Something seems to be wrong with Goofball:u/d: eating pellet

Goofball & I went to the vet this afternoon to check on her teeth. The appointment was at 3:30 pm. At the same time, we check on the little cut when I cut her fur last week.

The vet was very busy and has to work on 2 other rabbits before he came back and look at Goofball.

We left around 5 pm and drove straight home. From 5 pm till 8:30 pm, she eat one average size carrot with a bit of green top (from the same box of carrot she ate yesterday), 2 leaves of spinach (the same bunch of spinach that I ate), 1 small slice of pear (I ate the rest), and a small amount of pellets.

I leave the pellet bowl empty after she's done to enourage her to eat some hay.

Just after 8:30 pm, she keep taking breath with noise on her nose (like she just ran 5 miles) eventhough she was sitting comfortably next to me, I can hear the noise from her nose, she hide in her tunnel and the dark corner of the walk in closet (from past experience, she only do that when she is stressed).

She is also making gagging noise, almost as she ate something and trying to choke it out, although at 8:30 pm when it happens, she wasn't eating anything prior to that (last item she eat was the pear around 6:30 pm).

I call both vets that are rabbit savvy but they are gone home for the day.

Is it possible the vet pass some sort of bacteria to Goofball from him touching the other 2 rabbits? I mean, it's only been 3.5 hr. from the examination, not to mention my vet had touch other rabbits all morning before he touch Goofball.

The other items Goofball have touched is the floor and the towel, one of the lady who has her rabbit examine touch Goofball on her head, I put Goofball on the scale for 10 sec. to weigh her.

She just seems agitated, but I can't see anything that could agitate her. All these time she was sitting on the carpet, the next time I know, she starts taking those noisy breath.

The only time she has noisy breath is when she does a run in the backyard, but even then, I can only see she breathing fast, I can't hear any noise. In another occasion, when I cut her nail, then she starts do the above, as she gets agitate when I cut her nail.

It's now 9:25 pm and her noisy breathing has just stopped recently. Besides keeping an close eye on her tonight, anything else I can do?

Only just seen this Jason

The noising breathing may be the result of stress from the Vet trip but the 'gagging' is a worry. It is unlikely that any bacteria were passed on to her at the Vets as the symptoms would not develop quite so quickly.
However, if she was already starting a respiratory tract infection the stress may have triggered the symptoms off.

Are her gums still a nice pink colour, not blueish?

I hope Goofball is OK now and that you well be able to speak with the Vet today. They may suggest another check over and if an infection is suspected antibiotics and anti-inflammatories may be prescribed

Janex

Jane, thanks for replying. I don't know what to make of it. After this episode, she came out of the dark corner, hide herself for a long while in the carpet tube.

The gagging sound is actually okay in itself, because she is a "noisy" bunny and has made similar sound before, so just that doesn't concern me. Her gums are fine, I guess "gagging" may be a wrong word to describe it but I can't think of a better word. To be clear, she make her unusual sound that appears as if a person is choking, but in the past 1.5 years, I have heard such sound before.

It's the noise of her breathing that causes my concern. The noise has stopped since 9:25 pm and it's now 4 hr. later. During this 4 hr., she didn't eat any pellets, but it's hard to judge if that's normal or not. She did eat the rabbit treats--dry apricots, a few raisins, dry pineapple.

The only times I've seen this kind of stess behaviour was last time I cut her nails and the first time her molar was removed (not under a GA)

However, judging by her lay down position, she seems happy, I read from rabbit handbook that her lay down position (legs stretch out with leg paws facing up) means she is relaxed.

If she is sick, should she be curl herself together with hands and feet very close together?

The only other thing that I really screw up on was that other thread I wrote about cutting her fur (happened last Wed. or so). By the vet's exam today, I pulled her skin that day, the so-called "pockets" is not supposed to be there, and it's about 0.6 to 0.7 cm long, there is about 5 drops of blood, and it healed quite nicely. I use hibitane and an traditional chinese healing cream that I use for many years (a formula being around for over 100+ years) on the wound. Unless that has a bacteria infection. It was near her tail but I double check and there is no urine near that region.

The vet checked it today and said it healed very nicely and he said he feel the scar on it.
She lives with me in the same room, there is no respiratory virus in this room. I also vaccum the room just the other day. Further, because it is still winter, I never open the window.

When I drove her home today, because the weather is quite warm with sunshine, I did temporary roll down the windows for a few times, each time about a few seconds (I was coughing, I know she can't catch my type of flu virus, but I don't want the virus in the car anyway, so I roll down the window)

Do you have central heating in your room?
That can play havoc with a Buns respiratory tract as it dries the atmosphere. A bit of fresh air wont harm her (or you :wink: ) so a slightly open window may help. If you have radiators for heating try buying a humidifier to hang on them. Too warm and too dry air is more of a problem to a Bun as they are obligate nose breathers and the dry air can irritate the nasal passages.

From what you have said about Goofballs relaxed behaviour now it sounds like she is OK. But I'd still run the story by your rabbit savvy vet.

I am off to open a few windows here now..... :wink:

Janex

Thanks Jane. I think she's okay now. As she just eating the pellets like there is no tomorrow.

I don't know what really happened 6 hr. ago. I'll keep a close eye on her in the next 48 hr. Now I can finish off my report and go to bed. I'm telling you, just like you and many other members here, each time something like this happen, I felt like someone has gut me w/ a knife, you can tell me I win the lottery I still won't be happy.

I do use Central Heating, but it's rarely on. I use oil heater in this room with her. And to offset the dryness, I put a bowl of water in the corner of the room, and I can tell it's working, because a few years ago, without the bowl of water, I have bloody nose in the summer (too dry, no water came out of the central heating). Since then, I switch to oil heater and a big bowl of water, and no more bloody nose ever.

However, I'll check to find out what is the humidity level in this room because I have one of those humidity meter and I just bring in this room after I read your mesg.

thanks for your help.

by the way, I can't open the windows, although it's very warm and sunny this afternoon, it's now cold and snowing outside. That's just the way the weather is in this part of Canada.

Happy Hopping said:

Thanks Jane. I think she's okay now. As she just eating the pellets like there is no tomorrow.

I don't know what really happened 6 hr. ago. I'll keep a close eye on her in the next 48 hr. Now I can finish off my report and go to bed. I'm telling you, just like you and many other members here, each time something like this happen, I felt like someone has gut me w/ a knife, you can tell me I win the lottery I still won't be happy.

I do use Central Heating, but it's rarely on. I use oil heater in this room with her. And to offset the dryness, I put a bowl of water in the corner of the room, and I can tell it's working, because a few years ago, without the bowl of water, I have bloody nose in the summer (too dry, no water came out of the central heating). Since then, I switch to oil heater and a big bowl of water, and no more bloody nose ever.

However, I'll check to find out what is the humidity level in this room because I have one of those humidity meter and I just bring in this room after I read your mesg.

thanks for your help.

by the way, I can't open the windows, although it's very warm and sunny this afternoon, it's now cold and snowing outside. That's just the way the weather is in this part of Canada.

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Glad Goofball seems better

Night, Night!!

Seems weird saying that at 0940 in the morning!! :lol:

Janex