Worms in rabbits: symptoms and treatment, the best medicines and prevention

Insidious parasites are a real disaster for owners of big-eared pets. The problem threatens farmers with great losses, because the quality of future products is at risk. With the help of a veterinarian, owners can determine early on if rabbits have worms, see symptoms, and begin treatment. Timely preventive measures will help to avoid troubles.

How infection occurs

Even in good conditions, animals run the risk of becoming prey to worms. Most often, infection occurs during feeding pets. Together with hay, rabbits eat helminth eggs, which are abundant in dry grass. Once in the animal's esophagus, the parasites emerge from the eggs and begin to grow. Having reached maturity, the formed worms infect the pet's body. The initial stage of infection goes unnoticed by the host. The behavior and appearance of the fluffy pet do not change, the rabbit is still cheerful and willingly eats food.

Problems begin later, when the number of parasites in the pet's body increases many times over. The pet is rapidly losing weight and the beauty of the skin. Most often, trouble happens with rabbits living in unsanitary conditions, when animals are kept in a dirty cage on an earthen floor. Parasites easily enter a pet's home through small domestic animals.

Chickens, ducks, cats or dogs with helminthiasis can infect a rabbit. For tiny parasites, it doesn't cost anything to move to the rabbit's feeder or bedding. If the pet lives in good conditions and eats well, he can avoid the severe consequences of infection. A strong, he althy animal has a strong immune system and a he althy gastrointestinal tract.Parasite eggs tend to die in the acidic environment of the stomach.

Rabbits are the most affected. They have not yet had time to get stronger immune system and develop an acidic environment in the stomach. Toddlers have a harder time than adults. Worms destroy the fragile immune system of rabbits. If the parasites reach a large number, they stray into a ball and, like a cork, clog the intestines of the animal. This can end with a rupture of the intestines and the death of the rabbit.

Adult rabbit helminthiasis causes a lot of trouble. As a result of infection, the immunity of the animal is noticeably weakened. In advanced cases, the parasites destroy the pet's protective stomach lining. From this point on, dangerous bacteria can freely enter the circulatory system of the animal. As a result, the pet's body can no longer resist diseases. Any accidental infection in combination with helminths can lead to a sad outcome.

Helminthiasis symptoms

Parasites take over the body of the victim gradually, so it is not easy to recognize the danger in time. Alarming symptoms speak of infection of an eared pet with helminths:

1. The animal shows an irrepressible appetite, but the weight of the animal is greatly reduced.
2. The pet drinks water every now and then.
3. The animal sheds a lot. If untreated, the number of parasites increases and the shedding becomes more intense.
4. A rabbit gradually develops diarrhea or vice versa - constipation. An admixture of greenery is visible in the excrement.
5. The anal area becomes inflamed and reddish.
6. In some cases, the pet refuses food, sits indifferently in the corner of the cage and does not respond to touch.

Methods for diagnosing invasion

For an accurate diagnosis, it is necessary to take blood from the pet for analysis. In the course of their vital activity, parasites secrete a large number of specific toxins. These substances affect the composition of the animal's blood, so the analysis provides accurate information about the infection. The study of feces is informative only at the moment when the worms have already safely settled in the body of the animal. However, if the parasites are in the egg stage of the rabbit's esophagus, the analysis will show nothing.

In an advanced case, parasites can be seen with the naked eye. To do this, you need to carefully consider the feces of the pet. During the period of active reproduction, pinworms lay a huge number of eggs, they are clearly visible in the form of white patches.

What types of worms do breeders face in rabbits:

1. Pinworms. Helminths enter the body of pets with food. Rabbits and hares become victims of infection. As a result of the spread of worms, animals become ill with passalurosis.Parasites cause unbearable itching in rabbits. The exhausted animal constantly rubs against the bars of the cage or against the floor. Worms are dangerous not only for pets. Parasites are easily transmitted to humans, causing an unpleasant disease enterobiasis.
2. Parasites - Echinococcus. Like pinworms, helminths enter the rabbit's body through food. This is where the similarities between parasites end. Echinococcus uses the animal as a staging base. Worm larvae find shelter in the liver and other organs of the rabbit. In places of dislocation of echinococci, tumors are formed. A sick animal does not pose a danger to its relatives.

Ways to treat worms in rabbits

Even with full confidence in the cause of the disease, self-medication is unacceptable. All drugs are given after a prescription from a veterinarian. You need to study the instructions and calculate the dosage of the medicine.

