Causes and treatment of bloating in rabbits, medicines and folk remedies

The digestive system of rabbits is delicate, prone to various disorders. Most often, farmers experience tympania - bloating with intense pain. The first step for bloating in rabbits is to find out the cause, and treatment is carried out according to the diagnosis. It is impossible to delay contacting a veterinarian who will prescribe suitable medications, otherwise the pet will die.

Causes of the disease

Rabbits eat constantly, and food is pushed through the intestines by swallowing and moving new portions. If this process gets lost, then stagnation and fermentation of food particles begin. The abdomen is swollen, gases pressing on the intestinal walls cause intense pain.

Tympania in rabbits occurs for many reasons:

1. Insufficient fluid intake, due to which the feces are compacted. The daily water intake for an adult is 500 ml.
2. Sudden change in diet. Most often, rabbits who are weaned from their mother suffer. In adults, the problem arises during the spring and autumn food changes.
3. A bacterial infection leading to intestinal malfunction.
4. Stress, which causes digestive upset, is common in shy animals. Aggressive animals, transportation, noise can provoke bloating.
5. Eating poor quality food. Bloating occurs when a rabbit eats frozen or moldy grass, wet hay, or fermenting food.
6. Low mobility of the animal.
7. Diseases leading to narrowing and even blockage of the intestinal lumen. This is inflammation and twisting of the intestines, swelling.
8. Parasitic diseases. This is helminthiasis, coccidiosis.
9. Penetration of a wool ball or foreign object into the intestines.
10. Intestinal dysbiosis after pet treatment with antibiotics.

Sometimes dental pathology becomes a provocateur of intestinal bloating in rabbits. When a pet cannot chew food normally, large food particles enter the intestinal tract, clogging it.

Symptoms of bloating

The farmer has little time to identify the cause of the bloating and begin treatment. If the problem is ignored, the rabbits die after a few hours. The fact is that the gases accumulated in the digestive tract intensely press on the diaphragm. The animal begins to have breathing problems, death comes from lack of air. Common symptoms of bloating in rabbits include:

• the pet is inactive, scared, lethargic, drowsy, aloof;
• no appetite;
• stomach growls;
• unnaturally small feces come out;
• constipation lasts at least 12 hours;
• teeth grind;
• body temperature is lowered;
• rapid breathing;
• the eyeballs are bulging;
• the body beats a small tremor;
• the rabbit constantly knocks with its front paws.

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If the stomach is swollen very much, then the rabbit may fall to the floor in pain, lie as if dead.

How to cure a disease

You can treat a rabbit with medicines and folk remedies, agreed with your veterinarian.

A sick pet is separated from its relatives, given plenty of water, and freedom of movement is provided. If possible, let out for a walk.

Drug therapy

List of medicines used for bloating in a rabbit:

1. Activated carbon is the simplest and safest remedy. In a glass of warm water, take 2-3 black tablets, ground into powder - this is the dose for one individual.
2. Veterinary medicine "Tympanol". It is intended for the treatment of bloating in animals, the active ingredients are natural, safe. For 1 kg of animal weight, 0.5 mg of the drug is put, this amount is dissolved in a tablespoon of warm water. The solution is active for half an hour.
3. The drug for flatulence "Espumisan". The dose for one individual is 25 drops per 1 kg of body weight. The solution is given every 3 hours.
4. Carminative drug "Simethicone". Give 1 ml every hour. After weakening of symptoms, the pause between doses is increased to 3 hours.
5. The antispasmodic agent "No-shpa" helps if the intestinal bloating is a consequence of stress. But if the stomach is swollen due to fermentation, then the medication cannot be used.

If the cause of bloating is helminthiasis, then anthelmintic medications are used. The infection should be treated with antibiotics. Analgesics are used to relieve pain. All these drugs are prescribed by the veterinarian, he also sets the optimal dosage.

Folk remedies

The best method to improve the rabbit's well-being is to massage the stool stuck in the intestines to the exit. The abdomen is massaged with your fingers, slowly, smoothly, without sudden pressure, so as not to injure the internal organs. You can do a circular massage or move from the neck to the tail. The duration of the procedure is about 5 minutes. If during this time the pet's condition has not improved, then other methods are used.

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A good remedy for bloating is an alcohol-containing liquid (vodka, rubbing alcohol). The medicine should not be stronger than 30 °, so strong alcohol is diluted with boiled water to the desired degree. The dose for a young individual is a tablespoon, for an adult - 2 spoons. The medicine is poured into the animal's mouth with a syringe.

It is categorically impossible to treat a rabbit by applying a hot heating pad to its stomach. This will provoke increased intestinal fermentation. There is another effective folk remedy for bloating in rabbits: 200 mg ichthyol tablets, 0.1 ml of lactic acid, 0.3 ml of valerian tincture, 6 ml of boiled water. The ingredients are mixed. The medicine is poured into the pet's mouth.

Enemas

An enema is used to help the rabbit remove feces. It is filled with warm boiled water, a couple of drops of sunflower oil are added. The solution is filled with a syringe, the tip is lubricated with petroleum jelly for better introduction into the anus. The medicine is injected into the intestines of the rabbit. Then the animal is turned over on its back, a massage of the abdomen is done. Fecal masses should come out after 1-2 minutes.

Special diet

Within 3-5 days, the sick rabbit must eat a special therapeutic diet. You can not give the animal vegetables (cabbage is especially harmful), fruits, leafy greens and tops, legumes.

The recovering pet is fed with hay and oats. To replenish vitamins, it is allowed to give zucchini, pumpkin. From herbs for bloating, wormwood, dandelion, parsley, dill, chamomile will benefit.

Preventing bloating in rabbits

To avoid treating bloating in rabbits, the following guidelines must be followed:

• give washed and fresh food;
• put only dry grass in the feeder;
• do not give too often cabbage, beet tops, legumes, silage;
• observe the feeding regime;
• give clean water;
• do not allow the drinking bowl to be empty;
• gradually introduce new food into the diet;
• throwing out expired food;
• regularly clean the cage, remove accumulated wool lumps and other debris;
• provide enough space for pets to move and be physically active.

For preventive purposes, rabbits are periodically treated with chamomile, wormwood, dill, mint, thyme, nettle. With proper feeding, hygiene and physical activity, rabbits can remain healthy and active with proper nutrition.