Rabbit Awareness Week’s

Rabbit HealthFACT FILE

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Rabbits are wonderful animals and at RAW, we, like, you really want your rabbits to live a long and happy life. However, there are times that your rabbits might not be 100% and it’s important to know what to look out for.

In this booklet we will take you through a few of the most common health problems that can affect rabbits, what treatment is available and what you can do to help prevent some of the more serious conditions.

• Take your rabbits for a vet health-check every 6-12 months, or as recommended by your vet

• Check daily that your rabbits are eating/drinking and toileting normally

• Keep an eye out for any change in behaviour

• Check your rabbits daily for signs of ill-health

- Checktheyaremoving/runningnormally

- Runyourhandalloverthemtofeelforlumps,bumps,woundsorwetnessoranysignsofflystrike

• Check your rabbits’ nails weekly to check they are healthy and not too long

• Check your rabbits’ teeth weekly. If their teeth look abnormal, they have watery eyes, there is drool, partly-chewed food or weight loss then you should take your rabbit to the vets

• Make sure your rabbits have plenty of space to run around and housing high enough so they can stand up fully

• Rabbits are social animals so make sure you keep your rabbit with at least one other friendly rabbit

• Check you rabbits’ weight and body condition score once a month

Introduction

ContentsRAW’s Top Tips 3RVHD1 4RVHD2 5Myxomatosis 6GutStasis 7DentalDisease 8OtherHealthProblems 9-11 Very Thin

More than 20% below

ideal body weight1

ThinBetween 10-20% below

ideal body weight2

Ideal3

Overweight10-15% above ideal

body weight4

ObeseMore than 15% above

ideal body weight5

• Hip bones, ribs and spine are very sharp to the touch

• Loss of muscle and no fat cover

• The rump area curves in

• Hip bones, ribs and spine are easily felt

• Loss of muscle and very little fat cover

• Rump area is flat

• Hip bones, ribs and spine easily felt but are rounded,

not sharp – Ribs feel like a pocket full of pens!

• No abdominal bulge

• Rump area is flat

• Pressure is needed to feel the ribs, spine and

hip bones

• Some fat layers

• The rump is rounded

• Very hard to feel the spine and hip bones – Ribs

can’t be felt!

• Tummy sags with obvious fat padding

• Rump bulges out

Please note

Getting hands on is the key to this simple system.

Whilst the pictures in the Rabbit Size-O-Meter will

help, judging whether your pet is the right weight

purely by sight alone has its difficulties. A long

coat can disguise ribs, hip bones and the spine,

while a short coat can make a rabbit’s appearance

more irregular and highlight these areas. You will

need to gentle feel your pet which can be a

pleasurable bonding experience for both of you!

Your pet is a healthy weight

Seek advice about your pet’s weight

Seek advice as your pet could be at risk

Rabbit Size-O-MeterSize-O-Meter Score: Characteristics:

www.pfma.org.uk

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RVHD1 RVHD2

AboutthevirusRabbitViralHaemorrhagicDisease1(RVHD1)isanextremelyinfectiousvirusthatis

usuallyfatal.TheRVHD1viruskillsbycausinginternalbleeding.

SymptomsRVHD1oftenhasnosymptoms,meaningthatitisveryhardtospot.Thereis

sometimesbleedingfrombodyopeningssuchasthenose,eyesand/oranus,but

theseareveryeasytomisswithoutdailychecks.

ModeoftransmissionItisamyththatRVHD1canonlybecaughtthroughcontactwithaninfectedrabbit.

Inactualfacttheviruscanbecarriedby:

• Birdsandinsectsandtheirdroppings

• Thewind

• Solesofshoes,cartyresorotherpets’feet

• Aninfectedrabbitortheirdroppings

• Owners’handsorclothes

Theviruscansurvivemonthsintheenvironment,especiallyincoldtemperatures.

