Two rabbits just wasted away

[DianeS]

About 9 days ago I had a rabbit pass away. He was fine in the morning, and at night he was huddled all hunched up in the corner of his cage not moving. Felt extremely skinny even though he got the same amount of feed as everyone else. Upon finding him like this, he was dead within the hour. I had tried to get him to drink, he spit it out. That rabbit was about 7 months old. Temps at the time were in the teens that whole week.

Tonight I found another rabbit in the same condition. Fine a few hours ago, now hunched in the corner of the cage not moving. Feels skinny. Etc. This one is around 2 years old, the first one's father. Temps this time are in the 50s, and not freezing at night.

I have one cage of rabbits in isolation with worms, but no worms ever showed up in the poop left by either rabbit in this post. (I mention that in case there is one that could cause this that isn't visible in droppings.) Are there any other likely suspects? With this being the second rabbit with the symptoms, I'm concerned it's transmitable and not something like dehydration.

Any ideas?

 

[brentr]

How were their bottoms when you found them - runny, wet, matted tails? I've experienced what you describe, but more often in young rabbits, not 7 mos. old. From my research, I'd diagnose what my rabbits had as some form of enteritis, where they get an imbalance of bad bacteria in their gut and their tract fills with liquid and they "slosh." They also looked bloated, but skinny when I'd feel their backbones & ribs. Usually by time I discovered this, it was too late and they'd pass in the next few hours or day or two.

If what you've got is anything like this, I don't think it is contagious. My young rabbits are in a community grow out pen, and I'd have 12-14 rabbits in together; one gets sick, no others are affected. Logic says to me that if it was contagious I'd have multiple losses at the same time. I don't know what causes it, how to prevent it, etc. I find it very frustrating since the sick one gets the exact same food, water, living conditions, etc., as it's cagemates that DON'T get sick.

A couple times I have nursed a sick bunny back to health from this state using Kaolin Pectate (bunny pepto bismal, IMO), probios, and simethicone (sp?) also known as Beano - to help with the bloat. I take them off pellets and give only grass hay and water until their feces returns to normal shape and their bottoms dry up.

 

[DianeS]

No, I've had rabbits with enteritis before, and there's no "slosh" to these recent deaths. But thanks for asking!

 

[secuono]

Pasteurella will cause rapid weight loss with no outward signs, rabbits will still eat normally, poo normally, but loose a ton of weight and die.

 

[alsea1]

Maybe coccidia. Thats a fast moving condition.
Without bloodwork its a guessing game.

 

[mjgh06]

If the poop was normal and no other symptoms than what was described, my first thought would be Listeriosis. Rabbits go off feed, have weight loss, hunch in corners and die suddenly. Sometimes they will exhibit seizures or paralysis or die with no symptoms. It is contagious to other rabbits and somewhat to humans. So wear gloves when disposing of the bodies and use them when cleaning the pens and with the other rabbits. I would have a necropsy done on the rabbit if you can afford it usually runs about $35.

Did you bring any new rabbits into the area?

Here is a good general discussion link for rabbit diseases http://www.merckmanuals.com/pethealth/exotic_pets/rabbits/disorders_and_diseases_of_rabbits.html This article mostly discussed its occurrence in pregnant rabbits, but it occurs in both sexes equally. But it is usually the first suspect in pregnant rabbit deaths.

Pastuerella usually shows respiratory symptoms and swollen reproductive organs and discharge in both bucks and does.

 

[DianeS]

Head pressing! That's the symptom I saw that I didn't have a name for. But now that the article you linked to put a name to it, I put that into search engines, and Listeriosis is indeed what keeps coming up. Thank you! And you were correct, there were never any respiratory or bowel movement symptoms at all. Just a quick decline from apparantly healthy animal to one that was super skinny with its head pressed against the corner of the cage, to a deceased animal.

With the info about Listeriosis, I can now check their feed sources and a few other things, and get the spread stopped (if it isn't already, I still have had only the two cases).

Thanks for helping!