Common Illnesses in Domestic Rabbits

Health Problems of Domestic Bunnies

Rabbit owners should be aware of the signs of illness in bunnies and which health problems to watch for. Here's an overview of the most common issues in domestic rabbits.

Though proper diet, housing, grooming, and handling of bunnies can go a long way in preventing health problems, some illness are more pervasive than others. The following health problems, listed in alphabetical order, are common afflictions of domestic rabbits. If you suspect your rabbit may be suffering from any of these issues, please bring the bunny to a rabbit-savvy vet.

Encephalitozoon Cuniculi

• Cause: E. cuni is a protozoan parasite that can be ingested or passed from another rabbit through urine. Many rabbits have some E. cuniculi and never show symptoms, until something triggers an overgrowth.
• Symptoms: A rabbit with an E. cuniculi overgrowth may have loss of balance, rolling, head tilt, or partial paralysis.
• Treatment: The vet will prescribe a dewormer such as Albendazole, Oxibendazole, or Fenbenzadole, often combined with the antibiotic Baytril.

Gastro-Intestinal Stasis

• Cause: Rabbits have very specialized and complicated digestive systems. Causes of G.I. Stasis can range from stress, gas, or ingestion of a foreign substance, to ingestion of too much fur, tooth pain, or a reaction to antibiotics.
• Symptoms: A rabbit going into stasis will not eat, drink, or poop. He may be hunched up, grinding his teeth in pain, and become lethargic and unresponsive.
• Treatment: Act quickly if a rabbit won't eat. Twelve hours without eating or pooping is an emergency, requiring immediate vet care. Many cases of tummy upset can be treated with infant gas reliever and stomach massages early on, but treatment for full-blown stasis generally consists of a motility drug, often combined with fluid therapy.

Maloccusion

• Cause: Rabbit's teeth are constantly growing, and they need to chew to keep the teeth at a comfortable length. Without a constant supply of long, fibrous hay or grass and leafy greens to chew, teeth often become overgrown and cut into the mouth, causing infection and anorexia. It can also be hereditary, as some rabbits simply are born with crooked teeth.
• Symptoms: Anorexia, especially if the rabbit shows an interest in food but then won't eat, is a sign of a dental issue. Drooling and grinding teeth in pain can be another sign of a maloccusion.
• Treatment: Prevention in the form of plenty of hay or grass and leafy greens, plus plenty of chew toys, can keep maloccusion at bay. Otherwise, teeth can be trimmed by a vet, or, in some cases, the offending teeth are surgically removed. Any ulcers or lacerations must be treated by antibiotics.

Myxomatosis

• Cause: Myxomatosis is a viral infection usually transmitted by blood-sucking insects
• Symptoms: Swelling, fever, listlessness, and respiratory distress are common symptoms. There may be discharge from the eyes and lesions, or even seizures.
• Treatment: Unfortunately, myxomatosis is usually fatal. There is a vaccine available, though it is illegal in Australia. Keeping rabbits inside is a great way to minimize threat of myxomatosis.

Pododermatitis/"Sore Hocks"

• Cause: Rabbits do not have pads on their feet like dogs or cats. Improper housing, such as a cage without a solid bottom, damages rabbit feet! Constant moisture and prolonged confinement, as well as obesity or overgrown nails, can exacerbate the situation.
• Symptoms: Rabbits in improper housing suffer from raw, inflamed feet, sometimes with callouses or abscesses, which can lead to seriously infected ulcers.
• Treatment: Proper flooring, exercise, and nail-trimming will prevent pododermatitis. Mild cases can be treated with topical ointments and "Nu-Skin." More severe cases require antibiotics.

Respiratory Infections

• Cause: R.I.s, sometimes called "Snuffles," can be transmitted from other rabbits, or occur because of stress, malnutrition, or bacterial infections. Sometimes allergies or environmental irritants, or even dust or debris lodged in the eye or nose can be the original cause of the problem. Pastuerella is the most frightening bacterial infection that affects the respiratory system and is highly contagious to other rabbits.
• Symptoms: Sneezing, wheezing, runny nose or eyes and sometimes fever indicate infection. Some rabbits develop ear-infections and display head-shaking or head tilt.
• Treatment: A rabbit-safe antibiotic, such as Enrofloxacin (Baytril.) Often, the vet will perform a culture to determine the bacteria causing the infection, and determine which antibiotic to prescribe.

Pasteurella in Rabbits

Your Bunny Probably Has It- Pasteurella

by Astrid M. Kruse, DVM

An understanding of what Pasteurella is and what it does is important in keeping your bunny healthy. Pasteurella multocida is a type of bacterium, a single-celled organism that can be inhibited or killed by specific antibiotics. Pasteurella can be acquired from anywhere, especially other bunnies, and often humans who may carry it on their skin or clothing. The bacteria enter the body via the nose or open wounds and start growing. Over half of all rabbits carry Pasteurella bacteria in their bodies, but most are not sick. A healthy immune system either eliminates the bugs from the system, or keeps their numbers and location tightly controlled where they are harmless. However, some rabbits are not able to destroy the Pasteurella that has colonized their bodies and develop pasteurellosis, clinical disease. Pasteurella infection is diagnosed from positive nasal cultures, obtained by sticking a sterile swab up the nose, smearing the bunny boogers on an agar plate, and seeing what bacterial colonies grow. However, the mere presence of Pasteurella does not establish that Pasteurella is actually causing the current disease since most bunnies test positive.

Commonly, rabbits with pasteurellosis show upper respiratory disease, also known as "snuffles". Rabbits clean and wipe their runny noses, unlike children, unless they are very ill. The slight crusting around the nostrils may go unnoticed, but the fur on the insides of the forepaws should be checked because this is where the discharge accumulates. With a worsening infection, the clear discharge becomes pus-filled. The infection may spread into the lungs and around the heart, leaving abscesses. Rabbits can also develop conjunctivitis, an eye infection, and blocked tear ducts. The Pasteurella bacteria may travel into the ear via the eustachian tube (what you pop open in an airplane). A middle ear infection is irritating; an inner ear infection is frightening because the balance (vestibular) organ is affected. Rabbits with deep ear infections will tilt their head or roll because their brain thinks the world is spinning due to signals from the infected vestibular organ. Anyone who has ever nursed a bunny through vertigo deserves a medal, and the bunny is entitled to extra treats. Abscesses caused by Pasteurella are all too frequent, and can appear anywhere on the body, although tooth root abscesses are common. The pus in an abscess is composed of dying bacteria and white blood cells (neutrophils) that are fighting the infection. Pasteurella abscesses often contain a dense, cheese-like pus that will not drain but requires surgery to scrape it out. Even after surgery, the infection frequently recurs. Many vets are now implanting beads with antibiotics into the infected site, which release antibiotics in high concentrations into the local tissues and can be very effective in preventing recurrence. New strategies for dealing with these abscesses are being developed- make sure your vet knows the most current therapy.

The risk of Pasteurella infection and illness can be reduced, although not eliminated. After contact with other rabbits and cats (and people?), thoroughly wash hands with soap and warm water and towel dry; you can also add an alcohol-based sanitizing gel. Change your clothes and shoes if you've been visiting the rabbits at the shelter before you enter your own bunnies' area. Clean the litter before an ammonia smell builds up at ground level, which can damage the bunny's respiratory tract and allow bacterial colonization.

Source

http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/articles/past.shtml