Rabbit developed sporadic cough

[intro334]

Hi, firstly I just want to thank everyone that has ever contributed to this forum. All of the information is so helpful and an amazing resource when you are trying to care for your loved one.

I have a ten year old lionhead bunny who has, for a few years now, sneezed periodically which vets have attributed to potential seasonal allergies as it comes and goes. Recently she has developed sporadic coughing, which is usually one cough at a time and hours spaced apart, sometimes days. She eats, plays, sleeps and drinks water normally.

In April she had a double eye infection which was successfully treated, and the vet noted that eye infections and sneezing may indicate issues with her teeth roots growing into her sinuses and causing problems. This vet wasn't specialized in exotics but has been taking all of the rabbit cases for some time so I feel like they are qualified.

Two weeks ago we returned to an emergency vet because this cough started. There's never any discharge, no runny nose and her eyes have been perfect ever since she recovered from the eye infections. They listened to her lungs and observed her for an hour and said that she breathes normally without constraint, clears her lungs entirely and takes a full breath. At the end of the visit, they walked us through signs that our bunny could be in discomfort or pain, and our bunny doesn't display any of them. I'm just at a loss because I don't know what is happening, how long this is going to continue and whether she will be uncomfortable or in pain. Vets have offered to take x-rays but noted that they don't even know what to x-ray since she has no breathing issues during vet visits.

I am still trying to find a rabbit specialist who will see her, but is it normal that my rabbit has a cough that vets are not finding a root cause for? The only thing that we can think of is that we got a dustier bag of Timothy hay that we are going to stop using, but I can't imagine that would give her this issue. At the end of the day, I just want to make sure I'm doing everything I can for her and that she is not secretly in pain or discomfort.

Thanks in advance for any advice that you can provide

 

[JBun]

Usually if a rabbit is reacting to dust, they'll just sneeze. I've never had or seen a rabbit cough from dust, though that doesn't necessarily mean it couldn't happen. Coughing in rabbits is very unusual and usually indicates a much more serious problem.

Mainly I'd be concerned that it indicates a heart problem. Unusual sneezing and coughing with very little normal to no discharge, is a common symptom of this. Thymoma may be a possibility as well. Though usually with these, you'll also see other symptoms like increased respiratory rate and effort, weight loss, fatigue, protruding third eyelid, bulging eyes, resting with the head in an elevated position, pink or foaming discharge, and sometimes sebaceous adenitis (skin condition).

(LINKS CONTAIN GRAPHIC MEDICAL RELATED NECROPSY PHOTOS)
Medirabbit: congestive heart failure

Medirabbit: detecting cardiac disease

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Thymoma
These are just possibilities, especially with older rabbits, but it's just a guess on my part based on what I've researched with rabbit health, along with some experience with my own rabbits. It could be something else entirely. It certainly could be dental related or something to do with the airway.

I think that the decision that's faced, is how much of testing, stress, and intervention to put an older bun through to figure out what's going on. Head and chest xrays will likely be needed, blood test if that hasn't already been done, checking the heart, maybe even a scope of the airway. It's a decision only the owner can make with a good rabbit vets recommendations as well. Sometimes minimal interventions to manage their comfort, are best for older rabbits.

If you feel that there's something more going on other than dusty hay, and that it's affecting your rabbits well being, comfort level, and quality of life, I would suggest seeing the most experienced rabbit vet you can find. The vets you've seen so far may be alright for the general bunny things, but more complicated and unusual illnesses or diseases may be more easily misevaluated or misdiagnosed due to this lack of specialist training. So a knowledgeable rabbit vet is invaluable. The hrs list has some possibilities, but I would suggest still researching, as not all rabbit vets are equal in experience and knowledge.

https://rabbit.org/veterinarians/
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/New_York

 

[intro334]

Just coming back to thank you for your comment. I found a rabbit vet specialist that was highly recommended and unfortunately very far away, but I've tried too many times with vets that could not understand what was going on despite the fact that they tell me they work on exotics regularly.

I finally found someone that would hear me out when I said something is wrong with my bunny and willing to investigate further when the answer isn't obvious. While she still presented well during the exam, they noticed that her heart was beating faster and harder than they would like to see. They went through the process of conducting a CT scan and an echocardiogram and discovered that her heart is enlarged and momentarily pushes on her trachea depending on the position she lays in, which is why she sporadically makes this quacking noise. Preliminarily it looks like heart disease is the problem and she can now begin to get treatment.

 

[JBun]

Thanks so much for the update. I'm so glad you were able to find a knowledgeable rabbit vet to properly diagnose your bun. Though it's a very serious condition your bun has, hopefully now that she'll be on the proper meds, the condition can be stabilized as much as possible.