Some of the Most Common Rabbit Health Problem

Abscess:

Pocket or blister filled with thick white pus.

Bladder sludge:

Urine is very thick, like a paste, & dries at a consistency of cake-batter.

Bloat:

Rabbit will stop eating/drinking & will become listless, stomach will swell up & become gassy, & will present with constipation or diarrhea.

Broken leg:

Injury causing bone to be broken.

Coccidia:

May present with constipation or diarrhea with / without presence of mucous, also stops eating/drinking, listless, loss of weight, swelled belly – commonly effects weanlings and older rabbits alike.

Constipation:

Bowel blockage causing rabbit to be unable to defecate, may present with swelled belly, lethargy, refusal to eat/drink.

Cuts / Wounds:

Due to injury.

Ear mites:

Rabbit may shake or scratch at ears, inner ears will have appearance yellow or brownish color substance.

Enteritis (BacterialL or Mucoid):

Buildup of gas in stomach, very painful, loss of appetite, diarrhea, dehydration, more common in weanlings beginning to eat pellets, droppings will be covered in jelly-like mucous, may grind teeth &/or squeal from the pain.

Fly strike:

Insects lay eggs on damp/wet, soiled, or infectious skin… the eggs hatch.

Fur mites:

Appearance of dry skin or dandruff, usually begins at the base of shoulders, but quickly spreads across the body, may have missing patches of fur, rabbits may scratch & may cause sores from scratching.

GI Stasis:

Very small or no fecal pellets with possible presence of clear or yellowish mucous, may have swelled stomach, also lethargy, refusal to eat/drink, dehydration, very loud gurgling in stomach – or complete silence (absence of normal gut sounds).

Heat stroke:

Caused by excessive heat, usually at or above 85*F, or lack of air/ventilation, difficulty breathing, head tilted up – gasping for air, muzzle may be damp or wet (not always).

Hyptohermia:

Low Body Temperature – Below 100* is Serious!

Malocclusion:

Teeth are overgrown &/or split.

Mastitis (Cystic or Septic):

Presence of cysts in /around teats, alert, bright, and not in pain, may have blood in urine, dehydration and fever.

Pasteurella(Snuffles):

Sneezing with discharge from nose &/or eyes, fur on sides of front paws will also often be wet or matted.

Sore hocks:

First signs is loss of fur & red skin that will progress to calluses & sores.

Split penis:

Buck’s genital area it will visibly be protruding straight out with a split down the center – as a doe’s genitals look – but the protrusion is often slightly curved at the end.

Weepy eye:

Discharge of one or both eyes, wet fur or loss of fur around eye(s).

Wet dewlap:

Does will sometimes drag or lay their dewlap into their water-dishes causing the fur to become wet, which can cause the skin to turn green & have an odor present.

Wool block:

Lack of appetite, lethargy, change in feces – may be presence of several droppings ‘lined’ together resembling string a beads.

Wry neck:

Rabbits head will physically twist to one side, this will progress very quickly, will not be able to eat or drink on its own, will not be able to stand / will roll onto its side when it attempts to move eye that is facing downwards will not be able to close.

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