Controlling Chewing

By Collin Burns

 

 

 Causes: The chewing of the coat by an angora can be caused by SEVERAL different factors. This includes but is not limited to heredity, wool mite infestation causing the bunny to feel itchy, boredom, lack of cage space, overcrowding, and one rabbit asserting dominance over another. The coat may also be damaged when a mother is grooming her offspring.

 

Solutions:  Depending on the reason that the bunny chews there are several different methods to get them to stop.

1.    If the bunny chews due to heredity you may be able to stop them by liberally applying cat flea powder every other day. You should try not to breed this trait into your herd. If a mother or fathers chews NEVER keep offspring out of them that chews! A word of caution NEVER use any flea powder intended for animals other than cats it can make the bunnies VERY ill if the bunny should ingest the powder. Organic flea powder will not work either. This method works for any of the above causes except the wool being damaged by the mother.

2.   If the bunny has a mite infestation apply the flea powder to stop them immediately. Then give the bunny a dose of ivermectin (1.87%). I prefer to use the paste for horses. Take a 1cc sryringe and place the end inside the tube then for an adult bunny give .70 or for a jr. (under 6 months) give .50! You can tell if the bunny has a wool mite infestation when the skin has white flakes. Give ivermectin once a month.

3.   IF the chewing is caused by boredom put flea powder on the bunny then give them a toy. My bunnies prefer a ball that has a bell in it. Also give them hay to keep them occupied.

4.   When the bunny has a lack of cage space obviously give them a bigger cage and lots of hay to keep them busy.

5.   Overcrowding and one rabbit asserting dominance over another can be stopped by separating the bunnies and again giving them lots of hay and applying flea powder.

6.   The only way I know of to stop a mother from damaging the wool on her offspring is just to wean them by 8 weeks old.

 

If after these methods you bunny is still chewing it is most likely hereditary the offspring of these bunnies should be watched extremely close and if one chews it should immediately be sold as a pet or wooler or culled all together as coat chewing is detrimental to a bunny’s health. As they ingest the wool they have a great chance of becoming wool blocked. No matter what you believe is the cause of the coat chewing give all bunnies extra papaya tablets, fresh papaya or pineapple and lots of hay to protect against wool block. Watch very carefully for wool blocks signs!!

 

Grooming English Angoras

by
Betty Chu

Basic Tools

The types of grooming tools needed are dependent on how serious the owner is in showing English Angoras. If one is planing on keeping the rabbit as a pet or for the purpose of growing wool, the basic tools are a steel comb with wide-teeth (six or eight teeth per inch by one inch protrusion) and slicker brush. If one shows occasionally but is not seriously competitive, the tools needed are the above comb and brush, a bulb-tip pin brush and a strong plastic regular hair comb with fine teeth. If one shows frequently and seriously, in addition to the above mentioned tools, one also needs a strong blower and a grooming table with lazy-susan turn table at the top.

The reason that there are different tool requirements is that if one wants to be competitive in showing English Angoras, in addition to having good stock, it is necessary to find ways to keep the wool on the rabbit as long as much as possible without matting. The additional tools such as a blower is utilized to accomplish these goals. On the other hand, to keep an English Angora as a pet or as a wooler, one does not want to keep the wool on the rabbit for a long time; thus a comb and a slicker brush will accomplish the task.

Frequency of Grooming

The ideal frequency for grooming an Angora rabbit varies. It depends on the age of the rabbit, the quality of the rabbit, the condition of the rabbit, and the planned purpose for the rabbit. It can be analyzed as follows:

1.      The age of the rabbit:

Up to eight weeks of age, generally no grooming is necessary. Groom once a week between eight weeks to four months old, every four to five days between four to five months old, and twice a week between five to ten months old. At about ten months or older, a plucking or clipping of the wool is usually done. Generally speaking, when the rabbit is more than one year old, it tends to have more guard hair and thus has less matting and needs less grooming. It usually takes less than 15 minutes to groom a rabbit if it is done once a week, while it takes more than an hour to groom the same rabbit if it is done once every three weeks. It is far better for the owner and the rabbit if grooming is done more frequently.

2.      The quality of the rabbit:

Some rabbits matt a lot, some don't. Some matt from the inside out (from the wool next to the skin to the surface, or felting), some from the outside in. The ones that matt a lot, especially from the inside out, should be groomed more often. The rabbits that don't matt as often and have their matts appearing on the surface first may be groomed less frequently. If kept for wool, with the right texture, some older rabbits may have their wool harvested every 3-4 months without much grooming in between harvests.

3.      The condition of the rabbit:

If the rabbit is in full coat, more frequent grooming is called for. If the rabbit has been frequently plucked or clipped, one may not need to do much grooming.

4.      The planned purpose for the rabbit:

If one plans to show a rabbit, one should be prepared for a show at least two months ahead of time. It takes frequent and careful grooming to keep the rabbit in tip top shape. The grooming tips described in this article are geared toward show rabbit grooming. If one keeps a rabbit for wool, for a pet, or for breeding, it is wise to keep the rabbit in short coat. By doing so the owner will have less burden of grooming and the rabbit will have less chance of being matted.

