Bloat (Graphic autopsy pics)

[Zass]

We euthanized the struggling 13 week old v-lop doeling today. She was our "keeper" due to her dainty size and ultra sweet disposition. She was more affectionate than Mucky, somehow.

These velveteens have some exceptionally delicate systems. I culled one kit in the first litter, and this makes two in the second litter for GI problems.
My best guess is that it's something genetic. The meat kits are not plagued by any of the the same problems.
So lets see...this one...
She had developed mucoid enteritis almost two weeks ago, I think.
Despite receiving all of the supportive care I can manage, her GI troubles progressed into bloat. She ate and drank well right up until the end. She was mercy culled because bloat is painful, and chances of survival are pretty slim. (According to medi rabbit.) They give a dozen or so reasons why it can develop.

I was quick with the autopsy and photos, because I feel that a surprising amount of gas can form pretty quickly post mortem(I see it in healthy fryers from time to time), and I wanted an accurate view.

-- Sun Dec 21, 2014 12:46 am --

TONS of gas:



-- Sun Dec 21, 2014 12:51 am --

This was the only case of mucoid enteritis here since the corn in the feed incident last spring (I had just one case at that time). Surprised me because it was older kit with plenty of good grass hay to eat. She hadn't had any major shocks or adjustments to her living conditions.(She was born in the kitchen, and was being kept only one room away)

-- Sun Dec 21, 2014 12:53 am --

I was surprised to see rather healthy looking liver and kidneys too. She had developed a wasted look from struggling with diahrea for so long, and I was expecting to see ketosis or cocci.

Can anyone spot anything I'm missing? Any ideas on why the velveteens are so frail?

 

[Miss M]

WOW that's a lot of gas! :shock:

I'm not seeing anything else, just HOLY BALLOON, BATMAN!

 

[Zass]

WOW that's a lot of gas! :shock:

I'm not seeing anything else, just HOLY BALLOON, BATMAN!

I know I shouldn't have let it get that bad.

She was perky and energetic up till today though. I didn't want to terminally cull a rabbit that sweet unless I knew she couldn't recover.
When I felt her belly this morning, I knew without a doubt that she wasn't going to get better. It's one of those culls I don't regret at all, and wish I had preformed a bit sooner.

 

[grumpy]

Zass,

Did you check where the small intestine dumps into the large intestine?
Was there "any-form" of blockage? or some type of impaction?
Did the last inch or so feel pliable and free of obstruction. Or did it feel
like something was sitting just above the large intestine?

When they start that bloating, it's pretty much curtains for them.
It's an extremely painful way to die, and it's usually within 24 hours.

The symptoms, while subtle, are quickly noted once one knows what to look for.
For those rare few that survive, they never seem to grow or develop correctly.
Sorry for the loss of your rabbit.

as for the "frailty" I'm not so sure on that one. I've often thought it may well
be tied to some form of genetic predisposition. BUT....I have no proof, only
supposition.

Grumpy.

 

[Dood]

So sorry for your loss

I've never had a case of bloat in my rabbits but had a dachshund put down for it. It is common in the breed - maybe genetic ( ?dwarf genes? )or something to do with a long body and stretched out muscles that cannot contract properly. Basset hounds are also very prone as well as many of the giant breeds.

Chronic diarrhea at a young age can permenantly damage the microscopic villi lining the intestinal walls and stunt the animal and/or make it less immune to pathogens that enter through the digestive tract so even if she survived this she likely would have been "delicate" and prone to sickness the rest of her life

 

[JenerationX]

Thanks for posting pics. I've been warned about bloat in certain dogs and it's a major issue in horses (colic), but I've never seen what it looks like from the inside. That looks painful! I'm glad you didn't let it go on any longer if she was suffering.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Poor little bunny!

As for the frailty, I don't know for sure... but my friend is working on the COD for Lilac Satins, and has noticed that they have issues too. Most does never live past their first or second litter, and the kits are more delicate as well. What is very strange is that the Lilac Otters (an accepted color) do not show the same issues.

What color was this kit? I remember the first was very light orange (fawn?... need Dood's input here...), but if she was a dilute color and this one was as well, that may be a factor.

You (and my friend!) have taken on a big project in trying to develop a viable and healthy line.

something to do with a long body and stretched out muscles that cannot contract properly. Basset hounds are also very prone as well as many of the giant breeds.

In dogs bloat is most common in dogs with a deep chest and high "tuck up" in the waist. Great Danes, Dobermans, German Shepherds, Greyhounds, Salukis, Wolfhounds, etc. Bassets and Dachsunds have a similar body type.

