Major diseases of rabbits, ferrets, and pocket pets

1. Major diseases of rabbits, ferrets, and pocket pets Animal Science II-Small Animal

2. General Disease Prevention • Maintain good sanitation by: • Removing spoiled urine soaked bedding regularly • Removing urine and feces contaminated feed regularly • Keep fresh water available at all times

3. General Disease Prevention • Provide a good environment that: • Is free from drafts and eliminate any cool, damp drafts immediately • Has low humidity. Lower humidity is better, as higher humidity contributes to many respiratory diseases

4. Prevention- environment • Maintains a constant temperature and does not fluctuate to a great degree • Has adequate ventilation to remove stale air. This helps prevent respiratory diseases • Feed an appropriate ration

5. General Disease Treatment • First, isolate sick animals from others to help prevent the spread of disease • Remove and replace bedding, etc. from the cage of a sick animal • Chemically disinfect and sanitize cage prior to installing new bedding

6. General Disease Treatment • Use medicated water routinely when disease is a constant threat • Use proper treatments and antibiotics if recommended • Dispose of dead animals properly (burn and bury in some cases).

7. General Disease Treatment • Cull animals that do not show signs of improvement • Improve environmental conditions that may be causing disease • Avoid breeding animals hat may have inherited diseases • Use recommended pesticides to control pests

8. Rabbits • Enteritis • Description: Intestinal tract inflammation that is probably the most common cause of death in rabbits. Stress, unsanitary conditions, and high energy feeds all contribute to the disease. Symptoms: sick animals will have diarrhea stained with blood. Animals will stop eating, but drink lots of water and grind their teeth. There is almost 100% mortality rate.

9. Rabbits • Enteritis • Prevention is best accomplished through proper environment, sanitary conditions, feeding rations that are high in fiber and lower in energy, and control of rodents and birds that may carry the disease • Treatment when applicable is through broad spectrum antibiotics

10. Enteritis http://microvet.arizona.edu/Courses/MIC420/lecture_notes/clostridia/clostridia_enterotoxic/perf_c_enteritis.gif

11. Rabbits • Snuffles • Description- The disease is aggravated by stressful conditions such as poor sanitation, poor ventilation, changing temperatures, shipping or show conditions. Symptoms: persistent sneezing with a white colored nasal discharge. Prevention and treatment: Reduce stress through proper environment

12. Snuffles

13. Rabbits • Mastitis • Description: Inflammation of mammary tissue; also called caked breast. Mastitis may cause nursing problems. Nursing baby rabbits may bite the nipples when they are unable to nurse, and nursing mothers may refuse to nurse the young.

14. Rabbits • Mastitis • Prevention and treatment: Treat by removing concentrates from the diet for 72 hours. When widespread cases in the rabbitry exist, clean and disinfect all nesting boxes

15. Mastitis http://www.case-agworld.com/PageMill_Images/image20.gif

16. Rabbits • Weepy eye • Description: Inflammation of conjunctiva mucus membrane lining of the eyelid and eyeball. Caused by rabbits rubbing their eyes with their front feet • Prevention and treatment: Treat with ophthalmic ointment containing sulfonamides or antibiotics two to three times a day for three to four days

17. Weepy eye http://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk/bunnycampnews/images/image230.jpg

18. Rabbits • Wry neck • Description: Condition caused by inflammation of the inner ear. Head tilted to the side is the most common symptom. Often found where snuffles is also present • Prevention and treatment: Best accomplished by controlling upper respiratory diseases in the rabbitry

19. Wry neck http://www.barbibrownsbunnies.com/images/elizwry.jpg

20. Rabbits • Ear mites • Description: The ear mite psoroptes cunniculi is the most common external ear mite of rabbits. Symptoms: shaking of the head, flapping the ears, and scratching at the ears with the hind feet

21. Rabbits • Ear mites • Prevention and treatment: Treat by applying mineral oil to the ears for three days and repeating at 10 day intervals or use medicated ear drops. Clean and disinfect all equipment and nest boxes

22. Ear mites http://home.kc.rr.com/jhabernal/mohrskc/earmites1z.jpg

23. Rabbits • Wet dewlaps • Description: the dewlap usually gets wet in the water bowl, the fur gets matted, and then infection sets in • Prevention and treatment: automatic waterers, water bottles, or add a rubber ball in the watering bowl. Clip the infected fur and treat with antibiotic ointment

24. Rabbits • Fur chewing • Description: pulling of fur from itself or other rabbits caused by simple boredom, a nutrient deficiency, and a low-fiber diet • Prevention and treatment: Best by feeding hay or straw to add fiber to the diet. Adding magnesium oxide to the ration also helps

25. Rabbits • Hutch Burn • Description: Chapped or burning condition of external genital area of doe. Caused by sitting in dirty, wet, urine soaked bedding • Prevention and treatment: Keep bedding clean. Treatment is with antibiotic creams

26. Rabbits • Sore hocks • Description: Ulcerated area on the bottom of the foot pads most often associated with rough wire cage floors and size of foot pad that doesn’t support the weight of animal. Large breeds with long foot pads are most often affected

27. Rabbits • Sore hocks • Prevention and treatment: Get off wire and place on a solid surface. Apply astringents to the sore pads (Astringents include petroleum jelly, bag balm for cow’s udders, and human hemorrhoid ointments and medications)

