My first neocropsy/rabbit update/GRAPHIC PICTURES

[chinbunny1]

OK now that some of you have been following the threads, and the problems I have been having with my rabbits. Those of you on meat rabbits will know what I am talking about. But since this is also being posted to the showbunny list, and some other groups, I thought I would give a bit of info. I have something whiping out my standard chins and mixed bred rabbits. This started about two weeks ago. I started losing rabbits to severe bloat. Some of them acted as if they were unable to igest their feed properly. Fecal float from a vet got me nowhere.This seems to be jumping from one animal to the next. They have been on albon, and corid. Some of the rabbits responded to the albon, and are doing pretty good. The rest aren't. My first supect was th feed. I was feeding kent pro sho at the time. I switched back to manna pro thinking that would solve the problem. Nope. Second suspect was the hay. So I quit feeding it for a few days. The disease seemed to have let up. but now is picking back up an killing off some of my babies and fryers. I gave them sithemethicone and laxatives to no avail. I opened the one buck up tonight. This is what his intestines looked like after he was opened. This is not normal. This is the stuff that has been killing my rabbits. Notice in the first picture the intestines look very odd and swollen in places. Not sure if you can see them well enogh or not, but there are a lot of air pockets. They would be the dark round looking areas on the intestines.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/jnlldxn/rabbitguts007.jpg

a closer look.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/jnlldxn/rabbitguts008.jpg

Thisis what I found when I poned up that part of him. nothing but a whole bunch of undigested feed, and backed up fecal matter. That is only just for that part of him.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/jnlldxn/rabbitguts001.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/jnlldxn/rabbitguts002.jpg

OK now this is the backside of that sound. Everything past it was filled with nothing but air pockets and clear jelly like stool. Fact is the jelly stuff was so thick that is looked like it was the culprit for causing the blockage.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/jnlldxn/rabbitguts003.jpg

And another of it. I think you look close enough you can see whwere I opened the small bowel. There is jelly secretion coming out of it.

Here is more of the intestines where I am trying to show the air pockets, and abnormally filled bowels.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/jnlldxn/rabbitguts004.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/jnlldxn/rabbitguts005.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/jnlldxn/rabbitguts006.jpg

I suspect its this little critter causing it, clostridium . I don't know how, but is there any way of getting rid of it without killing off my entire herd?

I did see some clostridium treatment at tsc tractor supply. One of the bottles said for all livestock. I did not buy. But I thought I would ask you guys first if it can be used on rabbits.

This is mostly effecting my jrs.

They don't seemed to be any more stressed then normal. And hay and oats and grass clippings did not help them with it at all.

 

[trestlecreek]

I understand your problem.
Mycotoxins and grain quality can all contribute to this problem. Lack of motility causes these bacteria to proliferate. You need to get down to why they have a lack of motility.
What type of hay are you using?
How much water are they consuming daily?
Does your feed contain papaya and probiotics?
Use a feed that: Contains Papain Extract to help break up the mucous that holds hairballs together and Contains Lactobacillus Acidophilus to help intestinal upsets.
I know Purina Show Chow(blue bag) has these ingredients....

 

[chinbunny1]

I don't feed purina because I had problems with it in the past. i feed manna pro pro, and sho formulas. They consume quite a bit of water. I was feeding kaytee timothy hay. But now I have them on some alfalfa that one of my vets has grown. I am pretty sure it has stuff in it to keep the gut moving. i will double check though. I did try switching to kent feeds, and thats when the problems really started happening. Right now they are on the alfalfa hay, no pellets, and I will be adding a grain mixture in the next couple of days. Need to give them time to heal before I start adding the pellets again. Got the grain and hay info from a vet tech over on meat rabbits. She said it looked to her like it was a impacted cecum. Said something about how long and short fibers in the feed can contribute to it.

 

[trestlecreek]

Check to see if Manna Pro has the papaya and probiotics. I have heard Pen Pal screens for the mycrotoxins, although I have not confirmed this myself.
Yes, long fiber hay is what you are wanting for motility.

 

[()relics]

I have heard Pen Pal screens for the mycrotoxins.....

I had heard this too...I'm not sure if I completely understand what that means but someone I trust suggest I try it...So I switched to it several months ago...No problems yet...but i didn't really have any before I switched either....I could go into the barn and see if it says anything on the bag/tag about it...and I will be sure to ask my feed rep. next time I see her...I just talked to her today.

 

[trestlecreek]

Yeah, that would be great!!
Most worry about those toxins more than anything,... makes me wonder if that is what is going on here. Relics, do you remember back when many rabbit breeders had this same problem last year?

 

[chinbunny1]

Long overdated update. i taled to manna pro. They are testing my feed. I have since then switched them onto nothing but alfalfa and grain for two weeks. Have started to very slowly putthem on pen pals. So far so good. No more problems. knock on wood. But seriously I think there was something with that feed. I tried putting them on a new bag this week to get them started on the feed again and started seeing the problems.

 

[chinbunny1]

It means they are looking for any toxins in the feed that could harm or kill a rabbit.

 

[trestlecreek]

That's good to hear they are all okay right now.
Is the company that you are suspicious of, doing the testing on the feed? If so, I wouldn't be surprised if they tell you it is fine.

 

[chinbunny1]

Yes. its manna pro that is doing the testing.