I. What are the symptoms of gastroenteritis in rabbits?
Initial symptoms: In the early stages of gastroenteritis, rabbits will experience symptoms such as loss of appetite, indigestion, and mucus in their stools. With the development and deterioration of the disease, the rabbits will go on hunger strike and become lethargic; some sick rabbits will directly have diarrhea, with watery stools accompanied by foul odors; the body temperature generally does not change much, only A small number of cases have fever with body temperature rising to around 41°C.
Later symptoms: When the sick rabbit reaches the late stage of gastroenteritis, its bowel sounds weaken or stop, and the anus becomes loose and fecal incontinence; It will be accompanied by rough and dull hair, low or no urine output, autotoxicity, myocardial weakness, arrhythmia, dyspnea, rapid and weak pulse, visible mucosal cyanosis, systemic congestion and other symptoms. Eventually the body temperature of the rabbit will become lower and lower, and most will die from excessive collapse due to gastroenteritis-induced convulsions or coma.
Second, how to prevent gastroenteritis in rabbits?
Treatment: The principle of treating gastroenteritis in rabbits is to focus on anti-inflammatory, sterilization, rehydration, and detoxification, supplemented by cleaning up the stomach and intestines, antidiarrheal, and pain relief. Therefore, it is necessary to clean the stomach and intestines of sick rabbits to eliminate toxins and harmful substances in the stomach and intestines, and use laxatives as appropriate, such as taking 3-5 grams of artificial salt and taking them with an appropriate amount of water. At the same time, the rabbit needs to be injected with glucose and normal saline for rehydration to prevent the rabbit from lacking water in the body due to severe diarrhea. If the rabbit suddenly develops symptoms such as anorexia and twitching of the limbs during the treatment, stop these treatment measures immediately, and then detoxify the rabbit with vitamin B1 and glucose.
Prevention: Pets mainly follow the principle of “timed and quantitative” feeding. Remember not to let rabbits experience uneven hunger or overeating, and do not feed spoiled and frozen feed to rabbits. Pet owners must also clean the room regularly, and disinfect and sterilize the environment at home. A good breeding environment can effectively prevent rabbits from suffering from gastroenteritis.
