Treatment for a wet nose in a rabbit. Wet face in a rabbit and methods of treating this disease

If a rabbit has a wet face, this may be a manifestation of infectious stomatitis. Most often, this disease affects small rabbits who have not yet reached 3 months of life. How to recognize and how to treat this disease?

The characteristic symptoms of this disease include the following:

• the animal has an inflammatory process of the mucous membrane in the mouth, especially a wet nose, the entire muzzle;
• the inflammatory process is accompanied by increased salivation;
• plaque and redness of the oral mucosa are observed;
• the animal's behavior is marked by apathy; you can notice that the rabbit often rubs its muzzle with its paws;
• the rabbit’s fur coat loses its shine, it becomes tangled, looks unkempt, this can be seen even in the photo;
• the animal refuses to eat.

If a rabbit suffers from a mild form of infectious stomatitis, then you can expect it to recover within 8-10 days, but if the disease has severely affected the animal, it may die within a week. About 20-30% of the rabbits die. Most often, animals develop infectious stomatitis in the off-season, that is, in spring or autumn.

How to treat?

What needs to be done? What is the treatment for infectious stomatitis? The sooner you start treatment, the greater the chance that the animal will survive. Even if only one rabbit on the farm is sick, all offspring must be treated. Those animals that are healthy are given half the dose of the medicine.

What can be the treatment?

Treatment can be carried out using potassium permanganate in a ratio of 1:1000. You need to prepare a solution. It is also necessary to clean the animal cages and disinfect them. Those rabbits that have suffered this disease can subsequently be used only for commercial purposes. To treat the cells, you will need a 20% solution of freshly slaked lime; special disinfectants, which can be purchased at veterinary pharmacies, are also suitable for these purposes.

Ordinary streptocide works well in the treatment of infectious stomatitis. One tablet should be divided into two parts, one of them should be crushed and given to the rabbit. In the same dosage, you need to repeat the procedure after 8-10 hours.

Penicillin may also be a treatment option. It needs to be instilled into the rabbit’s mouth once a day; 0.05 or 0.1 g will be enough.

The wet face and nose of an unhealthy rabbit should be wiped with a solution of 2% copper sulfate. This should be done twice a day for three days.

The rabbit's oral cavity can be lubricated with streptocidal emulsion. What is it for? She will also fight the external manifestations of infection. It can be applied to the entire wet face of the animal.

What else can help? You can prepare an ointment that veterinarians use to combat this disease. Here are the ingredients it contains: 30 g of lanolin, 2 g of sulfonamide, 170 grams of white petroleum jelly, 200 thousand units of penicillin.

Preventive measures for this disease

The main preventive measure will be the separation of healthy animals from sick ones. At the same time, healthy animals that you have separated from sick animals must be monitored all the time and their condition monitored.

Both healthy and sick rabbits should be kept in good conditions. They must have clean, disinfected cages, and there must be no draft in their living area.

A preventive measure can also be adding iodine tincture to the water of animals (this can be a ratio of 5 ml per 10 liters of water). You can also add a small amount of potassium permanganate to the water. It is good to carry out such preventive measures in the off-season, when the disease is especially active.

A wet face in a rabbit, or in other words, biting midge is an inflammation of the oral mucosa of baby rabbits or young rabbits with profuse salivation, causing wet hair on the nose, near the mouth and nose, and sometimes even on the chest, with subsequent loss or thinning of the hair caused by skin irritation.

A wet muzzle in rabbits is a consequence of infectious stomatitis caused by an animal viral infection, which especially affects the palate and tongue of the animal.

The so-called filter virus that causes this disease in rabbits is not dangerous to humans, but is quite easily transmitted from one animal to another, and the carrier of the infection can be the mother of the cubs, who herself is not sick.

Also, it is worth noting that the infection that causes this disease is quite often found in the blood of animals due to the fact that unscrupulous breeders allow recovered individuals who are carriers to reproduce, and is activated when immunity decreases, caused, for example, by placement in another cage, stress , changing food, etc.

With age, the rabbit develops immunity to the pathogen, and also strengthens the general condition of the body, and therefore rabbit stomatitis is a childhood disease that affects young animals under the age of three months.

Symptoms and nature of stomatitis in rabbits

Stomatitis in rabbits has symptoms somewhat similar to the symptoms of human stomatitis, changing with the development of the disease, while the following happens to the rabbit:

The lifespan of a rabbit and the rate of development of the disease depend on its form: mild or severe.

With a mild form, sick animals have every chance of recovering on the eighth or tenth day of treatment, but a severe form usually kills the offspring within a period of four days to a week.

