Epizootic Rabbit Enteropathy

by Experience
(USA)

Please read this article if you are having problems with bloated (or dying) rabbits.

Epizootic Rabbit Enteropathy, or ERE for short, came to the United States in about 2005 or 2006 from Europe. US rabbits are slowly acclimating to this, but very very slowly.

Now I am not a vet...but this is what I have tried:

Neomycin sulfate in water. Sometimes you have to syringe feed it to get them going. I usually have found the powdered form to be most palatable. If losing kits in a litter it could be beneficial to give to the entire litter.

LA 200 injectible. This is a subcutaneous injectible. 1/10cc/lb of body weight. Again, check with your vet if you are not sure.

Hay instead of pellets, though generally they won't eat that either. Feeding hay at a stress time might help...and it might not, but certainly won't hurt!

Critical Care by Oxbow can be syringe fed.

Slurry of cecotropes or fecal droppings: Sometimes the gut flora is completely messed up and giving poo juice can get it re-started. Poo juice is taking the night feces and putting them in a small zip lock. Add some water and mash the feces up in the water. Syringe feed the water.

ERE can hit entire litters, it can affect adult rabbits, though usually weaning age rabbits that are under stress. Stress can include weather/temperature changes, moving them away from mom. Or even after weaning and they are still with litter mates, moving them to their own cage. It will skip around a barn affecting some litters entirely and missing other litters.

To the best of my knowledge there is no way to prevent it.

***** Karen Sez *****
Thank you for posting, 'Experience.' Well said.

The linked article contains a lot of scientific jargon and can be difficult to follow, however some readers may be fascinated by the science. Plus, the Abstract summarizes the study and will be helpful.

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