We have seen a couple of rabbits at work this week with Fly-strike. This is a particularly horrible condition that rabbits get and I thought that I would write a short article about it in the hope of making as many rabbit owners aware of this condition as possible.

With fly-strike adult Blowflies are attracted to rabbits’ bottoms and lay their eggs on and around them. These eggs then hatch into maggots, which in turn can cause tremendous damage to the skin in this area. It is often only a matter of hours for this whole process to take place and if severe, it is not uncommon for a rabbit to die from fly-stike.

Poor husbandry, overweight rabbits (which are unable to turn around to clean their bottoms), arthritic older rabbits and rabbits that have diarrhoea are most at risk but it can happen to any rabbit - even the most fit and healthy of rabbits! It is particularly common in the hot summer months which is probably why we have seen a couple this week.

Make sure that you keep your rabbits’ hutch nice and clean and dry and if your rabbit gets diarrhoea try and slow down on feeding greens.

It is also really important to check your rabbits bottom at least twice a day

There is a product called Rearguard which comes in the form of a shoe polish applicator and you sponge it on to the fur on the area around the rabbits bottom. One application will last upto 10 weeks and although it doesn’t prevent the Blowflies from laying eggs it does stop any maggots from developing and it is these maggots that cause the damage. It is well worth considering using a product such as Rearguard, especially in rabbits that are more prone to fly-strike.

If you have any questions on fly-strike please feel free to ask.

Sarah

Hello, my name is Sarah and I qualified as a Veterinary Nurse in 1990 and gained my Diploma in advanced veterinary nursing in 2000. I have worked in a variety of small and mixed practices over the years and currently I am a head nurse in a small animal practice. I have a mad Flat Coated Retriever who, in his short life to date, has had a variety of “problems” and previous to that owned an even madder Flat Coat who had a variety of old age conditions ranging from mild arthritis to Hypothyroidism (under active thyroid gland) and liver disease. At work, with a couple of other qualified nurses, I run a senior pet clinic and owning an older dog with a variety of problems has helped me to help advise my clients on the best health care for their dog or cat.

The main purpose for this blog is for you to ask questions! Perhaps your pet has a condition that you don’t quite understand, or maybe you want some general advice on your pet’s condition and suggestions in order that you can help your pet a bit more. Or perhaps you have a new kitten or puppy and are not quite sure how often you should be worming him or her. Whatever the question all you have to do is ask and I will do my best to answer them. And, if I do not know the answer then I will go away, do some research, ask colleagues at work and then give you an answer.

You can send your questions to me: sarah@vetmedsplus.co.uk

Start asking…