One of the most terrible and widespread diseases of rabbits is associated with the work of their gastrointestinal tract. Namely, bloating due to cessation of bowel function. Gastrointestinal stasis - this is the disease called in veterinary medicine. If a rabbit has a swollen stomach, what should I do?
Regular monitoring
The result of the course of the disease will be rather deplorable. A day ago, the rabbit was active, played, had a good appetite. And now he is already on his last legs, experiencing severe pain with a huge swollen belly. At the same time, the rest of the pets live a rich and healthy life. In some cases, the disease immediately affects a large number of animals. This alignment leads to colossal losses. What should be done so that bloating in rabbits does not threaten the life of pets?
Signs of bloating
The disease can be recognized by the following signs. The resulting gases burst the walls of the stomach, while in the stomach you feel pain that depresses the pet. The rabbit refuses food, water, stops physical activity. After a while, he will lie with bulging eyes. Refusal of food entails weakness and cessation of disease resistance. Trembling occurs due to a decrease in body temperature. Every breeder should know why rabbits have bloated stomachs.
Several hours of torment lead to a complete deprivation of strength and the ability to resist the disease. Against this background, liver problems are often observed, which only worsen well-being. A competent owner can independently diagnose intestinal stasis in pets by the following signs:
- For ten to twelve hours there is no discharge from the intestine.
- The animal hides and becomes lethargic.
- Refuses food.
- The abdomen becomes spherical.
- The temperature becomes less than 37 degrees.
- Rapid breathing.
- The teeth begin to gnash.
If a rabbit has a swollen stomach, not every breeder knows what to do.
Doctor's actions
The veterinarian can find out the localization of blockage, gas formation on appropriate devices and recommend treatment. For treatment, enemas, medications, massage and a catheter are used. If treatment is started in a timely manner, then the likelihood of a cure will be significantly higher.
Distinguish swellings caused by parasites and bacteria, such as coccidia. Such diseases are also quite common, so it would be useful to ask about the signs of coccidosis.
Causes of the disease
The digestive system of rabbits has its own nuances that arose as a result of evolutionary development. The walls of the stomach are deprived of muscle tissue capable of contracting and pushing food. Food along the gastrointestinal tract moves under the pressure of a new portion of food eaten. Therefore, any obstruction to this process or the resulting spasm can cause a cessation of digestion (stasis). Translated from Greek, "stasis" means "cessation of movement," in this case, the contents inside the tubular organ. This is the main reason why the rabbit's stomach swelled. How to treat this unpleasant disease, real eared lovers know.
All diseases from nerves
One of the causes of gastrointestinal stasis is rabbit stress. This term refers to various changes in the environment. Stress can be caused by moving to a new place, changing diet or weather, fright of an animal, or transportation over a long distance.
Food
It is worthwhile to dwell on the first reason. The disease is often found in young rabbits who have just stopped feeding their mothers milk. Many factors contribute to this:
- Change of type of food. Milk replaced with dry feed.
- The acidity of the stomach is still quite low.
- In the stomach, wool accumulates in the nest. It often forms a ball, which can lead to blockage of the intestinal lumen.
It is important to provide competent assistance in a timely manner if the stomach of a small rabbit swells.
Feeding recommendations
Often stasis is formed as a result of errors in feeding or due to poor-quality feed. For example, in nature, rabbits like to gnaw the ends of young shoots, and coarse and thick sections are used for grinding teeth. Rabbits that live in captivity can not choose their own food, they have to be content with the provided ration. The result of this is a high load on the stomach and intestines, especially in growing individuals, gas formation and stagnation of the contents of the gastrointestinal tract. If because of this, the rabbit has a swollen stomach, what should I do?
A similar effect will occur with a sharp transition to fresh vegetation in the spring, as well as when feeding grass after dew or rain. With a favorable outcome, the animals will have loose stools, and at worst, bloating. It is important to monitor the absence in the grass of species that could harm the rabbit. Still, bloating in rabbits is a serious illness.
Diet for rabbits
It is necessary to limit the use of feed, which is difficult for the digestion of rabbits or can cause increased gas formation in the gastrointestinal tract. For example, raw grass, cruciferous, legumes, alfalfa, frozen foods, fresh beet tops. It is dangerous to feed pets with grass that has recently been mowed, folded, and it begins to rot. This also applies to silos that have started to roam or prepared in violation of technology. Despite this, not all breeders understand why rabbits die and their stomach swells. Although the reason is obvious - negligent catering.