There are two different methods of grooming , one method which is suitable for someone who does not own a professional grade blower and one method for the one who owns one. The following is the method which has been used for many years before the blowing method came into light:

Grooming with a comb and a brush:

To present a perfectly conditioned rabbit in a show takes planning for the show and understanding of your rabbit. After selecting the pick of the litter for keeping, grooming starts at eight weeks old. Use the wide-tooth steel comb to comb through the entire bunny. At this time the bunny has more hair than wool so not much grooming is involved. Basically, make sure that there is no tangling behind the ears, sides, and feet. It is helpful to frequently lay the bunny on your lap with its back down to familiarize it with the position of grooming the tummy and the legs. By starting early, the bunny gets the habit of staying still for grooming.

As the bunny starts to have wool, start to use the slicker brush. Put the rabbit on your lap, use your left hand to press the side wool upward, and the right hand with the slicker brush to brush the wool from the bottom up layer by layer. If any matt is found along the way, use your fingers to tear the matt apart and then use the steel comb to comb it through. One important thing to remember while using the steel comb - always use your fingers to secure the base of the wool. It keeps the wool on the rabbit instead of on the comb, thus preserving the wool density.

After doing the layer brush through the sides and the shoulders, turn the rabbit on its back and brush the legs, tummy, and chest. Unless there are matts, use the slicker brush as much as possible to preserve the density. On the legs it is better to keep shorter but more complete wool coverage than longer but spotty wool coverage. I usually clip the wool short on the legs if it is at least three weeks away from the show. How much to clip depends on how long before the show and how fast the wool will grow back. There is no set rule, you just have to experiment a little to know the particular rabbit you are showing at the time.

After the tummy, chest and legs are all brushed, put the rabbit on the grooming table. The next tool to use is the bulb-tipped pin brush. The bulb-tipped pin brush can penetrate all the way down into the base of the wool without taking too much wool with it. Use the pin brush to thoroughly brush the rabbit; sides, shoulders, back, chest, behind the ears, tail, tummy etc. Now go back to the slicker brush. The slicker brush is used to brush the surface part of the wool. By using the slicker brush again, the surface will fluff up. After that, use your hand to check through the entire rabbit. If you feel any lumpy wool, go through with the pin brush and the slicker brush again. If not, use a regular plastic hair comb to comb the very tips of the wool back and forth, over and over again. The procedure serves two functions: it removes the loose hair, thus lessening the chance of woolblock, and it smooths the surface of the wool thus giving the coat a finished look.

If the above procedure is repeated once a week from the time when the rabbit reaches ten weeks old, with a good quality rabbit you may start seeing results on the show table as early as when the rabbit reaches an age of three and one half months. The procedure should take about a half hour after one gets used to the routine.

Grooming with a blower:

The British Angora breeders for many years have been using their vacuum cleaner's blower option (a clean one, of course) to help keep the Angora coat in shape. There was an article written by a British breeder published in the Summer 1988 newsletter of the Northern California Angora Guild newsletter Matts and Fluff discussing her vacuum cleaner method.

In the late 1980s, California breeders started using hair dryers to help find matts and felt underneath the heavy coats of their rabbits. The hairdryer is also used to fluff their rabbits' coats just before going on to the judging table. I have been using my hairdryer to help my grooming since 1985. In 1989 ARBA convention in Tulsa, Susan Conley of Ojai, California used a professional-grade dryer designed for sheep-drying and dog-drying to "blow" the coats of her rabbits. She did so everyday for 6 continuous weeks before the convention. The result was remarkable. Her rabbits' coats were very long and in perfect shape with neither felting nor matting. Such method, pioneered by her in the US, become the most "in" method for the English Angora breeders. (For your information, Susan is originally from England.)

First of all, where does one find such a blower? How strong should the blower be? Such blowers usually can be found in veterinary supply catalogs under dog grooming section. The price range between $120 and $400. The higher priced ones do not necessarily mean a better one because the features carried by the high priced ones may not be relevant to an English Angora owner. The requirements for English Angora blowing is strong blowing power with cool or slightly warm air. Hot air is not only unnecessary but also damaging to the Angora wool. It is difficult to describe the strength. The one that I own, Mini Circ, has 60 cycles, 120 volts and 9.5 amps. I also own another one, Air Force 3, with 4.0 amps, a lighter weight to be brought to the shows. The blowing power should be strong enough to open up the coat - a regular hair dryer is not comparable.

