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| Matted paws | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jul 29 2013, 05:39 PM (1,250 Views) | |
| Funnybunny | Jul 29 2013, 05:39 PM Post #1 |
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New to the Addiction
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What do you do with a rabbit with slightly matted front paws and a perfectly clear nose? No sneezing either. One is a senior doe that kindled 8 weeks ago and the other is a first time mom. Any help is greatly appreciated. |
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| ZRabbits | Jul 30 2013, 05:29 AM Post #2 |
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Love My Lions!
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I found matted front paws on one of my does. Found out she likes to stand in her water bowl. They get wet and then they dry and look matted. I was concerned at first too, but after a few times we caught her doing it. Don't know why she does it, but she's fine. Could be she grooming the babies and she's licking her front paws. As long as there is no discharge from nose or eyes, there is no problem. My advise, just do what you are doing and observe. |
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| Funnybunny | Jul 30 2013, 06:42 AM Post #3 |
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New to the Addiction
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We use water bottles so I don't think that is the reason. I have quarantined them but still a little worried. |
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| ZRabbits | Jul 30 2013, 06:55 AM Post #4 |
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Love My Lions!
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Best bet to quarantine if you don't know. And it's normal to worry a little. I think any good breeder or pet owner would be worried when something "unexpected" shows up. In the beginning, I was a mess, panicked about everything. But as time has gone by, really KNOWING my rabbits with LOTS of observation, I'm not the mess I was at the beginning. Please keep us posted about your does. Hoping it's nothing, but better safe than sorry. Wanted to add, since the does are with kits, could it be the kits that are making her front legs mat? Heck babies pee on each other, that's why nest boxes need to be changed after another and kits checked, maybe it's happened to mom? Edited by ZRabbits, Jul 30 2013, 07:02 AM.
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| sidd-says-gimme | Jul 30 2013, 07:22 AM Post #5 |
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sidd says stay gold
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The thing with rabbits is that they are very clean and will wipe their nose up if they have discharge (most of the time), so you may not see anything from the nose. If you check often and keep a close eye on them, you may see what they are doing with their paws. I would clean up the mats and see if they come back or they maybe just got dirty somehow. |
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| ZRabbits | Jul 30 2013, 07:51 AM Post #6 |
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Love My Lions!
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If it's really "snuffles" wouldn't you see discharge (wet spots) on the nose? Even though a clean doe will wipe up? Also the eyes would be glassy? I think some rabbits do have allergies. My dog does. And a sneeze is just a sneeze. Matted front paws could be anything and NOT cleaning up discharge. As sidd-says-gimme stated, brush her front paws, and see if the mats return. Also observe the kits and how she handles them. Let us know how it goes. |
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| Funnybunny | Jul 30 2013, 12:16 PM Post #7 |
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New to the Addiction
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I certainly will keep you posted. And thanks so much for the info and support. |
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| ZRabbits | Jul 31 2013, 05:22 AM Post #8 |
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Love My Lions!
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Glad the info was helpful. And always send support and encouragement. I want people to be successful in their rabbit hobby, whether for pets, show or meat. I know the last 2 years have been a blessing for us having our rabbits in our lives. Rabbits, I have found, are just sweet creatures. But you have to work to build their trust. Once you do that though, it's an amazing relationship. |
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| Funnybunny | Jul 31 2013, 09:47 AM Post #9 |
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New to the Addiction
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Thank you for the kind words as today is bringing more heartbreak.For the past year my "best" bucks and does are in a small building that has AC because of the heat in our state. I now find all those does have matting but still no sign of sneezing or mucus. Some of them are bred. Most are homegrown does and very dear to me. I read Dr. Wendy Feaga's article in the ARBA book that says you may get a couple of young from an infected doe that may have a better chance to build a better immune system. I hope I am making sense. The tears are flowing. Has anyone had experience in trying this route? I would love to keep some from this line. All are in quarantine while I try to decide what to do. I can tell you I will never have them housed in a building again no matter what the weather. I have been raising rabbits for 7 years and have never had an illness until this. Now I am worried about the bucks that I used with these does. Any information is so greatly appreciated. |
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| ZRabbits | Jul 31 2013, 08:47 PM Post #10 |
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Love My Lions!
