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Have a look at the rabbit’s teeth in the picture above. What you can see are the lower incisors coming out of the mouth and almost touching the nose. What you can’t see are the upper incisors curling inside the mouth in a similar way.
Much further and any one of them will create a painful wound and prevent eating. Horrible! Why this happens is due to a fact that surprisingly few rabbit owners know.
Continue reading “Overgrown Rabbit Teeth: Trimming vs Removal”
The photo above shows the typical appearance of a lump on a rabbit. Just like this one, most rabbit lumps are found on the head or neck.
There’s only one common cause, and you need to know what it is.
Continue reading “Help! My Rabbit Has A Lump”
Burying a dog or cat is an important part of the grieving process for many people. It certainly was for me. So as someone who advises it, and has done it, I was annoyed to see “Why you shouldn’t bury your pet in the backyard” featured on my ABC.
It’s the classic case of sitting in an ivory tower making the rest of Australia feel guilty for doing what comes naturally. It also says some fairly silly things. So before I give you some simple tips for a proper home burial, let’s clear them up.
Continue reading “Can I Bury My Dog Or Cat At Home?”
Losing the use of the back legs is one of the most common and serious problems of rabbits. It can happen either suddenly or gradually.
It’s critical that your vet considers all the common causes. It’s not a long list, and can quickly be narrowed down as you’ll see.
Continue reading “Help! My Rabbit’s Back Legs Aren’t Working” You’re about to see what happens when a pet species isn’t big business.
Our page on treating arthritis in dogs shows you lots of choices.
Our page on treating arthritis in cats shows you a few choices.
There is no registered treatment for arthritis in rabbits.
I’ve been a vet for a quarter century now. Over that time I’ve seen just about everything go wrong that can.
Pet disasters tend to go along recurring themes. If you know what they are, you have an excellent chance to avoid them. Some might be upsetting, but I hope you can see the benefit in thinking about them now.
Continue reading “Causes Of Sudden Death In Australian Pets”
Picture this: it’s 4 o’clock on a Saturday, we’re about to close for the weekend, and a caring local resident brings in a dog they’ve just found wandering the street. We get out the scanner, all set to read the microchip and reunite a dog with his family.
Aargh! We can’t find the owners.
Continue reading “The Problem With Microchips”
‘At A Glance (Details Below)’ Emergency Care
Do you keep finding fleas on your dog, cat, rabbit or ferret despite your best efforts? Frustrating isn’t it? It seems so simple and yet so many people have the same problem.
Here are a few reasons:
I’ll now explain each of these points…
Using flea products recommended by vets is the most important step to having a flea-free pet. In many cases, it’s the only thing you need to do. The same applies for cats, rabbits and ferrets.
The reason most people can’t kill every last flea is that they are using outdated products. Until the mid 1990s the only products available could not eliminate fleas. Pets with flea allergy kept on suffering. The shocking news is that these products, mainly shampoos, sprays or rinses, are still widely sold, and resistance has only grown.
However, these products aren’t perfect either. Some, like Frontline or Nexgard have been shown to kill fleas more slowly than others (or not at all in the case of Sentinel) and resistance is suspected for others. I haven’t even mentioned Capstar as it’s far too short-acting. Nowadays I get best results with the flea tablets Simparica, Bravecto or Comfortis, and Advantage still works well.
Although the new flea controls are very safe, they remain unpopular with people wanting to get rid of fleas naturally. If you want to do this, it is possible and we’ll support you, but you have to have lower expectations of success.
Fleas on the animal are no more that 5% of the total. That other 95% comprises eggs, larvae, pupae and adults waiting to jump. These are found wherever your pet, or any other dog or cat with fleas, has been.
You don’t have to kill all the fleas in the environment to eliminate them. The weak point in the flea life cycle is the need for adults to get a blood meal in order to lay eggs. Therefore if you’re not in a hurry, all you need to do is use a good flea killer on your pet and wait.
