Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Emergency care for diarrhea
• Method 2 of 3: Adjusting the Rabbit's Diet
• Method 3 of 3: Caring for your rabbit after illness

The digestive system of rabbits has its own characteristics; for example, sometimes rabbits have diarrhea. Rabbits produce two types of stool: hard and soft (cecotrophs). If both types of feces have become watery and liquid, which happens quite rarely in adult rabbits, an urgent need to consult a veterinarian. Cecotrophs, which are often mistaken for diarrhea, are not abnormal for the rabbit. Too soft consistency of cecotrophs can be corrected by making changes to the rabbit's diet. While the rabbit is being treated for diarrhea, additional care is needed. Wash it if it gets dirty, keep the cage clean, and keep your rabbit calm and quiet.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Emergency care for diarrhea

1. 1 Learn to distinguish diarrhea from mild cecotrophs. The digestive system of rabbits has a complex structure: in particular, rabbits produce two types of feces, hard and soft, which they eat almost completely. True diarrhea is when both types of stool become watery and unformed. If in the feces of a rabbit among the hard pellets you see others, soft and watery, these are simply too soft cecotrophs.
   • True diarrhea is rare in adult rabbits; more often diarrhea occurs in young animals, especially with improper feeding. For rabbits of all ages, diarrhea is a serious life-threatening disease.
   • Normal cecotrophs are shaped like a bunch of grapes. Rabbits eat them, thus replenishing the lack of vitamins and maintaining the correct functioning of their gastrointestinal tract. Cecotrophs that are too soft are much more common in rabbits than diarrhea, which is often confused with them. The problem of too soft cecotrophs can be solved by adjusting the rabbit's diet.
   • Too soft cecotrophs look like thick porridge or soft lumps that stick to the rabbit's fur and stain the cage, and sometimes smell rather unpleasant.
2. 2 If your rabbit has diarrhea, contact your veterinarian immediately. If all of your rabbit's stool is runny, call your veterinarian. Tell the rabbit that he has diarrhea and needs an emergency appointment. Diarrhea, especially in young animals, requires immediate attention.
   • Diarrhea is often fatal and must be taken seriously. Usually it is caused by a change in the composition of microorganisms in the appendix of the cecum, where the fermentation process takes place.
   • If your veterinarian is inexperienced in treating rabbits, search online for the right one.
3. 3 Bring fresh hard feces and cecotroph samples with you to your appointment. The veterinarian will examine the droppings under a microscope, analyze the cultures and, based on this, make an accurate diagnosis. If possible, collect samples of both types of stool and bring them to the clinic.
   • If for some reason you are unable to take your stool samples with you, take a picture of it to show your veterinarian.
   • The veterinarian does not need a lot of substance to do the test. A sample approximately equal in volume to several grapes is sufficient. The stool for analysis can be placed in a plastic bag with a fastener or a rubber glove, so that it will be easier for laboratory personnel to work with it.
4. 4 Try to keep your rabbit hydrated. A rabbit with diarrhea is at risk of dehydration, so make sure he has access to fresh, clean water at all times. If the rabbit refuses to drink, he will have to inject saline subcutaneously. It is best if the injections are given by a veterinarian or nurse.
5. 5 If your rabbit has been prescribed an anti-dehydration saline injection, you can do it yourself. If you do not have the opportunity to regularly visit the veterinary clinic to give your rabbit injections of saline, and you have everything you need to inject, sterilize the needle and cap of the vial of saline, and then draw 1–2 mg of solution into the syringe. Gently pull back the skin to create a crease and insert the needle under the skin at a 45-degree angle. Rabbit skin is thin, so do not insert the needle too deeply so that it does not pierce through the skin fold and exit from the other side.
   • After inserting the needle, slightly pull back the plunger of the syringe before injecting saline and make sure that no blood is drawn into the syringe. If blood is visible in the syringe, you accidentally got into a vessel or muscle; in this case, you must choose another injection site. After injecting saline, quickly but carefully withdraw the needle in the same way that it was inserted.
   • Quite often, after a subcutaneous injection, a tubercle forms at the injection site of saline. There is nothing wrong with that: soon the saline will be absorbed by organs and tissues, and the tubercle will dissolve.
   • In rabbit, the withers or flanks are best suited for subcutaneous injection. It is recommended to inject 10 mg of saline over just 24 hours. Choose different injection sites so as not to damage the tissue.
6. 6 Follow your veterinarian's instructions when giving your rabbit medications. Depending on the diagnosis, your veterinarian may prescribe a course of antibiotics to help fight the infection. In addition, the rabbit is likely to be prescribed a number of other medications:
   • Imodium or another remedy for diarrhea
   • Cholestyramine ("Questran") to remove from the body toxins produced by bacteria or parasites
   • Pain relievers
   • Colostrum to support the immune system of baby rabbits

