Care for bun with heart problem

Hi all,

Our bun was recently diagnosed with an enlarged heart and is taking meds for it now. It's only been a couple of days since starting those, so it's hard to say sometimes how he is doing. Yesterday he seemed tired all day, this morning he was like his old self, but as the day has worn on he seems to be tired again. His breathing seems to be ok as before he was really starting to struggle.

So I suppose I would like to hear from anyone that has taken care of a bun with heart problems, such as anything I should watch for, tips, etc. I don't know, maybe I need to relax more and not be so obsessed with watching and monitoring him? :lol:

Also, I am starting to wonder about the coming winter and how he will cope with the cold. He's always been an outdoor bunny, but this is the second illness this year since May. First time he lost perhaps 100g of weight, pretty much gained it all back, and now so far he's lost perhaps about 50g give or take. His appetite certainly isn't as strong as it was before, but he does eat.

My worry is that he might not have been able to build up some fat stores for the winter. Would you say this is something I should be concerned about and just move him indoors? or should I just wait and watch, see how he does?

Any advice greatly appreciated!

i have no experiance with this particular condition but people with heart problems frequantly have poor circulation and as a result find it harder to maintain body temprature or suffer problems such as chilblaines.
if he was mine i would move him indoors.

I have cared for several Buns with heart problems

Is your Bun on Fortekor (anti-hypertensive) and Frusemide (diuretic) ?

Personally I would definately bring him indoors as long as he wont be stressed by the move. Alternatively moving him into an insulated shed might be an option.

Its important to monitor his breathing (listen to his heart and lungs) on a regular basis. Your Vet should advise you as to the frequency of check-ups.

Sometimes the dose of medication needs 'fine tuning', especially as the disease progresses.

Avoiding stressful situations as much as possible is important.

Any symptoms what-so-ever of Respiratory Tract problems-eg sneezing, increased respiratory rate/effort need prompt Veterinary attention. They may be due to secondary bacterial infection rather than the heart condition itself.

Really familiarising yourself with what is 'normal' for your Bun given his illness. What his appetite is like, his general behaviour, his breathing when at rest.

Follow-up blood tests may be suggested but this needs to be balanced with trying to minimise the stress of having the proceedure done. With Rabbits the 'stress factor' involved in diagnostics is very important to consider IMO.
This is another thing to discuss with your Vet.

Hope some of the above is useful

Thank you both for your replies. I think maybe I knew the answer, but wanted some backup

So we moved him in last night. Still have some rearranging to work on. I ended up moving in the whole hutch(double storey) to a) save on having to buy something else, and b) I figured he would get used to it better being in familiar surroundings.

He is still sneezing. This is pretty much what started the whole thing from the beginning. He started sneezing off and on, then I noticed the third eyelid becoming more and more visible, then the bulging eyes, and then the breathing difficulties. At first, before the breathing problem, he was being treated as for the snuffles, although he had no nasal discharge. Still doesn't as far as I can tell. But he's finishing a 10 day course of septrin, and still sneezing, so I'm not sure what they will say about that yet.

Oh, and yes he is on Fortekor and Frusol.

To be honest, I think I am having a hard time telling the difference between his breathing and his heart. To me, just from watching him, he kind of has this slight rocking motion at times which looks like it is when he is exhaling. Or is that his heart beating?

JsGypsy said:

Thank you both for your replies. I think maybe I knew the answer, but wanted some backup

So we moved him in last night. Still have some rearranging to work on. I ended up moving in the whole hutch(double storey) to a) save on having to buy something else, and b) I figured he would get used to it better being in familiar surroundings.

He is still sneezing. This is pretty much what started the whole thing from the beginning. He started sneezing off and on, then I noticed the third eyelid becoming more and more visible, then the bulging eyes, and then the breathing difficulties. At first, before the breathing problem, he was being treated as for the snuffles, although he had no nasal discharge. Still doesn't as far as I can tell. But he's finishing a 10 day course of septrin, and still sneezing, so I'm not sure what they will say about that yet.

Oh, and yes he is on Fortekor and Frusol.

To be honest, I think I am having a hard time telling the difference between his breathing and his heart. To me, just from watching him, he kind of has this slight rocking motion at times which looks like it is when he is exhaling. Or is that his heart beating?

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That would be a increased respiratory effort, a common finding in a Rabbit with a heart condition xx

Pearl was diagnosed with an enlarged heart about 4 weeks ago, but the vet had a suspision she had heart trouble about two weeks before that and put her on heart drugs (the previous vet missed it on the xray taken in July :evil

it took almost two weeks before the heart drugs started to work, so it sounds like your bunny is getting there

sending loads of vibes your way xxxx

Pearl is still deep breathing when shes run about, but she is definately holding her head up less when breathing at rest. i have a thread in rabbit chat with before and after videos if you want to compare her progress to your bun

Thanks so much for your reply! I think I was expecting overnight results. In some ways yes, that happened; but I was expecting him to go back to normal I think. So I'll try to be patient and give it more time.

JsGypsy said:

Thanks so much for your reply! I think I was expecting overnight results. In some ways yes, that happened; but I was expecting him to go back to normal I think. So I'll try to be patient and give it more time.

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i did too even tho she told me 4-7 days

i think he will find a new normal too, itll never be the same as before.. this is what i am slowly coming to terms with now. daily drugs and a slightly dodgy breathing/easily tired bunny

i do recommend you make a short video so in a few weeks time youll be able to see the difference. its really helped my stress levels having those two videos to compare and i even managed some sleep last night and didnt expect to find a dead pearl this morning.