What to do if rabbits have a swollen belly

Rabbits have a weak digestive system, and bloating is not uncommon. This condition can be dangerous to animals.

It is very important to identify it in time and start treatment.

We learn what causes can cause bloating in rabbits, how to treat it, and how to carry out prevention.

Causes of bloating

Before you begin treatment, you must first determine the causes of this condition, and they may be different.

Learn more about the diseases of rabbits, in particular, coccidiosis, scabies, lichen, listeriosis, encephalosis, myxomatosis, viral hemorrhagic disease.

Diseases of the teeth and gums

If the rabbit is experiencing pain due to diseases of the teeth and gums, he begins to avoid eating solid foods. Lack of cellulose leads to deterioration of digestion and an imbalance of microflora, which leads to the accumulation of gases, and the rabbit's belly swells.

Excess water

Vegetables, corn and herbs after washing contain excess water. Grass after precipitation or covered with frost is also very saturated with moisture. Before giving the rabbits grass and vegetables, they should be dried.

Important! Water should be only in the drinker, and not in food. Lack of water inhibits digestion and can also be a cause of bloating, so rabbits should always have access to clean water. On one individual, 0.5 l of liquid is sufficient per day.

Bad diet

This is the most common cause of bloating in rabbits. Pre-hay or spoiled feed, grass with pesticides or inedible plants, stale feed that has been lying in the feeder for a long time - all this can cause the development of pathogenic microflora and lead to bloating.

Rabbits have weak intestinal motility. For constant promotion of processed food and feces they need to constantly eat food that is rich in vegetable fibers, otherwise stasis can occur. Poor food is the most common cause of bloating in rabbits.

There are products that are prone to increased gas formation. This is cabbage, legumes, alfalfa, bulbs, beets with tops. Improperly prepared silage can also cause this condition, so experienced breeders avoid it.

Check out the list of forbidden herbs for rabbits.

Lack of movement

The lack of movement weakens the muscles of the animal and negatively affects the bowels and the movement of food. A sedentary animal may gain excess weight, which also causes poor functioning of the internal organs. Such a problem is characteristic of animals kept in a small cage.

Excess weight

In overweight rabbits, visceral fat pushes against internal organs and interferes with normal intestinal peristalsis. Food stagnates and bloating appears. In addition, fat individuals are sedentary, which also adversely affects digestion. Such fat people should be put on a diet and given food rich in cellulose and containing few calories.Obesity is fraught with dire consequences for rabbits - from infertility to death.

Infections and invasions

Another common cause of digestive problems. With these diseases, rabbits lose their appetite, become lethargic, which results in stopping the digestive process. In addition, taking antibiotics for infections can also cause an imbalance in the intestines and an accumulation of gases.

Particularly dangerous infections and invasions affecting the intestines. They often develop on the background of unsanitary conditions in the rabbit and affect predominantly young.

Find out how dangerous the disease of rabbits for humans.

Constipation

Constipation can be both a cause and a consequence of bloating in rabbits. Causes of constipation can be different: lack of water, antibiotics, stress, unbalanced nutrition, gastrointestinal stasis, inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract of various etiologies. Lack of feces or too small tight balls should alert, and the treatment of constipation should begin immediately.

Hot weather

In natural conditions, rabbits live in holes, in which there is no hot. These animals do not sweat, and the summer heat for them is destructive. Their comfortable temperature conditions end at +25 ° С. Plastic bottles with ice from the freezer are suitable as a cooler for rabbits.

Exceeding this threshold is a stress for the rabbits that reduces immunity and leads to various diseases, including bloating. At a temperature of +35 ° C, their body overheats and they cannot tolerate such heat for a long time.

The young females, pregnant and lactating females, are especially hard to tolerate. In the stuffiness and high humidity the heat is transferred by these animals even harder.

Check out rabbit relief technology for sunstroke.

Symptoms of bloating

It is very important to identify the problem in time and begin treatment, so you should pay attention to the following symptoms of abdominal distention:

• poor appetite, lethargy;
• swollen belly;
• compaction in the peritoneum;
• loud atypical rumbling and gurgling in the abdomen, sometimes some rabies listen to the pet's intestines with a stethoscope to establish signs of increased gas formation;
• constipation and small size of balls of feces, discoloration of feces;
• creak teeth.