PreventionYourvetcanvaccinateyourrabbitsagainstRVHD1(thisisoftendonewiththe

NobivaccombinedvaccinationformyxomatosisandRVHD1).Yourvetwillthen

advisewhatboostervaccinationsyourrabbitwillneed(usuallyevery12months).

TreatmentThereisnospecifictreatmentavailableforRVHD1,thoughyourvetcanoffer

supportivecare.

PrognosisRVHD1isusuallyfatalwithinacoupleofdaystoweeks.Thereareverylimited

examplesofrabbitssurvivingthedisease.

AboutthevirusRabbitViralHaemorrhagicDisease2(RVHD2)isanewstrainofthevirusRVHD1.CasesofthediseasewerefirstreportedintheUKin2015.AswithRVHD1theviruscausesinternalbleeding.

SymptomsRVHD2oftenhasnosymptoms,meaningthatitisveryhardtospotearlyon.

Wheresymptomsdooccurthesesignsareeasilyconfusedwithotherhealthconditions:fever,lethargy,neurologicalsigns(coma)andbloodclottingproblems.

ModeoftransmissionItisamyththatRVHD2canonlybecaughtthroughcontactwithaninfectedrabbit.Inactualfacttheviruscanbecarriedby:

• Birdsandinsectsandtheirdroppings• Thewind• Solesofshoes,cartyresorotherpets’feet• Aninfectedrabbitortheirdroppings• Owners’handsorclothes

ThisisjustasmallsectionofthelistofwaysRVHD2canbecarried.Practically,thereisnowaytostopthevirusgettingintoyourrabbits’indoororoutdoorenvironment.Therefore,theonlywaytoprotectyourrabbitsisthroughvaccination.

PreventionYourvetcanvaccinateyourrabbitsagainstRVHD2(thisisaseparatevaccinationtothecombinedmyxomatosis/RVHD1vaccine).Yourvetwillthenadvisewhatboostervaccinationsyourrabbitwillneed(usuallyevery6-12months).

TreatmentThereisnospecifictreatmentavailableforRVHD2,thoughyourvetcanoffersupportivecare.

PrognosisTherehavebeensomecaseswhererabbitshaverecoveredfromRVHD2.However,inmanycasesthediseaseisfatal.

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Myxomatosis GutStasis

AboutthediseaseMyxomatosishasbeenpresentintheUKsinceitwasintroducedfromSouthAmericainthe1950s.Itkilledaveryhighpercentageofthewildrabbits,andstillkillsmanywildandpetrabbitseveryyear.

SymptomsThefull-blownformofmyxomatosisaffectstheeyelids,theskinoftheears,lipsandgenitalscausingswellings.

Thereisapurelyskinformofmyxomatosis,whichisn’tusuallyfatal,itcausessmallthickenedlumpsofskintoformontheeyelids,nose,headandsometimestheshoulders.Thesetypicallyfallawayafter2-3weeks.

ModeoftransmissionMyxomatosisismainlyspreadbydirectcontactbyfleas.Rabbitsfleasarethemostcommoncarriersbutflyingandbitinginsectscanspreadit.

Rabbitscanalsocatchthediseasethroughdirectcontactwithotherrabbits.

PreventionYourvetcanvaccinateyourrabbitsagainstmyxomatosis(thisisoftendonewiththeNobivaccombinedvaccinationformyxomatosisandRVHD1).Yourvetwillthenadvisewhatboostervaccinationsyourrabbitwillneed(usuallyevery6-12months).Vaccinationcantakeplacefromfiveweeksofageandtakethreeweekstobecomeeffective.

Vaccinationisveryeffective;however,vaccinatedrabbitscanstillgetamilderformofthedisease.Theprognosisforvaccinatedrabbitsisverygoodwiththemajorityfullyrecovering.

TreatmentThereisnospecifictreatmentavailableformyxomatosis,thoughyourvetcanoffersupportivecare.

PrognosisTheprognosisforanunvaccinatedrabbitwithfull-blownmyxomatosisisusuallyalongandpainfuldeath.Therefore,euthanasiaisthekindestoption.

