Rabbits Flashcards
How many domesticated rabbit species are there?
How many breeds does the American Rabbit Breeders Association recognize?
1 domesticated species
48 breeds
T/F: Rabbits are unpredicatble in a clinic and often get injured. To minimalize the chance of injury, all treatment should be performed on the floor and the rabbit should be held “football style” when not on the ground.
True
What are two common injuries we see in over-handled rabbits?
back injuries
broken legs
T/F: Rabbits are the largest of the rodent order.
FALLLLLSE
They are Lagomorphs.
T/F: Lagomorphs have 2 pair of incisors on the top and 1 pair of incisors on the bottom.
True
What kind of activity/foraging behavior do rabbits exhibit?
Nocturnal
social
How long can rabbits live?
6-10 years
T/F: All rabbit teeth are open-rooted
True
What type of GI tract do rabbits have?
Hindgut fermenting herbivorous
At what age does a Bucks testes descend?
3 month
Does are induced ovulators. How long is their gestation period?
30-33 days
4-12 young weaned at 6 weeks
They are always in heat and have a post-partum estrus
What is the #1 cancer in rabbits?
Uterine Adenocarcinoma
What type of teeth do rabbits have?
All open-rooted teeth
What does it mean to be coprophagic?
To eat feces
Rabbits eat their cecotropes
How much calcium can a rabbit absorb from its diet?
As much as it ingests. Absorbs calcium unhcecked
Can lead to calciuria
As an herbivore, what is the pH of rabbit urine?
Alkaline
may see crystals
A client brings in a rabbit with a complatint of white, sludge like urine. You take RADs of the rabbit’s abdomen and it looks like someone was trying to preform a dye study in the bladder. What is your diagnosis?
Calciuria
T/F: Rabbits can NOT vomit.
True
A client brings in thier rabbit to your clinic for its annual exam. The client brought in a stool sample because the stool looked odd. These are the poops she brought in. What is wrong with them and what do you recommend?
These are hair ball poops.
Recommend that the owner brushes the rabbit regularly and feeds a high fiber diet to minimalize chance of obstruction.
When setting up an indoor bunny home, which is better?
Wire bottom or solid bottom
water bowl or bottle
Solid bottom and water bowl
T/F: Wire bottom cages can lead to pododermatitis.
True
Which vertebrae is most common to fracture due to improper handling of a rabbit?
L6
A client comes in concerned because her rabbit has been rubbing its chin on all the things in the house. You note no abnormalities on PE. What do you tell the Owner?
The rabbit is rubbing its chin gland on things to claim them.
Name 4 veinipuncture sites in the rabbit.
Lateral saphenous
Cephalic vein
Jugular vein
Ear vein
What is this tool called?
Its used for looking into all the orifices, especially those with sharp teeth where small mammals are concerned.
Welch-Allyn Bivalver Nasal Speculum
What are the MAIN routes for drugs in rabbits?
SQ and Oral
IV Fluids for shocky rabbits
What is the normal temerpaure of a rabbit?
What temperature do we become concerned with shock?
101-104° F = normal
<98° F = shock
What injectable caused this ear slough?
Valium/Diazepam
What are we concerned about causing in rabbits if we use selective gram-positive antibiotics?
Gut bacterial dysbiosis
Signs: Diarrhea, inappetance, endotoxemia, DEATH
What are the two common bacteria that lead to dysbiosis in the bunny wunny?
E. coli and Colstridium spiroforme
T/F: Quinolones, Sulfa drugs, Cholramphenicol, Metronidazole, Azithromycin and Penicillin are safe to use in the rabbit.
True
As long as its injectable penicillin
oral penicillin causes dysbiosis
T/F: Beta-lactams (oral penicillin and cefalosporins) and Mycins except for azithromycin are contraindicated in the rabbit.
True
What should you assume if you have a quiet, hunched, hiding, not eating bunny?
