My buck's breathing concerns me slightly....

[Peach]

Well I was clipping everyone's nails yesterday and I picked up my BEW buck ( found out he has pulled out a nail on his inner paw :/) and noticed his breathing is a bit off compared to all my other rabbits. It's not so much that he is weezing or anything but it seems just different....I've seen him sneeze more frequently that my other rabbits but he doesn't have any mucus running ( maybe just a bit of condensation on his nose) or crusty eyes or anything like that. It sounds like there might be a bit of a blockage in his nasal passage. Could he have allergies? I really don't want to start a BEW project with a buck that has allergies even though he is the only BEW I can find in GA...I don't know if I should just pet him out before I take the plunge on the BEWs. I've been considering buying a few lops from Hendricks Hearth, but I'd really like to hear what you guys have to say. Otherwise, he is very healthy,alert,drinking and eating regular, and no problems with digestion.

 

[DevonW]

When you say his breathing is a bit off do you mean it appears laboured like he's not getting enough air into his lungs, or faster like he's panting? Without the sneezing I would say it was a heart problem unfortunately because he is sneezing I'd rule that out.

For a blockage of the nasal passage whether it's hay or food (I've had rabbits get pellets stuck in their noses before) you want to take a small flashlight and shine it up his nose looking for anything irritated skin or blockages.

For allergies if you want to be certain take away anything you may believe to be the source of the allergies and wait a week. If it stops slowly reintroduce everything one by one to see what triggered the allergy.

Unfortunately sneezing is usually a sign of pasturella. Depending on how bad the infection is it can show up as a sneeze here and there to just runny eyes, all the way to blowing snot. So it's not always possible to say it isn't pasturella because he doesn't have X symptom.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I know that buck is new to your herd, so perhaps he's not used to being handled? Was his breathing off only when you were clipping his nails (stress) or is it off even when he is resting in his cage?

My only experience with pasturella was with my long ago house rabbit. She developed an abscess in her eye. Total eye removal was recommended. $600 nearly 20 years ago- so that did NOT happen. She never had any other symptoms. When she refused to eat her favorite treat- 1/2 a baked potato- I knew she was nearly gone, and she died the next day.

 

[Peach]

I don't know if I would call it labored more like panting. It happens when I pick him up or hold him. And it might just be the stress because he was hardly handled by his breeder and the person I got him from. He's normal in his cage. I'm at school right now and can't check him again until tonight ( late classes :/). Is pasturella cureable? I'll check for foreign objects in his nose to clarify if something is stuck. I feel like allergies might be the culprit. The breeder I got him from had good conditions, minus that I got one doe from her with ear mites. I think I'm going to pet him out and get some lops of better quality... hmmmm

__________ Wed Jan 25, 2012 11:20 am __________

and I'm sorry about your buns it stinks that an animal so small cost so much when one little thing goes wrong.

 

[MaggieJ]

Just a thought... Is his breathing "off" when he is in his cage? There is just a possibility that he was feeling stressed about having his nails clipped. When we were treating Alice for an abscess last summer, her breathing sounded awful while we were cleaning the abscess or giving her the shot of Pen G. It went back to normal when she was released into the colony again.

Is he indoors? Dry sneezing this time of year can be due to dry winter air.

LOL... I see MamaSheepdog had the same thought as I did.

 

[Peach]

He is an outdoors bun. So that could be it Maggie

 

[OneAcreFarm]

I know my new ones pant like that when handled....

 

[Peach]

This is Frost outside yesterday afternoon. Just how beautiful the BEW coloring is makes me not want to to give up on the BEW project.

__________ Wed Jan 25, 2012 12:47 pm __________