Feeling the rabbit's belly

Important! Such symptoms often appear on the background of dangerous infectious diseases. If the temperature is elevated, mucus is observed in the fecal masses, bloody clots or the rabbit is weak and weak for a long time - these are signals indicating the presence of serious diseases. Animals in these cases urgently need the help of a veterinarian.

Treatment methods

Flatulence should begin to be treated immediately after detection. If there are no signs of other, more serious diseases, then you can cope on your own.

Massage

To alleviate the condition of the animals by using massage. For this rabbit, you should put yourself on your knees with your paws up, with your head toward you, let the animal calm down and start doing massage.

To do this, make smooth stroking of the abdomen with light pressure in a clockwise direction or in the direction from the upper abdomen to the tail. These movements are done for 5-7 minutes. They are designed to improve intestinal motility. The animal should not feel any pain.

Abdominal massage should be done every hour, but if it does not help, then you should take other measures.

Massage for bloating: video

Enema

For bowel emptying can be done enema. For it use pure distilled or boiled water. In a warm water of 0.5 l is mixed with a teaspoon of sunflower oil and magnesium sulfate.

Enema is done with a small syringe. The tip is inserted to a depth of no more than 1.5-1.8 cm. It is necessary to do an enema very carefully, since the intestines in rabbits are very vulnerable. Abdominal massage can enhance the effect of this procedure.

In case of constipation, an enema can be given a laxative before an animal. As it is used castor oil, which is recruited and injected with a syringe without a needle into the mouth. Only a teaspoon of this oil is used - rabbits do not need much.

Find out whether rabbits can produce burdocks, wormwood, nettles, bran, cereals, bread, pumpkin, corn.

"Espumizan"

Can relieve the condition and remove the gas children "Espumizan", freely sold in pharmacies. Adults are given 2 ml with a syringe without a needle at a time. The animal should not receive more than 20 drops of this drug per 1 kg of body weight. The drug should be taken every 3 hours. In severe cases, the intervals of its reception can be reduced to an hour.

Injections

If an animal experiences severe pain, then they themselves can cause its death. In this case, veterinarians are prescribed to give the rabbit injections of the antispasmodic drug "No-Spa" at a dosage of 0.2 ml per 1 kg of weight 2-3 times per day. The use of such injections is appropriate if the cause of the swelling was stress, but will not help with poisoning, infections and invasions, intestinal obstruction.

Learn more about rabbit hygiene.

For anesthesia, you can prick "Rimadin" at a dosage of 2 mg per 1 kg of weight. Injections are made 1-2 times a day. This drug is harmless and can be used for two weeks.

To maintain strongly weakened individuals, injections of glucose solution are made. To do this, the saline solution is mixed with 5% glucose in a 1: 1 ratio and 2-3 times a day is given injections per a single dose of 10 ml per 1 kg of body weight.

What to feed rabbits when bloating

When bloating, you should immediately stop giving regular food - vegetables and herbs. Sick animals should be given food and drink, which will establish the proper operation of the digestive system.

Rabbits with the appearance of flatulence should be given the following:

• warm boiled water;
• chamomile extract (it is good for gas in the intestines);
• some good quality hay (for 2-3 days);
• oats;
• decoction of hay: for this, a small amount of hay is poured with boiling water, infused and cooled, as drinking give 30-50 ml;
• useful when bloating in food to give the following herbs - chamomile, dandelion, sage, dill, wormwood, parsley;
• a little pumpkin and zucchini is a dietary dish for rabbits;
• After 2-3 days, in addition to hay, they include spruce feed as food, for this they cut several branches and dry it a little.

Did you know? Rabbits make 120 chewing movements in one minute. They have 17 thousand taste buds, thanks to which they find suitable food for themselves. But in conditions of captivity, their food quality depends only on the owners.

As soon as the swellings stop, the rabbits can gradually begin to give vegetables and greens. To begin with, they give sprigs of dill, lemon balm, cilantro, oregano, celery, a small piece of sour apple, carrots.