Its in pain
Prey speciese heal poorly with pain so ALWAYS give analgesics
What are some analgesics we can give to rabbits?
NSAIDs: Carprofen, Ketoprofen, meloxicam
Opiods: Bupernorphine, Butorphanol, hydrocodone
Tramadol is iffy
T/F: Rabbits are herbivorous, mongastic, hindgut fermentors.
true
What is the largest organ in the rabbit GI tract?
Cecum
Why are we concerned that rabbits have non-distensible stomachs?
They can’t vomit, so food overload can rupture the stomach
T/F: Rabbits have a thick muscular pylorus
true
The cecum in the rabbit is a pigmented, thin walled and coiled organ that is responsible for the fermentation of ______ fiber and the production of ________.
The cecum in the rabbit is a pigmented, thin walled and coiled organ that is responsible for the fermentation of soluble fiber and the production of cecotrophs (cecals).
What is the driving force of the rabbit GI tract?
Fiber
T/F: Insoluble fiber acts as a motility modifyer and a direct nutrient.
False
it is NOT a direct nutrient.
How long after eating do rabbits typically produce a cecal?
~4 hours after eating
T/F: Most owners do not see the cecal becuase it is consumed right from the anus, leading many owners to think a cecal in the cage is diarrhea.
True
The formation of cecals is stimulated by a ___ fiber diet and reduced by a ____ protein diet.
The formation of cecals is stimulated by a high fiber diet and reduced by a high protein diet.
What is a common food given to rabbits that is high in protein, and thus reduces cecal formation?
Alfalfa hay = legume = high protein
What is the ideal rabbit diet?
High fiber, low carbs, low protein
So lots of grass hay, less leafy greens, minimal pellets and even less treats and fruit
Generalized ileus is common in all breeds of rabbit. What 3 clinical signs make us start to worry?
Painful abdomen
Hypothermia
Shock
GIT Stasis can be caused by low fiber diets, stress, obesity, inacivity, pH changes, abnormal fermentation and reduced hingut motility. What 2 unlisted causes give us the most concern?
Dysbiosis and Enterotoxemia
Which is NOT a part of the routine treatment of rabbits for GIT stasis?
Fluids
Metaclopromide/Cisapride
Opioids
Simethicone
Exercise
Decomperession if bloated
PSYCH
They all are
What do we add to the treatment protocol for a shocky or hypothermic rabbit with mucoid feces?
PARENTERAL penicillin
T/F: Surgery has a good prognosis for GIT stasis, especially in cases of endotoxemia.
False
few cases survive surgery, esp enterotoxemia
This is why we don’t think twice about giving motility dugs to rabbits. Even if they do have an obstruction, we probably won’t find it and they most likely won’t survive surgery. It’s better to treat and hope they don’t have a true obstruction.
T/F: Most owners can tell the difference between an uneaten cecotroph and true diarrhea.
False
True diarrhea will happen multiple times a day and be unable to pick up with fingers. Common in baby bunnies.
A client calls in wanting some anti-diarrheal medication for her bunny. She tells you the bunny is squirting out liquid from its bottom several times a day. What do you tell her?
To get her booty and bunny into the clinic ASAP
True diarrhea is a MEDICAL EMERGENCY in rabbits
What are 5 predisposing factors to uneaten cecals or cecals matted to the booty fur?
Obesity/inactivity
High protein low fiber diet
pain (arthritis, dermatitis)
Neurological Dz
Dental Dz
Which greens are high in calcium and should not be fed to your bunny in order to lessen the chance of them producing urine sludge?
Alfalfa
Spinach
Kale
Parsely
How do we treat urine sludge in the rabbit?
Pass urinary cath (sedation)
warm saline flush
recheck RADs
SQ fluids
Bupernorphine
NSAIDs for home
correct predisposing factors
T/F: Most dietary disorders in the rabbit are preventable.
