Rabbit Hair Balls
I have a
six yr. old (f) rabbit who has began to cough or something close to it.
She has a normal temp. Sleeps all day and night which is normal for her
but now I have force her to go out side. Could this be a cold?
Rabbits are very prone to hair balls, just as in cats. They lick themselves to groom and clean their fur. They swallow many hairs daily. These hairs accumulate in the stomach and upper small intestine. Irritating the stomach lining, and blocking digestive acids from mixing with food, the hairs cause ulcers. These ulcers cause the rabbit to attempt to eliminate the hairball. Rabbits may cough, as a cat does, in attempt to remove the hair from the upper digestive system.
Alternately, your rabbit may have pheumonia or another lung ailment. Pasteurellosis or snuffles is a common infection in rabbits. Usually, the rabbits have upper respiratory signs, including runny eyes and nose. Coughing is unusual for snuffles.
If the coughing is intermittant, then hair balls is likely. If the cough is persistent, or other symptoms appear, then an infection is likely. Hair balls are treated with cat laxatives daily, and increased roughage in the diet, such as hay. Infections will require a visit by your veterinarian.
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