Theprognosisforarabbitswithjusttheskinformorarabbitsthatarevaccinatedisusuallygoodwiththemajoritysurvivingwithoutneedingsignificanttreatment.

AbouttheconditionGastroIntestinalStasisorGutStasisisaconditionwherethedigestivesystemslowsdownorstopscompletely.Whenthishappensbacterialfermentationoffoodbeginstobuildupandreleasesgasintothesystemcausingextremelypainfulbloating,whichusuallyresultsintherabbitstoppingeatinganddrinking,ineffectstarvingitself.

SymptomsRabbitsmaystarttoproducefewerdroppings,theymaybecomesmallerordarkerandperhapsstrungtogetherbyundigestedfurorhay.

Arabbitwhostopseatingoreatslessisaverystrongindicatorofgutstasisordigestiveproblems.Youshouldtakeyourrabbittothevetimmediately.

CausesRabbitsneedtoconsumehighvolumesoffibrousmaterialsatprettymuchalltimestokeeptheirgutmovingasitshould.Gutstasisusuallydevelopsfromfeedingarabbitalowfibre,high-carbohydratedietbutcanalsobetriggeredby:

• Dentalpainwhichreducesfibreintake• Obesity,meaningtheyareunabletoconsumecaecotrophsdirectfromtheirbottom

(faecesthattheyneedtore-ingesttoabsorbtheirfibre)• Stress,suchasachangeinenvironmentorthelossofafriend• Lackofmovementornoopportunitytoexercise• Asuddendietchange

Rabbitscanalsodevelopgutstasisbyswallowingsomethingthatobstructstheirdigestivesystem,i.e.mattedfur.

PreventionThebestwaytohelppreventyourrabbitsfromdevelopinggutstasisisthroughthebelow:

• Feedyourrabbitsahigh-fibredietmadeupof85-90%feedinghay/freshgrass• Checkyourrabbits’weightandteethregularly• Ifyouchangeyourrabbits’diet,doitgraduallyoveratleastatwotofourweekperiod

(thelongerthebetter)• Don’tfeedmueslistyledietsasthesearelinkedtoareducedfaecaloutput

Ensureyourrabbitshavelotsofspaceandgetsplentyofexercise.

TreatmentIfyounoticeanyoftheabovesymptomsyoushouldtakeyourrabbitimmediatelytothevet.Evenadelayofafewhoursmaymeanitistoolate.

Dependingonyourrabbit’scondition,yourvetmayundertakeseveraldifferentmethodsoftreatmentwhichcanincludepainreliefmedication,medicationthatwillincreasegastricmotilityandfluidtherapytorelievedehydration.Yourrabbitislikelytoneedsyringefeedingwitharecoverydietforaperiodoftimetoensurethatitgetsthenutrientsitneeds.

PrognosisGutstasiscanbefatal,soit’simportantthatifyounoticethatyourrabbithasstoppedeatingoriseating/excretinglessyoutakeyourrabbittothevetimmediately.

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DentalDisease OtherHealthProblems

AbouttheconditionRabbitsinthewildeathugeamountsoffibrousmaterial,spending80%oftheirtimeforagingandeatingavarietyofgrasses.Themovementtheyneedtoperformtogrindgrassdownalsowearsdowntheteeth.Rabbitsteeththereforecontinuallygrow.Withouttherightamountofcoarse,fibrousmaterialsintheirdiettheirteethcangrowoverlong:thisisaformofdentaldisease.

SymptomsYoucancheckyourrabbits’dentalhealthweekly,lookingforanyofthebelowsymptoms:

• Wateryeyes• Abnormallookingteeth• Weightloss• Drool• Partly-chewedfood

Ifyouspotanyofthesesymptoms,thenyoushouldtakeyourrabbittothevet.

CausesThemaincauseofdentaldiseaseisthatyourrabbitisn’tgettingenoughfoodswith‘longlengthfibre’andabrasivesilicates(grassorhay),meaningthattheirteetharen’tgettingworndown.