However your pets or children may disagree. If infestation levels are high, they will keep getting a lot of bites, even if each flea then dies. You or your family may also be getting nasty itchy welts on the ankles and legs.
To learn more please visit our separate page on treating fleas in the household and garden.
That famous jump is how fleas get on passing animals, so unless you keep your dog or cat in a glass box they will keep getting flea hitch-hikers and bringing them home for everybody to enjoy.
The good news is: once you’ve eliminated fleas from your pet and home almost any good flea control will stop reinfestation. You’ve just got to remember to do it. Here’s some suggestions:
Have something to add? Comments are welcome below and will appear within 24 hours of lodging.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. These help topics are from a series regularly posted on email and Twitter. The information provided here is not intended to be used as a substitute for going to the vet. If your pet is unwell, please seek veterinary attention.
Before you have an emergency, it’s good to know which after hours vet is closest and how you will get there in a hurry. There are four veterinary hospitals open 24 hours a day, seven days a week in Adelaide*. We created this clickable map by comparing travel times to each one from various locations. Please use it to get directions to your nearest vet when your regular vet is closed.
Walkerville Vet is open 8am to 6:30pm weekdays and 9am to 1pm Saturdays. Vets start consulting at 9am.
Continue reading “Find An Adelaide Emergency Vet Open Late”
‘At A Glance (Details Below)’ Emergency Care
Rabbits that stop eating, or even start eating or pooping less are in much more danger than most people think. The most common cause is a disease called Gastrointestinal Stasis, which is the subject of this page.
Before getting to the specifics, other common causes of a poor appetite need mentioning.
Only a vet can work out the cause. Of special note is the problem telling gut stasis apart from obstruction. Most vets use a combination of blood glucose, body temperature and X-rays.
It takes a very observant bunny owner to spot the early warning signs. One of the most common causes of death in rabbits starts off looking like nothing at all.
It’s far more likely in rabbits on poor diets, and is often triggered by another problem. This can be dental disease, pain, injury, illness, recent surgery or stress. It can even happen to rabbits on good diets if the trigger is severe enough, like HunnyBunny’s gut stasis story.
Rabbits are unique and special. They somehow do two opposite things at the same time:
To be able to do this, they control an amazingly sophisticated gut. However, as anyone knows, ‘sophisticated’ means ‘look after it or it breaks down’. Sadly, many rabbit lovers learn this too late.
The movement of gut contents through this system relies on extremely high fibre levels and low levels of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. If you feed the opposite diet, here’s what can happen:
Getting the gut moving is no easy feat and you’ll need a vet to help. However, with appropriate care, a rabbit with GI stasis has a good prognosis.
It’s a fallacy that GI stasis is caused by hairballs but you’ll still read about lubricants, pineapple or papaya enzymes being used. These are usually unnecessary and may even be harmful. Affected rabbits have hairballs due to their gut not moving the hair through properly in the first place.
Please don’t try to massage your rabbit’s belly either without first making sure there isn’t an obstruction.
Once rabbits start to improve, we need to wean them onto protective diets (see below). In the beginning, highly attractive and tasty foods like leafy greens may be the only thing eaten, and should be offered even when a rabbit is in hospital.
Assisted feeding can continue as long as needed but be careful not to force the issue. If you push too hard your rabbit might actually eat less.
As soon as practical, good quality hay should be offered. It’s worth shopping around to find Timothy hay for these bunnies as it seems more attractive and easier to digest.
Some experts think a lack of exercise may also contribute to gastrointestinal stasis so the more time out of the hutch with you the better.
Lastly, what is a good rabbit diet? It’s certainly not found in rabbit mueslis and pellets.
Amounts are for an average 2.3kg bunny
Have something to add? Comments are welcome below and will appear within 24 hours of lodging.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. These help topics are from a series regularly posted on email and Twitter. Subscribe via email here to never miss a story! The information provided here is not intended to be used as a substitute for going to the vet. If your pet is unwell, please seek veterinary attention.