4 year old Holland Lop wheezing

[Theneesforswede]

I have a 4 year old female Holland Lop that has been wheezing since mid February . I have gone to the vet multiple times, done antibiotics, switched to a less dusty hay and even steroids which have helped but she seems to have had her progress plateau in the last couple days. She is mouth breathing more, lower appetite and kinda lethargic. Has anyone else had this happen? I have run out of known options. Thank you

 

[JBun]

Has she been to the vet since the mouth breathing started? Mouth breathing is an extremely serious sign of respiratory distress in rabbits.

 

[Theneesforswede]

Yes she went right when I noticed breathing issues

 

[JBun]

So a few questios. Which antibiotics have been tried? Has the vet scoped the airway, or suggested doing that to try and get a look at what might be going on? Have any other interventions been tried like nebulizing to help open up the air passages to ease the breathing? Have xrays been done to look for any obvious obstructions or masses restricting the airway or affecting lung function? Is your rabbit spayed?

 

[Theneesforswede]

She is spayed. We did injectable penicillin and oral meloxidyl. She has had a chest X-ray. Been nebulized. She has had blood work to check for signs of infection. No scoping as of yet.

 

[JBun]

It might be worth trying a different antibiotic. I had really good success with azithromycin clearing up a respiratory infection and some other persistent infections in my rabbits recently. It had been going on for 3 months and finally has cleared up using that antibiotic. It was really effective. The URI cleared up in only a few days, though I continued the antibiotic for 2 weeks. I was impressed with how well it worked. Though be aware that some rabbits can react negatively to it with severe digestive upset.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Respiratory/Illness/Pneumonia/Pneumon_en.htm (contains graphic medical related photos )

Other possibility I can think of would be some sort of growth or mass obstructing the airway. In which case it might take having the throat scoped and possibly surgery to fix whatever is found. Some heart problems can also affect respiratory function.

 

[Theneesforswede]

Thank you for the information. There is not an infection with her which is what is making this so puzzling. Both vets I’ve gone to do not know what’s going on and have recommended calling Tufts in Boston but with everything going on it’s almost impossible to get an appointment and very expensive

 

[JBun]

Maybe ask your vet about the possibility of congestive heart failure. It can cause the symptoms of wheezing, mouth breathing, lethargy, loss of appetite. The symptoms fit, so it's a possibility. Not a good one, but at least you might have an answer and a way to help manage symptoms.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Cardiology/Failure/congestive.htm
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Cardiology/Failure/Cong_heart_en.pdf

 

[thevanguard6]

Is it a rasping sound? If so, that's likely pneumonia. If so, that's a very serious condition for a rabbit. Be sure to keep your bunny warm and dry (a general rule that I follow, even for healthy rabbits).

Corticosteroids are sometimes used in cases when humans have pneumonia, so it sounds like your vet may already be trying to treat a case of pneumonia. Watch your bunny like a hawk, because -- if that's what it is -- it can kill a rabbit in under 24 hours.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6486210/
http://www.blitter.com/~nebulous/otherworld/RabbitCareGuide.pdf

Note: for some rabbits who have respiratory issues, you could try putting a drop of ucalyptus oil on a rag and place it near their cage/enclosure. Your rabbit will hate it, but it can sometimes clear up certain respiratory conditions. Take the rag away after 8 hours. Be sure to keep the eucalyptus oil away from your bunny's eyes and well out of her reach. Do not let your rabbit lick or eat any of the oil. Use caution: it's strong stuff.