Rabbit Diarrhea

Diarrhea in Rabbits

There are three diseased that cause diarrhea in rabbits. They are Coccidiosis, Tyzzer's Disease, and Mucoid Enteritis. There are ways of telling these three conditions apart, and it is important to be able to do just that, as the health of your entire herd may depend on it. In all three conditions, the disease may be encouraged by stress, crowding, and poor sanitation.

Coccidiosis:

Probably the most common problem. We often think of coccidiosis as one condition, however, there are a number of different organisms belonging to the protozoa family which causes this disease. The most common is Eimeria Steidae which effects the liver primarily. There are another ten different protozoa that affect only the intestinal tract. These organisms are spread by way of feces (contaminated feed and water) and seem to be the most severe in young rabbits. Rabbits with coccidiosis become dirty. There is a pasting of the anal area with feces, the belly becomes enlarged and there seems to be a tendency for the effected animal to crave water. It is generally believed that the soft "night feces" does not contain infectious organisms.

Stunting and occasional death will occur particularly in the young if the disease isn't checked. A number of different medications have been used to treat coccidiosis. Sulfa based drugs are widely used. Medications don't kill the organism but rather reduce the level of infection so that the animals own defense system can overcome the infection and develop a resistance or immunity to the disease. Once an animal has had coccidiosis and survives, it is immune the disease for life.

Tyzzer's Disease:

Tyzzer's disease is also a disease that shows up where animals are under stress. It is particularly prominent at weaning and under crowded conditions. Tyzzer's is caused by the bacteria Bacillus piliformis. This organism resides in the lining cells of the lower intestines, cecum, and upper colon.

Signs of the disease include very black watery feces. There will be a great amount of feces matted around the anus and usually down the hind legs. There is no real way to determine if a herd has this disease, as to date there is no way to culture it in a diagnostic laboratory. Death rate from this disease has been reported as high as 90%.

On necropsy, there will be tiny white spots on the liver and occasionally the heart. The cecal walls and intestines will show severe thickening, and the outside will look like someone painted it red. The organism can be seen by microscopic examination of the effected tissue.

It is known that reducing cage populations and good sanitation practices can lessen the instances of outbreak. Treatment with tetracycline has had varying success, unfortunately without a lab test there is no way to know if the organism is gone or just reduced and waiting for the opportunity to reappear.

Mucoid Enteritis:

Of the tree types of diarrhea, mucoid enteritis is the most influenced by nutrition. The actual cause isn't easy to identify since a number of organisms have been incriminated.

With this disease there are signs of dehydration, bloating of the abdomen and a gelatin like secretion in the feces. Rabbits with severe enteritis can be gently shaken, and a sloshing, water bottle sound can be heard from the stomach. It seems rabbits 4-10 week of age are most susceptible, however the condition has been seen in adult animals as well. Again, it seems that stress, and over-crowding play a major part in triggering outbreaks.

Use of the proper feed, high in fiber and low in protein, along with regular feedings of long stem hay will often correct the condition. Antibiotics have been tried with little success.

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