Preventive measures

To reduce the risks of bloating and disorders of the digestive system, experts advise you to adhere to the following recommendations:

1. Closely monitor the behavior and condition of animals, inspect the teeth and abdomen.
2. Dry the grass and vegetables from excess moisture, before giving the rabbits control their quality. Ensure that the animal consumes enough food with fibers.
3. Regularly clean rabbit cages, to avoid mixing wool with food, to monitor cleanliness and sanitary conditions.
4. Normalize gas-generating products, do not give a lot of juicy herbs, fruits and vegetables.
5. The cage should be spacious enough. Spirit and crowding in warm weather can cause overheating of the body of rabbits. Moreover, in a competitive environment, they will eat all the food in a row, even spoiled. Close cell and low activity are also the cause of many stagnant phenomena.
6. In the summer, take measures against heat and overheating. For this, rabbits are transferred to an enclosure with shading. You can dig a few shallow minks in it.
7. Feed should be at the same time, morning and evening. Food should be normalized.
8. You can not dramatically translate from one feed to another.
9. It is forbidden to give sugar and sweets.
10. Drinking water must be clean and fresh.
11. Mandatory regular walks in the aviary.
12. In the food for prevention include herbs - dill, mint, lemon balm, basil, parsley, marjoram, sage, lavender, lovage, nettle, thyme. It is useful to give the seeds of dill, fennel, cumin, anise. From vegetables - ginger, artichoke. Be sure to add good hay to food. In winter, some herbs useful to them (wormwood, chamomile, dandelion, and others) can be given in dried form or decoction of them.Greens in the diet of rabbits

Other causes of bloating

Even with constant prophylaxis, animals may experience bloating. This happens if the animal is sick.

Learn how to do: rabbitry, feeders, drinkers for rabbits.

GI infections

Often, abdominal distension is a sign of an infectious disease affecting the gastrointestinal tract. These diseases often develop in unsanitary conditions and are infectious to other animals, and sometimes to humans. In this case, the animal should be transplanted from others, disinfect the room in which it was kept. The rabbit must be examined by a veterinarian and prescribed the necessary treatment.

Coccidiosis

Symptoms of this disease are:

• poor appetite, thirst;
• weight loss;
• ruffled coat;
• diarrhea, which can be replaced by constipation;
• with hepatic form, mucous yellowness may be observed.

Iodine therapy is considered the most acceptable treatment for coccidiosis:

• rabbits from 25 days of gestation and 5 days after okrol give 100 ml of 0.02% iodine solution, take a break for 5 days, then from 10 to 25 days of lactation give 200 ml of 0.02% iodine solution;
• Sick rabbits get the same solution, regardless of feeding with milk by females taking this drug, only initially give them 50 ml per head, and after a 5-day break - 100 ml per head;
• To obtain a 0.01% solution of iodine, pour a liter of boiled, cooled water into a glass or enamelled container and mix it with 1 ml of 10% iodine tincture or add 2 ml of 5% tincture.

A once-daily intake with Sulfadimethoxin feed is also effective:

• first day - 0.2 g per 1 kg of body weight;
• 2-5 days - 0.1 g per 1 kg;
• after a break of 4 days, repeat the course.

Familiarize yourself with the use of Tromexin, Solikox, Gamavit, lactic acid, Amprolium, and Baytril for rabbits.

Salmonellosis (paratyphoid)

It affects the gastrointestinal tract and is characterized by the following symptoms:

• lack of appetite;
• weakness;
• diarrhea;
• miscarriages in rabbits.

Rabbits can become infected with salmonellosis by contact with chickens.

Healthy individuals should be vaccinated against this disease. Sick rabbits are treated with "Furazolidone". It is given together with food twice a day for a week at the rate of 30 mg of the drug per 1 kg of body weight. The rest of the animals in the prophylactic order give half the dose.

Meat from animals suffering from salmonella can be consumed only after a long boil (at least 1.5 hours).

Learn how to score a rabbit, than useful rabbit.

Pasteurellosis

It affects mainly the respiratory and digestive organs.

The main symptoms are:

• weakness, decreased appetite;
• increased body temperature (+ 41-42 ° С);
• bloating;
• diarrhea;
• conjunctivitis and rhinitis with purulent secretions.

