Rabbit Capillaria Hepatica: Understanding the Disease a

Section 1: Symptoms of Liver Capillaria Infection in Rabbits

Liver capillaria is a common parasitic disease affecting rabbits and many other animals, including pigs and humans. Cats and dogs can act as temporary hosts for this condition. The liver capillaria worms are slender, with female worms typically measuring about 20mm in length and 0.1mm in diameter, while males are about half the size of females. This disease does not require an intermediate host; adult worms primarily reside within the liver tissue, where they lay their eggs. The eggs cannot survive without the liver tissue. If the bodies of infected animals decompose, the eggs can be released, or if the liver of an infected animal is consumed by dogs, cats, or other animals, the eggs can survive digestion and become the new hosts. The eggs are then excreted in the feces and, under favorable conditions, can develop into infectious eggs. Rabbits or other animals that accidentally ingest these infectious eggs can become infected. The larvae hatch in the small intestine, then penetrate the intestinal wall into the blood vessels, and eventually reach the liver through the portal circulation, where they mature into adults.

Rabbits with a mild infection of this worm may not show any symptoms. However, when the infection is severe, symptoms can include digestive system disorders, significant weight loss, and jaundice, which are indicative of hepatitis. The disease primarily affects the liver, causing the formation of white or pale yellow, peasized nodules that are hard and may cluster together. These nodules contain a large number of worm eggs. In some cases, the worms can be found through the worms' migration channels. Diagnosing liver capillaria disease in living rabbits can be challenging, and typically requires postmortem examination to identify the eggs in the nodules.

Section 2: Prevention and Treatment of Liver Capillaria in Rabbits

Prevention is key in managing liver capillaria disease. It is crucial to eliminate rodents and wild rodents from rabbit enclosures and to prohibit the entry of animals such as dogs and pigs. Additionally, it is important not to feed rabbit livers to cats or dogs. The following medications can be used to treat this disease:

1. Albendazole: Administer 2025mg of the drug per kilogram of body weight, orally.

2. Tolfenazole: Give 30mg of the drug per kilogram of body weight, orally.

3. Levamisole hydrochloride: Administer 36mg of the drug per kilogram of body weight, orally.

Conclusion

That concludes the introduction to liver capillaria disease by Oxygen Pet Doctor. It is important to note that liver capillaria disease often does not present with clear symptoms in the early stages. By the time rabbits exhibit obvious symptoms, the disease is often quite severe, and the rabbits may be close to death.