Bunny not eating with abnormal breathing

[BlazingTigerEyes]

Hi all,

I have a 9 1/2 year old rabbit called Biscuit. A few months ago I thought his breathing looked a bit odd so I took him to our local vets who prescribed baytril and loxicom. After 1 1/2 to 2 weeks of this it didn’t seem to have made much difference so I stopped the meds. As he’s normally outside in a shed I thought it may be him not coping with the cold so well and started bringing him inside overnight which seemed to ease his breathing.

However, last Tuesday he didn’t want to eat and did start to eat again during the day stopped again in the evening and wouldn’t eat Wednesday much either so I took him to the vet. She suspected heart disease and fluid on the lungs so prescribed loxicom, baytril, emeprid and fusoride to help clear any fluid. I was very worried so took him to have a heart scan on Friday afternoon which confirmed no heart issues or fluid in his lungs.

He seemed bright on Saturday but on Sunday would only eat dandelion leaves really and had nothing overnight save the critical care I syringed down him. Back to the vets he went in the morning and they changed his antibiotic to an injectable penicillin-based one.

After being very flat Sunday night he has perked up during today and has eaten more greens on his own with the odd bit of straw (ignoring hay, pellets and treats). His breathing is still quite exaggerated and he has diarrhoea currently. I’m continuing to syringe feed him critical care despite him eating a bit on his own and his stomach is making lots of gurgly sounds.

He is on:
Loxicom twice daily
Calpol twice daily
Cisapride tablets (started this evening)
Fibreplex probiotic 3x day
Plus the antibiotic injection he had at the vet.

We’re not sure why he’s breathing the way he is and if it’s the cause of him not wanting to eat. The vet has suggested a chest X-ray and blood tests if he responds to the meds.

If anyone has any suggestions for what’s going on with him and also how to stop the diarrhoea it would be much appreciated.

Thanks so much.

Megan

 

[InspectorMorse]

The symptoms you describe could indicate a chronic lung infection and possibly a problem with his liver function.. Diarrhoea is extremely serious, especially if associated with being on antibiotics. It is a medical emergency needing immediate Veterinary attention.

i would suggest going back to the Vet straight away as your Rabbit sounds to be very poorly and likely to need inpatient care to allow IV fluids to be given alongside further diagnostics. A full blood profile to start with as he sounds to be too unwell to have any sedation for a chest X-ray. Some Vets will attempt conscious chest X-rays but these don’t give such comprehensive images.

I hope he can pull through.

 

[bunny momma]

I agree it is urgent he gets to a vet. Sending positive vibes for your bunny.

 

[Shimmer]

He needs another urgent vet visit today, and probably to stay at least overnight.
Sending vibes that he picks up again

 

[BlazingTigerEyes]

The symptoms you describe could indicate a chronic lung infection and possibly a problem with his liver function.. Diarrhoea is extremely serious, especially if associated with being on antibiotics. It is a medical emergency needing immediate Veterinary attention.

i would suggest going back to the Vet straight away as your Rabbit sounds to be very poorly and likely to need inpatient care to allow IV fluids to be given alongside further diagnostics. A full blood profile to start with as he sounds to be too unwell to have any sedation for a chest X-ray. Some Vets will attempt conscious chest X-rays but these don’t give such comprehensive images.

I hope he can pull through.

Hi there,

Thanks for your reply. His loose poops have since cleared up and he’s back to producing small, hard poops. I’ve increased the amount of critical care I’m giving him and also watered it down slightly to bring his fluid levels back up. He’d eaten his bowlful of greens overnight but isn’t interested again today apart from a few dandelion leaves earlier so I’ve given him a dose of emeprid in addition to his cisapride.

I’ve messaged my vet to ask about doing an X-ray without sedation (he is very good at the vets and sits still) and bloods.

 

[Shimmer]

It's worth asking about the antibiotic injections as well. As far as I can tell, he just had the one dose at the vet. Penicillin-based antibiotics in rabbits are usually given regularly over a given period, eg daily or every other day for the recommended course.

You can be shown how to administer it at home, if needed. Just be aware that it should not be taken orally as it has a very adverse effect on the rabbit's gut, so any excess that leaks onto the fur / skin must be wiped away immediately so that it can't be licked off.

 

[BlazingTigerEyes]

It's worth asking about the antibiotic injections as well. As far as I can tell, he just had the one dose at the vet. Penicillin-based antibiotics in rabbits are usually given regularly over a given period, eg daily or every other day for the recommended course.

You can be shown how to administer it at home, if needed. Just be aware that it should not be taken orally as it has a very adverse effect on the rabbit's gut, so any excess that leaks onto the fur / skin must be wiped away immediately so that it can't be licked off.

Yes the vet said it would last for 48 hours. Just for context I work at a cat rescue and he is one of the vets we use at work. It’s further for me to travel but I know he’s got a lot of experience. He’s also happy to send an antibiotic injection to my work for me to collect and administer at home. I’ve never injected a rabbit but have experience injecting insulin with diabetic cats so it should be pretty similar.

Mainly worried that his appetite is so poor with it. I can’t see any other obvious signs of pain like hunching or grinding. He’s grooming himself a bit and sometimes bunny purring for pets.

 

[Shimmer]

Have his teeth been checked? It can be difficult to see the cheek teeth in a conscious rabbit, but an experienced vet can probably do a reasonable assessment with an otoscope. Dental issues can prevent a rabbit eating properly, and even if they were not a dental rabbit before, a period of a few weeks of not eating properly can result in dental issues as the teeth are not being worn down as they usually would be.

Pain relief can also work wonders at times, but you have that covered.

I would definitely look at getting bloods done as the least invasive / risky way of getting an idea of what might be going on.

 

[BlazingTigerEyes]

Have his teeth been checked? It can be difficult to see the cheek teeth in a conscious rabbit, but an experienced vet can probably do a reasonable assessment with an otoscope. Dental issues can prevent a rabbit eating properly, and even if they were not a dental rabbit before, a period of a few weeks of not eating properly can result in dental issues as the teeth are not being worn down as they usually would be.

Pain relief can also work wonders at times, but you have that covered.

I would definitely look at getting bloods done as the least invasive / risky way of getting an idea of what might be going on.

Thanks for your reply. The vet did a conscious check of his teeth and said there is a small spur on the right side but it isn’t catching much or causing any ulceration or anything like that so he doesn’t think it’s the main factor. He’s always had great teeth but I’ll bear it in mind as he’s not been eating properly for a week now.

He’s booked in this afternoon for bloods and a conscious chest X-ray. Hopefully this will shed some light on the situation.

He seems ok in himself and enjoyed being outside in the sun in a run yesterday (supervised so he didn’t get cold!) and even nibbled a little grass and dandelion leaves. But still eating very little and no hay hence syringing with critical care.