Rabbit Bloat

This is a condition which is only too familiar to the breeder.It is a condition where the animal becomes ' blown-up ' bythe accumulation of a large amount of gas in the abdomen.There are undoubtedly a number of causes which producethis disorder. It may be produced by feeding an excessiveamount of fresh young lucerne or clover, and it has beensuggested that young white clover will always produce the con-dition, although this is not proven. The condition is certainly not infectious, but there appears to be, in some cases, aninherited predisposition.

The rabbit sits huddled in a corner and is very inactive.The coat appears dull and the eye glazed. In some cases therabbit is exceptionally thirsty and will consume quantities ofwater, although all food is refused. The abdomen becomesswollen with gas and the animal often grinds its teeth in pain.Death usually results after a day or two from excessive pressureon the lungs and heart. In some cases the stomach mayrupture. A second form of the disorder is known as mucoidenteritis, and in this form a quantity of mucous is produced inthe intestines and forms a gelatinous mass.

Although a considerable amount of research has beencarried out, the causes of the disease have not been traced,and no reliable treatment has been discovered. The rabbitwill benefit if made to take exercise, and massage with a goodliniment which produces a slight irritation on the belly hasbeen found to help. The most reliable treatment, which hasbeen efficacious in more than half the cases in which it has beentried, is the use of an enema of soft soap and water. Pure greensoap is dissolved in warm water, and the solution injectedcarefully into the anus with a rubber bulb ear syringe.

The recent use of antibiotics has been found to reduce theamount of bloat greatly, in some cases by as much as 75 percent.

A rare disease, which has as its main symptom, the pro-duction of bloat is entero-toxaemia, which is a bacterial diseasein which the kidneys become soft and pulpy. This troublealmost always occurs when animals arc being grazed in Moranttype hutches and in cold weather. The eating of frozen foodappears to cause some damage which enables bacteria to gainentrance into the intestinal wall. No treatment is availablefor this condition.