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So sorry to hear that your poor rabbits are having such hard time in the heat. Maybe that small building, though it has AC, it's just not ventilated well or really cool enough and could be affecting your does? The matting could be overheating. Rabbits do not have sweat glands. They get rid of heat through their ears, and then pant. The panting, which then brings on drooling, could be what's causing the matting and it's not an illness but heat stress. Your does are pregnant so their body is using more resources. I've read that 80 degrees is the start of when rabbits start feeling that heat stress. Some can tolerate it, and are bred to tolerate it, but some can't. The Z-Tribe was in the house and it was 81 degrees. We had a bit of a cool spurt and took advantage of shutting the AC down. I observe them and even took the girls outside for some exercise. Molly had a bit of a wet nose because she was getting a bit overheated. Brought her in, turned on the AC because it was starting to climb, and in about an hour, she was up, cleaning herself and then eating her hay. Also, IF your does were ill, I can say, with the case I have here with Neville and his "wry neck" incident, all his kits, from Luna are healthy. No problems whatsoever. Luna is healthy too so nothing was passed to her. My husband shocked me today, when I told him I would never breed the girls and he said, "You never know". He feels the same as I. Nothing was passed and I believe it was an isolated incident. The girls have a very good immune system, and so does Neville. He was 13 weeks when he had that incident. There has been NO incidents since. He's as lively as he was before he was sick. And no other Z-Tribe member has had "wry neck" or any other illness that could be "wry neck". Can you find a way to get your rabbits out of that small building? I think that's where the mystery lies. Sending "hugs". Know exactly how you feel about your rabbits. Please give us updates. Edited by ZRabbits, Jul 31 2013, 09:18 PM.
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| sidd-says-gimme | Aug 1 2013, 08:37 AM Post #11 |
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sidd says stay gold
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So sorry. I was thinking the same - do you have good ventilation in the barn? You can breed for hardiness/healthy immune systems but since we don't know what's going on, I'm not sure. Maybe you could get them tested if you feel it's worth it. |
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| Funnybunny | Aug 2 2013, 11:53 AM Post #12 |
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New to the Addiction
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The air in this building is very comfortable and I keep it very clean. There is not good ventilation though. Just an AC unit that keeps the air cool but does not bring in fresh air. I'm guessing a very big mistake. I had only given a brief explaination in the beginning of my questions. I did have a baby that at weaning presented a runny nose and was sneezing. I quarantined the whole family(2 kits) and called the vet. He gave an antibiotic and said everything would be OK. Well, the runny nose did not stop( nearly $100.00 later) and the mother then had matted paws. Both were culled. Apparently this mother was a healthy carrier.Now after several months the remaining sibling has matted paws. These were housed in the building with AC. Now other does in that buliding have matted paws but I haven't seen any sneezing or runny noses.. That is when I started asking questions and things started looking really bad here. This is snowballing as I fostered a litter from a doe that now has matted paws to a doe that is housed outdoors. I saw her lick the nose of one of her foster babies yesterday. The vets seem to think there is a cure but everything I read is to the contrary as this is apparently spreading. Has anyone had a similar experience? If so what steps did you take ? Any information is greatly appreciated. |
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| ZRabbits | Aug 2 2013, 09:53 PM Post #13 |
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Love My Lions!
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Rabbits definitely need good ventilation. And what you are experiencing is definitely not overheating. I have never experienced any illness being passed through my rabbitry. I thought Neville's "wry neck" incident would pass to his kits but so far nothing. I was told he might be a "healthy" carrier, but I haven't seen anything in any of my rabbits that Neville experienced. The only way some breeders do to stop this spreading is cull all those affected. And that would be the does in the small AC building as well as the foster mother (who now has been exposed) and kits she is fostering. Then completely disinfect the cages and small building. There might be a cure, but financially can you afford it? You did try at first but it seem to have not stopped the spreading. I've heard of this new vaccine but there really aren't many test results out on it yet, so you might be making a bad situation worse. So sorry to hear you are going through this. |
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| sidd-says-gimme | Aug 3 2013, 07:16 AM Post #14 |
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sidd says stay gold
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From what I have heard, if you "treat" a rabbit (and it has snuffles - not sure about other respiratory problems - it would be good to check out what the rabbits have) it will only "hide" the symptoms. When the rabbit gets stressed again, the symptoms will surface again. |
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| NeuBunny | Aug 3 2013, 03:57 PM Post #15 |
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Genetics Geek!
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While I'm holding off on the new vaccine, this may be a case where it would be worth trying -- to at least prevent the disease from spreading any farther than it already has. Note that the vaccine is a preventative, not a cure, but it may help any animals that haven't been exposed yet (but are highly likely to be exposed given that potentially sick animals are living nearby). |
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