Rabbits

Question 1

What is the scientific name of the domestic rabbit?

Answer 1

Oryctolagus cuniculus

Question 2

What is the WHHL rabbit?

Answer 2

Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic rabbit

Deficiency in LDL-R –> Increased incidence of coronary artery atherosclerosis

Question 3

What is the St. Thomas hospital rabbit?

Answer 3

Hypercholesterolemic despite normally functioning LDL-R

Question 4

What is the rabbit dental formula?

Answer 4

I2/1, PM 3/2, M 2-3/3

Question 5

What is the fusus coli?

Answer 5

Regulates the release of cecotrophs vs hard pellets; divides the proximal and distal colon

Question 6

What is the sacculus rotundus?

Answer 6

Thick walled enlargement at the ileocecal junction - lymphoid tissue

Question 7

What is the vermiform appendix?

Answer 7

Thick walled, tan colored structure at the end of the cecum - lymphoid tissue

Question 8

Why are chest compressions an ineffective method of artificial respiration in rabbits? What is the preferred method?

Answer 8

B/c rabbits depend on the diaphragm for respiration rather than the thoracic wall. Artificial respirations can be accomplished by alternating the head up and down 30-45x/min

Question 9

What type(s) of crystals are normally present in rabbit urine?

Answer 9

Calcium carbonate monohydrate and ammonium magnesium phosphate (triple phosphate)

Can’t Catch Me And My Pee

Question 10

How many mLs of urine do rabbits produce per day?

Answer 10

50-75 ml/kg/day

Question 11

What is the normal pH of rabbit urine?

Answer 11

Alkaline (~8.2)

Question 12

What is the age of puberty in rabbits?

Answer 12

4-8 months depending on breed and size

Question 13

What kind of uterus do female rabbits have?

Answer 13

Duplex/bicornuate (2 uterine horns and 2 cervices)

Question 14

When does ovulation occur in rabbits?

Answer 14

10-13 hours post copulation (induced ovulators)

Question 15

When breeding rabbits, how should the male and female be combined?

Answer 15

Bring the doe into the buck’s cage to prevent female territorial aggression

Question 16

Length of gestation in a rabbit

Answer 16

30-32 days

Question 17

How often per day do kits nurse and at what age are they weaned?

Answer 17

Nursed 1-2x/day
Eat solid food at 3 weeks and weaned 5-8 weeks

Question 18

How much water do rabbits drink per day?

Answer 18

120 ml/kg

Question 19

Room temperature for rabbits?

Answer 19

61-72F

Question 20

What is the etiologic agent of snuffles?

Answer 20

Pasteurella multocida

Question 21

What is the most common presentation of Pasteurella multocida in rabbits?

Answer 21

Rhinitis and vestibular syndrome

Question 22

How is Pasteurella multocida diagnosed?

Answer 22

Culture or PCR of nasal lavage (PCR of rpoB gene)

Question 23

What are the clinical signs associated with Clostridium piliforme in rabbits? What age group is most commonly affected?

Answer 23

Profuse watery diarrhea –> Death in 12-28 hours or found dead

Young weanlings

Question 24

Pathology seen in rabbits with Tyzzer’s disease?

Answer 24

Necrosis in the GIT, liver and heart

Question 25

What disinfection methods render C. piliforme spores non-infective?

Answer 25

Heat, peracetic acid or sodium hypochlorite solution for 5 minutes

Question 26

What toxin does Clostridium spiroforme produce?

Answer 26

Iota toxin

Question 27

What toxin(s) does C. difficile produce?

Answer 27

Toxin A and B

Question 28

How does C. difficile present in rabbits?

Answer 28

Anorexia, depression, diarrhea, fecal staining, decreased fecal output, abdominal distension, death Death w/o clinical signs is common

Question 29

What age groups of rabbits are susceptible to C. difficile and what age groups are resistant?

Answer 29

Most susceptible = Newly weaned Newborns = Resistant b/c lack receptors for toxins

Question 30

What is the gold standard diagnostic for C. difficile?

Answer 30

Tissue culture cytotoxin assay for C. diff toxin B

Question 31

What types of E. coli are naturally occurring in rabbits?

Answer 31

EPEC and STEC/EHEC

Question 32

What lesions are associated with Treponema paraluiscuniculi infection?

Answer 32

Erythema and ulceration of vulva, prepuce, face, anus

Question 33

What clinical signs are associated with rabbit pox infection?

Answer 33

Blepharitis, conjunctivitis, ulcerative keratitis, facial edema, fever, nasal discharge, high mortality

Question 34

What age group is most susceptible to rotavirus?

Answer 34

Weanlings

Question 35

What is the clinical presentation of rotavirus in rabbits?

Answer 35

Ranges from mild, transient diarrhea to severe diarrhea with high mortality

Question 36

What virus often infects rabbits as a tissue culture contaminant and causes pleural effusion and congestive heart failure?

Answer 36

Coronavirus

Question 37

What clinical signs are associated with calicivirus infection in rabbits?

Answer 37

Death w/o clinical signs OR anorexia, depression, neuro and respiratory signs, multisystemic hemorrhage and high mortality OR more mild signs

Question 38

What pathologic/histologic findings are associated with Calicivirus infection in rabbits?

Answer 38

Periportal hepatic necrosis and DIC

Question 39

What is the etiologic agent of hepatic coccidiosis?

Answer 39

Eimeria stiedae

Question 40

What are the clinical signs of E. stiedae infection?

Answer 40

None to bile duct blockage, hepatomegaly, icterus, anorexia, weight loss

Question 41

What age group of rabbits is most susceptible to intestinal coccidiosis and what age group is resistant?

Answer 41

Post-weanling rabbits are most susceptible and suckling rabbits (<20 days) are resistant

Question 42

What clinical signs are associated with E. cuniculi?

Answer 42

Neuro signs and signs of kidney failure Phacoclastic uveitis and lens capsule rupture if intrauterine infection

Question 43

What histologic lesions would you see in a rabbit infected with E. cuniculi?

Answer 43

*Granulomatous encephalitis* and granulomatous inflammation of kidney +/- ocular lesions

Question 44

What stains are needed to visualize E. cuniculi?

Answer 44

Giemsa, gram or carbol fuchsin

Question 45

What is the name of the rabbit ear mite?

Answer 45

Psoroptes cuniculi

Question 46

What is the name of the pinworm that infects rabbits?

Answer 46

Passalurus ambiguous

Question 47

What species of dermatophytes infect rabbits?

Answer 47

Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Microsporum canis

Question 48

What is the most frequent location of vertebral fracture in rabbits?

Answer 48

L7

Question 49

What predisposes rabbits to gastric trichobezoar formation?

Answer 49

Excessive grooming, rabbits going from cold to warm climates, obesity, sedentary

Question 50

What is the most common isolate from pododermatitis lesions?

Answer 50

Staphylococcus

Question 51

What limb is most commonly affected by splay leg?

Answer 51

Right rear