The digestive system in rabbits is very complex and delicate. Therefore, diarrhea in them happens quite often. Moreover, the problem is usually quite serious. If the owners do not take any measures, the animal may die.
The main causes of diarrhea
The answer to the question of how to treat diarrhea in rabbits depends primarily on the causes of gastrointestinal upset. Most often, rabbit diarrhea results from:
- Improper feeding. Experienced rabbit breeders do not advise too abruptly change the diet of animals. New feed in the "menu" should be introduced gradually (for about two weeks, increasing the dose). Of course, all food included in the diet of the animal must be of high quality and fresh. Rabbits should not be given rotten, musty and moldy foods. And, of course, the diet should be balanced.
- Colds . In this disease, rabbits quite often begin to vilify.
- Worm infections. Helminths also often cause diarrhea in rabbits. The reasons in this case are a violation of the natural intestinal microflora and the death of beneficial bacteria.
- Coccidiosis This is a rather dangerous disease. If untreated, after 8-10 days the animal will die. If coccidiosis is the cause of diarrhea, the rabbit will look very lethargic and lethargic. Most likely, he will lose his appetite.
How and how to treat diarrhea in rabbits
If the animal has diarrhea, you should contact your veterinarian. Especially if diarrhea lasts more than three days. You should also watch the rabbit. At the first sign of apathy, lethargy, and lack of appetite, you should definitely contact a veterinary clinic.
In addition, all food except hay should be removed from the cage and the rabbit should be given more water. What to give rabbits from diarrhea to a trip to the vet? A good option can be a decoction of chamomile or oak bark. If the rabbit refuses to drink them, he can be forced to do this with a regular syringe with the needle removed.
Sometimes animals are also treated with Baytril. Injections are made in the back of the rabbit's thigh (1-2 mg for cubs, 5 mg for adults) for five days. However, this advice is purely advisory in nature. It is still better for the owner of a sick animal to consult a specialist.
A very good solution is to use, instead of ordinary hay, a special purchased food made on the basis of medicinal herbs. In addition, experienced rabbit breeders advise giving the diseased animal preparations containing electrolytes that intensively fill the body with fluids. It can be, for example, "Acidomitis". It is given 5 ml per liter of water for the first 2-3 days. And then the dose is increased to 10 ml. This drug is harmless, but it is still worth consulting with a veterinarian about the advisability of its use.
Cells
How to treat diarrhea in rabbits, so we have figured out. Drugs prescribed by the doctor, as well as a decoction of chamomile, most often help, and the animal recovers. However, there are cases of death of animals. Therefore, diarrhea should be prevented. In order to prevent such a disease as diarrhea, when growing rabbits, it is worth following these recommendations:
- The animal must not be given too many vegetables and fruits. This is especially true for beets and cabbage.
- Do not feed the rabbit stale food.
- It is not recommended to change the diet too abruptly.
- Cells must be kept clean.
- The animal should create comfortable conditions.
Well, of course, you need to do all the vaccinations necessary for the rabbit.
What should be the diet
In the "menu" of these cute animals with weak stomachs and intestines should include a sufficient amount of feed containing fiber. It can be hay, grass, fresh or dried brooms. Such food should become the basis of the rabbit's diet. Vegetables and fruits also produce, but in small quantities. Apples and carrots are especially useful for rabbits. In any case, they do not cause diarrhea. In addition, cereals should be included in the “menu” of the animal. Usually rabbits are fed with barley crushed groats. A very good option is oatmeal. But wheat too often is not recommended.
Special "menu"
Special granular feeds for rabbits are also very popular with pet lovers. Especially convenient is considered a full-fledged version of them. In this case, you do not need to use other feeds. Such granules consist of all the ingredients necessary for a rabbit. They can be pressed into cereals, bran, yeast, grass and fish meal, chalk, etc.
You can buy a regular loose balanced rabbit food. In any case, do not buy too cheap a product. Such mixtures are usually not particularly well balanced. Also, when buying feed, you should definitely study its composition.
Disease prevention
Gastrointestinal disorders often cause quite serious rabbit diseases. Symptoms and their treatment (the most common) will be discussed below. Now let's talk about what measures should be taken when keeping rabbits to exclude infection. For the prevention of infectious diseases and the appearance of worms, rabbit cells should be kept clean. The feeders should be rinsed after each feeding. The cell is cleaned and wiped daily. Once a month it should be treated with a solution of whiteness. The floor in the cage should be trellised. In this case, feces and urine will not linger on it.
Animals themselves should feel comfortable in their cages. Do not allow overheating in the summertime or severe hypothermia in winter. For the prevention of colds, cells should be placed in such a way that there are no drafts in them.
The main diseases of rabbits: symptoms and their treatment
Diarrhea in these animals can cause infections such as:
- Coccidiosis His attributes include ruffled hair, sagging and bloating, loss of appetite, and yellowness of the eyelids. In this case, the answer to the question of how to treat diarrhea in rabbits can be only one - with drugs prescribed by the veterinarian. Usually it is sulfadimethoxin (0.2 g per 1 kg of live weight on the first day and 0.1 g for the next 4 days) or norsulfazole (once every five days in an amount of 0.4 g per kilogram). The course of treatment with both drugs is repeated after five days.
- Stomatitis is infectious . In addition to diarrhea itself, signs of this disease include the presence of sores on the tongue and excessive salivation. The treatment of this disease most often consists in lubricating the oral cavity with a solution of copper sulfate (2% solution).
- Paratyphoid . Its main symptoms include loss of appetite, lethargy, ruffled hair. In this disease, rabbits are most often treated with furazolidone (30 mg per kilogram of weight for 7 days).
There are many other diarrheal rabbit diseases. Bloating, treatment of which is also necessary, is a phenomenon that often accompanies diarrhea if poor feed is the cause of the disorder. This phenomenon is called flatulence. Treatment in the presence of this symptom is usually carried out in combination with activated charcoal. It is added to the animal’s food in an amount of 3-5 g per day.
Thus, we have generally found out how rabbits are treated for diarrhea. However, since the causes of diarrhea may be different, it is not worthwhile to diagnose yourself. A veterinarian should determine the disease and prescribe the necessary drugs.