28. Sore hocks http://islandgems.net/sorehock.gif

29. Hamsters • Wet tail- also called enteritis • Description: Enteritis is the most important disease of hamsters. Caused by poor sanitation, bacteria, viruses, and diet. Symptoms: wetness around the tail and rear of the animal, caused by a runny diarrhea. A high death rate occurs within 2 days of symptoms appearing. The disease is most often associated with poor sanitation caused by general neglect and poor care

30. Hamsters • Wet tail- also called enteritis • Prevention and treatment: Wet tail, Bacillus piliformis, and Salmonella, and many diseases- Change and disinfect spoiled bedding, cages and equipment and isolate infected animals

31. Hamsters • Wet tail- also called enteritis • Prev/txt cont’d: Keep temperatures around 70 degrees F to avoid estivation (sleep similar to hibernation) when temperatures go above 80 degrees F or hibernation when temperatures go below 50 degrees F. Keep cage at constant temperature and avoid drafts. Animals often do not respond well to treatment

32. Wet tail

33. Hamsters • Common diarrhea • Caused by incorrect diet with overabundance of green leafy materials, vegetables, or fruits. Should not be confused with serious infections • Prevention and treatment: Correct the diet by removing green leafy vegetables and fruits and feeding dry grains and seeds

34. Hamsters • Fleas and lice • Description: common among hamsters especially if other small animals are near • Clean cages and use flea powder recommended for cats (dog flea powder is too strong and may result in an overdose)

35. http://photos1.blogger.com/img/1/1459/640/hamster%20-%20pleading.jpghttp://photos1.blogger.com/img/1/1459/640/hamster%20-%20pleading.jpg

36. Gerbils • Gerbils are hardy and seldom affected by disease, but cold is most common • Description: Colds are the most common ailment. Symptoms: loss of appetite, constant sneezing, and runny eyes and nose. Avoid changing the temperature, drafts, damp condition, and overcrowding http://www.teezz.co.uk/images/animals/gerbil-jul3534.jpg

37. Gerbils • Cold • Prevention and treatment: Best treatment is to reduce stress caused by overcrowding (gerbils need more cage space than hamsters), avoid drafts, humidity, and temperature fluctuations http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/52/Gerbil.jpg

38. Gerbils • Red nose • Description: common condition caused by Staphylococcus bacteria. Animal will recover without any medication. Symptoms: hair loss and red, swollen areas of the skin around the nose and muzzle http://www.springlodgevet.co.uk/images/gerbil2.gif

39. Rats • Respiratory disease caused by Microplasma pulmonis is common disease • Description: Symptoms include nasal discharge, snuffling, rattled breathing, rubbing the eyes and nose, tilted head, incoordination, and circling

40. Rats • Respiratory disease • Prevent with proper ventilation and good sanitation. Remove contaminated feed, provide clean bedding, and maintain a draft free, constant temperature with low humidity. Treat with antibiotics added to water. Isolate and eliminate affected animals if antibiotics added to drinking water is ineffective http://www.animalcareassociates.com/rat2.JPG

41. Rats • External parasites • Description: Polyplax spinulosa is a type of louse that may infest rats and cause loss of hair and itching. Mites also cause hair loss, skin irritation, and may result in small fluid-filled lesions, swellings and inflammation http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/graphics1/blackratgrooming.jpg

42. Rats • External parasites • Prevention and treatment: Treat lice and mites with flea powder every three to four days allowing the dust to stay on the animal for about 30 minutes at the time

43. Polyplax spinulosa http://www.vetcutis.freeserve.co.uk/vetcutis/Polyplax_1.jpg

44. Mice • Mice are hardy with the proper diet, housing, and exercise. However, respiratory disease is caused by several organisms and result from environmental conditions such as changes in the temperature, drafts, and high humidity. Symptoms: squeaking or rattling breath, runny nose, watery eyes, and fur loss. It is best to prevent infestation by eliminating environmental causes

45. Mice • Salmonella and related bacteria are responsible for many of the serious infectious diseases. Control with clean cages, clean water, clean feed, and parasite control

46. Mice • Mites- commonly infected with several mites that cause skin irritation and inflammation due to hair loss. Control with insecticide.

47. Guinea Pigs • Guinea pigs are very healthy under favorable environmental conditions. Avoid drafts and keep temperature and humidity constant to avoid problems. http://www.practical-pet-care.com/images/potw/winners/321_yoko-gabriella.jpg

48. Guinea pigs • When environmental conditions are not good, • Description: Common cold and respiratory diseases can be a major problem and result in animals that are lethargic, listless, have nasal discharge and sneezing http://www.unpronounceable.com/dave/photos/photo_guinea_pigs.jpg

49. Guinea pigs • Common cold • Prevention and treatment: Maintain a good environment and immediate treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics accompanied with increased Vitamin C http://www.unpronounceable.com/dave/photos/photo_guinea_pigs.jpg

50. Guinea pigs • Toxemia • Description: Build up of toxins in the blood that developed in late pregnancy. Symptoms: females will be lethargic, go off feed, refuse to eat, and have difficulty breathing • Prevention and treatment: Feed a high quality diet to the pregnant female and add ½ teaspoon of sugar in the water bottle http://www.cavythailand.com/image/tax.jpg