Symptoms & Diagnosis of Rabbit Mammary Mastitis: A Comp

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Section 1: Causes of Lactating Rabbit Mastitis

Lactating rabbit mastitis often stems from a combination of internal and external factors. Internally, overfeeding the mother rabbit before and after giving birth can lead to excessive milk production and thickening of the milk. If the kits are weak or there are fewer kits than expected, the excess milk can linger in the mammary glands for extended periods, leading to bacterial infections and mastitis. This is exacerbated by the kits biting off the teats or the breasts being scratched by sharp objects in the nesting box, allowing pathogens like Staphylococcus and Streptococcus to enter and cause infection. These are the external triggers.

Section 2: Types of Symptoms in Lactating Rabbit Mastitis

1. Acute Mastitis

Rabbits suffering from acute mastitis may exhibit symptoms such as reduced appetite, lack of energy, refusal to nurse, elevated body temperature over 41°C, and swollen, hot breasts with pain upon touch. Over time, the skin may turn blue or purple, and the feces may become dry and sometimes contain jellylike mucus. Without prompt treatment, the rabbit could die from septicemia, and even if it survives, it may suffer from numerous complications.

2. Chronic Mastitis

Chronic mastitis is characterized by localized redness and heat, tight and shiny skin, reduced milk production, refusal to nurse, lack of energy, decreased appetite, and a slight rise in body temperature.

3. Suppurative Mastitis

In cases of suppurative mastitis, rabbits may show signs of decreased appetite, elevated body temperature, and the formation of abscesses in the breasts.

Section 3: Diagnosis and Prevention of Lactating Rabbit Mastitis

Initial diagnosis can be made based on symptoms such as red and swollen breasts, heat, pain, refusal to nurse, elevated body temperature, lack of energy, and loss of appetite. However, it's important to differentiate rabbit mastitis from Staphylococcal disease, as both can present with breast swelling, hardness, purple skin, pain, fever, lack of energy, decreased appetite, and pus in the breasts.

Preventive Measures:

Regularly clean and disinfect the rabbit cages and pens to maintain hygiene. Remove all sharp objects to prevent injury to the mother rabbit's breasts and surrounding skin.

Three days before the rabbit gives birth, reduce the feeding of concentrated and green, juicy feed to maintain normal milk production. After birth, check the milk supply and, if necessary, supplement with highquality, juicy feed.

Administer one tablet of longacting sulfonamide to the rabbit two to four days before and after giving birth to help prevent mastitis.

This concludes our discussion on the symptoms and diagnostic methods of lactating rabbit mastitis. We hope this information is helpful to you.

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