Common Rabbit Health Problems
with
Dr. Rebecca Campbell
If your rabbit is acting a little off, there are certain symptoms to take notice of that are potentially the calling card of larger health issues. Dr. Rebecca Campbell goes over some of the more important health problems that can occur with rabbits.
Transcript: Common Rabbit Health Problems
Hi, I am Dr. Rebecca Campbell, of Symphony Veterinary Center in Manhattan, for About.com. Today I am going to go over some of the more important medical issues that you need to be aware of with your pet rabbit.Find a Vet for the Rabbit
Your rabbit should be examined by a veterinarian shortly after adoption to check for pre-existing health problems. And he or she must be spayed or neutered, especially the females, early on after you adopt her. Not all veterinarians have the specialized training that is required to treat rabbits. You can find a veterinarian in your area that does have special expertise in rabbit medicine by checking the House Rabbit Society's listing of recommended veterinarians. This group maintains carefully-screened lists of recommended veterinarians in most states and they can help direct you to a veterinarian nearby who will help take care of your rabbit.Schedule Regular Health Checkups
Once a year is usually adequate for health and wellness visits. But at the first sign of a rabbit not eating, you must take your rabbit to a veterinarian immediately. If a rabbit stops eating, his digestion will stop, and the intestines will fill with gas. And the rabbit will die in short order. Rabbits can stop eating for many, many reasons and it is one of the most common medical crises for which I treat rabbits at my office. Sometimes we can identify a source, like an improper diet, or a deep ear infection, or a dental problem. Other times we can't find the cause and we just have to treat the emergency symptoms.Provide a Healthy Rabbit Diet
Getting an enormous amount of dietary fiber is crucial for a rabbit's digestion. And you need to avoid anything sugary, or carbohydrates, nuts, and seeds. They can all be very bad for a rabbit's GI tract.Provide Healthy Rabbit Living Conditions
Rabbits that live outside are sometimes subject to heat stroke. They can't tolerate hot temperatures the way they can tolerate cold temperatures. In addition to heat stroke, there are often problems with maggot infestation, when flies get to the back of a rabbit and start to lay eggs.Rabbits that live in hutches are not always as able to keep themselves clean because they have a confined area. And if there is soiling on the back of a rabbit, and flies lay eggs in the rabbit's fur, those eggs will hatch into larvae that eat into the muscle of the rabbit, and can cause tissue death and patient death in short order.
So to summarize, it is important to have a veterinary relationship established before you need it. Because when rabbits become sick, they become sick very quickly.
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