Rabbit Health

Bad feeding practice and poor nutrition arc responsible for agreat deal of loss, both directly through simple malnutrition,poisoning, deficiency diseases and so on, and indirectly throughlowered resistance to specific diseases.

Apart from general unthriftiness and poor production arisingfrom bad feeding, there are several specific conditions producedby it. Rickets and spontaneous fractures are relatively easy torecognise and are examples of such conditions.

Rickets is a condition in which the bones fail to ossify(i.c.`harden') and become deformed. The condition is dueto a lack of calcium and phosphorous in the diet. Vitamin Dassists the bones to ossify, and thus sunlight (in the presenceof which the animal can form its own vitamin requirement)assists in preventing rickets. An adequate mineral content ofthe diet is of course necessary, and on a good diet the animalswill not suffer from this disease.

Spontaneous fracture of the spine which usually results in paralysisof the hindquarters, is due to a deficiency of minerals in thediet. These fractures, which are sometimes not easily apparentalthough the results are obvious, are relatively common innursing does, particularly after a few litters.

There are a number of other deficiency diseases, whichrequire specialist diagnosis, but apart from these, the breedermay be faced with cases of poisoning. These may arise fromzinc poisoning (sometimes due to badly galvanised hutchfittings), phosphorus poisoning (generally through rat poisonsbeing given inadvertently to stock) mercurial poisoning(through the feeding of seed corn which has been dressed,)and other forms. The diagnosis of poisoning is again a specialisttask, and the only prevention is to ensure that food given isdefinitely free from such harmful ingredients.

Death from simple malnutrition is not so rare as might besupposed. Very young stock may die from starvation becauseit is unable to suckle through some deformity such as a cleftpalate, or because the doe gives insufficient milk. Other casesoccur when the rations are of such a bulky nature that therabbit cannot eat sufficient to satisfy its nutritional needs.The prevention of death from malnutrition is obvious.

Malocclusion of the teeth. Occasionally a rabbit is found inwhich the upper and lower incisors do not meet, and the teeth,continuing to grow, reach several inches in length and preventthe animal from eating. The teeth in such a condition may beclipped and filed to the correct length, which may result in apermanent cure, but often repeated clipping is necessary.This is a laborious treatment and unless the animal is particu-larly valuable, it should be destroyed.

Rupture. Very infrequently a rupture of the abdominal walloccurs, and part of the intestines protrude. Surgical treatmentby a veterinary surgeon is usually satisfactory. Some rare casesof rupture of the stomachs have been reported. Generally thecause is unknown.

Torticollis. (Wry neck) This is a condition in which theaffected animal holds its head on one side. Usually deterior-ation occurs until the animal is unable to maintain its equili-brium and constantly falls over. Known causes may beadvanced car canker, or tumour, but there may be othersunknown.

Overgrown nails. The nails of the rabbit constantly grow,but are usually kept relatively short by wear. Occasionallythey become too long and should be clipped back to withinone quarter of an inch of the quick, which may be seen byholding the nail over a light. They should not be cut tooshort otherwise pain and bleeding may result.
Slobbers. A condition in which the rabbit has an excessiveflow of saliva from the mouth, which wets the fur down the jawand chest. It may be due to a sore mouth such as inflamedgums, or to overgrown teeth, and also sometimes occurs afterchilling.

Congestion of the mammary glands. This condition, often referredto as " caked udder " results when a doe loses her littersuddenly. The mammary glands become congested, inflamedand painful. In severe cases the glands may become hard andsplit. The condition can be prevented by gradual weaning orby fostering young to her when a doe loses her own. The doeshould be put on a laxative diet and fluids should be restricted.Heat Stroke. Pregnant does are most often affected, but heatstroke occurs with other classes of rabbits as well. The conditionis caused by excessive heat and inadequate ventilation, such asmay be found in a poorly made travelling box. Often thecondition is fatal and the only treatment consists of givingshade and good ventilation with water to drink.

Urine burn. A condition similar in appearance to ventdisease but caused by inflammation of the anus and sexualorgans by urine soaked bedding. Treatment consists of ensuringdry bedding, bathing the affected parts with an antisepticsolution and applying tincture of iodine or preferably a goodantiseptic ointment.
Intestinal obstruction with wool. An uncommon complaint inwhich a ball of wool or fur is formed, usually in the stomach,with the consequent obstruction to the passage of food. Thecondition is more common in angoras, and there is no treatmentfor a large wool ball, although a good purgative such as castoroil may help.

Pot belly. This term refers to a chronic condition in which theabdomen becomes permanently enlarged. It is sometimes sitedwrongly in reference to bloat. The chronic enlargementgenerally results from a severe attack of liver coccidiosis, butmay also be seen in badly reared young rabbits which have beengiven excessive amounts of bulky food. There is no treatmentbut the condition can be largely prevented by good husbandry.