How to prevent and treat rabbit rhinitis? Practical technical points for rabbit farmers

Infectious rhinitis in rabbits is a respiratory infectious disease caused by Pasteurella, mainly spread through the air and infected via the respiratory tract, occurring sporadically or as regional epidemics, and can occur in all four seasons, especially in spring and autumn when the climate changes abruptly and in the humid, stuffy late summer. It mainly threatens the health of young and baby rabbits, and the mortality rate is high. Although adult rabbits can develop the disease, the mortality rate is low, and they easily become carriers of the pathogen.

Typical symptoms: At the beginning of the disease, the rabbit is listless, has reduced appetite, and occasionally coughs and sneezes. Then watery nasal discharge flows from the nasal cavity, and the rabbit scratches its nose with its front paws. The nasal fluid changes from clear water-like to viscous, and finally develops into purulent discharge, and nose scratching becomes more severe, causing the skin around the nostrils to become red, swollen, and inflamed, even losing hair, forming scabs and dirt, leading to difficulty breathing, worsening condition, physical exhaustion, and death from secondary infections of other diseases (such as conjunctivitis, keratitis, subcutaneous abscess, pyometra, orchitis, etc.).

Necropsy lesions: At the beginning of the disease, the nasal mucosa is congested, the mucosa of the nasal sinuses and paranasal sinuses is red and swollen, the nasal cavity is filled with white serous and purulent secretions, and there is mild to moderate mucosal redness, swelling, and mucosal thickening, etc.

Prevention and control measures: Strengthen feeding management, improve the rabbit's resistance, and regularly inject the combined vaccine against Bordetella and Pasteurella subcutaneously, 1 milliliter each time, 3 vaccinations per year. During the disease season, strengthen management, improve the environment, and prevent rabbits from catching colds so as to avoid secondary infection of this disease. Once diseased rabbits are found, isolate and treat them immediately or cull them. Specific methods: Use penicillin-streptomycin, kanamycin, gentamicin, etc. by intramuscular injection or nasal drops, 2 times a day, for 5~7 consecutive days. Severely ill rabbits should be culled, dead rabbits should be buried deeply or incinerated, and cages, equipment, etc. should be strictly disinfected with 1%~2% caustic soda solution or 10%~20% lime water or 3% Lysol solution. At the same time, pay attention to environmental sanitation, strengthen disinfection and sterilization, and strictly prohibit other livestock and poultry from entering the rabbit farm.