Starting with a 3 month-old rabbit, twice a week, I would put the rabbit on the turn-table grooming stand, turn on the blower using one hand to hold the blower hose, and blow into the rabbit's coat, while the other hand holds on to the rabbit's ears and the skin behind the ears. To hold on to the rabbit's ears accomplishes two tasks - one, secure the rabbit in place since the blowing power is so strong that it may startle the rabbit and cause him to fall off the grooming table; two, protect the rabbit's ears from the strong blowing power. When the blower is on, I look for any webbing or felting underneath the wool. If the wool is not opening up in a totally divergent way, there is webbing and felting. Blow at these spot for a while. If these areas are not too severe, the wool will gradually open up, the pills from the webbing and felting will surface to the top of the coat, and I'll take my hand temporarily off the rabbit's ears to pull the loose wool away. If the felted areas are not improved by blowing, I'll stop the blower and use my steel comb to comb out the tanglings. Of course the principle of holding the base of the wool still applies. I repeat the blowing on the entire rabbit by gradually and gently move the turn-table into a desirable direction. If done regularly, it should not take more than 5 minutes to blow through the entire coat of the rabbit. If the blowing is done regularly, the chance of having a big webbed or felted area is not very high. After blowing, I use my steel comb to go through the top bangs, the neck behind the rabbit's ears and the cheeks since the blower nor the cannot take out the little tangles in such places, then followed by a slicker brush on the tips of the wool. At the end, I use my fine tooth plastic hair comb to smooth out the very tips of the coat. It takes me about 5 minutes to go through the brushing part.

There are a few points to know in regards to the blowing method. First, one will be very surprised by how dusty the rabbits are. If the rabbit has never been blown at before, there will be a blast of whitish dust flying off the rabbit. The groomer may be covered by this white dust from head to toe; the white dust even sticks on one's eyelashes. If you are slightly allergic to rabbits, make sure to wear a mask. Second, due to this white dust and the wool flying off during blowing, it is advisable to do it outdoors. When I first started, I did the blowing in my garage. Within one week, my garage did not need any decoration for a Halloween party - the wool stuck every place looking like spiders had worked overtime. The white dust was so fine that it renders a vacuum cleaner useless. Susan Conley told me that when she started blowing she did it in her bedroom and could not initially figure what was happening to her walls. If possible, do it outdoors, far away from everything else. Near where I do my blowing now, there is a pine tree. This pine tree looks like a Christmas tree decorated with Angora wool. Third, the reason why a turn-table grooming table is recommended is that the blower's hose is quite clumsy to drag around. It is easier to turn the table in order to put the rabbit into a position to accommodate the blower.

Blowing does not replace brushing altogether. It is a very useful complementary tool. It does help open up the coat, make the coat look clean and crisp, and reduce the time required for each individual grooming. Blowing does not change the genetics of a rabbit. If one's rabbit does not have the genetic traits of having dense coat with good texture and length, the blower certainly cannot change that. Blowing does not replace good nutrition and management. If one's rabbit is not well fed and kept clean, blowing cannot change that either. Last but not least, blowing/grooming has to be done on a regular basis. No blower, regardless of the strength , can open up a coat which is already matted.

The information contained on this page is not meant to substitute for professional veterinary care. If this is an emergency, please see your local vet. I am not a vet. These are home remedies that I have used and found helpful in preventing sickness or death from common conditions found in rabbits.

Prevention- It is easier to prevent disease than cure it. Here are some hints to maintaining a healthy herd. Buy healthy stock. If you aren't sure, have another breeder or a vet check over the animal. Watch for problems with teeth, eyes, ears, hocks, condition. If you are suspicious about anything, don't buy it. Some problems, such as molting, will correct with time. Quarantine any new animals from your herd for at least 3 weeks. Quarantine animals returning from shows. Maintain a regular (daily) schedule of feeding and watering your animals. While feeding and watering, keep an eye out for any health problems, such as feed or water that has not been consumed. This may be your first clue to illness. Maintain a schedule of checking teeth and nails on your rabbits. Groom your rabbits with a slicker brush, especially when they are molting. Handle rabbits regularly to ensure they have not lost condition (body fat). Clean all cages and remove droppings regularly. Sanitize with diiluted bleach or a good disinfectant such as VIRKON. I use a wire brush on cages to remove any stuck droppings. A rabbitry should not smell of ammonia if it is maintained regularly. I change dropping pans and remove floor droppings every Wednesday and Sunday..more often if necessary. (my rabbits live in a barn) Maintain a worming schedule to remove external and internal parasites. Any change in diet should be done very slowly.

Medical Kit Small sharp scissors veterinary hibitane cream (from farm store) electrolyte/vitamin powder (from farm store) digestive enzymes (I get mine from Costco) acidophilus capsules (again from Costco) heavy mineral oil (from pharmacy) PeptoBismol worming medications- piperazine/ivomec/fenbendazole (from farm store) antibiotic eye drops or salve Penicillin G (from vet. pharmacy or farm store) Syringes (from Pharmacy) injection needles (need a bigger one for the pen G.) rubbing alcohol for disinfecting cotton swabs Tums or liquid calcium

Diarreah or Mucoid Enteritis- This can be an emergency situation. Rabbits do not live long if left with diarreah. Young rabbits are especially vulnerable. They can die in as little as 24 hours, going from a perfectly healthy rabbit with normal droppings to a dead rabbit by morning. Prevention is important. I do not recommend feeding greens and vegetables to a rabbit under 4 months old. If you choose to feed vegies, then introduce slowly in small amounts. Feeding fibrous timothy hay is recommended. Oats (Old fashioned rolled or flatted horse oats) make a good treat. Young bunnies sometimes get droppings stuck to their bottoms, but these are sometimes cecotropes (the morning droppings that they eat). I usually trim the fluff from their bottoms to prevent this. If your bunny is suddenly listless, sitting in the corner, bloated or sloshy sounding belly, possibly grinding his teeth, and has a very wet tail and back feet, he may have Enteritis. He may have clearish or greenish jelly poops, which may have a different smell than usual, you need to act quickly. You might notice that he's stopped eating and drinking as well. Fluids are vitally important at this stage as dehydration kiills. I will have a 5 CC syringe handy to drip water into the rabbit's cheek. I put him on his back, and drip slowly so that he doesn't choke. I keep flipping him rightside up so that he can swallow. I usually mix a vitamin/electrolyte mix into this water. After the fluids, I make up a mixture of Pepto Bismol (I used 1/4 of the tablet crushed- not sure of how much to use of the liquid). I also mix in an Acidophilus/Bifidus capsule of powder to hopefully help restore the gut bacteria. I'm not sure if this works, but it doesn't hurt them. Finally, I crush up a 1/2 tablet of digestive enzymes (pineapple and papaya enzymes). I make a watery paste with this and syring this into the bunnies cheek. I try to get as much in as I can. I do this morning and night, until I see a change. Keep up with the water throughout the day! If you are stuck for the above ingredients, another thing to try is to feed fresh cecotropes from a healthy rabbit to the sick one. These look like long grapelike clusters, and are different from the fecal pellets that look round like marbles. These are usually eaten by the rabbit right from the anus, and provide the rabbit with special bacteria and nutrients. I remove pellets and offer hay only to get the fibre back into the bunny. If you feed vegies, I would remove these as well. If the rabbit will take a few oats this is good too. A sick rabbit will be very stubborn about not eating. I don't offer anything with sugar to sick bunnies.

Gut Stasis or Furblock- Also an emergency. You will notice that your rabbit has stopped eating and may have stopped drinking as well, but there is no sign of diarreah. You will see small fecal pellets. You many notice that there are few or no poops in the cage. Your rabbit may look listless and feel lighter than usual. If you feel the belly in between the ribcage and the back legs, you will feel it is rather empty. If you are able to palpate (feel gently and deeply into the rabbit's gut), you may find a hard lump or blockage. The trick to stasis is that everything has stopped moving and then fur and other material blocks up and everything comes to a halt. I treat this with heavy mineral oil. I buy this at the pharmacy. The sooner you treat, the more success you will have. I give about a tablespoon of the oil twice a day by mouth with a syringe. Slowly drip the oil into the bunnies cheek while he's on his back, then turn him back over so he can swallow. Have a tissue handy to mop up any drips, as it can get messy. I also feed him a crushed up tablet of digestive enzymes and powdered cidophilus capsule mixed with water to try to help dissolve the blockage and restore gut bacteria. Water and rehydration is vitally important to get things moving. Syringe water into your rabbit's mouth if it won't drink on it's own. The final thing I try is frequent gentle gut massages to try to get things stimulated to move again. Offer lots of fibrous timothy or grass hay - fibre helps to grab the excess hair from the gut and then the rabbit can eliminate it. When the rabbit starts pooping and eating again, you know things are back to normal.

Worming-I use Piperazine for pinworms, especially after returning from a show. I also worm with Ivomec injectable liquid about once every 3-4 months. Ivomec kills internal parasites and external parasites such as ear and fur mites. I give a drop or two orally. If I suspected ear or fur mites, I would put a drop externally as well near the location. Fenbendazole horse wormer is used for when I want to rotate wormers. This wormer must be given for three days, so it is a bigger job to administer. It is apparently good to kill the organism that causes Wryneck.

Coccidia- Cleanliness can help prevent Coccidia. This is a hard one to beat...there are two different types. I would recommend speaking your your vet about testing and a good medication if you suspect this disease. An unthrifty, out of condition rabbit that won't gain weight no matter how good you feed could have this problem.

Rabbit Syphillis- Rabbit VD can be spread quickly in a herd by sexual transmission. You may notice scabs on the vent area of your rabbit. Both bucks and does can have it. It can cause miscarriages and stillborn kits. You can use Penicillin injections to get rid of this disease. Be careful when considering breeding your animals to outside animals as they may carry this disease.

Teeth- Maloclussion- check your rabbit's teeth often. The top teeth should be in front of the bottom teeth. If they meet evenly, check often to ensure they don't start to grow incorrectly. If the bottom teeth are in front of the top teeth, then they will not trim themselves from regular chewing. Pet people may want to maintain the teeth for the life of the rabbit with regular trims. Breeders should cull (put down) their rabbits. Some breeds do go through changes to the head structure as they grow and teeth may correct, but it is something to watch carefully.

Pasteurella- I would not keep a rabbit with Pasteurella (snuffles) in my herd. The rabbit would be put down if I ever came across it. This is a highly contagious disease that is never truly cured by antibiotics. It only goes into hiding to resurface if the rabbit gets stressed. . It can cause sniffing and sneezing, matted paws, as well as infections in bites that fill with a cheesy white matter. Never bring a rabbit into contact with other rabbits if you suspect snuffles in your pet.

Eyes- If your rabbit develops runny or sore eyes, he may have picked up an infection. Young rabbits in the nestbox need to have their eyes checked regularly as they are opening, because it seems to be easy for them to get their eyes stuck closed again. I keep a small tube of Antibiotic eye salve on hand (from the vet), to use on any rabbit that is showing signs of eye problems. Check to make sure that it isn't a cut or injury to the cornea that is causing the tearing, as this would warrant a visit to the vet.

Ears- Ears should be clean and dry and free from crustiness. If you see crusts, this could be ear mites. Ivomec 10 days apart should clear it up. Remove crusts by syringing in baby oil or the mineral oil and wiping with cotton swabs until it is all removed. A final dose of baby oil in the ear will suffocate any live mites. The rabbit may have scratched and reddened the area, so it may need a bit of Hibitane cream on it.

Nails- Nails need to be cut. If you cut the quick they will bleed. Styptic powder will stop the bleeding quickly. If you don't have this, use cornstarch, flour or similar and apply pressure to the tip of the nail. I do my rabbit's nails with the rabbit on it's back. Use a very good light if your rabbit has pink nails. Dark nails are harder...just don't go into the thicker back part of the nail.

Information from http://www.snow-berry.com/medical.htm

 

