An Emergency Visit for Phineas

Last night, around 10PM… Liz noticed that Phineas was acting unusual. He was fine earlier, running around with Daisy… but all of a sudden he seemed more subdued.

He seemed to be keeping pressure off his front two paws. And kept lying on his side, getting up, readjusting. Never really settling in one spot. And he didn’t approach us when we called, or move any closer when we got near him.

Most troubling of all, he was breathing really rapidly.

Phineas has an enlarged heart – this is something we knew/learned when we first adopted him. So far, all this has meant is that sometimes when he runs a lot and is very active… he gets winded, and has to “calm down” for a while. But he eventually catches his breath and is back at it again.

Tonight, he just never seemed to catch his breath. Liz picked him up to try to see if maybe he injured his feet (he didn’t). And while our bunnies are fairly friendly, they never like being picked up. Liz scooped up Phineas way too easily.

After a brief discussion, we decided to drive out to Blue Pearl in Skokie. Our vet is right nearby, and it’s really the only 24 hour emergency place we know for animals.

Once there, we got him checked in and went over everything with the staff. About an hour or so later, we ended up finalizing an overnight stay for him (inside an oxygenated cage). This appeared to help a bit.

Before leaving, we stopped in to give Phineas some attention. While he did seem calmer in the oxygen cage… when we were talking to him and petting him… the door was open. And he seemed to get a little worse during this time.

What made the evening even more difficult is that we experienced this exact same thing with Baxter, a few years ago. The symtpoms and behavior were almost identical. And unfortunately, while they were caring for her… Baxter passed away.

It was hard for us to be in the same location, with Phineas, wondering if the same thing would happen to him. To add to things – Quincy’s passing still feels like a recent event… and it made for a very stressful, nervous evening.

We got home around midnight, and got a phone call from Blue Pearl around 12:30 AM. They had taken some x-rays, and were thinking that Phineas’ rapid breathing could be due to his heart issues, or due to pneumonia. The x-rays weren’t conclusive, and so they said they were going to try to diagnose through medication – and see what he responded to.

The next call we got was around 6:30 AM. The doctor said that Phineas was stable, but his breathing was still a little fast. I remembered her saying that Phineas didn’t seem to show much improvement, but I was a little groggy.

Around 9AM, our vet (Chicago Exotics) came by to transfer Phineas to their office. Liz spoke to the doctor there, and it sounded like Phineas was stable again, though his breathing still a bit quick.

It sounded like the medicine they gave him (to help remove fluid from his system/lungs) was helping. They were interested in getting an ultrasound to better identify what was going on. Originally, this sounded like we’d have to wait until Tuesday… but they were able to swing the procedure today.

The vet from EC said that Phineas had shown some improvement, which is good news. But it was difficult to tell whether he was improving because of the oxygen cage or the medicine.

Right now, we’re expecting another status call. And the thinking is that we might need to leave Phineas overnight again at Blue Pearl for observation.

For me, it hasn’t really sunk in that Phineas is in “emergency” care. I know what’s going on now isn’t good, but he’s not that old of a bunny… and I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the notion that he might not be around.

With his heart issues, I imagined things like increased fatigue or more medication. I never imagined something like whatever’s happening now.

It’s stressful to imagine Phineas so far away, even though it’s much better for him in the short term. Liz and I are both just worried about him, and want him safe and home as soon as possible.

// Edit: A clarification: while they were worried about his heart issues, one big concern was that Phineas was potentially suffering from heart failure. I wasn’t 100% on this, but just confirmed it talking with Liz a few moments ago.

// Edit 2: Great news! We got a call from our vet, Doctor Horton. We were told we’d get a call around 2PM, and then a call around 5PM. But we didn’t get anything until around 6PM (Doctor Horton prefers to do her calls at the end of the day, to avoid interruptions).

The ultrasound didn’t reveal anything. The upside is – there aren’t any issues with Phineas’ heart. There is a very small area that seems larger than usual, but overall – no fluid, no enlargement, all really fantastic things to hear.

They did detect a small ulcer on his pancreas, kind of randomly. But it’s still unclear what caused the rapid breathing.

The plan for tonight is: they offered to keep him at the Chicago Exotics office overnight (as opposed to taking him back to Blue Pearl). Though he’ll be alone without a team of doctors keeping tabs, the cost will be much cheaper and he’ll still be in an oxygen tank.

Tomorrow, the goal is to ween him off of the oxygen and see how he does. All signs point to us hopefully picking him up in the afternoon and bringing him back home.

We’re still unclear what caused his rapid breathing, but… the great thing is isn’t not his heart, and it’s not a life-threatening thing. Best possible news we could get, honestly.

While I don’t relish the idea of our Phineas all alone, far away… I’m encouraged by the news, and looking forward to having him back home with us. Where he belongs.

Best possible news.

Related:
Quincy and Phineas Vet Visit
Phineas on the Move