The main symptoms are discharge from the eyes and nose.

Treatment prescribed by a veterinarian, depending on the severity of the flow:

• at first 3-4 days give sulfa drugs (for example, "Sulfadimezin");
• the next 3 days take antibiotics ("Tetracycline" or others);
• 3-4 days give sulfonamides.

It is necessary to vaccinate against this disease.

Did you know? Strongly bred rabbits in the absence of predators in Australia and New Zealand have become a real national disaster. They destroyed the local unique vegetation, leaving others without green food, including rare native animals. To combat them, foxes, ferrets, weasels were brought to this continent, and even used "bacteriological weapons" - infection with the dangerous myxomatosis virus.

Stasis

Abdominal bloating in rabbits can be a symptom of stasis. Gastrointestinal stasis is a decrease in the activity or cessation of intestinal motility.

The causes of this disease can be:

• stressful situations;
• dehydration;
• effects of other diseases - gases, abnormalities in the bladder, infectious diseases, and so on;
• the absence or lack of food fiber, so hay must be included in the feed for rabbits;
• swallowing rabbit fur;
• pathogenic bacteria of the Clostridium spp type, which, when growing, contribute to the accumulation of gases.

The sooner gastrointestinal stasis is noticed, the easier the treatment will be.

Stress can cause FSW, learn how to transport the rabbit with the least discomfort for the animal.

The main symptoms of this disease are as follows:

• refusal to eat;
• lethargy, apathy;
• flatulence and rumbling of the abdomen;
• bloating and compaction of the abdominal cavity, which clearly signal the accumulation of gases, food and fluid in the intestine;
• delay of bowel movements over 10 hours or lack thereof, change in their color and size.

Gastrointestinal stasis on x-rays

With severe bowel disorders, animals feel pain and can pretend to be dead. There is a breath hold, as the enlarged intestine begins to put pressure on the diaphragm.

For the treatment of stasis, animals are massaged and enemas, and the following drugs are given:

1. "Simethicone" - well helps from the accumulation of gases. First, it is given 3 times, 1-2 ml every hour, then 1 ml every 3 hours.
2. Laxative - oil based medications should be used (use with caution). It is most convenient to have on hand castor oil or petroleum jelly, which is poured into the rabbits in the mouth with 2 ml per 1 kg of weight every 4 hours until at least some chair appears.
3. Grass hay from timothy and oats - when refusing to eat, rabbits should be fed by force. To do this, mix herbal capsules with warm boiled water. You can also add a little puree from baby food. The resulting mass is collected in a syringe without a needle and given 1-2 ml at a time, holding the syringe a little to the side so that the animal does not choke.
4. Инъекции раствора Рингера-Локка или глюкозы - делают для сильно ослабших кроликов, они помогают при обезвоживании организма.
5. "Церукал" - поможет запустить работу кишечника. Используют 0,1-0,2 мл на 1 кг веса подкожно или 0,5-1,0 мг на 1 кг в таблетках 2-3 раза в сутки. Before using it, it is advisable to take an x-ray, since it can harm if it is completely blocked. If there is at least some feces, then you can safely prick.
6. Analgesics - pain relief is very important. You can apply the well-proven analgesic "Rimadine" or "No-Shpu".

The best way out is to observe the vet to avoid complications. But it is not necessary to carry an animal to the doctor often, as extra stress for rabbits is undesirable. A sick animal, if there are no signs of infection, does not need to be set aside from others. Excretion of feces may not appear immediately. Be patient, as sometimes some animals themselves begin to empty their intestines only after two weeks.

Did you know? Rabbit meat is dietary, it contains few calories and fat, consists of 85% of easily digestible proteins. It lacks purines, which makes its use acceptable for patients with gout.

Abdominal distension can be life-threatening to rabbits — it can end in stasis or be a sign of other, more dangerous diseases, including infectious ones. It is necessary to closely monitor the condition of animals, to apply preventive measures, and in the case of detection of swelling, treatment should be started immediately. If there are other dangerous symptoms (fever, diarrhea, etc.), pets should be shown to a veterinarian.

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Reviews

Watch the video: GI Stasis: Save your Rabbit's Life! (April 2024).