Infectious Stomatitis in Rabbits

1 Causes

1. Poor husbandry — feeding moldy or spiky, coarse feed.

2. Eating feed contaminated with the virus.

2 Clinical Symptoms

Early infection brings red, swollen, congested oral mucosa, and the rabbit eats slowly and cautiously. Soon small blisters appear on the lips, tongue and oral lining; when they burst they form spots or ulcers and cause heavy drooling. The saliva wets the fur on the chin, neck and chest, and in severe cases the soaked skin becomes inflamed and the fur falls out. Without prompt treatment, whole litters or large groups can be lost.

3 Treatment

Isolate any rabbit showing infectious stomatitis immediately and treat it. Use one of these powdered drugs sprinkled into the mouth: compound sulfamethoxazole, sulfadimidine, or oxytetracycline powder. Rabbits in the same litter or group should be given one of these mixed into feed as prevention, even if they show no signs yet, because the disease spreads so easily. Dose: 0.125–0.25 g per rabbit. Bingpengsan powder can also be applied to the mouth for treatment or prevention.

For herbal treatment, Liuwei Diewan, Baochi Wan or Xiaoyan Wan can be used; for prevention, mix banlangen (isatis root) granules into drinking water, or give a decoction of honeysuckle and wild chrysanthemum by mouth.

4 Prevention

Tighten daily husbandry: clean and disinfect feeders and waterers often (by sun-drying or boiling; scrub with caustic soda solution). Avoid mouth injuries and treat any promptly. Check feed before serving and never give moldy or rotten feed; clear away spoiled or leftover food at once — this matters most in summer when feed spoils faster. Kits are the high-risk group, so watch for drooling: it is never normal and usually signals disease.