Mueslistyledietshavebeenproventoreducetheamountofhayrabbitseat,increasingthelikelihoodofdentaldisease.

Certainrabbitbreedssuchasdwarfandlopearedarealsopronetodentaldiseasebecausetheirsmallerskullshapeoftenmeansovercrowdedteethwhicharelikelytogrowinthewrongdirection.

PreventionThebestwaytopreventdentaldiseaseistoensurethatyourrabbitseatplentyoffeedinghay/grass.Feedinghayandfreshgrassshouldmakeup85-90%ofarabbit’sdiet.

Overfeedingfreshgreens,treatsornuggetsislikelytoreducearabbit’shay/grassconsumption,soalwaysfollowthefeedingguidelinesonpack.

Never feed your rabbits muesli style diets.

TreatmentYourvetwillfirstlooktotakestepstorelievepain,restorehydrationanddelivernutritionalsupport.Thenitislikelythatyourrabbitwillneedeithertoothtrimmingorextractionsunderanaesthesia.

Youmayneedtosyringefeedyourrabbitforaperiodoftimeafterdentalwork,butyourveterinarynursewillbeabletosupportyouwiththis.

PrognosisIfdentaldiseaseistreatedquicklyrabbitsusuallyhaveagoodchanceofrecovery.

ObesityJustlikehumans,rabbitscaneasilybecomeobeseduetoincorrectdietandlackofexercise.Obesityisveryseriousforrabbits,notonlybecauseitimpactstheirqualityoflifebutbecauseitisalsolinkedtoproblemssuchasgutstasisandflystrike.

Thebestwaytopreventobesityisbyensuringyourrabbitsareeatingthecorrectdiet(85-90%grassorfeedinghay,asmallsupplementofnuggetsandahandfulofleafyfreshgreens)andbyfollowingfeedingguidesonpackaging.

Itisalsoimportantthatyourrabbitshaveplentyofspacetoexerciseandconstantaccesstoalargerun.

FlystrikeFlystrikeoccurswhenflieslayeggsonarabbit,usuallyaroundtherear,whichhatchintomaggotsandeatthefleshoftherabbit.Flystrikecanoftenbeasignofanunderlyinghealthproblem,suchasobesity,resultinginwetfuroranaccumulationoffaecesaroundtheirbackend.

Ifyouthinkyourrabbitshaveflystrikethenyoushouldseekveterinaryassistanceimmediately.Therearesomeflyrepellentsdesignedforrabbits,howeverthebestwaytopreventflystrikeistoensureyourrabbitisatahealthyweight,ingoodhealthgenerallyandbycheckingthemeverydayinthewinterandtwiceadayinwarmweather.

SnufflesSnufflesisabacterialinfectioninrabbits.TheconditioncanbecausedbyafewdifferentbacteriawiththemostcommonisPasteurella.Thesymptomsofsnuffleslooklikeacoldinhumans:

• Mucusandpusfromthenostrils• Runnyeyes• Breathingproblemswithpossiblysomewheezing,coughingandsneezing• Dirtyfrontpawsfromwipingtheirnoseandmouthareatell-talesign

Unlikewithhumans,thesesymptomsareofsomethingveryseriousforrabbitsandyoushouldtakeyourrabbittothevetassoonaspossible,whowilllikelyprescribeantibiotics.Theillnessishighlycontagioussoyoushouldkeepaneyeonyourotherrabbit(s),butdonottakethemawayfromeachother.

Youwillneedtotreattheareayourrabbitlivesinwitharabbitfriendlydisinfectantandeverythingneedstobekeptincrediblyclean.Keepyourrabbitwarm,thoughifyouarebringingthemindoorsraisethetemperatureslowly.

Untreatedsnufflescanleadtorespiratorydiseaseoverleaf.

