Rabbit Diseases

The more common rabbit diseases show up at one end of the rabbit or the other. We'll help you get to know some of the major symptoms of the major rabbit illnesses, plus some effective home remedies.

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To get to the true cause of your rabbit's illness, Always check with a vet right away. See our disclaimers at the bottom of this page.

Here is a fairly long list of nearly all the rabbit diseases that could possibly befall your rabbit or your rabbitry.

Happily, you’ll never need to worry about the vast majority of these rabbit illnesses. Pasteurella and enteritis (rabbit diarrhea), however, are always lurking around the bend. I've listed them first.

PASTEURELLA MULTOCIDA (Snuffles)

• Does your rabbit tend to sneeze repeatedly, in long jags of sneezing or snuffling?
• Do you see thick white snot in your rabbit's nose?

Your rabbit-savvy veterinarian can help you control the symptoms, but it'll be a long, expensive, and, frankly, unwise road to travel, especially if you have more than one pet rabbit. Do not use a rabbit with Snuffles as a breeding animal. Click here to learn more about Snuffles.

How to Deal With PASTEURELLOSIS (Snuffles) - A breeding and culling program that can eradicate the disease in your rabbitry within two or three years and fix health in your rabbits' genes.


RABBIT DIARRHEA
These rabbit diseases can cause severe watery or mucoid diarrhea of varying severity. Some can be fatal within 12-48 hours:

• Enterotoxemia: A sudden and acute diarrhea often in 4-8 week old rabbits resulting in death within 12-24 hours
• Tyzzer’s Disease: Looks just like enterotoxemia, including rapid death, however it is caused by a different bacteria.
• Coccidiosis: Can cause severe diarrhea, but the liver form of the disease is much more concerning (also causes diarrhea)
• Mucoid Enteritis: Caused by a bowel blockage.
• "Mild" Bunny Diarrhea: If you're alert it'll stay mild; if not...

Click here to learn more about Rabbit Diarrhea.

OTHER INFECTIOUS RABBIT DISEASES

Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease
RHD is a devastating viral disease that can wipe out your entire herd in a matter of days. This is one rabbit disease every rabbit breeder should know about and protect against.

Myxomatosis
This is a very nasty viral disease carried without symptoms by wild rabbits. The disease is transmitted by mosquitoes, and is fatal. Myxo is common in Europe. In the United States it is present in California and Oregon.

Myxo comes in two forms. In the rapidly killing form, all you see is a dead rabbit. But here are some clues you might see if you're watching:

• Slight redness of the eyelids
• Rabbit is not eating as vigorously as normal
• Rabbit's temperature is elevated to as much as 106 degrees F (normal being 101 - 102 F)

There's a chronic form of myxo, where the face, lips and eyelids get huge lumpy swellings, and sometimes the ears as well. If, at the same time, the rabbit's vent (female) or scrotum (male) swells, you'll know it's myxomatosis.

The worst time for the spread of myxo is mosquito season - late summer and early autumn.

There is no cure for this disease and no vaccine in the United States. Europe has a vaccine. Consult your local rabbit clubs for vaccination schedules.

Immediately destroy sick rabbits, and burn or bury their carcasses. The recommendation of Drs. Cheeke and Patton in Rabbit Production is: Whenever a rabbit goes off its feed or appears abnormal, and if the rectal temperature is elevated above 103.5 degrees F, kill the rabbit and bury the carcass. In their opinions, the disease is so deadly, it is far better to mistakenly kill a rabbit that is not infected with myxo, than to let one live that does.

A good idea in areas where myxo is endemic is to control the presence of flying insects in your rabbit barn. Because this viral disease ranks right up there with the worst rabbit diseases.


Rabbit Syphilis
Rabbit syphilis causes 'vent disease.' The causative organism is not transmittable to humans. Rabbits pick up the disease through breeding.

The rabbit will get crusty, inflamed tender sores around the genitals. The sores can spread to the face and nose with grooming and coprophagy. An infected animal will resist breeding due to the discomfort. But since it is contagious, one infected animal who is infectious but not yet showing symptoms can spread the disease to many other animals.

Check your breeding animals frequently, and be very careful with studding your bucks. Some recommend dedicating a buck to stud service and not using it in your own herd.

Vent disease is easily cured with penicillin. Work with your rabbit-savvy vet to identify all rabbits in your herd who could be infected, and to treat all of these rabbits.


THESE SERIOUS INFECTIONS CAN THREATEN OR TAKE THE LIFE OF LACTATING DOES:

Mastitis:
Infection of one or more mammary (milk) glands, also called 'caked udder.' If the nursing doe stops eating, check her milk glands. Additionally, she will run a fever of, say, 104 degrees F or more.

The doe needs immediate antibiotics to prevent a full-blown abscess and hardening of the milk gland.

Young Doe Syndrome:
The doe suddenly dies, 4-10 days after kindling a perfectly fine litter. The doe may go off her feed. You might also notice a touch of rabbit diarrhea. Cause of Young Doe Syndrome is enterotoxemia, but a staph infection of a milk gland can also cause sudden death in the lactating doe.

Maintaining clean cages can help prevent caked udders, and giving hay on a daily basis can help prevent enterotoxemia.


Learn about rabbit illnesses caused by parasite infestations:

• Ear Mites
• Fur Mites
• Nosema
• Pinworms
• Ringworm

Tapeworms:
If you have dogs, you should know about the possibility of tapeworm cysts in your rabbits.

Our Rabbit Health Care page gives tips and information on dealing with other non-infectious challenges to your rabbit's health:

• Broken Back
• Cannibalism
• Dystocia
• Hairballs
• Heat prostration
• Hutch Burn
• Red Urine
• Sore Hocks

Your rabbit's teeth too long? Click here to learn what you can do about rabbit teeth malocclusion.

Disclaimers

First Disclaimer:
Our desire is to communicate what we’ve learned through hard-earned experience over the last 30 years. Some of it will be very helpful to you. But if your rabbit is sick and you’re looking for guidance, we can at best only show you the big picture of what some rabbit diseases typically look like. There’s not a chance we can help you make a definitive diagnosis. Always consult a professional veterinarian, especially one that specializes in rabbits and small mammals.

About rabbit vets: They’re not as easy to find as you might think! So you’d be well served to locate a vet experienced in rabbit diseases before you have any need of him. Because when you need one, you may very well need him right away.

Second Disclaimer:
In the United States, a pet rabbit can cost as little as $10, and as much as $30. The majority of show-quality purebred rabbits will set you back at most up to $100. We think that for the price of a veterinary visit (and toss in any drugs you might be advised to purchase), you can, and maybe you should in some circumstances, simply replace your rabbit.

This is absolutely no consolation to the owner of a well-beloved pet bunny.

Begging your pardon, we know that in the case of a few, very serious and contagious rabbit diseases, the sick rabbit should not be allowed to live. For the rest, however, we sincerely hope you will be able to work with your vet to find a way to make your pet rabbit better.

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