Whatever the treatment, rabbit excrement must be burned. When treated with special preparations, the intestinal microflora inevitably suffers, so pets are given probiotics.

Medications

For the treatment of helminthiasis, animals are given an anthelmintic. For eared beauties, there are effective and safe drugs:

1. "Shustrik" - a drug with a wide spectrum of action, made in the form of a suspension. This gentle product is added to your pet's water or food.
2. "Albendazole". The tool is used in case of damage to the internal organs of the animal by Giardia and nematodes. Deworming is carried out simultaneously with the intake of immuno-fortifying drugs.
3. "Gamavit" is an excellent tool for strengthening pet's shaken immunity.
4. "Levamisole". This drug successfully copes with the destruction of nematodes and worms. For eared patients, Levamisole is used as a 10% solution. The medicine is administered to the rabbit by injection. The remedy is contraindicated in pregnant females, debilitated individuals and rabbits under 4 months old.

For the treatment of pinworms, the anthelmintic "Sulfate-piperazine" is also used. Before the course of treatment, a preliminary preparation of the pet is carried out - the animal is not fed during the day. The medicine is given at the rate of 1.5 g of the drug per 1 kg of weight.

If the pet is fragile, weak, you can have a gentle treatment, but in this case, the course will take more time. For this, Phenothiazine is used. Dosage of the drug: 0.1 g per 1 kg of pet's weight. For infected rabbits, Shustrik or Albendazole suspension is also suitable. In case of infection of the animal with echinococci, the drug "Mebendazole" is used. For an eared handsome man, the dose of the drug is calculated by the formula: 5 mg per 1 kg of weight. The course of treatment is designed for 5 days.

Folk methods and recipes

When treating broiler animals, one has to take into account that chemicals will inevitably affect the composition and quality of meat, so farmers often resort to folk remedies to combat parasites.In order for the helminths to leave the pet's body, you need to drink the animal with a decoction of medicinal herbs or give the rabbit medicine along with food.

1. Tansy. The plant is widely known and even received a second name - worm. Natural medicine is mixed with the main food. The plant is used carefully, the daily norm of a natural remedy should not exceed 2 branches. Tansy is known for its astringent properties, so an excessive passion for fragrant medicine threatens the animal with constipation.
2. Pumpkin. The tool is traditionally considered the best way to get rid of parasites. Orange vegetable seeds are fed in small portions to rabbits.
3. wormwood. Thunderstorm of pinworms and roundworms. Grass is added to the general diet. Wormwood should be 30% of the total amount of food. For the treatment of rabbits, the dose of the medicine is reduced.
4. The needles not only successfully fight against different types of helminths, but also enrich the body of pets with vitamins.An arbitrary amount of needles is mixed into a portion of hay. Harvested natural medicine in winter, at a temperature not higher than 20 degrees below zero. Essential oils contained in coniferous plants are dangerous for eared pets. After the onset of frost, the concentration of the odorous substance decreases, and the needles can be safely used to treat rabbits. Otherwise, the animals may be poisoned and die.

Prophylaxis of helminthiasis

Compliance with some rules will help reduce the risk of animal disease. All rabbits are periodically given anthelmintics. Exceptions are made only for rabbits under 3 months of age. Be sure to treat rabbits before giving birth. This is important because parasites can be passed on to offspring and kill the entire litter. Before vaccination, animals must be treated for worms. The interval between the last dose of the drug and the vaccination is at least 14 days.

In addition, it is necessary to clean the cage in time, remove the waste products of rabbits. Harvesting grass for forage in secluded, marshy places is prohibited. Dangerous for mowing grass and meadows where traces of hares were seen. These wild relatives serve as vectors for helminths. If there are dogs on the farm, they are kept away from rabbits. Dogs are periodically given anthelmintics. When caring for a sick animal, you need to take precautions, because some types of parasites are dangerous to humans.

Can I eat rabbit meat with worms

Ministry of He alth officials allow the use of helminth-infested meat after special treatment. Before cooking, the product is deep-frozen or boiled for a long time.

However, veterinarians have a different point of view and categorically prohibit the consumption of infected meat for food. In any case, there are few who want to taste such a delicacy. It is unpleasant to realize that disgusting worms have recently been swarming in a tender piece of meat.

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