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Ecuniculi(Ec)Ecisamicroscopicbrainandkidneyparasite.Rabbitsaremostlikelytocatchtheinfectionfromtheirmotherbutitcanalsobecaughtfromanotherrabbitlaterinlife.SymptomsofEccanincludeheadtilting,shufflingorweaknessinabackleg,uncontrollablespinningorrollingandeyesthattracktothesideorupanddown.

Thereareseveraloptionsfortreatmentsoit’sbesttospeaktoyourvetaboutthedifferentoptions.

EarMassesAnearmassisacavitycontainingwaxorpus(infectivebacteria),thatiswalledofffromtherestofthebodybytissue.Thesemassescanusuallybeidentifiedasasoftyetfirmsphericalswelling.

Thesecancauserabbitsalotofdiscomfortandcanspreadaroundthebodyifleft.Oncetheyspreadtheoutlookisn’tgreatfortherabbits,soit’simportantthatyougetanylumpsandbumpscheckedstraightaway.

Thebestwaytocheckforearmassesisthroughhandlingyourrabbitsdaily,checkingallovertheirbodyforlumpsandbumpsandlookingintheearsforanychanges.Lopearedrabbitsareparticularlypronetoearlesionslikethese.

ParasitesRabbitsareatriskfromthefollowingparasites:

• Mitesfeedonskinandfurcellsandirritatetherabbit’sskin.Ifyourrabbitlookslikeitmayhavedandruffthiscanbemites.Yourvetwillmostlikelytreatthemiteswithinjectionsoradviseonanon-the-spottreatmentsuitableforrabbits

• Fleaswilljumponandofftherabbit’sbody,bitingtogetsomeblood.Whentreatingfleasyoucanusethesamemedicationyouwoulduseformitesbutyouneedtomakesurethattheenvironmentistreatedtoo

• Tickswillstayonyourrabbituntiltheyhavehadafullmealofbloodandwillthenhideuntiltheyneedmore.Ifyoufindatickonarabbityoushouldcontactthevetsotheycanadvisethecorrectwaytoremovethem(donotjusttakeitoffyourself,asthiscancausethemtoburrowintheskinfurther)

• Mosquitosareveryhardtostopintheenvironment,butifyouremoveanystandingwaterthiscanhelpremovetheirplacetobreed.Mosquitosareamajorcauseofthespreadofmyxomatosissoit’sincrediblyimportantthatyourrabbitsarevaccinated.

OtherHealthProblems

RespiratoryDiseaseRespiratorydiseaseiscommoninrabbitsandcanbecausedbymanyfactorsincludingbacterialinfections,viralinfections,foreignbodiesbecomingstuckinthenasalpassage,allergens/irritantsfromdustyhayandpoorventilation.

Ifyourrabbithasrespiratoryproblemstheywilloftenhaveoneofthefollowingsymptoms:

• Flarednostrils• Openmouthbreathing• Rapidbreathing• Unusualrespiratorysounds• Dischargefromtheeyesornose

Ifyounoticeanyoftheaboveyoushouldseekimmediateveterinaryassistanceforyourrabbit.

OtherHealthProblems

UterineAdenocarcinoma(CanceroftheUterus)Upto80%ofun-neuteredfemalerabbitscandevelopcanceroftheuterusby5yearsofage*.Thebestwaytopreventthisillnessistohaveyourfemalerabbitsneutered.Thecanceroustumoursusuallydevelopfromtheendometrialliningoftheuterusortheinsidelayersoftheuterus.

Thesymptomsforcanceroftheuterusvaryquickalot,butthingstolookoutforare:

• Vaginaldischargestainedwithblood

• Cloudyfluidwhichwillcomefromthemammaryglands

• Aggressivenessandotherbehaviouralchanges

Ifyouhaveanunneuteredfemalerabbitsheisatriskfromthisillness.Takehertothevetsregularlyforcheck-upsandassoonasIfyouspotanyofthesignsabove.

*https://www.pdsa.org.uk/taking-care-of-your-pet/looking-after-your-pet/all-pets/neutering-your-pet#contents-link-4