Hi folks,
I have a 2 year old purebred lion head rabbit named Pika. I have had him since he was 5 weeks old. When he was 4 months old, we took him in to be neutered and discovered he had a heart murmur. We were offered an EKG, but since he was not experiencing any problems at the time, we came to the conclusion that it wasn’t immediately needed.
For the last 6 months or so, I’ve noticed that he has been getting a stuffed nose when he gets overheated (usually when he’s being held). It makes a snotty/snore-like sound, and sometimes he will start mouth breathing. This usually resolves itself when he wipes his nose or sneezes. I assumed he just had a bit of allergy, like one of my old bunnies.
For the past few weeks, I’ve noticed that he’s also been doing this when he runs too much. It’s not continuous, and it’s only for a few seconds at a time. He also seems to have lost a bit of weight. Not an alarming amount, but his bones are a bit more visible than they used to be.
He is still eating well (shy eater, but the food is disappearing, lol), and he is very active. Eyes and coat look good.
I have a vet appointment for Friday with a rabbit specialist to check, but I’m worried. Obviously I’m concerned it could be related to his heart, but I’m also really worried about chronic diseases or cancers. I had a very traumatic experience with 2 elderly rabbits dying from cancer/pneumonia and one from liver failure in a two month span a couple of years ago, and I don’t want to lose another so soon. One of the cancer bunnies also had weight loss and labored breathing, though it was much more severe.
Does anyone have any encouragement? I’d just like to hear about any other bunnies having these issues and being OK afterwards.
I have a 2 year old purebred lion head rabbit named Pika. I have had him since he was 5 weeks old. When he was 4 months old, we took him in to be neutered and discovered he had a heart murmur. We were offered an EKG, but since he was not experiencing any problems at the time, we came to the conclusion that it wasn’t immediately needed.
For the last 6 months or so, I’ve noticed that he has been getting a stuffed nose when he gets overheated (usually when he’s being held). It makes a snotty/snore-like sound, and sometimes he will start mouth breathing. This usually resolves itself when he wipes his nose or sneezes. I assumed he just had a bit of allergy, like one of my old bunnies.
For the past few weeks, I’ve noticed that he’s also been doing this when he runs too much. It’s not continuous, and it’s only for a few seconds at a time. He also seems to have lost a bit of weight. Not an alarming amount, but his bones are a bit more visible than they used to be.
He is still eating well (shy eater, but the food is disappearing, lol), and he is very active. Eyes and coat look good.
I have a vet appointment for Friday with a rabbit specialist to check, but I’m worried. Obviously I’m concerned it could be related to his heart, but I’m also really worried about chronic diseases or cancers. I had a very traumatic experience with 2 elderly rabbits dying from cancer/pneumonia and one from liver failure in a two month span a couple of years ago, and I don’t want to lose another so soon. One of the cancer bunnies also had weight loss and labored breathing, though it was much more severe.
Does anyone have any encouragement? I’d just like to hear about any other bunnies having these issues and being OK afterwards.