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advice re: rapid heartrate please U/D

fine I think :? He still does the fast heartrate thign from time to time but not as often as it was when I started the thread. He's been binkying like crazy tonight too, I can't keep up with him :shock:
 
My little man has a tendancy to do this too. But he has a diagnosed heart murmur. I've been told that as this progresses his breathing rate and heart rate will increase as his body has to work harder to get oxygen round his body.

Also been told that heat will make it harder for him, so may be a contributor- maybe more so because they are inside?!

Vet also said 'normal' is up to 60 breaths per minute- its easier to monitor this than heart rate.

Fluffs had a funny 5 minutes the other day, breathing really fast and flopped out, but its difficult to know if I'm being over-sensitive... my parents lost their dog last week to lung cancer and he was the same way before he was pts.

But I've just watched Fluffs binky round the garden so all confusing really.
 
My little man has a tendancy to do this too. But he has a diagnosed heart murmur. I've been told that as this progresses his breathing rate and heart rate will increase as his body has to work harder to get oxygen round his body.

Also been told that heat will make it harder for him, so may be a contributor- maybe more so because they are inside?!

Vet also said 'normal' is up to 60 breaths per minute- its easier to monitor this than heart rate.

Fluffs had a funny 5 minutes the other day, breathing really fast and flopped out, but its difficult to know if I'm being over-sensitive... my parents lost their dog last week to lung cancer and he was the same way before he was pts

But I've just watched Fluffs binky round the garden so all confusing really.

I have wondered whether Apache may be having a problem with a fast "wrong" heart rhythm which can come & go, but I have no experience of this in rabbits. I do NOT think this is a lung cancer problem. I think it may be worth while seeing a good rabbit specialist vet if it continues.

Thumper has a normal heart & lungs, but respiratory rate varies enormously - sometimes he's hot, sometimes "sniffing the air", just had a run round etc.when it's up to 120/min. I wait until he's dosing off or in a bunnyflop when it drops right down. Just a suggestion for previous queries, wanting help from a normal bunny.!!!
 
I have wondered whether Apache may be having a problem with a fast "wrong" heart rhythm which can come & go, but I have no experience of this in rabbits. I do NOT think this is a lung cancer problem. I think it may be worth while seeing a good rabbit specialist vet if it continues.

do you know what kind of tests would diagnose such a condition?
 
Some American literature advises that a cardiac ultrasound (like for pregnancy but on the heart) is more helpful than ECG ("heart tracing") in rabbits. Drugs to control a rabbit's heart rhythm are available if necessary.

We desperately need replies from some one who has a bunny with cardiac problems to advise you properly. (I don't have this experience).

Thinking of you & keeping ears open for any help - Judy & Thumper.
 
Thanks


I don't want to subject him to tests/treatment unless I think he is genuinely ill and at the moment he seems fit as a fiddle but I like to research now in case I need to know this stuff later :) I'll have a read around.
 
thumps, I just noticed you're from Swindon, like me!!

Mr Fluffs had his heart condition diagnosed simply by listening to his heart (it's significant enough to be noticed through a stephoscope :( ) My vets are brilliant at picking up the smallest little thing, but it might be worth getting your vet to have a listen. Fluff's problem was picked up at a routine check up.

They could have done an ECG (which would be the way to diagnose I believe) but as it was apparant from listening, and he's 11, with a heart murmur, we didn't want to risk anything.

Fluffs is absolutely fine 99% of the time, he is a remarkably active 11 year old and apart from a touch of the evil arthritis is still binkying round my garden and following me upstairs...

Just wanted to flag it up as a possibility. I'm not in anyway suggesting lung cancer, its just that having recently lost a lovely dog too it, I think I have turned hypersensitive to breathing and heart rates in my bunny friends too...
 
He had a thorough checkup the other day at the vets and they listened to his heart and couldnt hear anything wrong....it's something I will continue to monitor though :)
 
im new to this website but

hi just looking through this website for help and came across this post.
i have a hasskluer boy coming up to a year old and for the last few weeks hes really stressed and breathing fast, and also his heart rate is fast. the other thing is hes losing weight slightly but still eating normal amount. he was given baytril just incase he had a infection or something, but didnt do anything. we went to the vets today as he seemed depressed and getting stressed even more. our vet is really puzzled like me. as his poo etc is all normal.
but reading this post everyone seems to be having the breathing problem over the last few weeks.
the other thing is one post said they fed excel food, does anyone else feed it as i do and they have recently changed the package and wondering if they have changed the food in some way.
ive got to take him back tomorrow for a blood test to see if that picks anything up.
it dosent happen all the time the breathing but i know something is not right, he is also a indoor rabbit but he lets himself out during the day through the catflap and has the whole back garden. all my other rabbits outside are fine but they are fed on a different type of food.
i can understand some of you getting paranoid as i am at the moment. as last year i had another boy who was a hasskluer and he became ill due to a infection and spent 2 weeks in the vets fighting for his life and sadly £600 later he died which totally broke my heart as i love all my rabbits but he was my baby, which is why ive got the one i have now, and feel im going through it all again as it was a year ago this month it all happened.
let me know if anyone else uses excel food.
 
Grasping at straws it may not be a heart murmer but there are other heart conditions - I'm wondering about something called cardiomyopathy which bunnies get too. Shows as an enlarged heart but the muscle is weaker. I may be way off track - just doing my best for a "mystery illness".
 
Noticed my male rabbits heartrate is quite fast too, looked through all my rabbit books and found nowt then found this thread!

He appears fine, have done all the neccessary checks, bottom, stomach etc to make sure everythings normal, he's eating and poo-ing well too!

It makes his head nod at the same time :?
 
Parsley is JUST like this too! Really ridiculously fast heart and breathing at times - worse when he is upset or hot (in car, or when over 22 degrees) and then complete 'dead bunny' flop. Eats brilliantly, races round. loves life, very healthy.

We worried horribly at first - I used to dread coming down every mornihg 'just in case', but have learnt to try and live with it. Various vets have said he has an irregularly irregular heartbeat - though some can't seem to hear it - but then maybe as its irregular he's not having it then. We were told never to GA him unless absolutely necessary ( he promptly broke his leg!).

BUT he seems fit as a fiddle usually - but had real problems last week with the heat - we bought a huge fan and lots of ice packs..
 
Took Squirrel to the vets today as Spuds needed her vacs. His heart rate went up loads as he hates going to the vets and gets really frightened, the vet couldn't even count it as it was going so quickly!

She said not many buns have heart problems and the only way of checking if there was a problem would be a GA which is a bit risky so to keep an eye on him.

On a different matter Spudsey my lickle wild bun :love: did soooo well at the vets today! The vet managed to get her out of the carrier which is something I normally do myself, and although Spuds did a few dashes in her carrier and a bit of wriggling too once she'd managed to pick her up was placed down on the table and sat there GOOD AS GOLD :shock: Had ears, teeth, checked, heart rate monitored and let the vet stroke her! Think the vet took a shine to her actually....:)

Squirrel however who was in my arms whilst this was going on could obviously hear Spudsey being 'caught' and started wriggling himself and making some murmouring noises :( I guess he was getting scared for spuds bless him.
 
It makes his head nod at the same time :?

Yeah Apache does that :?

It still freaks me out a little tbh. But, he doesnt seem to be uncomfortable with it - he ca be totally flopped out, quivering like mad, looking like he's at death's door - then he hears the fridge open and races up to it....surely he wouldnt be able to do that if he was uncomfortable due to an underlying heart condition or something :? interestingly I have another bun here at the minute and she is breathing fast too.

as ever, thankyou everyone for your input :wave:
 
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