Rabbits’ Respiratory Problems, Prevention, And Treatment

Rabbits are commonly used as experimental animals after the rats for a more detailed evaluation of the experiment results. In domestic rabbits, respiratory problems are widespread, and they are frequently diagnosed with Pasteurella, a common respiratory problem with numerous clinical signs.

Domestic rabbits are faced with respiratory problems, often owing to stress, environmental conditions, overcrowding, and sometimes transportation, which can lead to respiratory conditions, if not the already mild infection going on in the body that can be the cause.

Respiratory Disease

Rabbits are prone to severe respiratory conditions that can put your pet in a bed for days without leaving them active enough to play with you and to defend themselves against these diseases. These respiratory problems are

Pasteurellosis

A typical domestic pet rabbit is caused by the bacterial agent Pasteurella multocida. The rabbits become infected by this bacterium shortly after their birth, and the prevalence of the condition increases with the age of up to 5 months. Pasturellosis is a highly contagious disease spreading from direct contact and aero nasal route.

Most rabbits are healthy and are asymptomatic carriers. Therefore, more care and attention are needed because this agent is not specific to rabbits only, as it can spread to other animals, such as dogs and cats.

Clinical signs

Pasteurella affects the respiratory organs, including nasal cavities and mucous membranes, and expands to the other organs, reproductive and ears, as well as inducing infections and associated diseases.

The clinical signs that are associated with pasturellosis are as follows.

Rhinitis

Chronic or acute infection of the mucous membranes of the nasal cavities produces serous discharge from the eyes and nose, which turns purulent later. This sign is very common to the common cold that occurs with the changing weather, and you can quickly diagnose it as, initially, it is the thin fluid that becomes thick with time. Signs of sneezing and coughing usually accompany this.

Otitis media or interna

This is a leading sign of pasturellosis in rabbits as the pet shows a tilted head. This sign indicates a more or less clinical or subclinical case of pasturellosis.

Conjunctivitis

Another common clinical sign of pasteurellosis is weeping eyes, i.e., continuous tears from the tear due to nasal cavity inflammation. There may be mechanical irritations of some eyelid diseases.

Prevention

Pasturella is a prevalent condition that can develop in your rabbits in any season, making them much weaker. Therefore, you must take serious care of your surroundings by disinfecting the area of your pet and the personal space where your pet sleeps and spends its day. Also, wash your hands and the utensils your pet takes food in. Apart from the aero-nasal route that is not in your control, managing the environment for your pet and yourself allows your pet to enjoy a healthier and better life with you. It helps you relax at home and be active to play with you to take the stress away from your day.

Treatment

Treating Pasteurella is always challenging, even for your experienced veterinarian, because the drugs may help compete with the infection and get it under control. Still, the microbial agent doesn’t leave the body altogether.

Vets often advise antimicrobial drugs to help compete against the infection. Still, the recipe also contains other drugs to manage other signs and diseases to help prevent severe conditions and other sequelae.

Pneumonia

One of the severe and complicated respiratory problems that, if left untreated, can be a pretty complex and severe disorder leading to the death of your lovely rabbit. It most commonly results in the cause of mismanagement or transportation stress, which affects the animal’s lungs. The disease has various stages depending on the extent of damage and infection to the part of the lung damaged.

Clinical Signs

The clinical sign of pneumonia depends on the type of pneumonia developing in the animal, which might be aspirational, gangrenous, or shipping. The common signs that develop during pneumonia include

• Coughing
• Labored breathing
• Rapid heart rate
• Fever
• Bluish mucous membranes

Prevention

In the case of pneumonia, where aspiration pneumonia is a common condition, prevention is always the first thing you can do to prevent the disease from progressing to a grave condition.

Treatment

Pneumonia progresses to a severe condition due to bacteria that benefit from the situation and grow and induce more infection, thus leading to a more severe condition. Therefore, you should consult your vet before proceeding with any treatment in treating pneumonia.

The treatment of pneumonia includes, most prominently, antibiotics that help your rabbit’s body compete with the infection and start to get normal without making chronic changes.

Rabbits Flu

Similar to human cold, Rabbit flu is caused by a bacterial agent that induces the contagious flu in rabbits, which can be transmitted to other animals or rabbits in the vicinity. There might also be seasonal variation in rabbits that is often viral. Still, the major complaint is the bacterial infections that are induced repeatedly because the agent is not utterly eradicated from the body.

Clinical signs

Bacterial-induced flu in rabbits is very contagious. It can be transmitted from anywhere in the surroundings, especially if you have been near other rabbits or animals because the causative agent is not limited to rabbits only. The clinical signs include

• Running nose
• Red eyes
• Cough
• Conjunctivitis
• Mucus discharge
• Labored breathing

Prevention

Preventing flu in rabbits is more beneficial than waiting and doing the treatment because if the causative agent is bacterial, mainly in rabbits, then there are limited chances of full recovery. You can observe the symptoms repeatedly, which would make your rabbit leaner.

To prevent the spread of the rabbit flu, disinfect the rabbit’s surroundings and clean the utensils and your hands before you feed them food. Also, take strict care when visiting any domestic pet location where you might bring the causative agent.

Treatment

Treatment of the contagious rabbit flu is essential because a slight mistake in the course can risk the prolongation of infection, which might lead to the death of your pet. Visit your pet to diagnose the type of infection that your rabbit might have and get the recipe accordingly.

For bacterial infections, antibiotics will be recommended. However, there is still a chance of the infection occurring shortly. Still, in the case of seasonal or stress-induced flu, the medication will only include some painkillers and other symptoms to help your rabbit ease the stress of the infection.

Conclusion

Domestic rabbits are charming creatures, making their owners’ lives more perfect. Still, they are not immune to diseases, among which respiratory problems are severe. Thus, their proper care and prevention are necessary to prevent unseen conditions that might affect the health of your lovely pets.