A change in the behavior or appearance of animals should alert each responsible owner, regardless of the purpose of keeping the rabbits. The cause of the painful appearance of pets is often not a virus, but worms that infect the body of an animal and harm it.

Sources of infection and risk factors

The source of the appearance of worms in a decorative or meat rabbit can be:

• blood-sucking insects;
• unprocessed food;
• raw spring, well water;
• contact with soil (earth).

Common risk factors for infection include:

• the presence of other animals in contact with the individual;
• walks on the street (eating something from the ground);
• grass torn from the street;
• hay.

Find out what to do if rabbits die for no apparent reason.

In fact, a rabbit, like a person, can become infected anywhere.

Symptoms

Symptoms of helminthic invasion:

• the individual often drinks a lot;
• frequent bowel movements (more often than usual);
• green mucus in the feces;
• diarrhea or constipation, heterogeneous feces;
• loss of appetite or, conversely, uncontrolled absorption of food;
• loss of healthy shine;
• hair loss;
• clouding of the sclera of the eyes;
• lethargy of the animal;
• itching in the anus (pet fidgets).

If you are watching a pet, it’s easy to notice these symptoms. But before you start treatment, it is advisable to reliably verify whether the animal has worms by consulting with a veterinarian.

Did you know? Depending on the advanced stage and the number of parasites, they can drink up to 500 ml of animal blood per day.

Reasons for their appearance

There are four conditional reasons for the appearance of worms in a rabbit:

1. An invasion through the soil in contact with the ground and groundwater - helminth eggs enter the water and land with human and animal feces, parasite eggs are also carried by flies.
2. Infection through direct contact with the carrier - if worms are found in one animal, prevention should be done for everyone.
3. Ingestion of eggs by the ingestion of food - parasites can be found on grass and hay, unwashed vegetables and fruits.
4. Insect bites are especially dangerous mosquitoes that spread dirofilariasis (worms in the heart, brain, under the skin, in the eyes and other organs).

Individuals with weak immunity and animals kept in unsanitary conditions are more susceptible to infection.

Effect on the rabbit

Helminths and all other types of worms parasitize in the body, localized in different internal organs. They can live not only in the intestines, but also in the lungs, bronchi, spleen, liver, almost everywhere. When asked if a rabbit infected with worms can be dangerous for humans, the answer is yes. Parasite eggs can spread even through the breath of an infected person.

Worms feed on blood, nutrients, lymph, depriving the body of what it is vital to receive. As a result of the vital activity of endoparasites, the integrity of the gastrointestinal tract collapses, the functioning of the internal organs in which the worms settled is disturbed, problems with metabolism, digestion appear, and inflammatory processes occur.

Important! Severe helminthic infestations in a rabbit can be fatal. Such an outcome is expected with blockage and rupture of the intestinal walls, intoxication and exhaustion. Parasites significantly reduce the animal’s immune system, causing multiple hemorrhages and necrotic foci on the mucous membranes.

Treatment methods

The most important thing to do when worms appear in rabbits is to drag out the parasites without delaying. For this there are special medicines and folk remedies.

Before an anthelmintic animal, it will not be superfluous to examine it. But the problem is that the same helminths and their eggs are not always noticeable in the feces, this only happens with strong reproduction, so you need to take a smear several times within 3 days. You will get a more accurate result when taking a blood test - its composition changes during invasions, antibodies are formed that fight foreign invasion.

Etching of ectoparasites is necessary by quarantining the patient and excluding contact with other animals and people. You can choose what to treat the invasion on your own, after consulting a veterinarian.

Medicinal products

The most effective measures for medical treatment of animals from worms are drugs that are administered subcutaneously.

Did you know? A quiet whimpering, grunting and growling rabbit speaks of his irritation and discontent. A loud gnashing of teeth indicates aggression or fear. Gamavit and Albendazole are taken in the complex. The first increases the immunity of the animal, the second leads to the death of worms. Gamavit is administered subcutaneously to the withers during the first two days at a dosage of 1 ml per day. The next three days, Albendazole is given (taken orally) - 0.75 ml twice a day. The next three days are Gamavit.

There are other common veterinary drugs, for example:

• Drontal - 1 ml per 1 kg of weight once;
• Pyrantel - 0.1-0.3 ml for three days in a row;
• Dirofen - 1 ml per 1 kg of weight once.

Do not exceed the dosage, so as not to harm the health of the pet.

Read about how to treat ear and eye diseases in rabbits.

Folk remedies

Without financial costs, you can use folk methods to rid rabbits of worms using tansy, wormwood or needles. These same remedies are good for prevention.

Wormwood has excellent anthelmintic properties, effective herb treatment. In this case, the pet will eat it himself. Add to the daily diet at least 30% of this herb of the daily intake of vegetable feed. A similar treatment for tansy.

Spruce needles are good in winter, when fresh herbs can not be found. But you need to collect needles at a temperature of no higher than -20 ° C. Lower it is possible, higher it is impossible, otherwise essential oils will harm the rabbit.

To enhance the effect, make an infusion of tansy or wormwood: 1 tbsp. l plants pour a glass of boiling water and insist 4 hours, after which the liquid is decanted and allowed to drink 2 ml twice a day.

Helminthiasis Prevention

If you are looking for the answer to the question of whether there are 100% protection against worms, then they are not. All rabbits are in the risk zone, but this risk can be significantly reduced by the prevention method:

• regularly clean the animal’s cage and at least twice a month completely disinfect its habitat, feeders, and drinkers;
• ventilate the room - this prevents the growth of harmful bacteria and putrefaction of the feed, litter, which can attract flies;
• protect rabbits from other animals;
• mow the grass as far as possible from the cattle cemetery, landfill, wetlands;
• do not collect grass where slugs live - they are also carriers of worm eggs;
• regularly add tansy and part of wormwood to the diet;
• wash raw root vegetables and other vegetables.

If your pets walk on the street, at least once every six months it is advisable to give them veterinary drugs for prevention.

Is it possible to eat meat of sick rabbits

Eating rabbit meat with helminthic infestation is not recommended, but the Ministry of Health does not place a categorical ban. According to his recommendation, before eating the meat of a sick animal, you need to freeze it in the freezer for at least 72 hours, cook for a long time and salted it well. To use or not to use - the choice is yours.

Important! Dead worms and their eggs can cause an allergic reaction and food poisoning. Giving meat to sick rabbits for these reasons is not recommended for dogs and cats. Like any other disease, helminthic invasion in rabbits must be treated immediately. Doing nothing, you risk not only the loss of animals, but also your own health.