Grade IV: severe with abscess formation and deeper tissues affected.Grade III: moderate with ulcers/scabs present.Grade II: mild disease with intact skin.Grade I: early disease with no symptoms.Your vet will probably use the results from these tests to grade the pododermatitis: Sampling from lesions for testing of bacteria helps your vet choose the best antibiotic to use, while other laboratory tests like histopathology can rule out tumours.They can also be useful to check for other conditions that may predispose pododermatitis, e.g. Xrays and ultrasound are primarily used to assess whether deep involvement of tissues is present in the foot.Blood tests can show the overall health of your rabbit, in particular identifying signs of infection. Pain due to tissue damage and infection in turn leads to less mobility and a vicious cycle in which the condition worsens.Īfter examining your rabbit, the vet may suggest some other tests to assess the extent of the condition before advising on the best treatment: The most common infection involved is Staphylococcus aureus, but other bacteria can also infect the inflamed tissues. The skin is also easily damaged in rabbit kept on wet or soiled bedding/litter.In rabbits housed on surfaces which are hard, such as grid flooring, or abrasive, such as carpeting, the feet can be damaged and become infected.Rex rabbits have less skin protection than other breeds due to their lack of guard hairs and thinner coat. Removal of the thick fur, by shaving or clipping, from the base of the feet removes this protection.The skin will become damaged more easily in certain instances: Rabbits whose claws are allowed to become overgrown regularly will lead to the rabbit placing more weight on the back of the feet.Elderly rabbits that become inactive may bear weight abnormally.Arthritis may lead to the rabbit adopting a different gait and weightbearing abnormally.Pain may cause the rabbit to move around less.Poor conformation or a leg/spinal injury may lead to increased weight-bearing on a specific foot. Overweight or pregnant inactive rabbits put excessive pressure on the base of their feet.Giant breeds are more at risk as the incidence increases with weight.However gerbils tend to be frightened of large open spaces, but once they get used to it they will love playing in a run that contains lots of toys, such as boxes, flowerpots, drain pipes and logs.Īn increase in pressure on tissues in the base of the feet may occur for several reasons: You could also provide an extra run for your gerbil so he can get extra exercise when you are about. Gerbils prefer to sleep separately at night, so you need to make sure each gerbil has their own nesting areas. Ideally the cage will have two levels and two compartments so they can use one for the day and one to nest and hide in at night-time. Plastic and wooden cages do not hold up very well to the gerbils’ chewing habits. If an aquarium is used, a ventilated lid will be necessary because gerbils can jump very well!Ī wire cage with fairly narrow wire spacing will also work well. The larger the tank the nicer it will be for your gerbils, allowing them more space to run around in and for creativity with furnishings and toys. A pair of gerbils don’t require a huge amount of space, but a tank of approximately 75 x 40 x 30cm will give them enough room to run about in and plenty of space to put in lots of toys.
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