Mold and Mycotoxins in Rabbit Feed

1. What are mycotoxins? Mold and toxins from mold can be harmful and even deadly to rabbits. Molds usually grow under specific conditions of temperature and humidity or in diseased/saturated soil. Moldy feeds may cause a variety of health problems in rabbits and humans, especially respiratory disease from breathing in mold spores. Moldy feeds are also less palatable and may cause a reduction in feed intake, resulting in weight loss. When molds are shocked by sudden fluctuations in temperature (freezes or hot spells), they exude poisons called mycotoxins. Types of mold that can be found in rabbit feed: Aspergillus (yellow to yellow-green) -- found in corn, forages1, cottonseed, soybean2 and peanuts. Its toxin is carcinogenic, causes hemorrhaging of intestinal tract and kidneys, reduced feed intake and diarrhea, lung damage, diarrhea, liver cancer and kidney damage. Rhizoctonia (brown to black) -- found especially in clover. Its toxin causes salivation, diarrhea and bloat. Claviceps (brown to black) -- most common in grasses including wheat, rye and barley. Its toxin causes tremors and convulsions. Penicillium (green to green-blue) -- found in corn and small grains2. Its toxins cause kidney damage, weight loss, reduced feed intake causing hemorrhaging of lung and brain tissue. Fusarium (white to pinkish-white) --- found in hays, forages, soybean and cereal grains2. Its toxins cause feed refusal, acute gastrointestinal illness, immune suppression, diarrhea, entiritis, weight loss, hemorrhages of the large intestine, shock and reduced gastric and small intestine flow, necrosis of the GI tract, and death. 1 Alfalfa hay is considered a forage. 2 Rabbit pellets contain wheat middlings, soybean hulls and sometimes corn -- the "pathway" ingredients for mycotoxin contamination. Mycotoxins are invisible, highly corrosive, deadly poisons which may persist in feed and hay even when the molds that produced them are no longer present. Mycotoxins are nearly all cytotoxic, disrupting various cellular structures such as membranes, and interfering with vital cellular processes such as protein, RNA and DNA synthesis. They destroy organ tissue by oxidizing protein, impact specific organs, and have immunosuppressive effects. Some of them produce acute toxicity, evidenced by digestive disorders or dermatitis, but many more are carcinogenic (capable of causing cancer), resulting in genetic mutations, or causing deformities in developing embryos. Mycotoxins can have very pervasive, yet subclinical, effects on animals' health that can easily go unnoticed. By the time the clinical symptoms of mycotoxin poisoning are observed, significant damage has occurred. Improper harvesting (putting up wet hay), packaging (in air-tight plastic bags) and storage or prolonged shipping may enhance the potential for mold growth. Dirty harvesting, manufacturing/pelleting equipment and storage bins may contribute to mycotoxin contamination. Learn to identify good quality hay. 2. What are the symptoms of mycotoxin poisoning (mycotoxicosis)? The symptoms are wide-ranging and similar to more well-known ailments. Mycotoxins may cause: Gastrointestinal problems (slowdown, delayed stomach emptying, stasis/colic, hemorrhages of the large intestine, shock, reduced gastric and small intestine flow, necrosis of the GI tract, severe bloating, impaction, shutdown without blockage, refusal to eat, weight loss, increased water consumption, vomiting, enteritis). Internal bleeding, hemorrhages or bruising. Stomach ulcers, mouth sores. Kidney damage (nephrotoxicity). Liver damage (liver lipidosis, hepatic lesions/fibrosis/swelling, degenerative changes and dystrophy). Central nervous system problems (twitches, wobbling, convulsions, seizures, paralysis, spasms, tremors, incoordination, depression, headache). Immunosupression (increased susceptibility to multiple bacterial and viral infections). Cancer (tumorigenesis). Eye problems (discharge, corneal ulcers, keratitis). Lung problems (pneumonia, lung lesions, pulmonary fibrosis, hemorrhages, respiratory distress, bleeding). Glandular problems (hypertrophy of the adrenal cortex glands). Reproductive organ problems (impaired ovarian function, cystic ovarian degeneration development, reproductive disorders, vaginal prolapse). Heart problems (damaged heart muscle, tachycardia). Skin problems (skin rash, ulcerations, lesions, burning sensation, sloughing of skin, photosensitization). Bone marrow and spleen problems (depletion/irreversible damage/necrosis of the myelopoietic cells in bone marrow and in splenic red pulp). Blood abnormalities (decrease in blood coagulation, hematocrit and white blood cell count, leukopenia, calcium-phosphorus imbalance). Rectal prolapse. Vascular system (increased vascular fragility, hemorrhage into body tissues, or from lung). Caustic effects on mucous membranes. Since few veterinarians are trained in toxicology, mycotoxicosis is usually misdiagnosed. 3. How can mycotoxin poisoning be diagnosed? The poisoning may manifest as on-and-off, chronic or acute episodes, depending on the amount of toxic feed ingested and how consistently it was fed. The damage to internal organs is cumulative over a period of time. A high incidence of gastrointestinal upsets (impactions, etc.) and of disease associated with depressed immune function (Pasteurella, etc.) may be clues that a mycotoxin problem exists. Some clinical signs which may appear in a rabbit: Severe pain in the abdomen -- sudden onset, haunches flaring out, belly pressed against or writhing on the floor, bunny might be lethargic and hide in a corner. A radiograph (x-ray) series may reveal gut shutdown but no physical blockage (barium barely drips through), sometimes severe bloating. Often diagnosed as GI stasis or stenosis without identifying the underlying cause. Standard GI stasis treatments no longer work, GI motility drugs (Cisaspride/Metachlopromide) lose their effectiveness either because the tissue along the GI tract is necrotic/damaged or because of the overwhelming deoxynivalenol(DON)-induced inhibition of gastric emptying via serotonin receptor sites. Hypothermia (low body temperature). Blood abnormalities: high BUN and creatinine levels, calcium-phosphorus imbalance (which may lead to chalky urine, organ calcification), abnormal levels of liver enzymes associated with kidney/liver failure; low hematocrit/RBC due to internal bleeding. Ulcers in the mouth (strange chewing and tongue motion, difficulty swallowing, teeth problems ruled out), stomach and esophagus. Refusal to eat, weight loss. Presence of mucous in the feces. Rough hair coats. Sometimes paralysis or twitching in hind limbs. Multiple bunnies fall ill simultaneously in the same household. Food tests positive for mycotoxins. An endoscopic examination may reveal ulceration along the GI tract but this procedure is difficult to do on small animals. Necropsies may show: GI bruising (often subtle), hemorrhages, stomach/GI ulcerations, mouth ulcers, kidney/liver damage (lesions, lipidosis, fibrosis, swelling, discoloration), rectal prolapse. While many mycotoxins can be measured in environmental samples, it is not yet possible to measure mycotoxins in human or animal tissues. 