Content
- What to do if my rabbit has diarrhea
- Causes of diarrhea in rabbits
- Treatment of diarrhea in rabbits
- Advice to prevent diarrhea in rabbits
Rabbits are no longer simple farm animals to become more and more adorable pets that bring together the most ideal characteristics for several people.
A rabbit is obviously very different from a dog or a cat and the attention it requires is also different, however, this does not mean that it does not need certain care, as like all animals, it needs some health conditions. great to be able to have a state of complete well-being.
Gastrointestinal disorders in rabbits can be as frequent as they are severe, as they can lead to dehydration and hunger, for this reason, in this article by PeritoAnimal we show you the causes and treatment of diarrhea in rabbits.
What to do if my rabbit has diarrhea
When a rabbit suffers diarrhea, regardless of the cause, it is suffering from enteritis, that is, a inflammation of enterocytes or intestinal cells that are essential for an adequate assimilation of nutrients.
As we will see later, enteritis can be caused by several factors, but it can also be idiopathic, that is, without any known cause, in any case, the most important is that this sign has a mortality rate ranging from 10 to 20% of affected animals.
Diarrhea can lead to severe dehydration and malnutrition, so if we see that our pet has diarrhea, we should go to the veterinarian as soon as possible..
Causes of diarrhea in rabbits
The causes of diarrhea in rabbits are several, being infectious or not, and acquiring various degrees of severity according to the underlying pathology.
Let's see what are the most common problems that cause this symptom:
- Coccidiosis: It is an infectious disease caused by parasites that mainly affects those rabbits subjected to stress that causes the weaning phase. These parasites can specifically affect the intestine or the liver, but in both cases we are facing a serious disease that manifests itself with diarrhea, among other symptoms.
- diets with excess protein: Rabbit intestine is normally colonized by bacteria Clostridium Spiriform and Escherichia ColiHowever, when the rabbit ingests too much protein through its food, these bacteria have the ability to proliferate and produce a toxin that will cause diarrhea.
- Low-fiber and high-carbohydrate diets: On the one hand, with low fiber intake, intestinal motility becomes slower and stool stays longer in contact with the intestinal mucosa. This fact together with a high amount of carbohydrates favors the proliferation of bacteria that were mentioned above.
- Taking antibiotics: Lincomycin, penicillin, ampicillin and erythromycin produce diarrhea in rabbits because they attack in a very specific way certain bacteria and germs that are not sensitive to this type of antibiotic have the possibility of massively proliferating, as they do not have the bacterial competition, as the other bacteria that control their colonies are also eliminated by antibiotics.
- Sudden changes in diet: Any change that introduces itself in the food abruptly it will generate changes in the intestinal flora of the rabbit, which will lead to an acute picture of diarrhea.
- Idiopathic: As mentioned earlier, diarrhea in rabbits may have an unknown cause.
In the mildest case the diarrhea can be caused by the food disorder but in the most severe case it can be caused by coccidiosis, which is highly lethal for the rabbit, so we want to remind again the importance of see the veterinarian urgently.
Treatment of diarrhea in rabbits
Treatment of diarrhea in rabbits it will depend on the factor that is causing it., although it will generally be advisable to start fluid therapy, which may include semi-solid feeding via a syringe, as the primary objective will be to avoid dehydration and starvation.
Depending on the underlying cause, the following treatments can be used:
- In case of a diet high in protein and carbohydrates and low in fiber, changes in food should be introduced progressively until obtaining an adequate and balanced diet for our rabbit.
- If by veterinary prescription we must administer some of the antibiotics that cause diarrhea to the rabbit, we must prevent this side effect with a diet based on forage and vitamin supplements.
- If diarrhea is caused by a sudden change in diet, we should provide fluid therapy, trying to stabilize the diet, and some nutritional supplement may be needed to restore the intestinal flora.
- When diarrhea is caused by coccidiosis, the veterinarian should be able to prescribe an antibiotic of the sulfonamide group and in addition it will be necessary to start a semi-solid feeding administered with a syringe.
Advice to prevent diarrhea in rabbits
Prevent diarrhea in rabbits it won't always be possible, but using some hygienic-dietary measures we managed to protect our rabbit to a greater extent:
- The rabbit should always have hay and fresh water available.
- It is important to complement your diet with high fiber snacks, always specific for rabbits
- We must keep the cage in optimal hygienic conditions
- We should try to give our rabbit a peaceful environment to prevent stressful situations.
- If it is necessary to make any change in diet, it must be done progressively
- It is important to observe the rabbit daily to detect possible pathological signs as early as possible.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.