| POPPY'S PAGE |
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| Christine Elliott's Site Devoted to Rabbits Indoors & Outdoors |
| If you are considering getting a bunny or are already a bunny parent then you obviously care about animals. I know several bunny owners who consider vaccinations to be either not necessary or too much of an expense. Vaccinations may not be cheap but they could save your bunny from dying a horrible, cruel death. If your rabbit died from something you could have prevented how would you feel having that on your conscience? Vaccinations are necessary and worth every penny. The following information is from the excellent book "The Really Useful Bunny Guide" by Carolina James. Please read it and do not hesitate to vaccinate your bunny and then have boosters every year.
Myxomatosis - This disease is caused by a virus and can be transmitted by an insect bite or through direct contact with an infected bunny. Within a few days the rabbit develops runny eyes and swellings on the face and genitals. In the later stages, swellings appear all over the body, the rabbit goes off its food, has difficulty breathing and gets a very high temperature. The sick bunny usually dies after a few days. If it does survive it becomes resistant to the virus and will not catch myxomatosis again. There is no known treatment for this disease so avoid any contact between your bunny and wild rabbits, which may be carriers of the disease without showing any of the signs. Very recently I had the upsetting experience of seeing a rabbit with this disease. I was driving through moorland and saw a small rabbit huddled at the side of the road. I presumed it had been hit by a car but as I approached it I could see sores on its head and back. Then I saw its eyes, all matted and stuck together. It was making the most heartbreaking snuffling noises. We were on our way to the vets but after some debate decided it would not be a good idea to take it in to the vets and risk other rabbits being infected. I couldn't kill it, which I know would have been the kindest thing to do. Instead I probably did the worst thing possible - I got it off the road and put it into a field out of harms way. It was incredibly upsetting to see this poor little creature so disabled. It must have been terrified not being able to see where it was or where it should go. I can only hope that death came quickly and as pain free as possible to this poor, innocent rabbit. It was finding that rabbit that made me put this information onto my web site. I cannot stress enough how important these injections are. If you'd have seen that rabbit you would not wish that on any animal, least of all your beloved pet!! Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (VHD) - Again this is caused by a virus and can be transmitted in a number of ways: * through direct contact with an infected bunny * from water or greens contaminated by wild rabbits * wild mice, squirrels and rats carrying the virus * birds carrying the virus on their feet or in their droppings * people or other animals walking on contaminated wild rabbit droppings * blown on the wind or spread by insects such as flies * from somebody else's rabbit or another rabbit owner - the virus can be carried on skin and clothes Baby rabbits under the age of eight weeks rarely catch VHD, but older rabbits usually die from the disease in just one or two days. Scarily, they may look quite normal one day and suddenly die the next, or they may become very ill before dying. They may have difficulty in breathing, lose their appetite and bleed from their nose and bottom. Occasionally a bunny gets only mildy ill and then recovers, but it is worth the risk??? Once again, this information is taken from the book "The Really Useful Bunny Guide" by Carolina James, as detailed on my links and books page. Flystrike - Flystike can be a killer for rabbits, yet it can be so easily prevented. A pro-fibre food is now available for rabbits and other small animals. This is to be fed with your bunnies usual food, and should firm up the bunny poos. This is available from vets. Also available is a product called Rear Guard which is a liquid administered through a squeezy sponge. This is designed to deter flies and once applied is said to last for a month. Flystrike can occur at any time of year, but is especially prevalent during the summer months. All rabbits should be checked for flystrike EVERY day – including house rabbits. Rabbits with the following conditions should be checked at least twice daily: Dirty bottoms Wounds or abscesses Elderly Long-haired Large dewlaps, or folds of skin in their tummy and bottom Overweight Dental problems Runny eye problems If your rabbit seems uncomfortable or is restless, check immediately for eggs or maggots. Remember flystrike is a medical emergency and if you find evidence call the vet immediately – day or night! This information is taken from the article ‘Safe In The Sun’, which appeared in the summer 2006 edition of the magazine Rabbiting On. Flystrike can also accur around other areas of infection on your rabbit. Pumpkin is our blind rabbit and constantly gets a yucky discharge from his eyes. Last summer twice I found baby maggots around one of his eyes. I cleaned them off and put antisceptic cream around his eyes. Believe me it is not a thing you want to see or have happen to your bunny. Teeth Problems - A rabbits teeth are permanently growing. If they do not wear down through grinding, they will simple grow longer and longer until the rabbit cannot eat. As you can imagine this is very unpleasant for all involved, especially the rabbit! The front teeth can be clipped down by a vet and if shown how then bunny owners can do it themselves. Clippers can be bought from vets or pet shops. It is not a nice thing to do, and great care has to be taken not to cut the bunny's lip or tongue. It is very distressing to see a rabbit with overgrown teeth, and even more so to think of the suffering the rabbit must be experiencing. Several of my bunnies have had their front teeth removed, as the rabbit's teeth can only be clipped so many times before they start to bleed. This operation is carried out under a general anesthetic and as you can imagine is very tricky and intricate. The back teeth can also be problematic and this is far harder to deal with as you cannot see there is a problem. They can be ground down but this is really only slowing them down rather than stopping them growing. The roots of the rabbit's teeth can grow very far up, even upwards through the jawbone into the eyeball cavity. External signs of this are weepy eyes and eye infections. Sadly there is no treatment and many bunnies with this problem have to be put to sleep, such as our beloved little Ragwort. Please check your rabbits teeth regularly. You may have to ask your vet to show you how to do this as it is quite a knack holding a struggling bun and checking their teeth. Much of this information is taken from 'The Problem With Rabbits', as detailed on my links and books page. |
| What's Up Doc? |
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| Rose suffers with front teeth problems. She did go under anesthetic to have them removed but stopped breathing whilst under. The vet stopped the operation and quite rightly thought we would rather have a bunny with overgrown teeth than no bunny at all! However, it is not a pleasant experience for Rose, and is also not pleasant for my husband who has the awaful job of cutting Rose's teeth down. I thank him for this! |
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