Can bunnies have respiratory issues similar to asthma?

My Raven is a dwarf bunny with small nasel passeges even for a bunny his size per the vet.
Sometimes he gets stuffy and sneezy. Giving him a dose of Medicam works to reduce inflammation and he is soon acting like himself.
Yesterday morning he woke me up with a very wheezy, snorty, snuffle sound. He was acting quite and scared.
I gave him the Medicam and tried to keep him calm.
In less than 15 minutes his breathing sounded clear.
He had a similar situation a month or two ago when he was normal when I got to the vet; so this time I make an audio recording to play for the vet.
He is a little stuffy today-even after I cleaned every corner of 'our' room yesterday-but he is hopping, eating, drinking normally.
Could he be having a respiratory issue similar to asthma, or was he just getting so upset about having a stuffy nose that his breathing was not normal?

Bumping up for you.

Has he been treated for a respiritory infection? Meaning a long course of antibiotics? If so I'd request a swab from his nasal passage to see what bacteria is growing.

bunny momma said:

My Raven is a dwarf bunny with small nasel passeges even for a bunny his size per the vet.
Sometimes he gets stuffy and sneezy. Giving him a dose of Medicam works to reduce inflammation and he is soon acting like himself.
Yesterday morning he woke me up with a very wheezy, snorty, snuffle sound. He was acting quite and scared.
I gave him the Medicam and tried to keep him calm.
In less than 15 minutes his breathing sounded clear.
He had a similar situation a month or two ago when he was normal when I got to the vet; so this time I make an audio recording to play for the vet.
He is a little stuffy today-even after I cleaned every corner of 'our' room yesterday-but he is hopping, eating, drinking normally.
Could he be having a respiratory issue similar to asthma, or was he just getting so upset about having a stuffy nose that his breathing was not normal?

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T, I have known of a few Rabbits who were diagnosed with asthma. But given Raven's breed and the breed disposition to nasal/tooth root issues I suspect her problem may be URT related rather than LRT. Having a stuffy nose will obviously be stressful for a Bunny, as you know, Rabbits are obligate nose breathers.

'Santa' on here had a dear little teeny tiny Nethie called Santa (!!!!) who had chronic URT problems which were found to be related not only to the short, stub conformation of her skull but also to tooth root elongation/Dental problems. Again both almost certainly due to the shape of her skull.

You could send Santa a PM incase she does not see this thread. She may not be able to reply straight away as in recent weeks she has been very, very busy and stressed with her own Rabbits/her Rescue Rabbits. But Santa is a font of good advice and I am sure that she will offer you some suggestions as soon as she gets time.

In the meantime some Rabbits benefit from steam inhalations or even just being in a steam filled bathroom for 15 minutes. It can loosen up the nasal secretions. I have just read thumps_ post on another thread and I will copy and paste some of it here as it may contain some advice that you may find useful :

thumps_ said:

I note that a nebuliser helps. I'm a very strong believer in keeping nasal secretions runny in rabbits with chronic nasal infections. This helps to expel the secretions more easily = reduce the potential for more invasive infection. I make my own saline from sea salt (never use table salt) 1/2 teaspoon sea salt dissolved in 1/2 pint boiling water & cool. Discard after 24 hours. There are 3 advantages to this in the early phases of the illness.
a) It doesn't matter if you inhale the saline, so bunny can be nebulised on your knee = less stress. I just waft the stream of vapour in the general direction of his muzzle ensuring it isn't blowing hard into his face.
b) Saline doesn't destroy the "good bacteria" which make a dense carpet which inhibits the growth of the invasive bacteria.
c) it doesn't cause resistance!

Bisolvon both makes secretions runny & increases the activity of the cilia throughout the respiratory tract including lungs & middle ear. Again it's all about not letting infected muck lie around!
(It's useless sprinkling Bisolvon on pellets! It trickles to the bottom of the dish uneaten! I put a pinch in a large Basil leaf, roll it into a parcel & post in Benjie's mouth.
.

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Thank you for your suggestions. He does not have any nasal secretions or obvious infection like my late CX who had persistent infections for half of his 13 year life and once the infections were finally gone he had atropic rhinitis.
Even though Raven is still young, he already has had one dental for spurs when he was less than a year and a half. When I had him for a recheck at the vets last month he had no regrowth of the spurs and I asked the vet if he could have issues with his roots. The vet thought his problem was more related to his extra tiny nasal openings than tooth roots (I asked).
I'll talk to my vet and ask for X-rays to determine if he has any structural or tooth root issues that add to his being stuffy.
Jane, thanks for the reassurance that his scary breathing may have been because Raven got upset when he could not clear the stuffiness himself. Perhaps the Medicam helped calm him as well as reducing any inflamation and that is why it appeared to help him breath much better.
Thumps had some good suggestions too and I will check with Santa at a better time if this becomes a persistent issue for Raven.

bunny momma said:

Thank you for your suggestions. He does not have any nasal secretions or obvious infection like my late CX who had persistent infections for half of his 13 year life and once the infections were finally gone he had atropic rhinitis.
Even though Raven is still young, he already has had one dental for spurs when he was less than a year and a half. When I had him for a recheck at the vets last month he had no regrowth of the spurs and I asked the vet if he could have issues with his roots. The vet thought his problem was more related to his extra tiny nasal openings than tooth roots (I asked).
I'll talk to my vet and ask for X-rays to determine if he has any structural or tooth root issues that add to his being stuffy.
Jane, thanks for the reassurance that his scary breathing may have been because Raven got upset when he could not clear the stuffiness himself. Perhaps the Medicam helped calm him as well as reducing any inflamation and that is why it appeared to help him breath much better.
Thumps had some good suggestions too and I will check with Santa at a better time if this becomes a persistent issue for Raven.

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Well Raven certainly has an A* care giver so he will be sure to receive any treatment he may need. He sounds to be a real sweetheart

Thanks Jane.
He makes me smile.