How to distinguish a severe form of stomatitis in rabbits from a mild one

Methods of treating the disease

Treatment of infectious stomatitis in rabbits is carried out either orally with the use of medications, or by injection - with injections of antibiotics:

In addition to general treatment, it is necessary to pay special attention to local treatment of the diseased mucous membrane and irritated skin of the face, as this will greatly alleviate the suffering of the animal and increase the likelihood of a favorable outcome:

An additional method of treating a wet muzzle is the use of Apidermin, a special drug for rabbits consisting of natural ingredients to increase immunity, anesthetize the inflamed oral mucosa and improve regeneration.

Rabbits are lovely pets, but they get sick even with careful care. One of the ailments of this small animal is biting midge. The primary sign of this disease is the animal's wet face. Midling in rabbits is quite severe, so the first symptoms and methods of combating this disease should be known to all owners. Especially for those who are engaged in full-fledged breeding.

Midge is a stomatitis caused by a virus. The mucous membrane of the animals' mouth becomes inflamed, and the fur around the muzzle becomes wet due to frequent secretion of saliva and is constantly wet. The typical age of animals at which they are most often susceptible to the disease is only the first 3 months of life.

The causative agent of biting midge is a filter virus; the disease quickly spreads to the entire litter of small rabbits. It is extremely important to take all measures for treatment.

The midge has two forms: light and heavy. The first is characterized by a painless course of the disease, while the second is dangerous due to the death of the pet. Death occurs within 10 days of infection.

Veterinarians call the disease differently - infectious stomatitis. There are a number of characteristic features that make it several times easier to determine:

• Rabbits up to 3 months old are susceptible to the disease, while adults have strong immunity;
• the virus spreads through blood, saliva, urine;
• biting midge most often appears in autumn and spring, but under poor conditions it can appear at any time of the year;
• a severe form of the disease occurs if healthy and sick individuals are kept at the same time.

Of course, despite the seasonality, biting midges can appear in summer and winter. This is influenced by quite a few factors: from conditions of detention to temperature fluctuations.

Wet face: reasons

There are many reasons for such features of the disease:

• in spring and autumn, rabbits give birth;
• often during this period, animals, like people, have significantly reduced immunity;
• changes in air temperature;
• increasing indoor air humidity;
• small room for a large brood;
• infected individuals are kept with healthy ones, resulting in sick offspring.

The causes of woodlice are quite obvious and can be easily eliminated with proper and attentive care.

Symptoms

A wet muzzle that appears in rabbits is an alarming signal, although it may be associated with other rabbit diseases. It is important to pay attention to the accompanying symptoms, otherwise there is a high risk of losing all individuals.

Characteristic signs of damage to the brood by woodlice appear 2–3 days after infection. It’s easy enough to miss them; they are not obvious. It is especially difficult to determine if the owner is engaged in breeding - it is not so easy to examine many individuals.

The primary symptoms are redness of the mouth. The mucous membranes clearly swell, and the tongue becomes covered with a white coating. Contrary to popular belief, not every animal has a wet nose, so when a rabbit’s nose begins to get wet, this is a clear sign of a serious illness. However, in the first days the rabbits remain active, it is quite difficult to notice that something is wrong.

Five days after infection, the plaque turns brown and ulcers appear in the mouth. There is a strong secretion of saliva: it literally drips, the fur around the muzzle gets wet and sticks together.

A sick rabbit begins to avoid its relatives. He sits in the corner, often rubs his face with his paws, and is very apathetic to what is happening. At the same time, the animal maintains a good appetite, but quickly loses weight - eating and drinking is painful due to ulcers in the mouth. When chewing food, a slurping sound appears.

The secreting saliva abundantly wets the fur, initiating its loss along the entire line of the muzzle. The skin becomes inflamed, small wounds appear from friction with the paws of these particular areas of the muzzle. Then they begin to fester.

In addition, woodlice exhibits other symptoms: loose stools, lethargy. Appetite gradually disappears. The pet dies before 10 days after infection. However, if this does not happen in the first 7 days, then the animal is likely to survive and recover.

The name "woodlouse" comes from the rabbit's appearance after death. The body is wet and thinner, the fur around it is stuck together and has fallen out. Ulcers spread throughout the body, and large amounts of mucus are hidden in the intestines.

As a result, the disease develops in less than two weeks, manifesting itself with the following symptoms:

• salivation;
• plaque in the oral cavity;
• lethargic state;
• diarrhea;
• ulcers

Unfortunately, the disease can only be determined by profuse drooling, and only then can full treatment begin. That is why in a short time the entire brood of young animals becomes infected.

