Diseases of Rabbits

Diseases of Rabbits: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Rabbit diseases can significantly affect the health, productivity, and welfare of both domestic and commercial rabbit populations. These conditions may be caused by bacterial, viral, parasitic, nutritional, and other factors. Knowledge of their causes, clinical signs, and treatment is important for effective disease prevention and health management.

Common diseases and disorders of rabbits include myxomatosis, pasteurellosis, coccidiosis, mucoid enteritis, mastitis, ear canker, sore hock, ringworm, and body mange. The following table summarizes their major causes, important clinical features, and treatment options.

Diseases/disorders can be classified into:

• Bacterial Diseases
• Viral Diseases
• Parasitic Diseases
• Miscellaneous Disorder and Conditions

Diseases in Rabbits

Name of Disease	Cause	Important Features	Treatment
1. Myxomatosis	Virus (spread by rabbit fleas and mosquitoes)	Inflammation and edema of the eyelids, ears, anal and genital orifices. Mucopurulent blepharoconjunctivitis and skin hemorrhages.	No effective treatment. Vaccination is practiced in many developed countries.
2. Pasteurellosis	Bacteria (Pasteurella multocida)	Clinical forms include snuffles, enzootic pneumonia, otitis media, abscesses, septicemia, and torticollis.	Sulfaquinoxaline; sulfadimidine.
3. Coccidiosis	Protozoa (Eimeria species): E. stiedae, E. magna, and E. perforans	Anorexia, debilitated condition, hepatomegaly, and pendulous abdomen.	Sulfaquinoxaline, sulfadimidine, and nitrofurazone.
4. Mucoid enteritis (Mucoid enteropathy)	Unknown cause (a shift from neonatal to post-weaning nutritional substrates has been proposed to have a role in the pathogenesis)	Diarrhea with a clear to viscid, mucoid consistency. Dehydration.	No effective treatment.
5. Blue breast (Mastitis)	Streptococcus or Staphylococcus species	Seen in lactating does. Bluish-purple glands.	—
6. Ear canker (Ear mange)	Psoroptes cuniculi	Shaking of the head and scratching of the ears with the legs. Crusty exudates in the ears. In advanced cases, torticollis.	Benzyl benzoate (Ascabiol), 2–3 days after removing the crusts and cleaning the ears.
7. Sore hock (Ulcerative pododermatitis)	Pressure necrosis of the skin, usually resulting from bearing heavy body weight on the wire floors of cages	Circumscribed areas of skin covered by dry, crusty scabs on the plantar surface of the metatarsal region. Anorexia, weight loss, humping of the back, and tilted movements.	Zinc and iodine ointments and 0.2% solutions of aluminum acetate. Parenteral antibiotics to prevent secondary infections.
8. Ringworm	Fungi (Trichophyton, Microsporum)	Hair loss in patches, resulting in areas of baldness.	Griseofulvin.
9. Body mange	Notoedres cati	Hair loss from the ears and nose. Scratching of the ears and face with the forelimbs.	1. Benzyl benzoate (external). 2. Ivermectin, subcutaneous injection at a dose of 0.1 mL/5 kg body weight.