Rabbit health and welfare

Managing the chronic patient

• Identify the key welfare issues surrounding chronic disease in rabbits
• Discuss the ways in which management of chronic disease can promote better welfare
• Ethics of long term use of chemotherapeutics such as antibiotics and analgesics

Rabbit friendly considerations

• Understand the concept of behavioural first aid
• Appreciate the most commonly presented behavioural issues and what questions to ask

Exotics friendly practice tips

• Appreciate the difference between training and behaviour: who and how to refer
• Understand the basic rational for use of behavioural mediciations
• Understand the relationship between medication and behaviour modification
• Understanding the importance of client comms - including the barriers to medication use

 Lucia Sanchini, from Batt Laboratories, presents a clinical case of a rabbit with dyspnoea.

  As the third most popular pet species behind dogs and cats, rabbits will be a common visitor to your clinic. Claire Speight, speaking at the BVNA online Congress in October 2020, reminds us of the specialist management of rabbits.

This course will cover the key concepts of rabbit anaesthesia from admit to discharge and all points in between. Every aspect is accessible to GP vets, and the emphasis will be placed on drugs and equipment found in most practices. Attendees can expect two short, recorded webinars covering anaesthetic drug options and anaesthetic monitoring as well as an interactive Zoom session where trouble-shooting during the anaesthetic period will be the focus. The aim of this short course is to support GP vets to use their transferrable knowledge and skills in a less familiar species, to encourage more GP vets to safely anaesthetise rabbits routinely so that when the challenging cases arrive, they have built on this knowledge and gained experience to tackle them successfully. Regions Now sessions are free to BSAVA members and available for non-members to book - visit the Regions page of the BSAVA website for details of future Regions Now events. Recordings will be available for 3 years via the BSAVA Webinar Library.

Client information leaflet

Client information leaflet

Veterinary surgeons must make animal health and welfare the first consideration when attending to animals. With the increase in the number of rabbits being presented for veterinary care, practices should aim to promote the reduction of stress in the surgery and its associated negative impact on the welfare of patients. This chapter covers staff training, the waiting and consultation rooms, equipping the hospital ward, preventive healthcare and euthanasia. An example rabbit discharge sheet is included, together with client handouts.