Treatment

Infectious stomatitis cannot be delayed, so its treatment must begin at the first sign. Efficiency in this is the most important thing; this is the only way that therapeutic measures will have an effect within two days. And every owner should know what to do when a midge appears, even if he has not encountered the disease before.

The muzzles and mouth of an infected rabbit must be treated twice a day with a 2% solution mixed with water. This measure is sufficient for mild forms of woodlice.

In severe cases, streptocide is used, half of the tablet of which must be crushed and poured into the rabbit’s mouth, and the second part of the powder - after 10 hours. Often this method is combined with treatment with vitriol. Sick individuals can be cured much faster this way.

It is necessary to change the diet of sick rabbits. It becomes difficult to chew heavy food due to open ulcers in the mouth, so the food is softened. Often, owners switch to soft food for the entire brood. But even such nutrition should be complete and easy to digest.

Animals are given milk, curdled milk, liquid cereals and various mixed feeds. For example, boiled potatoes with mixed feed softened with water.

Treatment must be repeated for several days. Improvement usually occurs on the second or third day. But you need to observe for another 2 weeks; if there are no signs of illness, then the rabbit has recovered.

Of course, when faced with the disease for the first time, the owner needs to contact a veterinarian. The doctor will advise how to treat animals, prescribing medications and choosing suitable food.

Prevention

Preventative measures for woodlice are as follows:

• daily examination, including the muzzle;
• thorough cleaning of cells;
• add special antiviral additives to the feed;
• vaccinate all available individuals.

An interesting question may be whether the meat of recovered rabbits can be eaten. After all, many owners breed animals precisely for this purpose. The answer is simple: you can. The meat of a recovered rabbit is not bad or contaminated.

Careful care of your pets and attentive attitude will help you avoid such troubles as infectious stomatitis.

Whiteweed in a rabbit occurs due to infectious stomatitis - as a result of this disease, the rodent's oral cavity is affected, there is a constant secretion of saliva, which is why wet marks can be seen on the face and neck. The disease most often appears in young animals up to 2-3 months of age.

Today we will talk about what a farmer should do if he notices signs of biting midge in his livestock, what factors provoke the disease, and how to treat the disease.

The development of a pathology such as biting midge occurs under the influence of a filter virus. Symptoms often occur in young rabbits, but also occur in adults.

Outbreaks of viral stomatitis occur at any time of the year. The disease affects rodents of all breeds, without exception. However, this problem often arises in the spring season. This phenomenon is associated with a seasonal weakening of immunity in the livestock and an increase in the number of young animals.

The development of the disease is influenced by the following predisposing factors:

• poor living conditions for pets;
• lack of vitamins and minerals due to a poor diet;
• keeping livestock in cramped cages;
• sudden changes in air temperature, drafts in cages;
• the presence of autoimmune processes in the body of animals;
• nervous stress;
• mating of healthy and sick individuals.

The following types of stomatitis are distinguished:

• bacterial;
• traumatic;
• non-viral.

In some cases, the impetus for the development of the disease is a helminthic infestation in an advanced form. Sometimes the cause of the pathological process is improper growth of teeth.

Traumatic stomatitis occurs as a result of damage to the oral cavity by various sharp objects. Pathogenic microorganisms quickly penetrate wounds and provoke an inflammatory process.

Viral stomatitis spreads quite quickly. A female can infect her rabbits during pregnancy through the blood. In the absence of timely treatment, the disease can cause the death of livestock.

Signs of infectious stomatitis

Common symptoms of stomatitis:

• wet marks on the face and chest;
• foamy discharge from the mouth;
• lack of appetite;
• exhaustion;
• severe itching, which provokes chewing functions;
• ulcers in the mouth;
• diarrhea.

This process can also cause other infectious diseases in pets. This happens due to a severe weakening of the immune system.

Forms of the disease

The disease can occur in animals in both mild and severe forms. This depends on the age of the pet, the characteristics of the immune system and the influence of other factors.

Table 1. Manifestation of stomatitis in different forms

Animals that have recovered from illness are considered unsuitable for further breeding, but some unscrupulous breeders ignore this rule.

Diagnosis of the disease

To make an accurate diagnosis, you will need to seek help from a veterinarian - the livestock needs a thorough examination. The disease is often diagnosed based on characteristic symptoms. However, stomatitis is easily confused with other pathologies, such as:

• coccidiosis;
• rhinitis;
• sunstroke;
• diseases of the digestive system.

However, it should be remembered that with stomatitis, inflammation of the oral cavity first appears, and only then other symptoms appear. Body temperature usually remains normal.

