzFwag4w

Thank you so much for your time.  

[lorree]

I don’t know exactly what it is, but I do know my rabbit made this noise once and it was when I accidentally wrapped her up too tight in a towel to give her medicine and she was getting slightly strangled.
So the pressure on her throat made her make that sound.
I wonder if somethings wrong with your rabbits throat.
Maybe something pressing on her trachea?
I could be totally wrong though, I’m no expert

[bunnyfriend]

Thank you lorree, for that thought. I will definitely bring up that theory to the vet.

[jerseygirl]

It definitely sounds like nasal congestion. Did he make the sounds at the vet?

Did they do head X-rays also?
Being a lop, you’d need to look into dental issues like molar roots affecting the sinus, abscess or swelling in sinus area. Also investigate if foreign body trapped in nose.

If infection, he may need something to break down thick mucus as it can trap bacteria in the nasal cavity and antibiotics not as effective. I’ve heard of Bisolven being used before. Also, he may need to go on different antibiotic. Sometimes an anti inflammatory helps too, to reduce swelling.

Hope you’re able to get to bottom if it.

[bunnyfriend]

Thank you, jerseygirl. I will definitely bring up those points to the vet also. I am not sure if the vet did a head X-ray- I thought they X-rayed everything, but I am not sure, and I will check. They checked his teeth, but I could bring that up too. Thank you so much for the help.

Also, another person on another forum mentioned that they had a lop that made this sound due to dust, and suggested changing his hay and bedding to see if that is the problem. Since I did start using a new hay about a week before he started making those sounds, I am definitely going to try changing his hay back to the old one. They bunnies love the new hay, as it is fresher and has more variety (it’s a variety hay that a local rabbit rescue group uses for their rabbits and also sells), but maybe he is having some sort of reaction to it. So I’m going to switch back to the generic timothy hay I used to buy from the store for a bit and see if that helps.

[jerseygirl]

Sounds likes good idea. Sometimes bagged hay can get dusty as it ages. Also, certain times of year they could be pollens from the area the hay was harvested that causes some symptoms.

I’ve read of rabbit owners misting the hay with water and even dipping a bunch quickly in water to overcome dust. Doing this, you’d only want to use small portions at a time though.

[bunnyfriend]

Great idea! I will try that today, since I haven’t had a chance to buy the old hay again yet.

[lorree]

That sounds good, I hope it turns out to be just the hay thing and ur bunny gets all better

[EinsteindaLion]

Did you ever figure out what was wrong? My bunny has been making this sound since last night. It’s not every breath just more excited breathing but he’s acting normally otherwise.

[Wick & Fable]

Hi EinsteindaLion! Since this is an old thread, you’re likely not to get a response back, so I’m going to lock it. I encourage you to create a new topic so active members can provide their thoughts on your specific situation!

If this occurred as a one-time thing, I wouldn’t be too worried. If it continues, then I would recommend a vet visit to assess if there is nasal congestion that can be treated.

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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