Post on 26-Jun-2018
Dietary advice for healthy and sick rabbits 27th October 2017
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS 1
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Dietary advice for healthy and sick rabbits
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Origin of the domestic rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
• Originated in Iberian peninsula – hot, dry and arid for some of year
• Rabbits can exist in these conditions
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Introduction of rabbits to other countries
• Domesticated and kept in captivity for meat and fur
• Spread around the world by settlers who took and released them in new countries
• ‘Wild’ rabbits in Europe are descended from introduced rabbits
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Worldwide distribution of Oryctolagus cuniculus
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Effects of rabbits on landscape
• Eat virtually everything
• Destroy natural habitat
• Happened in UK
• Even worse in Australia
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
In Australia
• Killed all rabbits on
one side
• Trapped, shot,
poisoned
Dietary advice for healthy and sick rabbits 27th October 2017
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS 2
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Or biological control
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Chemical poisons
• Dropped by helicopters or
planes in baited food
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Did they use poisonous plants?
• Lots of plants are meant to be toxic for rabbits
• None were used to kill rabbits in Australia
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Is plant toxicity a problem?
Cannabis
• No- they are either resistant to
toxin or they don’t eat the plant
• Correlation between plants that
rabbis leave alone and
poisonous plants
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
What rabbits like to eat
?? Ground Elder
• Grass
• Leaves and
shoots
• Wild plants
• Herbs
• Dried leaves
• Tulips (meant to
be poisonous)
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Do wild rabbits eat hay?
Or would they prefer grass
Dietary advice for healthy and sick rabbits 27th October 2017
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS 3
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Food for pet rabbits
• Lots of brands of commercial rabbit foods for pet rabbits
• Lots of claims
• Big variation in quality and suitability for pet rabbits
• Competition between companies
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Commercial rabbit foods
Information about nutritional requirements is taken
from data about growth and reproductive
performance of farmed rabbits
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Muesli mixes
• Many brands• Cheap, convenient and
available• Palatable• Store well• Well marketed and
advertised• Formulated from data
tables• Analysis of whole mix is
balanced
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Nutritional value of each ingredient
Many ingredients are unbalanced. For example:
• High in carbohydrate• Low in fibre• Low in calcium• Low in Vitamin A• Low in Vitamin D• Inverse Ca:P ratioUsing calcium as an example-
dietary requirement is 0.6-1%
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Calcium content of ingredients
Food Calcium (Dry matter analysis)
Alfalfa 1.5%
Barley 0.07%
Beans 0.14%`
Pellets/ extrusions ???? (0.5-1%)
Maize (sweetcorn) 0.04%
Oats 0.03%
Peas 0.12%
Wheat 0.16%Vitamin and mineral supplement
added to pellet or extrusions
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Selective feeding
• Rabbits will pick out favourite ingredients
• Leave most unpalatable behind
• Often part with vitamin and mineral supplement in it
• Caring owner throws it away and replenishes bowl
Dietary advice for healthy and sick rabbits 27th October 2017
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS 4
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Weaning rabbits on to muesli mixes
• Selective feeding is a problem when weaning a litter of babies
• Dominant rabbits will pick out low calcium palatable ingredients
• Calcium requirement is high because they are growing
• Go on to develop dental disease
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Muesli mixes are never a good idea
Burgess have stopped making them
Supreme haven’t
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Pellets
• Easy to change analysis for life stages
• Give control of cost and efficiency of production
• Easy to store
• Convenient
• Can be medicated
• Are the way that most commercial rabbits are fed
• May get hay as well if they are lucky
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Nuggets
• Really started in UK by Burgess
• In response to problems with selective feeding
• Cooked, palatable biscuit
• Stores well
• Can incorporate long fibre strands- partially denatured by cooking
• Meant to be fed alongside hayHarcourt-Brown F.M.(1996) Calcium
deficiency, diet and dental disease in
pet rabbits. Veterinary Record 139
567-571
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Hay for rabbits
• Lots of choice
• If the rabbit eats it, then it is Ok
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Grass
• Grazing outside is perfect for rabbits
• Expensive to provide secure space
• Have to sacrifice any idea of growing flowers or veg
• Not an option for most people
Dietary advice for healthy and sick rabbits 27th October 2017
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS 5
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Alternative option
• Lots of free food, including grass on verges and alongside foot paths
• Won’t have been sprayed
• May be mowed, which is inconvenient
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Some examples of plants that rabbits enjoy:
• More details about foraging and illustrations on
website
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Plants from veg garden
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Books
Available from RWAF shop
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
What about probiotics?
