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serious rabbit hiccups ? breathing difficulties

P

piningforarabbit

Mama Doe
One of my rabbits has developed breathing difficulties on sunday night

Her breathing is laboured and every other breath seems to look as if she has hiccups

She is off her food

The vet doesn't know what is the cause, having checked for physical obstructions. There is no discharge

She is currently on once-a-day antibiotics, having had single pain relief + gut stimulant injections yesterday, as precautions but without any idea of root cause


Does anyone have any idea what this might be ?


I am really worried for her, especially as she is off her food
 
Last edited:
piningforarabbit said:
One of my rabbits has developed breathing difficulties on sunday night

Her breathing is laboured and every other breath seems to look as if she has hiccups

She is off her food

The vet doesn't know what is the cause, having checked for physical obstructions. There is no discharge

She is currently on once-a-day antibiotics, having had single pain relief + gut stimulant injections yesterday, as precautions but without any idea of root cause


Does anyone have any idea what this might be ?


I am really worried for her, especially as she is off her food
Click to expand...


I hope she gets eating again soon. Stasis is a bit of a bummer on top of the breathing issues:

http://anyflip.com/dvpt/hzvv/basic


Is your vet rabbit savvy, and even if so, would you consider getting a second opinion?

The last time this happened I had sedation and X-ray to thoroughly check out the sinuses and lungs to make sure there wasn't any congestion - or to treat what was there.

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Respiratory/Bacterial/URI.htm

http://www.petmd.com/rabbit/conditions/respiratory/c_rb_pasteurellosis


I have seen this before in rabbits - boosting the immune system with something like echinacea is also very helpful alongside veterinary recommended treatment:

https://www.baldwins.co.uk/baldwins-echinacea-angustifolia-herbal-fluid-extract

A rabbit with a strong immune system will pull through any respiratory distress - you could also ask the vet about using Bisolvon, which is a mucolytic and if there is any congestion or unseen discharge it will help it to pass more easily.

The other option I can suggest is nebulising with saline. This works very well for rabbits. Even if there's no cause or evidence of respiratory issues at this stage, I would use the echinacea, bislovon and nebulise to head off any potential issues.

Good luck, I hope some of my ramblings may be of use!
 
Last edited:
piningforarabbit said:
One of my rabbits has developed breathing difficulties on sunday night

Her breathing is laboured and every other breath seems to look as if she has hiccups

She is off her food

The vet doesn't know what is the cause, having checked for physical obstructions. There is no discharge

She is currently on once-a-day antibiotics, having had single pain relief + gut stimulant injections yesterday, as precautions but without any idea of root cause


Does anyone have any idea what this might be ?


I am really worried for her, especially as she is off her food
Click to expand...

Hello stranger !

Sorry to hear that you have a poorly Rabbit. Did the Vet suggest taking any chest radiographs. ?

Is your Doe spayed ?

Had you noticed any weightloss over the last few weeks ? Does the 'hiccuping' mostly occur when she is lying down ?

I see you are over in Germany these days. I am not sure about the availability of 'Rabbit Savvy' Vets in/near Dusseldorf ?

If your Doe has shown no signs of improvement at all then personally I'd want to contact the Vet again ASAP.
 
she isn't spayed

no noticeable weight loss before this week


she hiccups when lying down and sitting up....


*** I have noticed that she raises her head up slightly


Her cheeks are sucked in/pulled back, as if she is struggling for breathe


I will try to upload a video to youtube tonight
 
I am actually back in hampshire again and not dusseldorf


I might take her to john chitty for a second opinion in the next few days if the antibiotics show no sign of being effective

She was treated yesterday by gus at st. kitts, who I find really good with rabbits
 
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piningforarabbit said:
current vet suggested antibiotics as the first action, maybe x-rays as a follow on if no improvement
Click to expand...

If you can get her to JC I'd do so ASAP

It sounds as though she is in significant respiratory distress and having episodes of 'mouth breathing'. Photos of 'mouth breathing' on here :

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Respiratory/Bacterial/URI.htm


As you probably know, her not being spayed means that there is a chance that her symptoms are related to uterine adenocarcinoma (uterine cancer that has metastasised to her lungs)

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/UterineAdenocarcinomaRabbit.htm
 
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For sure she is in respiratory distress, but I am wondering about root cause

I was cleaning out the second garage on sunday, whilst she was in the first garage. I wonder if the dust in the air has caused this ? Selfishly I always wear a respirator during cleaning so I don't breath the dust myself


I will bring her into the main house this evening and perhaps give her some time on the lawn before that, to see if her breathing improves any
 
MightyMax said:
I'd agree with this course of action. I don't know how far away John Chitty is from you?

The easier link I gave you has photos of a rabbit mouth breathing, as an example, but it's a fairly extreme case.

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Respiratory/Bacterial/URI.htm
Click to expand...


she doesn't make noises like motek in the video

her lifted head is no-where as pronounced as the pictures in the link, but it is recognisably the same type of tilting
 
piningforarabbit said:
she doesn't make noises like motek in the video

her lifted head is no-where as pronounced as the pictures in the link, but it is recognisably the same type of tilting
Click to expand...


An X-ray would rule out an enlarged heart, which could also be causing respiratory distress.

Personally, when I spotted the sort of thing you're describing, I hoofed it to the vet for sedation and X-ray and bloods, as I didn't want the issue to become one where sedation was going to be a health risk to the rabbit. (i.e. whatever it was got worse in the waiting)
 
piningforarabbit said:
For sure she is in respiratory distress, but I am wondering about root cause

I was cleaning out the second garage on sunday, whilst she was in the first garage. I wonder if the dust in the air has caused this ? Selfishly I always wear a respirator during cleaning so I don't breath the dust myself


I will bring her into the main house this evening and perhaps give her some time on the lawn before that, to see if her breathing improves any
Click to expand...


Dust was my thought too, but I don't think it would cause that amount of distress. However, I think it's a good idea to change the air for a while and see what difference, if any, that makes.

Don't blame yourself for the dust thing. It's more likely to have made her sneeze than the symptoms you describe x
 
carried on with antibiotics this morning

watched her eat her curly kale and burgess


so my immediately serious concern that she is not eating is not such a concern now


but her hiccups are still there
 
piningforarabbit said:
carried on with antibiotics this morning

watched her eat her curly kale and burgess


so my immediately serious concern that she is not eating is not such a concern now


but her hiccups are still there
Click to expand...


Sorry to hear about the hiccups. What also concerns me is the mouth breathing you referred to earlier.

Is she still doing that also?
 
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