Rabbit Respiratory Inflammation

1 Causes

Rabbits are frail; big temperature swings, poor ventilation, or chills trigger inflammation. Specifically: 1. No ventilation/cooling — long hot-humid or cold-humid stays cause it; avoid standing water when hosing the floor. 2. Poor cage design — a floor too close to the dung tray lets ammonia and hydrogen sulfide irritate the mucosa. 3. Bad ventilation — fully enclosed farms get severe rhinitis, conjunctivitis, acute ear swelling/bleeding, even death. 4. Wrong orientation — no natural wind means hotter summers and colder winters. 5. Rain — open windows let rabbits get wet and chilled into inflammation. 6. Powder feed irritates the nose; use pellets.

Inflammation can lead to other disease like pasteurellosis, so isolate sick rabbits at once.

2 Symptoms

Mild: cough, red nasal mucosa, mucous or serous discharge. Severe: fever, rapid breathing, heavy nasal flow, possibly pneumonia.

3 Prevention and Treatment

1. Keep the hutch ventilated and dry, and adjust cooling or warmth with the weather.

2. Spray eco-enzyme into the dung channel weekly.

3. Rinse the nose with 2–3% boric acid, then drop 15,000–20,000 units penicillin twice daily; or garlic tincture, 3–4 drops twice daily. Also inject antibiotics — penicillin and streptomycin, 100,000 units each, twice daily; or houttuynia injection, 2 ml twice daily.

Rabbits catch respiratory disease easily; apply the above prevention to lower the odds.