MediRabbit

Recommendation to ALL rabbit owners:

Please monitor the weight of the rabbit

Dr. Amir Maurer

Companion and Exotic Animal Veterinary Center, Holon, Israel

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Rabbits, rodents, and birds can experience health problems that are not easily visible or noticeable in their behavior. They may appear normal and show no signs of illness, but it's essential to be aware of these potential health issues. It is important to note that the progression of the disease, particularly dental disease, will not be halted. The result can be detrimental to the animal's well-being, potentially leading to secondary health concerns.

Secondary effects dental problems

1. Spurs, overgrown molars, deformed teeth can cause:

- Damage the gums and tongue, and possible secondary bacterial or yeast infections;

- Ptyalism (hypersalivation, slobbering) and secondary inflammation of the skn (dermatitis) and alopecia.

2. Elongation of the roots of incisors or cheek teeth can cause various problems:

- Compression or blockage of the nasolachrymal duct cause a runny eye or dacryocystitis;

- Infection of the dental root, with development of a root abscess or a retrobulbar infection;

- Infection of the root and deformation of the bone due to dissolution of bone (osteolysis) or osteomyelitis;

- Dysplastic changes, e.g., pseudo-odontoma, that lead to compression of the nasal cavity, difficult breathing,

sneezing or “reversed” sneezing;

- Discomfort and/or pain caused by the dental problem leads to a decreases appetite;

- Secondary renal failure, due to anorexia, hepatic lipidosis, septicemia.

3. Signs of behavioral and dietary changes due to discomfort or pain may include sudden aggressiveness or shyness, nibbling of furniture, changes in food or litter habits, or licking a salt block that has been ignored for some time.

How can this be avoided

To avoid these tragic situations, it is advisable to purchase a digital scale and weigh the animal on a monthly basis. To ensure the accuracy of the measurement, the average of three consecutive measurements should be taken and recorded. This will provide a more stable weight reading of the rabbit.

A veterinary examination should be scheduled when a 10% loss of stable body weight has been recorded.

This effective method is of great assistance to veterinarians, enabling them to identify diseases in their early stages, particularly dental diseases.

Material needed

A digital kitchen scale that weigh up to 5 kg

A light plastic box

Tarring

0.196 kg after adding the container on the scale.

Arrow shows tarring button on this scale

Tarring will set the scale to zero: 0.000

Prior to weighing the rabbit, it is essential to set the scale to zero. Depending on the country of origin, the scale will display the weight in kilograms or pounds.

The container box is placed in the middle of the digital scale for tarring. This is necessary to ensure the accurate display of the rabbit's weight.

After pressing the tarring button, the display will show lines or dots until ready. Once the tarring is complete, please proceed to the next step.

Weighing the rabbit...

Due to the fact that rabbits often move within the box, which can result in inaccurate weight measurements on the digital scale, it is recommended that several measurements be taken and the average be calculated: