Hairball info from a Vet site?

[Pipp]

This is a Q&A from vet's site, http://www.petsdoc.com/html/askthevet/askthevetquestions/rabbithairballs.html

How many people have had a rabbit cough from a hairball? I know it happens with hair in the throat, but this vet is talking about an intestinal/stomach issue. I'm also curious about the 'ulcers' reference. Is that what happens in stasis?

sas

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.

 

[ra7751]

Umm....I think maybe this vet should stick to cats since it seemsthis is one of the old school vets that treats rabbits and cats the same. That can be deadly. Truth is that rabbits rarely get "hairballs"....especially like cats do. A "hairball" in a rabbit does contain fur...but itmostly is a dehydrated mass of fur, food andmucus. Using the cat type fur ball treatments only dehydrates the mass more and compacts it into a tighter and drier mass....opposite of what the desired result is. They also have no gag reflex and there is a muscle in the esophagus that prevents regurgitation even though it can happen in severe GI issues in true blockages...but that is usually very rare and it is one of the last things a rabbit does in that situation since death is the next event. Rabbit do tend to develop ulcers during a stasis event. It is caused by the change in pH and the die off toxins of the beneficial bacteria. The ulcers weaken the naturally thin GI walls...and those weakened spots are why the motility drugs that cause contractions are such a danger.The violent contractions of the muscles coupled with a weakened wallcan easily perforate an ulcer and death is immediate. These ulcers are aresult of a much larger problem in a rabbit's gut. A rabbit is not a cat and should not be treated as such.

I am going to contact this vet and request a review of theposted material and a corrected and revised post.

Randy

 

[Flashy]

Uh Oh. Randy's on the war path

 

[pamnock]

Bordetella can also be a cause of coughing.

But hairballs???????????? I agree with Randy - the vet should stick to cats.



Pam

 

[happy_hoppers]

Ah, the old hairballs confusion again.



Rabbit do get 'hairballs' but not in the traditional way as associated with cats.

In rabbits hairballs are secondary to GI stasis as opposed to the cause of GI stasis. This is mainly because when the rabbits GI tract grinds to a halt they stop eating and drinking due to the pain and discomfort. As they are not taking on fluid the trapped stomach contents begin to dehydrate into solid masses of trapped hairs, food and foreign bodies which are then even harder to pass. This is what forms the so-called 'fur balls'.

This is why it is SO important to keep a rabbit in Stasis hydrated with syringe feeds of water and sub-cutaneous fluids..... a dehydrated rabbit will suffer more secondary problems from Stasis than a hydrated one and it is harder to get the guts moving due to this blockage. It can also make the use of gut stimulants dangerous.

Ulceration is often another secondary side effect of GI stasis and intestinal tract problems. These are caused by a PH upset in the stomach normallyfrom the stomach being empty or immobilised for periods of time, none of which are a natural state for a rabbit.

Ranitidine or Cimetidine are both good PH balancers which can be given orally to a rabbit is stasis. Cimetidine is easier to give as it has a peach flavour, whilst Ranitidine tastes of mint. IfI recall correctly the dose rate is 0.2ml per Kg twice daily.

In rabbit who are prone to recurrent bouts of bloat or stasis GI ulceration can actually be the cause as opposed to a secondary condition.

It is worth offering a rabbit in stasis Ranitidine or cCmetidine alongside other conventional medication and considering a course as a treatment in rabbit prone to chronic stasis to reul our gastric ulceration as a cause.

 

[Ivory]

Yeah I have to agree. This vet needs to stick to cats. There technically are a few similarities between rabbit "hairballs" and cat hairballs. But they aren't treated the same way. And. Rabbits. Don't. Cough. It. Up. Because of the////

Sphincter muscles!

Or as I've said before:

Sometimes, for whatever reason, peristalsis slows. (Various things can cause this) Fluids move through a static gut moderately easily, but the dry stuff doesn't. Hence they get this big "lump" of stuff. Rabbit "hairballs" aren't balls, they're more like patties, or maybe clumps would be better. And then rabbits keep eating and eating until they're about ready to keel over, and you get problems. The clump also tends to "ferment" and cause bloating, etc.

In other words, what everyone else said.

 

[ra7751]

Flashy--->Yep

Pam------>Yep

Happy Hoppers----Wow!!! I'm very impressed!! We also manipulate pH with abscorbic acid (citrus fruit..oranges are a fav) as well as acidophilus. Do this a lot with stasis buns and especially with weaning cottontails to control the pH conversion as they convert to an adult gut. Most people have a puzzled look on their face when you mention pH manipulation. I have also had success with some urinary issues by altering the pH in the gut.

Ivory----->Yep



If one would think logically about the use of these cat "hairball" remedies...the theory is that it will make things slick to allow the blockage to slip thru (also theoretically, if you have one foot in a bucket of water at 200F andthe other footin a bucket of 0F ice....you should be comfortable)....so much for theory. But seriously....for this to work, it would have to be on the exiting side...it makes no difference if you slick up where it's already been. An enema would be much more logical in comparison to the hairball rememdies. And that stuff compacts and dehydrates. And I would really hate for someone that doesn't know how a rabbit's gut works to use hairball stuff and it makes things worse. Just more of the outdated info that is still out there and probably will be for a long time.

Randy

 

[happy_hoppers]

The problem with using laxatives such as catalax is that they are by nature oil (paraffin) based with the notion being they will 'grease' up the blockage and allow it to slip through the gut.

The major issue with this in rabbits is that because the gut has come to a halt and they have stopped to take on flids due to pain, the mass has dehydrated. In order to pass the mass it is essential for it to absorb water so that it can break down again intoa malleable form.

Doseing the rabbit with oil based lubricants means that the dehydrated mass is covered by an oily coat. Chemistry 101.... oil repels water.Therefor the dehydrated mass cannot become rehydrated, cannot change shape or break down and bunny is stuck with an oily but immovable stomach blockage.

This places the rabbit in a dubious condition....risk using gut stimulants and prospectively rupturing the gut or attempt extremely dangerous GI surgery.

I think I'll pass

Randy, Thanks very much :biggrin2:sadly most of my knowledge has come as the result of a lot of heart ache but we live and we learn.

 

[Pipp]

ra7751 wrote:

I am going to contact this vet and request a review of theposted material and a corrected and revised post.

Thanks Randy! As I'm sure you realize, that was the intent of my post. I can't really say much to this guy -- no creds -- but I hoped waving the red flag here would do the trick.

It's disturbing that this is a very largepet 'help' site that emphasizes exotics. The vet himself runs a couple of large 'mobile'facilities in California, I doubt he treats a lot of rabbits, but the site gets a ton of hits, and people have questions asked and answered daily.

And ditto with the Happy/Sooz kudos, so glad you've joined us!

sas:shock:

 

[gentle giants]

I get so agravated by sites like this. Now there are dozens of unknowing rabbit owners out there going, Gee, mabye I should be giving my rabbit hairball medicine, after all a vet said it. Randy, I would love to know what response you get from this vet, if any.

 

[ra7751]

Guess I might have to give the Doc a phone call. Their e-mail system leaves a lot to be desired. The thing times out in a very brief time. But I will make every effort to acquire a response from this doctor. It's kinda odd....how many times have I mentioned on various threads on how old school and out of touch vets try to treat rabbits the same as cats.....

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.

This doctor has given proof to my point. I bet he is really good with cats....but he would never see one of my rabbits. And like all of you know, this misinformation is the stuff that gets in the wrong hands and is usually not good for the rabbit.

Randy