4. What is the treatment for mycotoxin poisoning? Sucralfate: Break one-gram tablets of Carafate (sucralfate) into quarters. Administer 1/4 tablet orally every 8-12 hours mixed with water. Drop the 1/4 tablet into a feeding syringe, hold your finger over the tip, add some water, shake it well until it is dissolved, then invert the syringe and bleed off the excess air before syringe feeding (from the side of the mouth, in the gap behind the front teeth). Ideally, it should be given on an empty stomach (one-two hours before meals). Sucralfate should be staggered 3-6 hours apart from other medications because it tends to bind with other drugs (including cimetidine = Tagamet), reducing their absorption and effectiveness. Although healing begins within one to two weeks, it should be administered for at least 3-4 weeks (sometimes up to 8 weeks) to make sure healing is complete. Do not miss a dose because it works cumulatively. Sucralfate is a "cytoprotective" agent that binds to the ulcerated erosion sites to form a protective barrier and promote healing. This prevents bacteria from crossing through the damaged tissue along the lining in the GI tract and entering the bloodstream, which may cause septicemia (blood poisoning). It is a very safe and effective drug. Antibiotics (injectable Penicillin G) to guard against bacterial infection and septicemia/toxemia. Subcutaneous fluids (in mild cases) or IV fluids (in severe cases) to flush out the toxins. Treat for renal failure with supportive therapy. If severe bloating occurs, the stomach might need to be pumped (carefully) to prevent it from rupturing. Ask your vet whether other anti-ulcer drugs might be helpful. Prilosec (omeprazole), which suppresses the acid "proton pump" in the gastric mucosa, has proven very effective in treating ulcers in horses (the closest physiological model to a rabbit; both are single-stomached hindgut fermenters). Zantac (Ranitidine HCl), which reduces the production of stomach acid by inhibiting histamine, is much more effective than Tagamet (cimetidine). Note: Bunnies may have sensitive GI tracts for awhile. Fluids and sucralfate should be re-administered at any sign of discomfort during the following months. 5. What should I feed a rabbit who is suffering from mycotoxicosis? Do not feed old hay and pellets. Buy new feed, a different brand if possible. Fresh veggies might be the only food the bunny can tolerate for several weeks (the fiber in hay might be too rough) due to its damaged GI tract. Provide a variety (kale, dandelion greens, romaine lettuce, carrot tops, dill, fennel, mint, etc.) several times a day. Keep hay and clean, fresh water available at all times. Oat hay and oat seed tops might be the first things the bunny will want to eat. Feed wheat bran soaked in warm water (with wheat germ and Quaker oats added for taste) then drained and cooled, once per day. This provides protein to help repair the damaged GI tract. The effects can be partially counteracted by an antioxidant such as vitamin E. Vitamin A, selenium and zinc, Thiamine and other B vitamins may prove beneficial. Milk thistle can be helpful in treating liver damage. Vitamin K1 (menadione) can be administered to stop internal bleeding. 6. How can I tell if my bunny's food is contaminated? Have all hay and pellets tested at an agricultural, university, or veterinary diagnostic laboratory near you (do not send samples back to the vendor). Mix the feed well before sampling. Mycotoxins are patchy, like "spots of mold on a loaf of bread". Mixing the feed well increases the chances of detecting these poisons but the tests might indicate lower levels than what the bunny actually ate (perhaps he ate from a "hot spot" of concentrated toxins). Keep two extra samples aside for further testing. Make sure you ask for numerical results in parts-per-billion (ppb), down to 50 ppb if possible. Many labs are geared for large, multiple-stomached ruminant livestock (like beef cattle) so their detection levels may be set way too high (500-1,000 ppb). In this case, a feed that tests "negative" may still be dangerous to single-stomached hindgut fermenters (like rabbits and horses), who are much more sensitive to mycotoxins. See table below. Test especially for DON (vomitoxin). It is a "marker" for other mycotoxins -- if it is present, then other mycotoxins are probably present as well. Test for DON, T-2, Aflatoxin, Fumonisin, Ochratoxin, Zearelanone (in that order of importance, depending on the money available for testing). When multiple mycotoxins are found together in a sample, their combined synergistic effect is usually more potent than any one alone. Suggested Detection Levels for Mycotoxins Mycotoxin Horses Pigs Children ages 1 - 4 Rabbits Aflatoxin 50 ppb 20-100 ppb   20 ppb T-2 50 ppb     50 ppb DON 400 ppb < 300 ppb 60 - 120 ppb 100 - 300 ppb Zearalenone 100 ppb 100 - 200 ppb   100 ppb Fumonisin 1,000 ppb     1,000 ppb Make sure you choose a lab with detection levels as low as or lower than those suggested for rabbits (above). The lower the detection levels, the better, since rabbits are one of the most sensitive animals to these toxins. Be aware that some laboratories report test results in ppm. ppm = parts-per-million ppb = parts-per-billion 1 ppm = 1000 ppb 7. How prevalent are mycotoxins in animal feed? Mycotoxin contamination is not an uncommon occurrence in pet foods, especially in (but not limited to) dog food. Corn, wheat middlings and soybeans are the usual "pathway" ingredients. In the past few years, there have been several cases of dog food which contained contaminated wheat middlings (the same ingredient found in many rabbit pellets). More than one hundred dogs fell ill and many died. Mycotoxins were found in two well known brands of dog food and the companies were forced to recall their products due to consumer pressure. In a "sell it down the road" strategy, grain dealers often dump products which are deemed "unfit for human consumption" on the pet food industry to avoid suffering economic losses. There are few standards or government regulations in place, so pet food companies rarely feel compelled to institute quality-control programs that detect mycotoxins in their products. Of nearly 100 samples of rabbit feed (30 different products) from the caregivers of both sick and healthy rabbits, from pet stores, from vet clinics, and shipped directly by companies to customers, then tested by several laboratories around the country, 30% have tested positive for mycotoxins. Mycotoxins were found in alfalfa hay, timothy and alfalfa pellets, powdered food intended for sick/baby rabbits, and seed-based feed used by breeders. Recent laboratory test results suggest that the contamination is more prevalent among certain brands. 50% of one specific product contained mycotoxins. The feeds which tested positive came from households where bunnies were sick or had died. Some samples which tested positive were not fed to rabbits. In two cases, the feed tested positive before the bunnies showed any symptoms; one of these rabbits died a couple of weeks later, both rabbits suffered severe kidney damage. The mycotoxins found in rabbit feed so far were DON, T-2 and ZEAR. Keep in mind that there are more than 400 mycotoxins and these products were only tested for a few. More sampling, testing and analyses of the effects of mycotoxins on domestic animals are needed. 8. Where can I learn more about mycotoxins?   Cristina Forbes, Ph.D. Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator Specialty: rabbits Disclaimer: I am neither a vet nor a toxicologist. This information was obtained from several different sources, including scientific literature, talks with veterinarians, toxicologists, professors of toxicology, laboratory personnel, mycotoxin experts and from my own experience. For more information, call your state's agricultural/vet diagnostic/university laboratory or your county extension office.