True
Open mouth breathing in a rabbit is a very bad sign because rabbits are _____ _____ breathers
Obligate nasal
T/F: URIs in rabbits are almost always viral
False
URIs are almost always bacterial, sometimes fungal
What is the most common cause of snuffles in rabbits of all ages?
Pasteurella multocida
A client brings in their rabbit complaing about the rabbit having the “snuffles”. On PE you note no discharge from the nose. Where else should you check?
Paws
Rabbits clean their noses off their wittle foots
Do we use short term or long term antibiotics when managing an URI in a rabbit?
long term abx
Rabbits have a single nasolacrimal duct puncta located where?
Medial canthus
What is important to note about the location of the NLD in the rabbit in relation to the teeth?
The NLD runs along the top of the maxillary tooth roots
What can happen if the NLD becomes impinged by the tooth roots?
Chronic epiphora, dacrocystitis & URI
Abdominal breathing can be indicative of what respiratoy disease in rabbits?
Bronchopneumonia
R/o other thoracic dz
gaurded prognosis
How do we diagnose bronchopneumonia in the rabbit?
RADs
What is a rule out for diagnosing thymoma in rabbits?
Cardiomyopathy
T/F: Analgesics are essential in treatment of bronchopneumonia because it is painful.
True
NSAID + Opioid
What are two DDx for head tilt in a rabbit?
Otitis media/interna
Encephalitozoon cuniculi
E. cuniculi is an obligate intracellular microsporidia parasite acquired at birth. Where does it replicate?
What tissue does it have an affinity for?
Replicated in the Kindeys
Affinity for neuro tissue
How do we diagnose E. cuniculi?
Ante-mortem: blood test,
CT/RADs to r/o otitis interna
Post-mortem: kindey/brain biopsy
How do we treat E. cuniculi?
Fenbendazole/albendazole
Steroids
Anti-inflammatories
Abx (in case otitis media)
What should we monitor durring treatment of E. cuniculi?
CBC
E. cuniculi can cause bone marrow suppression
How often do we cut teeth to treat incisor malocclusion?
every 6-8 weeks.
T/F: If we want to remove 1 incisor, we need to be sure to get the root and remove all 6 incisors.
True
T/F: Jaw abscess is a big problem in rabbits that can lead to osteomyelitis.
True
Treatment requires aggressive surgical debridement
What antibiotic do we soak our packing gauze in when treating a jaw abscess?
Cefazolin
What type of antibiotic should we use for dental abscess treatment?
anaerobic
Some breeds of rabbit have uterine adenocarcinoma occurance rates near what percent?
80%
T/F: OHE is recommended in rabbits because ALL intact does will have uterine disease.
True
assuming they live long enough to
What kind of uterus and cervix do rabbits possess?
bicornate uterus
double cervis
What are some locations an uterine adenocarcinoma will metastisize to?
lung
bone
soft tissue
How long does it take for uterine adenocarcinomas in rabbits to metastasize?
7-9 months
What are 4 rule outs for hematuria?
Porphyrins
Urolithiasis
Uterine adenocarcinoma
benign endometrial disease
cystitis is an unlikely cause in rabbits
Severe crystalluria in sedentary rabbits presents grossly as ____ ____.
urinary sludge
very painful, causes dysuria
What is the difference between calciuria and a urolith in rabbits?
Calciuria resolves with medical rx
Urolith require surgical removal
What are some other names for Rabbit syphilus or “vent disease”?
Spirochetosis or Treponematosis
What is the etiology of Rabbit spirochetosis?
Treponema cuniculi
Treponematosis is NOT zoonotic, but it is a contagious veneral disease of young rabbits. What signs does it present with?
scabs on the face and vent
Don’t mistake it for an URI
How do we diagnose rabbit syphilus?
Biopsy/PCR
What is the only treatment for “vent disease”?
Long acting penicillin
2 SQ doses 4 days apart
(combi-pen = procaine and benzathine pen G)