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
What are probiotics
Probiotics are defined as live micro organisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host
A successful probiotic strain is expected to
• Tolerate gastric acid and bile tolerance
• Adhere to the intestinal epithelium and colonise
• Produce antimicrobial substances
Dietary advice for healthy and sick rabbits 27th October 2017
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS 6
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
What is in probiotics for rabbits
• ? Lactobacillus
• ? Enterococcus faecium
• Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Not always easy to find out
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Any evidence of efficacy
• Some evidence that they improve performance (i.e. growth) in farmed rabbits
• One study showed a 50% reduction in losses from enteritis in farmed rabbits fed on yeast probiotic
• Inconclusive about effect on gut flora
No hard evidence that they make a difference to pet rabbits, but many people find them beneficial
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Prebiotics
• Definition: A non-digestible food ingredient that promotes the growth of beneficial microorganisms in the intestines.
• Example- Fructo-oligosaccharides
• Should increase the number or activity of beneficial bacteria.
• In a variety of foods
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
According to Wikipaedia
Top 10 Foods Containing Prebiotics
Food Prebiotic Fiber Content by Weight
Gum Arabic 85%
Raw, Dry Chicory Root 64.6%
Raw, Dry Jerusalem Artichoke 31.5%
Raw, Dry Dandelion Greens 24.3%
Raw, Dry Garlic 17.5%
Raw, Dry Leek 11.7%
Raw, Dry Onion 8.6%
Raw Asparagus 5%
Raw Wheat bran 5%
Whole Wheat flour, Cooked 4.8%
Raw Banana 1%
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Vitamin and mineral supplements and blocks
• Not necessary if rabbit is on a good diet
• Caecal microflora synthesise many vitamins
• Amount of calcium that is in them could be a problem for rabbits with urinary tract disease
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Recommended diet for healthy rabbits
NO MUESLI MIXES
Wild plants
Grass
Hay
Leaves
Branches
Tiny amount pellets or
nuggets
Small amount fruit &
root vegetables
Leafy greens
Herbs
Dietary advice for healthy and sick rabbits 27th October 2017
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS 7
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Diet for rabbits with no incisors-
NO MUESLI MIXES
Shred or grate food
Tiny amount pellets or
no nuggets
Small amount fruit &
root vegetables
Leafy greens
HerbsWild plants
Grass
Hay
Leaves
Branches Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Diet for rabbits with early dental disease (apical elongation)
NO MUESLI MIXESTiny amount pellets or
no nuggets
Small amount fruit &
root vegetables
Leafy greens
HerbsWild plants
Grass
Hay
Leaves
Branches
Rabbits with apical elongation may not be
able to, or won’t, eat hay
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Corrective dentistry or dietary modification for early dental disease?
