| Vent Disease / Rabbit Syphilis |
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This disease is only spread through mating and at kindling. It is caused by a spirochete, Treponema cuniculi. Vent Disease is a true venereal disease, caused by spirochete (similar to that causing human syphilis) in the blood stream. The symptoms include scabs or blisters around the genitals, swelling, and pus may leak (can be from pale to bright yellow) and in bad cases bleeding, causing it to spread rapidly around the infected area. These sores may also develop on the face and on the inside of the mouth due to the animal cleaning itself. Treatments recommended for Vent Disease would be Dura Pen. Which is a mixture of both Procaine Penicillin G and Penicillin G Benzathine. This mixture lasts longer in the blood stream then just plain Pen G itself. Even virgin offspring from a infected rabbit with Vent Disease should be treated or culled due to the disease being spread at kindling. Please be sure to always check the genitals of any rabbit you intend to breed and always make sure your cage floors are clean and disinfected to prevent infections and diseases from developing. Poor Hygiene and unsanitary rabbitrys can be the cause of many infectious and deadly diseases Vent disease can be re-occurring and come back often. Vent disease is serious and most often in-curable even with treatment. Although antibiotics may be given for treatment, majority of the time it only heals the outside wounds, but the disease remains in the blood stream. Animals have been lost due to poor education on this disease. For the sake of healthy breeding practices, please research further..... Vent Disease is most often confused with Hutch burn: Hutch burn is a minor localized irritation and inflammation of the vent/anal region due to strong urine. Most often seen in does, it can be from dribbling of urine and/or from sitting on dirty cage floors. If your rabbit has only minor inflammation without bleeding, leakage or scabbing, it is most likely not Vent Disease but hutch burn. Best treatment for Hutch burn is antibiotic ointment and regular cage floor cleaning. Many people are uneducated on Vent Disease there for always assume what their rabbit has is nothing more then Hutch burn. Before making that assumption please examine your rabbits symptoms to avoid spreading contagious disease through your herds. |