URGENT! Rabbit with Abnormal Heart Beating; Help?

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OldEnglishSilvers88

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I live in north Florida. Yes, it is still very hot this time of year, Florida had a cold front come through in late October. That is when my Silver Fox doe 'Moonshine' got sick. She is now better but she has continued her very abnormal heart beating (and yes, I'm aware that rabbits normally have a faster heart rate but her's is WAY too fast). This rabbit came to me sickly (didn't know until I brought her home. Breeder is blaming it on me but willing to help some. Moonshine is breathing constantly like she just ran for a very long time. I can feel her heart overworking itself if I lie my hand to her chest).


Moonshine eats, drinks, sleeps, etc all normal but she holds her head up when she lies down and she is breathing through her nostrils very hard.
Moonshine is one of my sweetest does and my only Silver Fox doe. My question is, is should I forgot about it (she doesn't appear to be in pain) or just put her out of her misery? I know rabbits hide pain like cats. Please help!
 
The tilting back of the head is often a sign of respiratory problems: pneumonia, bordatello or pasteurella are all possibilities.

If Moonshine is a pet, a vet visit might be in order. If she is strictly livestock (for breeding meat and/or fur) you might want observe her for a day or two and then decide if to euthanize her.

In the meantime, I would certainly isolate her from your other rabbits and put proper quarantine protocols into place. the last thing you want if for her to spread a problem of this sort to your other rabbits.
 
Thanks guys!

There is no sound. No congestion. No runny eyes/nose, etc. She is totally fine except for the breathing. She has been mine since September. She is young; born May 1, 2016.

Moonshine is livestock (all of mine have names and are 'pets' too, but at the end of the day I have the guts to shoot them if they're ill).



Any other suggestions? My heart is broken for her. :( <br /><br /> -- Tue Nov 29, 2016 7:12 pm -- <br /><br /> Also, is it worth separating her now? They've all been near each other. No one else has this problem. I had 3 kits born on the 25th and none of them are sick.
 
It is always safer to separate them, even if there has been initial exposure.

It occurs to me that Moonshine may have some kind of heart condition. In any case, she does not sound like a good candidate for breeding. If she is very dear to your heart, you could keep her as a house-rabbit/pet, but otherwise I can't see that she is going to be an asset to your herd.

Quite often, a rabbit that seems healthy when you purchase it will develop problems within a short time of bringing it home. Stress from the change of location, feed, surroundings etc. may trigger this. Just something to keep in mind.
 
Would it be cruel to keep her as a pet? I'm considering it. I've thought about putting her down tomorrow, but this is so hard. She is beautiful and her personality is even more beautiful; she lets 1-4 year old kids hold her! (I don't have kids, but still this is sweet). Do you think it'd be in her best interests to no longer go on? :(
 
How was her breathing during the cold front? Maybe she just have really hard time coping with the heat and you could try moving her in a cooler place to see if she gets better. If she improves you could have her as a pet, but otherwise it would be cruel to let her suffer. Sorry :(

Nika, I changed the word "breeding" in the first line of your post to "breathing" because I'm quite sure that's what you meant. Your English is excellent--and so is the point you are making--but I thought it best to make this small correction.
~ MaggieJ <br /><br /> -- Thu Dec 01, 2016 4:53 am -- <br /><br /> :slap: Thanks Maggie :)
 

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