Flystrike disease hitting out at Sussex pet Rabbits – be ware!
A FAMILY has appealed to pet owners to be vigilant after their beloved rabbit was struck down by a potentially fatal disease.
Max, a five-year-old dwarf lop, was owned by Dominique Weller and her children Jessica and Jamie from Cuckfield.
He contracted flystrike where rabbits become infested with the maggots of green bottle flies that hatch in their wet fur. The maggots eat into the animal’s flesh, even reaching the abdominal cavity.
Dominique said: “We first noticed that he’d gone off his food and was moving about less. We then realised he was quite wet and matted around his bottom. “We groomed him and he seemed better but the very next day the maggots had hatched out. It was sickening.
“We took him straight to the vets and the treatment seemed to be working, but things took a turn for the worse and he died.”
Green bottles can attack any healthy animal but older, overweight or arthritic rabbits which are unable to groom themselves properly, long-haired breeds and rabbits with a tendency to ‘sticky’ bottoms, are more susceptible.
Mrs Weller said: “We’re devastated at losing Max and would hate any other rabbits to suffer as he did.”
Vet nurse Vicki Turner helped treat Max at Haywards Heath-based Oathall Veterinary Group in Oathall Road.
She said: “Flystrike is a dreadful condition and we’re so sorry that the Wellers lost Max. They acted very promptly in bringing him to us but unfortunately the disease progresses quickly and he could not be saved.”
Flystrike is seasonal and can be prevented and treated if caught early. Oathall Veterinary Group warned it was seeing around two cases a week and had to put another rabbit down recently.
Vicki said: “We advise owners to check their rabbits twice a day for signs of diarrhoea and fly eggs. It’s also best not to over indulge them with lush fruit and vegetables as these can encourage diarrhoea and attract flies.”
Vicki added: “We run nurse clinics on a weekly basis and are always happy to meet pet owners and help them with any welfare and general health issues.”
From the West Sussex Gazette
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