Information from:  http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/myco.html

http://www.medirabbit.com/

http://www.fuzzylop.com/4_first_aid_kit.htm

http://www.radil.missouri.edu/info/dora/RABBPAGE/GI.html

http://www.vet.cornell.edu/library/freeresources.htm

http://www.feldsroyalrabbitry.com/hlrsc/Articles/reproductivedisorders.html

http://www.lbah.com/rabbits/pasteurella.htm

http://www.angorarabbit.com/angora/angora-rabbit-manual/index.htm

http://www.angelsbunnies.com/coronavirus.html

http://www.welshrabbitry.com/health.html

 

Medicine Cabinet For Bunny Owners

Things to have on hand for emergencies

Whether you share your life with a barn full of rabbits or have only one or two pet bunnies, you should always have a few emergency medical supplies on hand.

Depending on your experience and need, your medicine cabinet might include sutures, injectables, and scalpels. Large wounds or injuries and any unfamiliar illness should be treated by a qualified veterinarian, preferably one with knowledge of rabbits. A rabbit breeder has oftentimes gained enough expertise through years of experience to treat many minor problems themselves.

I have tried to compile a list of useful items to be included in the "beginners and pet owners" medicine chest. Many of these items are probably already present in most households and are perfectly safe to use on your bunny. A good rule to follow when obtaining medications not specifically for rabbits is - Just about anything you can use on cats, you can use on rabbits. Like cats, rabbits continuously groom themselves, thus ingesting whatever is on them.

• TERRAMYCIN SOLUBLE POWDER

A mild broad spectrum antibiotic in soluble form, to be mixed with your rabbits drinking water. The product that I use is made for poultry and sold in Feed & Seed stores. Dosage is 1/4 Teaspoon per 32 ounce water bottle, no longer than 10 days. It is safe to use with young bunnies and helps alleviate certain respiratory infection and enteritis problems.

• EAR MITE MEDICATION

Widely available in pet stores and super markets, this is an essential product to have in case of ear mite infestation. Follow the directions given on the bottle and gently cleanse the affected ear with a Q-Tip afterwards.

• KAOPECTATE OR PEPTO BISMOL

Administer just a few drops every 4 to 6 hours to any young bunnies showing signs of diarrhea. Older animals can be given more, about 1cc. Withholding treats and pellets for 8 hours and offering large amounts of good quality hay is beneficial during treatment. Dry oatmeal will also help with an upset tummy.

• FLEA POWDER (cat)

Again purchase only products designed for cats and kittens and only use when needed. Bunnies in short coat are good candidates for this treatment if you notice any fleas or fur mites ( indicated by very oily bare spots, covered in crusty dandruff ). Watch for any allergic reactions, just to be on the safe side.

• HYDROGEN PEROXIDE

It is very important to clean any small injuries, such as scratches or minor cuts to prevent infection.

• ANTIBIOTIC OINTMENT

Apply to any injuries after they have been cleaned.

• PREPARATION H

Alleviates the discomfort of sore hocks and reduces swelling. Apply the ointment twice daily to the rabbits hocks if the foot pads look red and sore. Thoroughly disinfecting the cage floor, keeping it spotless and adding straw to sit on is important during treatment.

• TERRAMYCIN EYE OINTMENT

This is a must if you have babies! Use when an eye infection is indicated ( red puffy eyes that run, or are matted shut ). Clean eye thoroughly with warm water, then apply ointment once a day until infection and signs are gone.

These are just a few basic first aid items that every bunny owner should have. Remember, when in doubt please call a vet or a breeder you trust.

• SUPER GLUE

Keep Super Glue on hand to repair little cuts that you might inflict when clipping your bunny. Don't feel bad if you happen to do this, everyone does it from time to time. Put a couple drops of glue on either side of the cut and stick it back together.

Reference:  http://www.wooliecreations.net/medicine.shtml