Emergencies Rabbits & Rodents
Bloat
This is the most common emergency in rabbits and rodents. There are many causes, e.g. new food items or a change of diet; dental or abdominal pain, stress from traveling.
Bloat is life threatening. A bloated GI-tract (stomach and/or intestines) puts pressure on a major vein (v. Cava caudalis), which leads to problems with the blood circulation and eventually to death.
Signs of bloat
- lethargy (animal is not willing move, either sitting hunched or laying on its side)
- acute anorexia
- no feces
- fast breathing (nostrils open fast and wider than normal)
- hypothermia (< 38,5°C), very cold ears
- teeth grinding
- noises from the GI-tract
First Aid
- Keep the animal warm (put a bottle with hot water next to the animal)
- Painkiller (human analgin (metamizole) 0,1ml per kg body weight by mouth
Call your veterinarian immediately. Do not wait! This is a life threatening condition if not treated promptly. Do not give degan (metocloperamide), this can be contra-indicated. Assisted feeding can be attempted only if the animal is responsive and swallowing. Always try to feed water first, before using a food slurry.
Heat stroke
Rabbits & Rodents can easily get overheated in hot summer months (car rides, time spent on the balcony). Specially rabbits don’t like temperature above 20°C and if available they lay stretched out on cold surfaces.
Signs of heat stroke
- fast breathing (nostrils are moving fast and more than usual).
- very hot ears
- soft feces
- lethargy
First Aid
- Wet the ears and paws with cold water – DO NOT wet the whole rabbit.
- If swallowing offer cold water in a bowl or by syringe.
- Try to measure the rectal temperature (rabbits normally have 39°C)
True blood in the urine
If your rabbit or rodent is a female and is not castrated the most common cause for blood (and blood cloths) in their urine is a pathology of the uterus. In general the animal can deal with small amounts of blood loss, but if not treated timely can die from anemia.
Do not mistake reddish urine with blood in urine. Many food items for rabbits and rodents contain pigments which will stain the urine reddish soon after it’s excreted by your pet. If in doubt collect some of the urine and bring it for examination.
If you have a male rabbit or rodent, the most common cause for blood in its urine are urinary stones (uroliths). Since these stones in 99% of the cases consist of calcium, they are easily seen on radiographs. They can sit in the kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder or the urethra. In the latter case most animals will vocalize while urinating and will urinate in small amounts or are unable to urinate. Female animals can also suffer from uroliths and show similar signs as males.
If you think your pet as blood in its urine, please make an appointment with your vet (incl. an abdominal ultrasound). Make pictures from the urine and or bring a sample along.
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