Method 2 of 3: Adjusting the Rabbit's Diet

1. 1 Eliminate anything other than grass hay from your rabbit's diet. If the rabbit is accustomed to eating grass (meadow) hay, eliminate all other foods from its diet. To encourage your rabbit to eat hay, place several hay feeders in the cage. The hay should be from meadow grasses and not contain hay from legumes such as alfalfa, which are too high in carbohydrates and protein.
   • Grass hay, rich in fiber, is the most important part of the rabbit's diet and ensures proper digestion. Grass hay will help balance the microflora of the cecum and restore the digestive process. Feed the rabbit hay and water until the feces return to normal.
   • Grass hay should be fresh and free of mold. Fresh meadow hay smells good. If the hay is old and dry or moldy, the rabbit will not eat it.
2. 2 If your rabbit is accustomed to eating pellets, gradually switch to hay. If your rabbit does not normally eat hay, cutting out all other foods from the diet can lead to malnutrition. Check the pelleted food label: if the base is grass hay, continue feeding your rabbit pellets twice a day. At the same time, there should always be a feeder with grass hay in the cage.
   • If you notice that your rabbit regularly eats hay, start gradually reducing the proportion of pellets in its diet. Remove pellets from your rabbit's diet within two to three weeks.
   • If your rabbit refuses to eat hay, grind the pellets in a food processor, sprinkle the hay with water, and sprinkle with pellet powder.
3. 3 Replace granules containing grains and nuts with herbal granules. If your pelleted food does not include grass hay, buy hay pellets. Mix old pellets with new pellets in a 1: 1 ratio. Gradually reduce the proportion of old pellets in the rabbit's diet so that the rabbit is completely switched to new pelleted hay feed within one to two weeks.
   • Once you've managed to switch your rabbit to grass pellets, start adding hay to your rabbit's diet, gradually reducing the proportion of pellets in the feeders.
4. 4 Stop giving your rabbit pellets. After you put your rabbit on a strict diet, he may start showing dissatisfaction with being deprived of his treats, but you must be firm. Rabbits are strictly herbivores, with their digestive system best suited to digest grass. All other foods, including fruits, can cause stomach upset. In addition, a rabbit given treats will be reluctant to eat the hay it needs to recover.
5. 5 A week after the rabbit's stool has returned to normal, you can start giving him greens. It takes from two weeks to three months for a rabbit to normalize hard feces and cecotrophs. If your rabbit has normal bowel movements for a week, start adding some greens to the rabbit's diet so that the rabbit gets the nutrients it needs.
   • Vegetables that can be fed to your rabbit include basil, broccoli, lettuce, kale, and beetroot (chard). The darker the greens, the more useful substances it contains: for example, there are more vitamins in the keil than in the iceberg lettuce.
   • Give your rabbit no more than 150 g of one of the vegetables and wait 48 hours to make sure this dietary change does not liquefy the cecotrophs.

Method 3 of 3: Caring for your rabbit after illness

1. 1 Give your rabbit a dry bath. If a rabbit gets dirty during illness, its skin can be cleaned with baby powder or starch. Apply powder to dirty areas. Then, use your fingers or a fine-toothed comb to remove dried stool from the coat. Gently shake off the powder, being careful not to get any dust or starch on the rabbit's face and inhale them.
   • Use only baby powder or starch; do not use talcum powder or flea powder.
   • During the recovery period, the rabbit will need to be washed frequently. It is preferable to clean the coat dry, as dry baths are better tolerated by rabbits than washing with water.
2. 2 If necessary, wash the rabbit with water. If your rabbit's fur is heavily soiled in feces and smells unpleasant, you will need to wash it. Fill your sink with warm water and add a tablespoon of hypoallergenic, non-medicated shampoo (rabbit shampoo is the best choice). Gently but firmly hold the rabbit so that it does not break out and get injured, and lower it into the sink so that all the dirty spots are under the water.
   • Lather the dirty areas gently, then drain the sink. Fill a sink with warm water and rinse off any remaining shampoo.
   • Instead of taking a bath, you can try rubbing the rabbit's fur with a sponge or terry cloth. The rabbit may take this procedure more calmly than washing in the sink.
   • Dry the rabbit fur with a towel after bathing. You can use a hairdryer in the least hot setting.
3. 3 Make sure your rabbit has adequate food and water intake. Regardless of medication and diet, the rabbit should receive sufficient food and water. Pay attention to how often you have to refill the troughs and drinkers. Try to record how much food your rabbit eats.
   • Observe the rabbit longer (from a distance if necessary) and make sure it eats and drinks regularly. Check the appearance and consistency of the stool in the cage regularly.
   • Your veterinarian will probably prescribe you a follow-up appointment after your treatment. All of this information can be important to your veterinarian, so try to keep records and remember to take them with you to the clinic.
4. 4 Keep the cage clean and calm and quiet. Rabbits are rather shy, so stress - such as from loud noises - can negatively affect the animal's overall health. Keeping the cage clean, calm, and stress free is an important part of your rabbit's recovery process.
   • Place the crate in a quiet location in your apartment or house, where the rabbit will not be disturbed by small children, other pets, or guests.
   • A dirty cage can also be a source of stress, so be sure to keep the cage clean.