Rabbits are valued for their beautiful fur, excellent taste of meat. But growing them is not as easy as it seems at first glance. When breeding, livestock breeders face a wide variety of problems. After all, these animals are very demanding of the conditions of detention and often get sick. Diseases of rabbits can destroy most of the stock in a matter of days. In order to provide assistance to animals in time, it is necessary to be able to determine the disease, as well as to vaccinate in time, to observe the rules of care.
Sick rabbit or healthy
Some diseases of rabbits do not have a pronounced clinical picture. But even in such cases, you can distinguish a sick animal from a healthy one. And in order not to miss the first signs of ailments, it is necessary to conduct periodic examinations of all individuals. Usually this is done before mating, after the bouts. When rabbits appear, they are examined daily until they are two weeks old.
Healthy animals are always active, they have a good appetite. They are characterized by:
- Shiny, beautiful, even coat.
- Lack of discharge from the nose, eyes.
- Equal breathing (about sixty times per minute).
- Smooth pulse (120-160 beats per minute).
- Body temperature from 38 to 39.5 degrees.
Feces are examined daily. According to them, you can assess the condition of the gastrointestinal tract. The norm is considered feces of a dark brown or black shade in the form of peas.
In an unhealthy animal, behavior changes: it becomes inactive, may refuse to eat or eat reluctantly. Also, a sick rabbit can lie with his eyes closed.
In some diseases, the respiratory rate changes, there is a strong thirst. Sores may appear on the skin, discharge from the nose, eyes. Sometimes rabbits have diarrhea or constipation, bloating is visible. When touched, the hair falls out: it loses its appeal. In some diseases, rabbits shake their heads, scratch their ears and other parts of the body. There are ailments that can cause paralysis, cramps, trembling.
Rabbit diseases require immediate treatment. But before starting treatment, you should consult with your veterinarian. He will carry out analyzes of feces, take scrapings from wool, places of damage, take material for analysis in the presence of discharge. All this will help to accurately diagnose and prescribe the correct treatment.
How are the diseases
Types of rabbit diseases, symptoms and their treatment determine the possibility of recovery of animals. There are diseases that are not amenable to therapy, and sick individuals are destroyed. There are ailments, the treatment of which does not cause problems.
There are many diseases of rabbits. For convenience, they were divided into groups: infectious or infectious, non-infectious or non-infectious. Let's consider them in more detail. Infectious pathologies are the most dangerous, since they are able to quickly switch from one animal to another, infecting the entire livestock. It is worth noting that some diseases are dangerous for people.
In a separate group of diseases of rabbits, parasitic ailments are distinguished. Penetrating into the body, parasites can spread throughout all organs and systems, affecting different areas. Helminths, ticks and others belong to this species.
Scabies or psoroptosis
Rabbit diseases, symptoms and their treatment, started on time, can be determined independently, without the participation of a veterinarian. Such ailments include psoroptosis or ear scabies. What it is? Its causative agent is the scabies mite that lives in the auricle. The parasite causes inflammation. The rabbit begins to comb the auricles. Ticks begin to move to other areas, penetrating deeper into the tissue.
The incubation period of scabies lasts up to five days. Usually the clinical picture is very pronounced: the rabbit shakes his head, scratches his ears. There are combs on the inner surface of the auricle.
With timely treatment, the disease is easy to defeat. The auricle surface is treated in all infected rabbits. To do this, use turpentine, dust or special drops from scabies, sold in veterinary pharmacies.
Rickets
Rickets appears in rabbits from an early age. Such individuals lag behind in growth, practically do not gain weight. They exhibit deformity of the extremities: the legs resemble an oval. Rickety rabbits have a huge belly.
The treatment is carried out by prescribing a course of vitamin D in drops, as well as calcium and phosphorus. Drugs are added to the feed.
Coccidiosis
Coccidiosis in rabbits is caused by parasites that affect the gastrointestinal tract. According to statistics, approximately 70% of rabbits die from this disease. To prevent this, coccidiosis is prevented.
This ailment is of two types: hepatic and intestinal. In the latter case, parasites develop very quickly. Rabbits die in a week or two.
With the liver form, the pathology develops slowly. Animals gradually lose weight, and they have diarrhea.
The incubation period of coccidiosis is about three days. The main manifestations of the disease are loose stools, the presence of bleeding, jaundice. For an accurate diagnosis, a laboratory examination of the feces of the animal is necessary. Rabbits can get sick at any age. But youngsters between the ages of one and a half to four months suffer the most susceptibility.
If coccidiosis is detected in rabbits, treatment is carried out by the method of evaporation with drugs dissolved in water. It can be sulfanilamide drugs: "Sulfadimezin", "Sulfadimethoxin." Rabbits are fed twice a day for five days. A three-week break is made between courses.
Soluble iodine gives good results: adults are prepared with a 0.01% solution (dose of 100 ml per animal / day for ten days), for rabbits, the dosage is 50 and 100 ml.
In the veterinary pharmacy, you can purchase special drugs for the treatment and prevention of coccidiosis. They are used in accordance with the instructions.
Myxomatosis
Myxomatosis in rabbits is a dangerous disease caused by viruses. Outbreaks of the epidemic are recorded in the summer-autumn period. Infection carriers are mice, rats, blood-sucking insects.
With myxomatosis in rabbits, the following symptoms are observed:
- Swelling of the nose, ears, lips.
- Discharge appears from the eyes and nose.
- On the paws, ears, seals form.
- Apathy appears, and also the rabbit's hair falls out.
As the disease develops, the ears of the animal drop, it falls into a coma and dies. The disease is very fast and always fatal. All individuals are disposed of; carcasses are not suitable for human consumption. Rabbitry is disinfected, the remaining animals are vaccinated.
