Terrified of health issues in my rabbit (specifically stasis and pneumonia)- please help!

[lynne2809]

Hi all!
I have a 2 year old neutered male Lionhead named Mickey. I adopted him in February of 2020 when he was rescued from a terrible case of neglect. I adore him and he is my absolute best friend.
About two months ago, I brought Mickey back to college with me after summer break (like I always do) and he went into his first (and hopefully last) episode of stasis. He spent 3 days at a teaching hospital and thankfully, I caught it VERY early and he made a full recovery.
I think that the stress of being back at school with me may have contributed to his episode, so we decided that I would bring him back home for the rest of the semester (I will be graduating in December). He is 100% free roam in my bedroom at home with tons of toys, cardboard boxes, etc.
I can tell that he is so happy to be home and he is doing SO well- my parents adore him and take such great care of him.
Since his episode of stasis, I have become VERY anxious about his health and I have turned into a bit of a hypochondriac for him.
I was home visiting him about a month ago, and I noticed that he had a few sneezing fits and a bit of clear liquid around his nose. I flipped out and thought he had pneumonia and rushed him to the vet. His exotic vet said that he was in perfect health and his nose was likely irritated by a piece of hay (he literally sticks his entire face into his hay when he eats) or some hair (since he is shedding all the time). She said that pneumonia in rabbits is quite rare.
Looking online has not helped me either- everything that I have seen makes it seem like rabbits just get pneumonia out of the blue and it’s a complete death sentence. I’m scared that I’m going to miss symptoms of a URI and it will turn into pneumonia and I’ll lose him. I have asked my parents to wash their hands before going to visit him and cleaning his litter box/refilling his hay in the morning. We also don’t wear shoes in the house. I’m hoping these preventative measures will greatly reduce the chance of him ever catching anything.
Having him as a pet is actually starting to bring me more anxiety than happiness, and that not what I want- I want to be able to enjoy him without always worrying.
Can anybody give me any reassurance or advice? Pneumonia/URI is my biggest “fear” right now and I can’t stop checking his eyes, nose, and listening to him breathing to check that he’s okay.
I figure the incidence of fatal pneumonia in rabbits is VERY small, is that right?
I’m just looking for anything to put my mind at ease and know that my boy is going to be okay and live a long, happy life

 

[Blue eyes]

Relax! There are telltale signs that any observant owner will notice. For example, the clear discharge from his nose is nothing to worry about. Clear discharge is typically from a tickle or irritant in the nose (like hay or dust) or (more rarely) from allergies. If the discharge were milky or yellow or anything other than clear, then you would know there is an infection. Humans aren't going to pass a human cold onto a rabbit.

I've had rabbits (mostly from rescues) since the late 1980s. None ever had pneumonia. I can count (probably on one hand) the number of times I've had to take a rabbit to the vet--that's total for all of them combined!

The following page of my website shows what telltale signs to lookout for. This, I hope, will put your fears to rest. If you know what is a concern and what is not a concern, then that should help. Having a first-aid kit on hand is also something that should help ease your mind (shown on site). That preparation itself should give you the confidence to know that you are reasonably prepared.
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/health-issues.html
Keep in mind that running to a vet is itself stressful for a rabbit. No need to rush there at the first worry. Even early symptoms of GI issues can usually be quickly resolved at home with infant gas drops and some massages. And also remember that if you're ever unsure about something, you can always hop on the forum for a few opinions. If it happens to be something serious, we can assure you a vet is needed. If it isn't too serious, then we can assure of that as well.

Rabbits love consistency - with their food, their environment, their routine. Provide that and they tend do quite well. Relax and enjoy!

 

[John Wick]

In addition to what Blue eyes mentions, note that people post things on the internet typically when things are going very wrong, so it can give you a very skewed perspective of things. In reality, URIs are not common and many are easily treated with a round of appropriate antibiotics, so if your rabbit has one, it is not a certain death sentence by any means.