“Coronal reduction is limited to selected cases in which malocclusion is
minimal, has been diagnosed early, and proper occlusion of both incisor and
cheek teeth can be restored”
Capello. V. (2016) Vet Clin Exot Anim 19 783–798
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Case Example- early stages of PSADD
My rabbit- Earl
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Earl- 2 years later after dietary modification only
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Effects of dietary modification on incisors
Ridges grown out
Dietary advice for healthy and sick rabbits 27th October 2017
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS 8
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Diet for rabbits with advanced dental disease
NO MUESLI MIXES
Rabbits with deformed crowns
can’t chew fibrous foods- could
shred it
Rabbits with apical elongation can’t won’t
eat hay
Pellets or nuggets
Fruit & root
vegetables
Leafy greens
Herbs
Wild plants
Grass
Hay
Leaves
Branches
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Diet for rabbits with advanced dental disease
NO MUESLI MIXES
Rabbits with deformed crowns
can’t chew fibrous foods- could
shred it
Rabbits with apical elongation can’t won’t
eat hay
Pellets or nuggets
Fruit & root
vegetables
Leafy greens
Herbs
Wild plants
Grass
Hay
Leaves
Branches
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
End stage
NO MUESLI MIXES
Rabbits with no
crowns struggle to eat at all
Rabbits with deformed crowns
can’t chew fibrous foods- could
shred it
Rabbits with apical elongation can’t won’t
eat hay
Pellets or nuggets
Fruit & root
vegetables
Leafy greens
Herbs
Wild plants
Grass
Hay
Leaves
Branches
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Obesity
• Have to convince owners that there is a problem
• Try to get the to feel about feeding the rabbit instead of not feeding it
• If it has good teeth, it won’t starve on a diet of hay/grass and leafy greens
• If it has bad teeth, it might Situation even worse if
they don’t eat caecotrophs
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Diet for weight loss
Wild plants
Grass
Hay
Leaves
Branches
NO MUESLI MIXES
Pellets or nuggets
Fruit & root vegetables
Leafy greens
Herbs
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Diet for to improve caecotroph ingestion
Wild plants
Grass
Hay
Leaves
Branches
NO MUESLI MIXES
Pellets or nuggets
Fruit & root vegetables
Leafy greens
Herbs
Dietary advice for healthy and sick rabbits 27th October 2017
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS 9
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Rabbits with endstage dental disease
• Very difficult
• Can be obese
• Struggle to eat fibre- can choke
• Live on soft foods
• Toast, banana, nuggets, muesli, biscuits
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Obese rabbits with end stage dental disease
NO MUESLI MIXESRabbits with no
crowns struggle to eat at all
Rabbits with deformed crowns
can’t chew fibrous foods- could
shred it
Rabbits with apical elongation can’t won’t
eat hay
Pellets or nuggets
Fruit & root
vegetables
Leafy greens
Herbs
Wild plants
Grass
Hay
Leaves
Branches
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Outcome for rabbits with endstage dental disease
• Accept they will be obese
• Can try Low Calorie foods
• Shred greens etc.
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Diet and urinary tract disease
• Too much calcium in diet is blamed for too much calcium in urine
• Hypercalciuria is cited as a cause of urinary tract problems
• Extrapolated that too much dietary calcium causes urinary tract disease
Not so simple
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Large amounts of sedimentare in urine of:
• Rabbits on a high calcium diet
• Rabbits with adequate amount of dietary calcium but a low demand
• Rabbits with concentrated urine
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Urine concentration
• Natural diet is leafy green plants that are mostly water
• High water intake dilutes urine
• So sediment is diluted if rabbit eats lots of leafy green veg
• Sediment not diluted if rabbit eats lots of dry food-including hay
Dietary advice for healthy and sick rabbits 27th October 2017
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS 10
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Dietary advice for rabbits with urinary tract disease
• ‘Low calcium diets’ are often recommended to prevent or treat urinary tract disease
• Recommendation to avoid ‘high calcium veggies’
• It is sensible to restrict calcium but how?
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Influence of water content on dietary calculations
• Recommended dietary calcium is 0.6-1%
• But actual calcium intake depends on how much food is eaten and how much water is in it.
• Concentrated foods- pellets/nuggets have 5-10% water
• Hay is 15% water
• Grass is 80% water
• Lettuce is 95% water
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Recommended daily allowance (RDA) of
calcium
• Rather than judging calcium content by its % dry matter (0.6-1%)
• Think about it as how much calcium a rabbit eats to meet its requirements
• RDA ‘Recommended Daily Allowance
• Requirement will depend on whether rabbit is growing, lactating, pregnant or has teeth that are growing
• In region of 500mg/day
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Calculating amount of food that provides 500mg calcium
Food Calcium (Dry matter analysis)
Apples 0.12%
Bananas 0.03% (0.06%)
Broccoli 0.48%
Cabbage 0.43%
Carrot tops 1.94%
Carrots 0.37%
Dandelions 1.87%
Lettuce 0.86%
Maize (sweetcorn)
0.04%
Oats 0.03%
Watercress 1.2%
• Took figures from a variety of books and websites.
