Clostridial enteritis and enterotoxaemia are relatively common in rabbits. Disease usually features acute diarrhoea, anorexia, lethargy, and dehydration; death may occur from enterotoxin produced by Clostridium spiroforme. Young animals aged 5–8 weeks are most susceptible to acute intestinal infection with C. spiroforme; disease may kill within 1–3 days. Adults develop disease when predisposed by stress, inappropriate feeding, or irrational antibiotic use (oral lincomycin, clindamycin, erythromycin, ampicillin, amoxicillin, cephalosporins, penicillins).

Clinical signs

Animals on diets low in roughage — high simple carbohydrate diets — are predisposed. Stress, surgery, illness, and diet change also predispose. Animals receiving clindamycin, lincomycin, penicillin, ampicillin, or amoxicillin are at risk.

Examination may show:

  • discomfort on abdominal palpation;
  • gas- and fluid-distended GI tract;
  • perineum soiled with liquid faeces;
  • abnormal posture, reluctance to move;
  • dehydration;
  • tachypnoea;
  • hypovolaemic shock;
  • hypothermia.

Differential diagnoses

  • differentiate diarrhoea from caecotrophs — caecotrophs are dark, soft, grape-cluster appearance, mucus-coated;
  • in young animals exclude other causes — E. coli, salmonella, rotavirus, coronavirus;
  • in adults consider E. coli, salmonella, campylobacter;
  • intestinal intussusception.

Mild cases may have normal bloodwork; acute severe enterotoxaemia may show inflammatory changes, haemoconcentration, and electrolyte disturbances.

Treatment

Most adult rabbits with mild disease can be treated outpatient with oral or SC fluids, metronidazole, and diet correction.

Rabbits with lethargy, depression, dehydration, or shock need hospitalisation even if diarrhoea is mild or absent — IV fluids at constant rate, metronidazole, assisted feeding if anorexic.

Hospitalise animals with profuse diarrhoea due to dehydration and electrolyte loss. Hospitalise rabbits under 5 months regardless of severity.

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