Pasteurellosis of rabbits (hemorrhagic septicemia): ways of infection, symptoms, treatment, prevention

Many inexperienced breeders often have a question about why rabbits die on the farm. These small animals can be killed for various reasons. However, most often an attack in the herd occurs due to various infectious diseases. One of the most dangerous infections affecting rabbits is pasteurellosis.

This unpleasant disease can damage the health of almost all domestic animals: pigs, sheep, poultry, cattle. But it is in rabbits, by nature with strong health not differing, hemorrhagic septicemia is most often found. To treat animals, who fell ill with pasteurellosis, it is necessary to begin immediately after the first signs of it are manifested. Otherwise, the attack in the herd will be very large (up to 75%).

What causes hemorrhagic septicemia?

The causative agent of such a dangerous disease as the pasteurellosis of rabbits is the bacterium Pasteurella multocida (sometimes gemolitica). It represents a polymorphic, short, immovable rod that does not form a spore. In water, manure and earth, this bacterium can remain viable for 2-3 weeks, and in corpses of dead animals - up to 4 months. In this case, direct sunlight kills Pasteurella multocida in just a few minutes.

How is the disease transmitted?

To get into the rabbit this bacterium can in several ways:

• With stale or simply contaminated food and water;
• With a young farmer or producers acquired in another farm;
• Air-drip.

Very often the chicken becomes a carrier of this infection. Pasteurellosis of birds has the same nature as that of rabbits. That's why it is recommended to build cages and aviaries away from the chicken coops. Sometimes the stick Pasteurella multocida falls into the rabbit and on the clothes of the owners. You can bring this infection to the farm and on the body or wheels of the car after visiting the unfavorable in terms of animal diseases.

Clinical picture of the disease

Pasteurellosis of rabbits can be acute or chronic. A great danger for animals, this disease is also due to the fact that its symptoms are not clearly pronounced. Externally infected rabbits look relatively healthy. The only thing - the animals feel a bit oppressed and not too eager to eat. Therefore, inexperienced breeders often simply miss the first stage of the disease without taking any measures. Meanwhile, animals can be saved only in time by starting their treatment.

Pasteurellosis is the most frequent answer to the question of why rabbits die on the farm. The incubation period of this disease in acute form lasts about 5 hours. Animals die about 5 days after infection. Sometimes the disease also goes into a chronic form.

Symptoms of pasteurellosis

Determine the presence of infection in the herd, in addition to depression and loss of appetite, can be on the following grounds:

• Increase in body temperature of animals to 41-42 g;
• Slightly shortness of breath;
• Bloating of the gastrointestinal tract;
• Allocation of pus from the nasal cavity.

In infected rabbits, among other things, there may be conjunctivitis and infection of the ears. By the end of the disease, just before death, the temperature of the animal's body drops sharply (to 35-33 grams). In chronic pasteurellosis, rabbits may have symptoms such as a depressed state, otitis, purulent discharge from the eyes and nose.

Pasteurellosis of rabbits: treatment with drugs

At the initial stage of the disease, rabbits are usually prescribed sulfonamide drugs or antibiotics. This can be, for example, tetracycline, levomycin, biomycin, norsulfazole, etc. These drugs should be administered intramuscularly. The injections of rabbits are done twice a day. The first 3 days usually use sulfonamide drugs, and the next three days - antibiotics. At the final stage, the first group of agents is again used. In total, thus, the treatment of rabbits lasts about 9 days.

The method described above is mainly used to save adult individuals. Young people aged 45-90 days are given a special remedy - formulovaccine. This drug is able to completely rid the animal of pasteurellosis in the shortest possible time. However, unfortunately, this effect does not affect adult rabbits.

Prevention of disease

The main ways to prevent the spread of an infection, such as rabbit pasteurellosis, are:

• Cleanliness in cages and cages;
• The content of newly acquired individuals for several days in the quarantine department.

Before starting work on the farm, the owners should always wash their hands with soap. Also, you should not go into the rabbit dresser in dirty shoes and clothes.

If there is a farm near the farm with animals that have already fallen ill, rabbits should be examined whole. Suspicious individuals from the herd should be isolated. All animals without exception should also immediately enter intramuscularly terramycin at a dose of 20 mg per kg of body weight.

Pasteurellosis vaccine: use

Of course, the best preventive remedy for pasteurellosis is vaccination. Vaccination of rabbits from this disease is not done on all farms. It is carried out only on those farms that are located near the disadvantaged. Adult individuals older than 2 months are usually pricked with an extract-molded vaccine intended for rabbits. Young animals are injected with serum against diseases such as pasteurellosis of birds and pigs (every 5-7 days). Then the vaccine is also used. Sometimes serum is administered to animals older than 2 months.

What to do if rabbits are already sick

In addition to the treatment of animals, when there is infection in the rabbit, thorough disinfection should be carried out. Meat slaughtered or died from pasteurellosis rabbits can not be taken for food. Under certain circumstances, this disease can be transmitted to a person. Do not give the meat of dead rabbits and dogs. Carcasses, according to regulations, should be burned. Skins may be taken to the workshops, but only after thorough disinfection.

Disinfections in the infected rabbit should be subjected not only to cages and enclosures, but also to the clothing of the farm staff. As decontamination agents, it is allowed to use only the means intended specifically for the removal of the Pasteurella bacterium. The fact is that not all disinfectants kill her. Carry out processing rabbit in the outbreak of a disease such as rabbit pasteurellosis, for example, formalin (1%), lysol (5%), caustic soda (2%), carbolic acid (3%). All these preparations can be used both individually and simultaneously. Perform processing rabbits using a nebulizer.