Hypothermia accompanies shock so a water-circulating heating pad should be maintained under the rabbit and a towel can be draped over the animal to prevent heat loss. Hypothermia is also a common post-operative problem that can be prevented by careful planning during recovery. Avoid heat lamps since rabbits have fairly thin skin. Rabbits are very heat-sensitive and hyperthermia is a common cause for emergency presentation. Cardiovascular System Monitoring Heart rate in rabbits is given as a range of 130-325 beats per minute.
Smaller rabbits have the higher heart rates.
A Doppler blood flow monitor can be placed over the central auricular artery, radial artery or plantar artery. A cuff placed proximal to the Doppler crystal can be used to indirectly measure blood pressure. Systolic pressures range 90-120 mmHg. Blood pressure can be directly measured in the severely ill rabbit by placing a 24 gauge inch catheter in the central auricular artery. Pulse oximetry is useful to monitor SaO2 using the pinna, buccal mucosa or tongue as sites for clamp placement.