Subdermatitis
Sub-dermatitis or plantar dermatitis in rabbits is manifested in individuals contained in cells with mesh floors. Because of this, sores appear on the paws, into which the infection gets. As a result, the process of suppuration begins: the ailment becomes acute.
Most often, pododermatitis affects animals with large body mass, with their legs not lowered. A side factor is the unsatisfactory condition of the cells, polluted air, high humidity.
Clinically, the disease is manifested by a lack of appetite, the animal almost does not move, it lies more. On examination, damage to the legs is visible. Treatment of pododermatitis is carried out by lubricating the lesions with zinc ointment or Vishnevsky liniment.
Conjunctivitis
If the rabbit has watery eyes, then this may indicate conjunctivitis. Pathology occurs when dust enters the eyes from contaminated hay, grass, compound feed. The disease manifests itself in the form of redness, swelling of the eyelids, lacrimation. Subsequently, the discharge becomes purulent, the eyes stick. Rabbits try to tear them apart with their paws, further exacerbating the situation.
Treatment is carried out with daily eye treatments with a solution of boric acid, “Chloramphenicol”, a strong brewing of black tea. Eyes are treated for a week.
Helminthic infestations
Worms in rabbits can lead to the death of the animal. They not only cause inflammation, but also dangerous for the eared.
When infected with helminths, the following symptoms are observed:
- Increased thirst. Rabbits drink a lot: they come to a bowl of water more often than usual.
- In the feces, greenish mucus can be seen. Diarrhea and constipation in rabbits alternate.
- The fur dims, loses its luster, and begins to fall out in large quantities.
- Sclera of eyes grow turbid.
- Rabbits become lethargic, lay a lot.
- Helminths cause itching in the anus, forcing you to ride on the floor.
Treatment of helminths is carried out using special drugs. It can be “Shustrik”, “Gamavit”, “Albendazole”, “Tetramizole”, “Pirantel” and other anthelmintic agents available in the veterinary pharmacy. Means are used strictly according to the instructions.
Poisoning
Rabbits are very sensitive to food: with improperly selected food, the animal can be poisoned. Such a phenomenon can cause herbs such as dope, potato tops, caustic buttercup and other poisonous plants.
When poisoning, the following symptoms occur: excessive salivation, vomiting, diarrhea, impaired coordination of movement. With these signs, it is necessary to drink the rabbit with a decoction of rice or oats, replace the feed.
Runny nose or pasteurellosis
The disease affects animals at any age. With pathology, discharge from the nose is observed. They can be purulent or mucous, body temperature rises, diarrhea occurs. Rabbits are depressed, refuse food, water. Patients are immediately isolated, and their cells are disinfected.
For treatment, it is necessary to instill "Furacilin", a solution of "Penicillin" in the nose. The antibiotic is diluted with water in a ratio of 1 to 1. After recovery, the rabbits go to the slaughter. For mating, these are not left.
Respiratory system diseases
If rabbits live in a draft, then they may have problems with the respiratory system: pneumonia, bronchitis. With these ailments, wheezing, depressed breathing are observed, body temperature rises. For treatment, it is necessary to administer intramuscularly "Penicillin", a solution of "Sulfidine" at 0.3 g per individual. Be sure to add vitamins to the feed. Rabbits are moved to warm cages without drafts.
Heatstroke
If cages with rabbits stand all day in the sun, then animals can overheat and get heat stroke. Large individuals do not tolerate heat and heat.
When overheated, they refuse food and water, are drawn to their full height in the cells. Their breathing quickens, convulsions may occur.
Assisting in moving animals to a cool place. It may be some kind of room where it is colder than in the cells. A cold compress can be applied to the head.
Stomatitis or "wet face"
Young growth is often exposed to infectious stomatitis or “wet muzzle” disease. It is caused by viruses.
The disease affects the mucous membrane, causing salivation, diarrhea, inflammation. Secondary signs of the disease are: increased humidity of the integument, sudden changes in temperature.
The main clinical manifestations are:
- Appearance in the language of plaque: first it is white, and then grayish red.
- Ulceration.
- The animal loses its appetite, becomes lethargic.
- A chomp is heard during the meal.
If such symptoms are found, treatment should be started immediately. The oral cavity is washed with a solution of potassium permanganate or copper sulfate. Streptomycin gives good results. Powder treatment is carried out by falling asleep in the oral cavity of 0.2 g once a day for three days.
Vaccination
The main disease prevention in rabbits is vaccination. It helps protect the livestock from the most dangerous diseases that can destroy the entire economy in a matter of days.
What vaccinations do rabbits need and when are they given? The first injection is done at the age of 45 days, with a mass of at least 500 grams. The following vaccinations are carried out every six months throughout the life of an individual. If a break is allowed between vaccinations, then the prophylaxis of diseases is renewed, regardless of the age of the rabbit.
Vaccination can be performed as follows:
- The first vaccine is given at the age of 45 days with an associated vaccine.
- Revaccination is carried out after 3 months.
- Further vaccinations are done every six months.
Another scheme is as follows:
- The first vaccine is given by the HBV mono vaccine at the age of one and a half months.
- Two weeks later, vaccination against myxomatosis is carried out.
- Two weeks later, HBV revaccination is carried out.
- Two weeks later - revaccination from myxomatosis.
- After 3 months, the vaccine is associated vaccine.
- After half a year, all three vaccines are revaccinated.
When vaccinated according to any scheme, two-week quarantine is mandatory. It helps to avoid possible infection of the pet during the development of immunity. At this time, it is recommended to feed the animal with sprouted grain, mountain ash, fish oil, pumpkin.
Timely vaccination and proper treatment will help to keep the population of rabbits, as well as prevent outbreaks of dangerous infections.