Treatment of biting midge in rabbits

Self-recovery of pets is observed only in rare cases. Therefore, if characteristic symptoms are present, it is important to promptly carry out therapy. Basic treatment includes the following methods:

1. Daily douching of the oral cavity with a manganese solution. If necessary, you can use furatsilin, having previously dissolved it in water. This procedure is repeated 2-3 times per day.
2. Crush the streptocide tablet into powder and pour it into the rodent’s mouth. It is also recommended to mix such powder with Vaseline, the resulting ointment is used to treat ulcers and dried scabs.
3. You will need to moisten a sterile bandage in a weak solution of copper sulfate and apply it to the ulcers.
4. It is recommended to treat the oral cavity with Baytril. A suspension should be prepared from it.
5. For rapid wound healing, it is recommended to treat the oral cavity with glycerin and Lugol. The product is available in the form of a spray.
6. Sulfadimezin drops are used for douching of the oral cavity. Therapy is continued for 2-3 days.

Veterinarians recommend using beeswax-based ointments. Such products do an excellent job of healing wounds in infectious forms of stomatitis. The ointment should be applied to the skin around the mouth and mucous membranes.

Table 2. Instructions for douching a rabbit's mouth

Illustration	Description
	Step one: you need to inspect the entire population, find individuals with wet marks near the mouth.
	Step two: take a syringe without a needle with a thin tube at the end, draw a manganese solution into it.
	Step three: then you will need to immobilize the animal and rinse the entire oral cavity with manganese solution.
	Step four: after which it is necessary to thoroughly treat the mucous membranes with penicillin-based powder.

A positive result can be noticed already on the 2nd day after the start of enhanced therapy. If there is no effect, other medications are prescribed.

Antibacterial therapy

Treatment with antibacterial drugs, which is logical, is especially effective for bacterial stomatitis. Pets are recommended to receive penicillin injections in amounts up to 40,000 units. once. The exact dosage will depend on the age and weight of the rabbit.

Antibiotic-based ointments with the addition of the following components are also often used:

• petrolatum;
• lanolin;
• penicillin.

The mucous membranes are treated with products for external use for 3-4 days. Inflammations begin to dry out quickly, and the condition returns to normal.

Adjuvant therapy

As a result of weakened immunity, pathogenic microorganisms actively spread, causing inflammatory processes to develop. To prevent complications, the following treatment is prescribed for various forms of stomatitis:

1. Means for stimulating the immune system: Fosprenil, Engystol.
2. Medicines to restore metabolic functions: Microvitam, Aminovit.
3. After long-term antibacterial therapy, it is recommended to give probiotics to pets. Such remedies allow you to restore digestive processes. However, not all medications can be taken together.
4. Upon completion of therapy, it is recommended to administer anthelmintic treatment to the livestock.

In the absence of auxiliary treatment, it will only be possible to achieve improvements for a while. It is necessary to constantly increase the body's resistance to various diseases.

Traditional methods of treatment

1. Calendula.
2. Chamomile.
3. Oak bark.
4. Sage.

You can buy such herbs at a pharmacy or collect them yourself. Immediately after harvesting, the plants will need to be thoroughly washed to remove dirt and dried. The herbs can then be infused with boiling water.

The mucous membranes of the oral cavity are treated with cotton pads. This treatment is recommended for all individuals who have previously suffered from stomatitis. Ointments with the addition of propolis are used as an antiseptic.

Nutrition for rabbits with stomatitis

In the presence of such a pathology, young animals are often stunted, and adults begin to quickly lose body weight. Therefore, pets require special nutrition during this period.

Due to severe inflammation, animals cannot chew solid food, so solid grains should be completely excluded from their diet. If individuals categorically refuse to feed, farmers feed them themselves using a syringe. The main thing is that pets receive all the necessary microelements every day - this will strengthen the immune system and prevent exhaustion.

Loss of appetite is observed in rodents already at the initial stage of the disease, so the owner is advised to monitor the rabbits’ diet. During this period, it is advisable to feed the livestock with liquid porridges with the addition of decoctions of medicinal herbs.

Animals are also given dairy products and mashed potatoes. It is better to soak dry feed in water and prepare wet mash. The lack of solid food negatively affects the condition of the teeth, so it is important to carry out intensive therapy and quickly restore the body.

Prevention of biting midges

To prevent the spread of stomatitis, it is important to adhere to the following preventive recommendations:

Recovered rabbits are allowed to be sent to slaughter. After heat treatment, such meat is completely suitable for consumption.

Let's sum it up

Stomatitis is a common disease of a viral, bacterial or traumatic nature. Treatment should begin only after preliminary diagnosis, and the exact prognosis will depend on the age of the individual and the capabilities of the immune system. It is important to carry out therapy in advance to strengthen the body’s protective functions, because the virus is rapidly spreading into the environment.

