Nursing Rabbits

Question 1

How do we initially assess rabbits?

Answer 1

Posture
Heart rate (rapid, often difficult to monitor)
Respiratory rate (fast and shallow)
Temperature (38.3-39.4 degrees C)
Weight
Dropping - should be round, plump, produced regularly

Question 2

What hospitalisation facilities should we provide for rabbits?

Answer 2

Secure
Non-slip floor
Correct temp.
No predators
Check food and water preference (bottle/bowl)
Companions (may confuse monitoring)
Out of cage exercise

Question 3

How can we sample blood from rabbits?

Answer 3

Lateral saphenous - rabbit restrained on side
Marginal ear vein - small samples/IV catheterisation
Cephalic
Jugular - large volumes (i.e. blood transfusion), requires restraint/sedation
Volume = max. 1ml/100g but would recommend less

Question 4

What routes do we have to administer medication to rabbits?

Answer 4

Oral
Injectable - subcut/IM/IV
Topical e.g. shampoos/creams/parasiticides

Question 5

What is the fluid maintenance rate for rabbits?

Answer 5

Maintenance rate = 100ml/kg/24hrs

Question 6

How can we provide fluid therapy to rabbits?

Answer 6

Oral route useful but difficult to get enough volume to replace deficits
Subcutaneous
IV access - marginal ear vein/cephalic (via drip/bolus)

Question 7

How can we provide supportive feeding to rabbits?

Answer 7

Syringe feeding, 1ml at a time
Finely ground grass-based food
Still need long-chain fibre (encourage eating!)

Question 8

What parasites can rabbits get?

Answer 8

Mites (cause hair plucking) - Cheyletiella parasitivorax (walking dandruff) / Listrophorus gibbus / Psoroptes cuniculi (ear mites)
Fleas
Coccidia
Worms - rarely clinically significant

Question 9

What GI diseases can rabbits suffer from?

Answer 9

GI stasis
GI obstruction
Liver lobe torsion
Dental disease
Diarrhoea

Question 10

What are the common medical problems for rabbits?

Answer 10

GI disease
Respiratory infections
Urinary incontinence
Vestibular disease
Skin disease

Question 11

What are the clinical signs of GI stasis?

Answer 11

Anorexia
Absence of droppings
Bloated abdomen - gas in stomach and doughy intestines
Abdominal pain - quiet, hunched up, may be grinding teeth

Question 12

What are some possible causes of GI stasis?

Answer 12

Pain
Stress
Inappropriate diet
Other concurrent disease (neoplasia, dental disease)

Question 13

How can we treat GI stasis?

Answer 13

Pain relief - buprenorphine
Fluids
Prokinetics - ranitidine
Syringe feeding
Look for underlying cause!

Question 14

How can blood glucose help to assess pain/diagnose GI obstruction?

Answer 14

< 5.0 = low due to pathology or inappetence
5-10 = normal rabbit
10-15 = probably just stressed, some pain
15-20 = significant pain
20+ = very likely to be GI obstruction

Question 15

Describe respiratory disease in rabbits.

Answer 15

Pasteurella spp.
Rabbits showing breathing difficulties are an emergency
May present with upper respiratory disease often referred to as ‘snuffles’
Pneumonia less common but poor prognosis
Neoplasia may be involved

Question 16

Describe urinary incontinence in rabbits.

Answer 16

Polyuria - renal disease, dental pain
Bladder infection
Bladder sludge, stone or neoplasia
Back pain
Neurological - E. cuniculi

Question 17

Describe vestibular disease.

Answer 17

Head tilt - circling

Middle ear infection / E. cuniculi / toxoplasma

Question 18

Describe E. cuniculi (Encephalitozoon cuniculi).

Answer 18

Microsporidian parasite
Primary pathogen of the kidneys
Will also affect the CNS
Shed in the urine, can survive in environment for a long time
Possible zoonosis e.g. immunosuppressed humans

Question 19

What are the symptoms and treatment of E. cuniculi?

Answer 19

Symptoms = head tilt, ataxia/hindlimb weakness, urinary incontinence/renal failure, cataracts
Treatment = fenbendazole

Question 20

What skin problems can rabbits get?

Answer 20

Mites - skin/ear
Flystrike
Ringworm
Abscesses/wounds
Pododermatitis
Otitis

Question 21

What are the causes of faecal clagging?

Answer 21

Too much carbohydrate
Obesity
Dental disease
Back pain

Question 22

What are the two common viral diseases in rabbits?

Answer 22

Myxomatosis

Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease (RHD)

Question 23

Describe myxomatosis.

Answer 23

Endemic in the UK
Spread by biting insects/direct contact
Symptoms = swelling round eyes/genitals, ocular discharge

Question 24

Describe RHD.

Answer 24

In the UK since 1992
Spread by fomites/direct contact
Symptoms = sudden death, haemorrhage from mouth/nose/anus