Mary Allen
In addition to digestive problems, cold and lung problems are often a concern for rabbits. Good stable hygiene as a preventive measure and herbs to strengthen them allow rabbits to breathe well.
We associate hardly any other bodily function with life more than breathing: we can survive three weeks without food, three days without water, but only three minutes without breathing. When we breathe, humans and animals take in oxygen from the air and give off carbon dioxide. Plants do it the other way around: they need carbon dioxide for their photosynthesis and give off oxygen in the process. What the plants excrete keeps humans and animals alive and vice versa.
But why is breathing so important? The absorbed oxygen is used to generate energy; without this energy, no bodily process can take place. The energy requirement in the brain is particularly high; it is also the first part of the body to be damaged in the event of respiratory failure. The organism gains energy by burning (oxidizing) compounds from food using the absorbed oxygen. This takes place in the tiny power plants of the body cells, in the mitochondria.
Ammonia is Dangerous for Bronchi
During exertion, the body needs more energy, so breathing becomes faster; at rest, far fewer breaths are sufficient (see also infobox). A medium-sized rabbit breathes in and out around 1500 liters of air every day. The main work is done by the diaphragm; it contracts when you breathe in, the chest expands, the lungs expand. This creates a negative pressure in the alveoli and air flows in. Exhalation occurs by relaxing the diaphragm. The incoming breathing air is humidified and warmed in the nose, larger dust particles are held back here. The air enters the trachea via the pharynx and larynx and finally the bronchi. These are stabilized with cartilage braces so that they do not collapse when inhaled. They branch out into ever smaller bronchioles and finally open into the alveoli, the site of gas exchange.
Rabbits are quite susceptible to respiratory diseases. The common cold is well known and feared, but pneumonia is also not uncommon in rabbits. The narrow paranasal sinuses promote colonization with pathogens – and make it difficult to combat them. A cold can be harmless, but it can also develop into a life-threatening, spreading disease, depending on the cause and the microorganisms involved. Infections with Pasteurella bacteria are particularly feared.
External factors such as drafts, dusty bedding, damp stalls, ammonia pollution, excessive use of disinfectants, and high stocking density all contribute to this. They attack the mucous membrane that lines the airways and impair the cleaning function of their fine cilia. Their important task is to transport tiny particles that are inhaled, such as the finest dust grains, microorganisms, or pollutant particles, towards the throat with synchronous movements. There the invaders are swallowed and excreted.
Stress Promotes Illness
It is largely in the hands of the owner to prevent respiratory diseases. The best way to control the stable air is to stick your head deep into the stable. If it smells like ammonia, it needs to be cleaned urgently – and that’s sooner than you think. Especially in the warm season, the urine decomposes very quickly. It is obvious that stables with several animals (females with young) have to be mucked out more often than single stables. The stocking density should also be considered. Growing hatchlings need more space and freedom; timely regrouping makes sense. Not only ammonia can damage the respiratory tract, but also the increasing stress in a group promotes diseases.
Healthy Thanks to Myrtle
The green pharmacy provides us with some herbs to strengthen the respiratory tract: buckhorn (Plantago lanceolata) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris) are two of the best-known representatives. Hazel sprigs are also helpful; they are more than just a popular food, as their buds contain active ingredients that strengthen the lungs.
Savory (Satureja montana) is found in many places in the garden; it not only makes eating beans more digestible but also helps rabbits with digestive problems or respiratory diseases. You can feed a fresh, five-centimeter-long piece of this aromatic herb every day. The essential oil it contains inhibits parasites, bacteria, viruses, fungi and stimulates the immune system. Despite all the good qualities, savory should not overdose.
A sniffing rabbit became symptom-free with myrtle (Myrtus communis). Due to her illness, she was actually already destined for the butcher but dug her way through to a buck in the outlet. A month later she gave birth to six young. When a few of the young animals began to sneeze, fate seemed sealed: the whole family should go to the butcher as soon as the offspring were big enough. But then the myrtle came into play and the sneezing became less and less and finally stopped. At the moment the rabbit is already raising her next litter and is no longer showing any symptoms. Her young are also perfectly healthy.
The small container plant with the pretty white flowers can be bought in any garden center. The essential myrtle oil is used in aromatherapy for all respiratory diseases. It is expectorant, expectorant, anti-inflammatory, and stimulates the immune system – and it also helps with sinus infections. It is precisely these that are so difficult to access in rabbits, which is why colds often take a chronic course. Myrtle is mild and definitely worth a try for pets with sniffles. Again, only a two-inch piece is given per day or every two days. You can give myrtle alternately with savory.
The treatment requires patience because it has to be continued for a long time. If the long-eared patient no longer shows any symptoms, the treatment is continued for another three months and a little myrtle is given once or twice a week. Be careful with freshly bought myrtle plants. Before feeding, you should wait a few weeks so that any pesticides that may have been used are broken down. Only sneezing rabbits in the good general condition are treated. Seriously ill animals with a strong or purulent nasal discharge and obstructed breathing belongs in the hands of a veterinarian. As always, sick animals definitely belong in a quarantine stable during the treatment period so that the disease cannot spread.