Video - Wet muzzle of a rabbit

Rabbits are susceptible to many diseases. If treatment is not started on time, mass mortality will occur. Breeding requires vigilant attention to adult rabbits and young animals. Breeders often encounter a problem when a rabbit has a wet face.

Symptoms of the disease

Sometimes young individuals have a profuse flow of saliva, and the fur on the face becomes wet. If a rabbit has a wet face, it has contracted midge, or viral stomatitis. This disease can be distinguished from others by several signs:

1. Ulcers on the face and lips.
2. The muzzle gets wet.
3. A white coating similar to pus appears on both sides of the muzzle.
4. The tongue turns white.
5. The nose is warm and soft.
6. Appetite decreases (with a mild course of the disease it persists).

Do not be alarmed if your rabbit has a wet face in bad weather or after eating; this is a temporary phenomenon.

Danger of disease

If rabbits have a wet face for three or more days, this indicates illness. The animal must be treated immediately. If a large number of animals are infected at the same time without treatment, a person will lose the entire population of adult rabbits.

In severe cases of the disease, appetite completely disappears, because... It hurts the rabbit to chew food, the muzzle, chin and chest constantly become wet, and ulcers also appear in the mouth. The rabbit loses weight and develops diarrhea. He rubs his muzzle with his paws, his appearance becomes unkempt. The animal becomes severely emaciated and, if not treated in a timely manner, dies within 4-5 days.

More often, biting midge affects young rabbits up to 3 months of age, but sometimes it spreads to adults.

Causes

Rabbits have a wet face at any time of the year. More often this happens in spring and summer, at this time the number of young rabbits increases, and the rabbits’ immunity also weakens.

Causes of wet faces in rabbits:

1. Unfavourable conditions.
2. Lack of vitamins in the diet.
3. Overcrowding of animals.
4. Decreased immunity.
5. Autoimmune diseases of rabbits.
6. High humidity, drafts, temperature changes.
7. Frequent stress.
8. Mating of healthy animals with sick ones, the birth of infected offspring.

Treatment

If treatment for wet muzzles in rabbits is started in time, the animals will recover within a few days. Before starting treatment, it is necessary to separate the sick individual from the rest of the animals in order to prevent infection of healthy rabbits.

The following means are used in treatment:

1. 2% solution of copper sulfate. They syringe the mouth area, lubricate wounds and ulcers 1-2 times a day for 3 days.
2. 0.15% potassium permanganate solution. The medicine is irrigated into the mouth.
3. 0.05-0.1 g of penicillin solution is instilled into the mouth once a day or administered intramuscularly.
4. Create an ointment from 30 g of lanolin, 200 units. penicillin, 2 g of sulfamide and 170 g of white petroleum jelly. The components are mixed in a water bath and the resulting mixture is lubricated into the mouth.
5. 0.2 g of white streptocide is poured into the rabbit's mouth for 2-3 days.
6. Spray "Lugol". The medicine is irrigated into the mouth.
7. 0.2 g of sulfadimezin is instilled into the mouth for 3-4 days.
8. A wet chin in a rabbit can be treated with apidermin. It contains pollen, honey and propolis, which have a positive effect on the condition of the rabbit.

During treatment, the pet is prescribed antiviral and antibacterial drugs. At the same time, they take into account what reasons provoked the disease and why wet fur appeared on the face.

20-30 thousand units are injected subcutaneously. penicillin or 40-50 thousand units. intramuscularly.

Immunomodulators, vitamin complexes and minerals help treat the disease. To stabilize the intestinal microflora, enzymes and probiotics are prescribed.

Prevention

Any disease is easier to prevent, so preventive measures must be followed:

1. Maintain cleanliness in cages, queen cells and feeders.
2. Sterilize equipment, tools, as well as a disinfectant barrier for shoes; for this, limestone is poured in front of the entrance.
3. Avoid overcrowding of animals.
4. Provide high-quality, high-calorie food.
5. Add iodine to water for disinfection.
6. Isolate sick individuals.
7. Relieve animals from stress. Otherwise, the rabbit will have a miscarriage, and the rabbits’ immunity will decrease.

The nutrition of rabbits during treatment is of great importance. It must be complete and high in calories, because... this is the key to successful treatment. Pets need soft food:

1. Boiled root vegetables.
2. Curdled milk.
3. Warm milk with bran.
4. Liquid porridge.

It is necessary to gradually switch to regular food so that the animals do not become stressed.

Conclusion

If you follow the rules for keeping animals, notice changes in their behavior in time and begin treatment, you will be able to avoid the severe course of many diseases.