BSAVA unveils new rabbit antibiotic guide

The project follows the release of a revised Protect Me poster for rabbits last year and explores topics including dacryocystitis, ear disease, facial abscesses, enteritis, urinary tract disease, and upper and lower respiratory tract disease.Officials said the resource is intended to complement the poster by advising on questions of diagnosis, likely causal organisms and appropriate treatments.

Reducing useage

John Chitty, one of the new guide’s authors, said: “Choosing an antibiotic for rabbits is not simple. Their diseases do not necessarily mirror those of dogs and cats, and they do have gut sensitivities to certain antimicrobials.

“However, like dogs and cats, there are situations where antibiotics are not needed where we once thought they were.

“This is especially important in reducing antibiotic usage in rabbits and, of course, in reducing use of critically important antibiotics in them as well.

“We hope this guide will help practitioners to see when antibiosis is needed, what choices are available and how to sample and select the most appropriate drug if needed.”

The guide is available which is available free via the BSAVA Library webpage.