I. Causes of Rabbit Mastitis
Rabbit mastitis is usually caused by improper feeding and management of the owner. The main influencing factors are as follows:
1. Pregnant rabbits have excess nutrition before and after childbirth, eat too much concentrated feed, and produce too much milk, but young rabbits can’t drink so much, resulting in excess breast milk stagnant in the breast .
2. Insufficient milk production of the female rabbit, which causes the pups to suck or bite the nipple of the female rabbit because of starvation and cause infection.
3. The breast suffers trauma, such as being scratched by sharp objects in the cage.
II. Clinical symptoms of mastitis in rabbits
The breasts of the diseased rabbits were swollen, hot and painful, the breasts changed from normal skin color to red, and then It turns blue-purple, and abscesses will form in severe cases, the body temperature will rise (to about 41 ℃), the appetite will decrease, and the baby rabbits will not be fed.
Three, prevention and control measures of rabbit mastitis
Prevention measures:
1. Two days before the pregnant rabbit gives birth, the owner needs to appropriately reduce the feeding amount of the pregnant rabbit’s concentrate feed to prevent the pregnant rabbit from producing too much milk in the first few days after giving birth. If the female rabbit has excess milk after giving birth, the owner needs to appropriately reduce the feeding amount of green and juicy feed and limit the amount of water she drinks. The female rabbit should be supplemented with some nutrients such as soybean juice, and the feeding amount of green and juicy feed should be increased.
3. Keep the cage and farrowing box hygienic, clean and disinfect regularly, and promptly dispose of sharp objects such as sawdust, iron wire, and hanging thorns in the rabbit house. The female rabbit’s udder suffered damage.
Prevention methods:
(1) Early onset:
1. Within 24 hours of the onset of the rabbit, a cold towel can be used to cool the affected area for 15 minutes each time, 4-5 times a day.
2. When the sick rabbit has been sick for more than 24 hours, it is necessary to express milk before treatment, and then use warm water at about 40 ℃ to apply hot compress to the breast for 15 minutes each time, and then apply 10 minutes to the affected area. % fish oil ointment, 3 times a day. Or you can use pepper water at about 40 ℃ to bathe the diseased breast of the female rabbit, 15-20 minutes each time, 3-4 times a day.
3. Decoct with fresh dandelion 6g, fresh mint 3g, and reed root 3g, 1 dose per day, for 3-4 days. At the same time, apply peppermint to the swollen part of the affected area of the sick rabbit to promote rapid healing of the affected area.
(2) When the breast is swollen and not purulent: partial sealing can be used. That is, take 10~20ml of procaine hydrochloride with a concentration of 0.25-1%, and 50000~100000 units of penicillin, and inject it into the base of the breast. Inject once every 2 days and use it 2-3 times in a row.
(3) When an abscess occurs in the breast of a sick rabbit: first, the breast should be disinfected with iodine, and then the breast should be incised longitudinally to remove the pus in the breast, and then rinse the affected area with 3% hydrogen peroxide , and then inject penicillin into the abscess cavity, and inject penicillin, sulfonamides and other antibacterial drugs into the rabbit muscle at the same time to prevent the induced sepsis. After the female rabbit is cured, it should not be used as a breeding female rabbit.
The above is our detailed introduction to the etiology, symptoms and prevention methods of mastitis in rabbits, for reference only!
