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Question
can house rabbits get heartworm?
Hi,
it is possible that heartworms may be able to live inside a rabbit. I am not well-versed as to whether a dog or cat-type of heartworm can live in a rabbit. Rabbit's internal temperatures are higher than dogs and cats, and it may not be as good an environment for them inside a rabbit.
But rabbits can get roundworms and hookworms and such, so purely inductively, I would think heartworms might be able to.
You would not know on your own if your rabbit has heartworms. More likely he'd have other problems whose symptoms may be leading you to think he's got heartworms.
A good rabbit vet could help you out. Ivermectin would probably be the cure of choice if this actually was what he had, but I would guess the vet would not propose it unless a large die-off of heartworms would not kill the rabbit.
More likely he may be overweight, or he may be breathing hard after running around but actually not ill (rabbits have small lungs and hearts for their body size). Rabbits naturally have faster heart rates and it often doesn't take much for them to start breathing harder. Rabbits are more prone to suffer respiratory infections, pneumonia (fluid/infection in lungs) than heartworm.
To find a good rabbit vet, go to:
www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html
and find a House Rabbit Society recommended vet near you.
Lee
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Answers by Expert:
Lee Meyer (Mr.)
Expertise
I have 7+ years of experience with House Rabbits, rescue groups, and working with shelter rabbits. I have done many educational talks about house rabbits. I have advised potential adopters, supervised bunny 'dates', fundraising/educational rabbit events, and help rabbit owners with their rabbits. I will answer questions about: general behaviors, body language, housing, toys, bunny-proofing, diet, spaying/neutering issues, nail clips, preventative measures, diet, and health questions. I will not discuss: anything that deals with rabbits for fur, food, factory-style breeding, deliberate or casual breeding by pet owners, or experimentation.
My focus is solely on rabbits as loved pets. It's why I'm a House Rabbit Society member rather than an ARBA member. If you don't view your rabbit the same way you would a pet dog or cat, please ask another expert your question.
I am not a veterinarian and cannot conclusively diagnose your rabbit. My advice does not take the place of a good rabbit vet. IF YOU THINK THERE'S A PROBLEM, DON'T WAIT FOR A REPLY, GET TO A VET IMMEDIATELY!!! Sometimes what appears to be a small problem is life-threatening.
The House Rabbit Society has references on their site for vets they have researched. There are US and international links here for vets all over the world with rabbit experience: www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html
I recommend the following resources to all rabbit owners:
House Rabbit Society - online rabbit info (www.rabbit.org)
Book: Rabbit Health in the 21st Century 2nd Ed. by Kathy Smith
Book: House Rabbit Handbook 4th Ed. by Marinell Harriman
Experience
House Rabbit Member since 2004
Discover Your House Rabbit organizer - 2006
Rabbit Adopter since 2004
HAWS Board of Education member (rabbits) since 2005
HAWS Rabbit Volunteer since 2004
Organizations
National House Rabbit Society, Wisconsin House Rabbit Society, Humane Animal Welfare Society (HAWS), Education Board Member for Rabbits, Friends of HAWS
Education/Credentials
BSEE, MSEE (Electrical/Computer Engineering), Marquette University
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