Instant food cereals that do not require cooking were actively appearing on store shelves. They need only a few minutes to pour boiling water. Feeding with such dry products will entail swelling of the feed in the gastrointestinal tract, which will end in disrepair.
Stagnation is most common in animals with a sedentary lifestyle. On the contrary, active life and physical activity improve the digestive system. In the presence of small cells and in violation of animal welfare standards (number of animals per unit area), it is recommended that you walk your pets from time to time so that they can move around actively. At the same time, be sure to provide protection from aggressive animals, and also exclude the possibility of eating unwanted food from the site. Most often, the owners complain that the rabbit has a swollen stomach. The pet does not eat anything. The main thing is to sound the alarm in time.
Space organization
A good exit would be to make a special aviary, in which rabbits can walk. Sometimes they are kept in a pit if their stock is increased. The quality of feed used should be kept under control. Vegetation that has been treated with chemicals can kill rabbits. If you doubt the quality of the feed or are not sure about the absence of pesticides, you should not hesitate to refuse it.
Very often, gastrointestinal stasis occurred as a result of eating hay with mold or its spores. Bad hay can be distinguished by the known smell emanating from it. And if there are moldy areas, it is immediately excluded from the diet of animals. Otherwise, you may notice that the rabbit's stomach swollen and diarrhea appeared.
Treatment for bloating and stasis
If you missed the moment when the intestines stopped working, take action immediately. It is best to call a veterinarian, but this is not always possible. The rabbit may die after a few hours, so you should not immediately put it to rescue him:
- Immediately, but with care, remove the rabbit from the common cage and let it run. Provided that it can be active. It is advisable to take him to his home in order to constantly monitor his condition and provide the patient with a comfortable temperature. The use of heating pads is unacceptable, since they can enhance gas formation.
- Children's "Espumisan" will help reduce gas, pain and prevent a rupture of the intestinal tract. Using a pipette or syringe, give the animal two milliliters every 3 hours. In severe cases, the interval is reduced to one hour. Large rabbits can be treated with "tympanol": five times a day, 0.4 milliliters, diluting four times with water. Acceptable medication supplement with a few drops of vegetable oil.
- To relieve pain use "No-shpu." Injections are carried out two to three times a day at 0.2 milliliters per kilogram of animal weight. You can also replace other painkillers, for example, Ketonal. It is important not to exceed the dosage.
- A good supplement would be regular massage of the tummy for five to ten minutes with an interval of 1-2 hours. The rabbit is placed on its knees or placed on the table and stroked with gentle movements from neck to tail. The pressure force is controlled judging by the reaction of the animal.
- Support the strength of the pet with glucose. Saline is injected 10 ml / kg two to three times a day, mixed with a five percent glucose solution in a 1: 1 ratio.
- If the bloating is not very strong, then the rabbit is transferred to a strict diet. Keep without food for up to 15 hours, give only a little water. Exclude all succulent feed and grain. They feed only very good hay. It is recommended to replace water with chamomile infusion.
- After successful treatment, the microflora in the digestive system of animals needs to be restored. You can do this with different drugs, which a veterinarian or a specialist in a veterinary pharmacy will help you choose. Giving yogurts to rabbits is contraindicated.
Prevention
It is necessary to constantly monitor the pet, nutrition should be correctly selected. Water must be clean. Feed changes should take place gradually, and their quality should be controlled. Animals should have an opportunity for physical activity. Permanent removal of fluff from the nest is also necessary. You should be careful with antibiotics and other medications. Rabbits sometimes need to be given bitter wormwood, dill, chamomile, dandelion (dry or as a decoction). No need to panic if the rabbit has a swollen stomach. What to do? Keep track of animal nutrition and give appropriate medications.
Bloating in a rabbit can be cured, especially if detected promptly. If you cannot complete the entire list of measures to save the rabbit, then at least some of them should be implemented. Often a strict diet, massage, active movements and a spoonful of vegetable oil healed a sick animal. And if Espumisan is at hand, then the chances of recovery will increase.