Bloat in dogs is actually a gastric torsion though with gas buildup in the stomach, not the intestines as we see in rabbits. I had a Great Dane "bloat" because he flipped his stomach. Fortunately the vet was able to tube him and flip it back, but we still opted for surgery (gastropexy) and had the stomach tacked to the abdominal wall to prevent it from happening again.

 

[JenerationX]

In dogs bloat is most common in dogs with a deep chest and high "tuck up" in the waist. Great Danes, Dobermans, German Shepherds, Greyhounds, Salukis, Wolfhounds, etc. Bassets and Dachsunds have a similar body type.

Yep... Boxers are notorious for it too. I always limited exercise immediately before and after eating and never fed dry kibble for that reason. Dry dog food in any of the high risk breeds is just asking for it. They'll eat til they're full if they can and then the food expands.

What's the cause of intestinal bloat in rabbits?

 

[Zass]

Zass,

Did you check where the small intestine dumps into the large intestine?
Was there "any-form" of blockage? or some type of impaction?
Did the last inch or so feel pliable and free of obstruction. Or did it feel
like something was sitting just above the large intestine?

as for the "frailty" I'm not so sure on that one. I've often thought it may well
be tied to some form of genetic predisposition. BUT....I have no proof, only
supposition.

Grumpy.

I didn't even think to check for impaction or obstruction, since food was still going in, and coming out. I will make sure to next time. I'm pretty sure there will be a next time.

Chronic diarrhea at a young age can permanently damage the microscopic villi lining the intestinal walls and stunt the animal and/or make it less immune to pathogens that enter through the digestive tract so even if she survived this she likely would have been "delicate" and prone to sickness the rest of her life

I was aware of that. I kept promising that I'd euthanize her it it seemed bad enough that she might be permanently damaged. I'd guess if she hadn't recovered in about 3 days it could be considered "that bad."

Poor little bunny!
Most does never live past their first or second litter, and the kits are more delicate as well. What is very strange is that the Lilac Otters (an accepted color) do not show the same issues.

What color was this kit?

The first kit was a chocolate tort (everyone's best guess), the recent kit was a black, and the other one that I euthanized around 4 weeks was a broken black.

That suggests it isn't color based, but still might be something that can run in certain bloodlines regardless of color. In my case, it might even be connected the the curl genes. Every now and then I see someone on the astrex groups getting out of them, saying something like "They are the friendliest rabbits, but I just can't seem to keep them alive."

The similarity of experience probably shouldn't be ignored.

Mucky's mother didn't make it very long either, only a few years.
I wasn't able to get a very good explanation. There was mention of nutrient deficiency (because she ate some kits, I'm not sure that is any kind of accurate diagnosis, even from a vet. It always sounds more like folklore to me.) The vet had her on frequent shots. (Diabetes? It was a known problem in velveteens.) Or maybe some kind of vitamin shot. She died anyway after about a year of shots.

Mucky is healthy as always though, and producing milk like a little holstein. Whatever the problem is, it doesn't seem to affect her. She has an iron stomach, and carries her weight well even with 6 popples.

It might be the opposite of how things are typically done in the rabbit world, but buying only mature brood stock that is in good health might help me with the establishment of a healthy line. Velveteens are too expensive to buy $150+ kits who might have these problems...and actually, those problems might just be part of the reason for the expense.

Bloat in dogs is actually a gastric torsion though with gas buildup in the stomach, not the intestines as we see in rabbits. I had a Great Dane "bloat" because he flipped his stomach. Fortunately the vet was able to tube him and flip it back, but we still opted for surgery (gastropexy) and had the stomach tacked to the abdominal wall to prevent it from happening again.

With our Newf we were warned about bloat, and I've done some reading on it.

Lower fat diets and smaller meals served more frequently are suggested to help prevent the condition in dogs.

-- Sun Dec 21, 2014 4:56 pm --

What's the cause of intestinal bloat in rabbits?

From medirabbit:

Causes of bloat remain unknown. It may related to overeating, exercising immediately after eating are suspected in most animals, lack of fiber in the diet, change of diet, excessive drinking or stress, or result from a pyloric blockage, gastric ulcers or other digestive problems.

In her case, I believe that the bloat was a secondary condition, the result of the ongoing enteritis and diahrea. If stasis was beginning to set in, there very well could have been a blockage involved. It's been suggested before that poor GI motility can cause blockages to form.

-- Sun Dec 21, 2014 5:37 pm --

It's all part of the "rabbit GI spiral of death," and part of the reason I'm always advising people not to stress kits or change up their feed. Once one thing goes wrong, it's really easy for it to go past the point of savable in a really short amount of time.

Her current litter is with a 3rd velveteen buck, mostly unrelated to the first two, and with very different physical traits. *fingers crossed*