• Figures are on a dry matter basis
• Found values for dry matter content of food
• Set up Excel spreadsheet and calculated how much of a food item a rabbit would have to eat to ingest 500mg calcium
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Amount of food to provides 500mg calcium
• 63g Burgess
Suparabbit Excel
(0.9%Ca)
• 65-159g Oxbow
Bunny Basics (0.35-
0.85% Ca)
63g nuggets
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Amount of food item that provides 500mg calcium
1.6kg of lettuce 5.63kg of maize
i.e. 3 lettuces ~10 cereal packets
Dietary advice for healthy and sick rabbits 27th October 2017
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS 11
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Amount of food item that provides 500mg calcium
2 large pieces broccoli 15 apples
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Amount of food to provides 500mg calcium
529g spring 631g spinach 1.13kg carrots
cabbage
~2 cabbages ~2.5 bags ~10-15 carrots
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Amount of food item that provides 500g calcium
• 20 bananas
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
‘High calcium veggies’
152g carrot tops 245g dandelions 256g kale
( 1+ bag)
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Mineral blocks
• Weighs 55g
• Contains 19% calcium and no
water
• Calcium content 55X 19% =
10.45g
• 1/20 block supplies RDA
(500mg) of for calcium
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Grass
• Calcium content variable
• Depends on species of grass and soil type
• Usually around 0.5-0.6%
• 463g of grass if calcium content is 0.54%
Seems a lot…
Dietary advice for healthy and sick rabbits 27th October 2017
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS 12
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
But if you dry it out and separate it..
• Rabbits produce lots of hard faeces (180-200 per day)
• Have a large caecum that needs to be filled
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Water content of grass that provides 500mg calcium
• 463g grass contains 350mls water
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
‘Low calcium’ nuggets
63g nuggets
Could easily eat two bowlfuls
and eat twice RDA of calcium
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Amount of hay that provides 500mg calcium
• 143g grass hay (85% DM)- contains 21mls water• 41g alfalfa hay (1-2.07% calcium)- 6mls water
May not be a good idea if rabbit has urinary
tract problems. Urine will be concentrated
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Sipper bottles
Tschudin, A., Clauss, M., Codron, D., Hatt, J.M. (2011). Preference of rabbits for
drinking from open dishes versus nipple drinkers. Veterinary Record, 168, 190
Rabbits drink less from
sipper bottles.
More concentrated
urine. More sediment
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Dietary modification for rabbits with urinary tract disease
Most useful part of treatment
• Fluid intake should be increased
• Water from a bowl not sipper
• Offer food with high water content
• Oxalates should be restricted
• Calcium and phosphorus content should not be high or low
• Ca: P ratio should be balanced <2:1
• Additional vitamin C may be helpful
• No vitamin or mineral supplements
Dietary advice for healthy and sick rabbits 27th October 2017
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS 13
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Hay
SMALL
AMOUNTS
ONLY:
• Pelleted or
extruded food
•Salad
•Fruit
• Care with hay- not a lot of fluid and may not provide sufficient nutrients for rabbits with CRF that are struggling to maintain body weight
• Alfalfa should be avoided altogether- low in water, high in calcium, protein and oxalate
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Diet for rabbits with urinary tract disease
Pellets or nuggets
Small amount fruit &
root vegetables
Leafy greens
Herbs
Wild plants
Grass
Hay
Leaves
Branches
Limited or no dry food
Limited or no dry
food
NO MUESLI
MIXES
Frances Harcourt-Brown BVSc FRCVS www.harcourt-brown.co.uk
Plenty of leafy green plants and grass
• Prevents and treats urinary tract disorders
• Prevents and treats dental disease
Access to good quality hay is mandatory
Colony v. pet rabbitsTHE END