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cardiovascular (??) calcification and fast breathing?

P

parsnipbun

Wise Old Thumper
Has anyone had any experience of this?

Teasal has been breathing very fast, and also sleeping very heavily when he sleeps, for a few days now (probably a bit longer but it has sort of slowly crept up on us/him so only just realised how noticeable it is).

He is c9 years old, and a 'sludge' bun despite a low calcium diet, healthy fit lifestyle and lots of liquids etc etc etc.

The vets today listened to his lungs and heart and said everything sounded fine no infection or heart mumur - but then mentioned this possibility of calcification - didn't specify if they meant of the cardiovascular of anywhere else.. They did not x-ray today to see if there was any calcification as they had only just expressed his bladder (routinely done every 4 weeks) and so he was in no mood to still still for an xray. They have x-rayed him before but only the kidney/bladder area as that is where his sludge lurks.

Grateful for any experiences/ cures????
 
Arteriosclerosis maybe- that's mineralisation of the aorta. Apparently its associated with mineralisation of kidney tissue and impaired calcium excretion.

I guess it would be a case of treating symptomatically as the condition cant be cured sadly
 
Can't find any symptomatic treatment suggested in FHB - have you any idea what form it would take?

Thinking of taking him back to vets tomorrow to say we should have an x-ray.
 
Cardiovascular calcification can affect different parts of the CV system, but is generally due to tissue degeneration sadly, probably quite a common finding in patients over a certain age (well in humans anyway, so I would assume the same would apply to rabbits) and going on Teasal's remarkable age this would fit. I understand it as a physiological change in various CV structures... calcified plaques forming around valves, major blood vessels etc.. as a result of long standing disease. I suspect it is reducing his CV output and possibly backing up fluid on the lung? which means any work done by the heart is a bit of an effort and therefore he's breathing harder to oxygenate the blood at the same rate. There may be some drugs that are appropriate for use in rabbits but I have no idea and no personal experience, I can only vaguely remember certain human therapeutic procedures if that! Thumps will have a much better description than I from the human angle atleast if she is around.

I'm just wondering if perhaps a little oxygen when he needs it or the use of a diuretic may be beneficial? But I really am only guessing.
ETA maybe a vasodilator?
 
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