Prevention and treatment of gastroenteritis in rabbits

Rabbit gastroenteritis is a common disease in rabbit production. Rabbits of all ages can occur in all seasons, among which young rabbits have the most morbidity and high mortality. The cause of the disease is mainly related to the improper diet of rabbits, the most common is to eat spoiled feed or frozen feed. Inflammation caused by stimulation of the gastric mucosa by bacterial toxins or mycin or by frozen feed. Taking or accidentally eating certain drugs or chemicals (heavy metals, herbicides, insecticides, etc.) is also the cause of gastroenteritis.

The course of the disease is 7 days, and the patients with acute disease die within 10 hours. The symptoms are loss of appetite and indigestion in diseased rabbits. Diarrhea and constipation may occur alternately. Feces are sparse, some odors are green, some are milky colloidal, and some are white or yellow mucus. The critically ill rabbit is extremely weak, the coat is chaotic and dull, the whole body is weak, inactive, abdominal pain, curled up in a corner.

Appropriate treatment measures should be taken according to the incidence of diseased rabbits. If sick rabbits suffer from constipation, they can take salt laxatives, such as artificial salt 4ml 8g; rehydration should be carried out for diseased rabbits dehydrated due to diarrhea, which can be injected intravenously with 5% glucose or 50 ml of Ringer's solution, once in the morning and afternoon. For rabbits that are recovering after treatment, bitter stomach-strengthening agents can be used, such as 1 ml of gentian tincture or 2 ml of aromatic stomach-strengthening drugs, such as 2 ml of tangerine peel tincture. For rabbits with mild illness and do not need treatment, food intake should be restricted, fasting at least 12rel for 24 hours, and a small amount of water can be given during this period to keep the mouth moist. Then feed the feed which is easy to digest, high in sugar, low in fat and low in protein, and the food intake should be gradually increased until the diseased rabbit fully recovers.

In order to prevent the occurrence of this disease, it should be forbidden to feed frozen feed and not to drink frozen water. Always pay attention to the quality of the feed, especially in summer, once it is found that the feed is moldy and deteriorated, it should be stopped immediately and the feed should be changed in time. The green feed fed to rabbits should be washed and dried after cutting to prevent pesticides or dew on the green feed to ensure the health of rabbits.