Health Problems in Rabbits

First and foremost, whenever you are unsure of what is happening with your bunny, please seek the advice of a Rabbit Veterinarian. Many times, a rabbit can tell you that they are not feeling well by their attitude and posture therefore, it is important to pay attention to how your bunny is acting. In many situations, a sick bunny will be slow to respond to you, may sit or lay with their head facing a back corner of the hutch and you will notice a decrease in food and water intake. These are just some of the signs that your bunny may be sick. Other signs are not as noticeable, but with constant observation, you can pick up on them as well.

A rabbit may stop eating and drinking when dealing with a health problem or pain. Often, the bunny will pass away not because of the health problem itself, but because the lack of food and water caused their digestive system to stop. This problem is called GI Stasis and can be fatal. Therefore, it is extremely important to make sure your bunny continues to intake food and water even if you have to introduce the food and water using a syringe. Not all health problems are so serious as to cause a rabbit to stop eating and drinking.

Here is a list of a few common health problems in rabbits.

Abscess: A sack or hollow filled with puss.

Signs are a hard lump or pocket under your bunnies skin.
Causes include
• Hay slivers or any other foreign object under the skin that become infected
• Tooth, gum, or eye infections
• Bites or other abrasions that become infected

Arthritis does occur in rabbits. Arthritis is the medical term used to describe inflamed joints or swelling in joints. There are a couple of types of arthritis that rabbits can develop.

Signs of Arthritis:
• Favoring one or more legs while hopping
• Lifting or dragging a leg
• Trouble pushing upright from a lying or squatting position
• Slower less coordinated movement.
Causes include
• Age
• Obesity
• Previous damage to leg or joints
• Genetic disposition

Bladder Sludge, Bladder Stones, and Kidney Stones can occur in all rabbits of all breeds and all ages. It is not known why some rabbits develop this problem and some rabbits do not. It is also not known why some rabbits only develop bladder sludge and others develop stones.

Signs of Bladder Sludge:
• Urinating more frequently (often outside the normal area where your bunny usually urinates)
• Straining to urinate
• Blood in the urine
• White or grey creamy urine
• Skin rashes around where your bunny urinates as well as the belly and thighs
• Depression and loss of appetite

Causes (Note that not all rabbits develop bladder or kidney problems. It is not known exactly why some rabbits do and some rabbits do not.)
• Excessive calcium in the bunny’s diet

Cancer in Rabbits - Uterine, ovarian, and mammary cancers in female rabbits and testicular cancer in males are common in rabbits that have not been spayed or neutered.

Signs of Reproductive System Cancer:
• Small Bloody discharge or Blood in the Urine
• Small Lump around the genital areas
Causes
• Not Spaying or Neutering a Rabbit
• Genetic

Cataracts in Rabbits - a clouding of the pupil of a rabbits eye.

Signs of Cataracts:
• Cloudy pupil
• Whitish coloring of the pupil
Causes
• Damage to the eye such as a cut or scrape

• Disease or bacterial infection
• Genetic

Diarrhea could be deadly if not treated. Diarrhea can cause your bunny to become severely dehydrated. Dehydration can lead to many additional serious medical problems. Diarrhea in its true form is rare in adult rabbits.

Signs of Diarrhea:
• Watery or mushy fecal droppings
Causes
• Intestinal parasites or inflammation of the intestine
• Too much of certain types of fresh greens such as Romaine Lettuce

Gastric Stasis or GI Stasis is the term used when a bunny’s digestive system stops functioning.

Signs for Gastric Stasis:
• Small or no feces
• Not eating or drinking
• Sitting facing the corner of the hutch.
Causes include
• Blockage in the stomach or intestine from hair, fibers from carpets, drapes, stuffed toys etc, even fibers from celery if the pieces are not cut small enough.
• Gas buildup from vegetables or other eaten plants

• Nausea which can occur after anesthesia has been used

Hock Sores, clinically called Pododermatitis, are caused by constant irritation of your rabbit’s feet.

Signs
• Red, irritated, and sometimes bleeding sores on the bottom of your bunny’s hind feet
Causes include
• Obesity
• Wires or rough material on the floor of your rabbits hutch
• Constant wetness
• Continued moisture

Lymphoma in rabbits - Lymphoma is a cancer that attacks the lymph nodes - small oval shaped immune system glands present throughout the body.

Signs of Lymphoma:

Signs of Lymphoma:
• Enlarged lymph nodes anywhere on the body though some cannot be detected

Causes
• No known cause

Malocclusion is when your bunny’s teeth do not line up.

Signs
• Drooling when trying to eat
• Trouble drinking from a water bottle
• Bunny stops eating and/or drinking
Causes include
• Genetic

Mucus in the Stool

Signs
• Stick green or milky substance in stool
Causes include
• Antibiotics
• Irritation of the bowel lining

Upper Respiratory Problems

Signs
• Watery eyes
• Runny nose
• Sneezing
• Whistling sound while trying to chew
• Labored breathing
• Raising the chin up high when breathing. ‘
Causes include
• Allergies from pollen, dust, dander, cleaning agents
• Blocked tear ducts
• Upper respiratory infection such as snuffles
• Overgrown tooth roots
• Cancer of the lungs (rare)