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Pet Rabbit:  Most frequent diseases.   Vet Dr. Tiger gives information and advice.

Tooth abnormalities are one of the things dwarf rabbits often       have. It can be so bad that taking up feed becomes       impossible and the animals starve. This can be avoided if the       incisor teeth are cut regularly by specialized persons.       Hereafter a survey of the most frequently occurring diseases       which often are inherited.       Picture: Cutting rabbit claws

Disease	Causes	Symptoms	Visit veterinarian?
Infectious nasal catarrh	Various bacteria	Sneezing, nasal discharge, encrusted hair on nose and forelegs, inflammation of the eyes, head-tilting	Go to see the vet
Tooth abnormalities	Faulty teeth conformation, especially dwarf rabbits	Slow and cautious eating, salivation, apparent lack of appetite, emaciation	Go to see the vet, regular shortening of the teeth
Digestive disturbances	Infections through unbalanced feed, rapid change in feed, excessive taking up feed	Overloaded stomach, bloated body, weariness	Go to see the vet
Coccidiosis	Various kinds of protozoon	Serious disorder of the general state of health, tympanism, watery to bloody diarrhoea, weariness, lack of appetite	Go to see the vet
Ear mange	Ear mange mites	Itching, flaky scab formation in the ear, head-tilting	Go to see the vet
Ulcers on the hind legs	Wire mesh unsuited for keeping rabbits, damp bedding material, frequent hammering with the hind legs, food too rich in protein	Round to lengthwise oval denuded spots on the solear clium, redness, ulcerous lesions	If the case is serious, go to see the vet, optimizing of the feeding, soft and dry bedding material
Abscess on the head	Various causes	Visible swellings and reddening	Consult vet
Obesity	Not enough exercise, too high-caloric feed	Shortness of breath, cyanosis, dewlap formation, chafe marks, obesity, coma	Enough exercise, adapted food

Self-Medication

Many indispositions dwarf rabbits may have can be treated at home by oneself, without the assistance of a vet. Let us mention here above all the importance of good green roughage feeding and a steady checking: Eyes, ears and anus have always to be kept clean and a regular check of the correct teeth position is absolutely imperative. A great number of diseases of the dwarf rabbits are a result of faulty housing and wrong feeding habits. And also to boredom, because an animal of the same species is missing. Wrong food, not enough water, draught, too low or too high ambient air temperature, drenched bedding material, insufficient tooth abrasion due to the lack of gnawing material, sudden change in feed, not enough room, not enough run, no pelage care at the time when the animal changes his pelage and many more. Keeping animals in ways appropriate to their species reduces disease! A suitable medicine cabinet for rabbits is advisable. One needs a lot of cotton wool, cotton buds, a spray to disinfect external parasites, dressing material and some remedies described by the vet against ear mites, reddening of the skin, itching and the like.

Emergency situations

If a dwarf rabbbit gets caught in a door or gets an unintentional kick, this might hurt his spine and in the worst case lead to paralysis. Also accidents with dwarf rabbits biting through electrical wires and cables can sometimes cause emergency cases. In general, however, there has been little record of real emergency cases with dwarf rabbits, because the diseases are detected at an early stage so the the vet can intervene in due time.