Rabbit Emergency Care Guide

Rabbit Emergency Care Guide

Rabbit Care Guide


The Basics
Normal Body Temperature: 101.5 – 103 F
Rectal Temperature: 103.3 – 104 F
Heart Rate: 130 – 325 beats per minute
Respiratory Rate: 32 – 60 breaths per minute
Life Span: 5 – 12 years
Breeding Age: Males: 4 – 6 months
Females: 5 – 6 months
Pregnancy: 29 – 31 days
Litter Size: 4 – 8
Weaning Age: 6 – 8 weeks
Signs of an Emergency
Lack of consciousness
Unexplained or profuse bleeding
Labored breathing
Head tilt or lack of coordination
Not eating (if your rabbit misses or ignores even one meal, call your vet ASAP)
Not drinking
No poops for 8-12 hours
Not urinating or straining to urinate
Blood in the urine
Inability to put weight on a limb
Signs of distress and/or pain
Grinding the teeth and/or sitting in a tight posture
Dull eyes

***Not all vets care for rabbits. In case of an emergency have a plan already in place. Know the phone number and location of a rabbit savvy vet and/or emergency clinic.***
Medications

Medication
Uses
Dosage
Warnings
Baby Aspirin
Pain Relief
1 every 4 – 6 hours
10 + Rabbit: 1 adult 350mg aspirin every 4-6 hours. 4-6 maximum daily

Critical Care
Appetite Stimulant, emergency feeding
Mix with water and syringe feed.

Dr. Martins Extruded Rabbit Pellets
Kibble feed, easier to chew. Timothy mix for overweight rabbits. Very young/ very old rabbits.
Feed as usual. For emergency care, blend with water and syringe feed.

Ivomec Paste (Horse dewormer)
Worms/parasites/ fur mites
Pea size amount orally every 5 months or as needed. Dab between shoulder blades for fur mites
May cause long haired rabbits to molt
Sulmet
(12.5% Sodium Sulfamethazine)
Respiratory/ urinary problems
Coccidiosis
2 tsp per gallon of water. Remix and change water daily
Overdosing may cause diarrhea
Benadryl & Tylenol Cold liquid (Children)
Allergies/ stuffy nose relief
½ eye dropper
.5 – 1.0 mL

Terramycin
(Duramycin) powder
Antibiotic/antibacterial...

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