Bloating in rabbits: cause and treatment, medicines and folk remedies

The digestive system of rabbits is delicate and prone to various disorders. Most often, farmers are faced with tympania - bloating, accompanied by intense pain. First of all, with bloating in rabbits, the cause is found out, and the treatment is carried out according to the diagnosis. It is impossible to delay contacting a veterinarian who will prescribe appropriate medications, otherwise the pet will die.

Causes of disease

Rabbits eat constantly, and food is pushed through the intestines by swallowing and pushing new portions. If this process goes astray, then stagnation and fermentation of food particles begin. The stomach swells, gases pressing on the intestinal walls cause intense pain.

Timpania in rabbits occurs for many reasons:

Insufficient fluid intake, due to which the feces are compacted. The daily norm of water for an adult is 500 ml.
Sudden change in diet. Most often, rabbits weaned from their mothers suffer. In adults, the problem occurs during the spring and autumn change of food.
A bacterial infection that causes intestinal problems.
Stress causing indigestion is often observed in shy animals. Aggressive animals, transportation, noise can provoke bloating.
Eating poor quality food. Bloating is noted when a rabbit eats frozen or moldy grass, wet hay, fermenting food.
Low animal mobility.
Diseases leading to narrowing and even blockage of the intestinal lumen. This is inflammation and torsion of the intestines, tumors.
Parasitic diseases. This is helminthiasis, coccidiosis.
Penetration of a hairball or foreign object into the intestines.
Intestinal dysbacteriosis after antibiotic treatment of a pet.

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

Symptoms of Bloating

The farmer has little time to identify the cause of swelling, start treatment. If the problem is ignored, rabbits die within 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 occurs from lack of air. Common symptoms of bloating in rabbits:

pet is inactive, scared, lethargic, sleepy, aloof;
no appetite;
belly growls;
unnaturally small feces come out;
constipation lasts at least 12 hours;
grinding teeth;
body temperature lowered;
breathing fast;
eyeballs bulging;
body trembles;
the rabbit constantly knocks with its front paws.

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

How to cure disease

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

The sick pet is separated from relatives, they give him plenty of water, provide freedom of movement. If possible, let them out for a walk.

Drug therapy

List of medicines used for bloating in a rabbit:

Activated charcoal is the easiest and safest remedy. Take 2-3 black tablets, ground into powder, into a glass of warm water - this is the dose for one individual.
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 prescribed, this amount is dissolved in a tablespoon of warm water. The solution is active for half an hour.
The drug from flatulence "Espumizan". The dose for one individual is 25 drops per 1 kg of weight. The solution is given every 3 hours.
Carminative drug "Simethicone". Every hour give 1 ml. After easing the symptoms, the pause between doses is increased to 3 hours.
An antispasmodic "No-shpa" helps if bloating is a consequence of stress. But if the stomach is swollen due to fermentation, then the medicine cannot be used.

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

In a severe case, the rabbit is given a hormonal drug and B-group vitamins. This is done by a veterinarian. If no medicine has improved the condition of the animal, then surgical intervention is required.

Folk remedies

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

A good remedy for bloating is an alcohol-containing liquid (vodka, medical 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 tablespoons. The medicine is poured into the animal's mouth with a syringe.

It is strictly forbidden to treat a rabbit by applying a hot heating pad to its stomach. This will provoke an increase in intestinal fermentation. There is another effective folk remedy for bloating in rabbits: 200 mg of 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 pass the stool. 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 for better insertion into the anus is lubricated with petroleum jelly.The medicine is injected into the intestines of the rabbit. Then the animal is turned over on its back, the abdomen is massaged. After 1-2 minutes, feces should come out.

Special Diet

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

Feed a recovering pet with hay, oats. To replenish vitamins, it is allowed to give zucchini, pumpkin. Of the herbs for bloating, wormwood, dandelion, parsley, dill, chamomile will benefit.

Prevention of bloating in rabbits

In order not to have to treat bloating in rabbits, the following recommendations must be observed:

give washed and fresh food;
put only dry grass in the feeder;
do not give too often cabbage, beet tops, legumes, silage;
follow the feeding schedule;
provide clean water;
don't let the drinker be empty;
gradually introduce new foods into the diet;
throw away expired food;
regularly clean the cage, remove accumulated hairballs and other debris;
provide enough space for pets to move around and be active.

As a preventive measure, rabbits are periodically treated with chamomile, wormwood, dill, mint, thyme, nettle. With proper feeding, hygiene and physical activity, rabbits can be sure to stay he althy and active.