Rabbits normal pulse and respiration?

[user 31452]

My two adopted buns will be seeing a vet within the next 2 weeks , but I wanted to do my own little "health assessment" on them as well. I looked online and it says a rabbits takes 40-60 breaths per minute, my rabbits abdomen almost looks like its panting it moves in an out so fast, , what am I seeing? is it just "sniffing" since its nose is always moving? How do I know how many are actual breaths? And then I tried the pulse rate - and I came up with 84 (20 beats per 15 secs) Am I feeling my own lol? I see that is supposed to be a LOT higher ??? I am not concerned they are in any distress because they are acting fine, but what am I doing wrong? I couldn't find any videos to show this.

 

[Lucas the Bun 💕🐇]

Contact an online vet they can talk to you online without risking you or your bunnies to covid 19 (better safe than sorry) Hope Your Bunnies Are good

 

[Hermelin]

Bunnies often twitch their nose and if they have been up running, feel hot or done physic activty they will breath faster.

Heart rate might be hard getting it right, even on humans you can miss the beats sometimes. Also heart rate regulates after how calm and stressful they are.

For example my vet was surprised over how calm heart rate one of my bunnies had. He had gone through a train trip, me walking through the city and a bus trip to get to the vet.

Did you use a stethoscope to listen on the heart?

But if your bunny act normal and have good droppings, I wouldn’t worry that much.

 

[Mac189]

http://www.rabbitwise.org/emergencies.html
That's a fantastic idea, although I wish you the best of luck in counting their very fast little heartbeats. Chances are you are counting every other beat since one is much fainter, or perhaps your own .

The best spots to get a pulse is on the front leg radial artery, much like in humans, or the femoral artery, close to where the inside of where the hind leg meets the torso. Better yet, use a stethoscope. Don't be concerned if the heart rate is a little on the quick side, this whole procedure is likely a little stressful for your small friend and anxiety raises the heart rate. Good luck!

 

[Mac189]

http://www.rabbitwise.org/emergencies.html
That's a fantastic idea, although I wish you the best of luck in counting their very fast little heartbeats. Chances are you are counting every other beat since one is much fainter, or perhaps your own .

The best spots to get a pulse is on the front leg radial artery, much like in humans, or the femoral artery, close to where the inside of where the hind leg meets the torso. Better yet, use a stethoscope. Don't be concerned if the heart rate is a little on the quick side, this whole procedure is likely a little stressful for your small friend and anxiety raises the heart rate. Good luck!

Counting respirations is even harder. You can count nose twitches, which are breaths, or the expansion of the ribs, which is probably the most accurate method, but very hard to discern, even for professionals.

 

[user 31452]

Thanks everyone. I STILL CANNOT find a pulse lol ! I don't know if its worth gettng a stethoscope. Do you recommend I check their pulse more than once a year (in between any vet visits?) And what IS the best range? Is above or below that more of a reason for concern?

 

[Mac189]

It probably isn't worth getting a stethoscope unless you have a genuine interest or your bunnies have a confirmed condition you want to keep an eye on. If you are a medical/veterinary nerd/need to keep an eye on a bunny condition, you can get a cheap, but still effective stethoscope online or at a CVS for around $20. While nice stethoscopes can run in the $100+ range, there is no reason to have one that fancy unless for work or school.

The pulse is soooo hard to find on rabbits... I'm betting you're doing everything right . I can often feel my rabbits heart rates when I wrap my hands around their chests, although be sure to keep your thumbs off their body, you will feel your own pulse through your thumb.

Your rabbit will probably have an elevated heart rate while taking vitals, and if you have a really big or small rabbit expect some variance. 130-325 beats for minute is considered normal. Rather than worrying about the heart rate itself, I'd pay attention to irregularities, skipped beats, or any crackly/wheezing sounds in the lungs. Truth be told, you'll probably have to guesstimate a little... even my vet sometimes does... those little beats are SO fast!

You probably don't need to check vitals more than annually if your rabbit seems ok... However I love and admire the care you have for your bunnies and it certainly wouldn't hurt to get your bunny used to vitals being taken or getting to know what normal looks like for your bunnies. Either way, it sounds like your bunnies have found a very loving and attentive home .

 

[user 31452]

Awwh, thanks. I know they can be sensitive little creatures and just want to be familiar with what is typical for them. I was since able to borrow a stethoscope from a friend (and its just a cheap one) but WOW, NOW I can count them!! And yup , up around 220. I also want to be able to know their "gut" sounds and as you said hear any lung sounds, but I had to give my little "patients" a break before giving them their follow up exam lol. I expect I may have to practice a little to hear those.