*Veterinarians serving Clayton, Garner, and surrounding areas since 1986*

We have recently obtained a young
rabbit as a family pet. I had no idea
that a rabbit could be such an
engaging indoor pet. However, I am
worried. My neighbor's pet rabbit
recently stopped eating for a couple
of days and suddenly died. They
took it to their veterinarian to have
the body examined and she told
them it died from trichobezoar.
What is this, and could it be a
problem for my rabbit?
Trichobezoar is the doctor word for
hairballs. Rabbits, like cats, are very
fastidious animals. They spend a lot of
time grooming themselves and
ingesting the hair. However, unlike
cats, rabbits are incapable of vomiting.
Hair can collect in the stomach and
intestines. If enough hair builds up it
can cause a partial or total obstruction.
When this happens the rabbit may eat
less or stop eating completely. Any
condition that causes the rabbit to
groom more, can make the problem
worse; fleas, boredom, stress.

Rabbits deprived of food can starve to
death in less than a week. Any
problem that involves a rabbit that is
not eating is an emergency. It is
important in these situations to seek
the advice of a veterinarian
experienced with rabbits. Because
there are many reasons why a rabbit
might stop eating, it is important to
determine as quickly as possible
whether or not a hairball is the
problem. In most cases this is done by
taking X-rays of the rabbit's abdomen.
A contrast medium similar to barium
may be required to clearly visualize
the obstruction.

The treatment for hairballs depends
on how many days it has been since
the rabbit ate, and its general
condition. When caught early, a
combination of nursing care, and
medications can be tried to get the
hairball to pass. If the rabbit has not
eaten for several days its only chance
may be to have a surgery to open the
stomach and remove the hairball.
Even successful surgeries require
intensive post-surgical care.

Rabbit hairballs are a problem best
avoided. Dietary management is the
key. The diet should consist primarily
of roughage such as kale, collard
greens, and mustard greens. The rest
of the daily diet should consist of ¼ to
½ cups rabbit pellets and a handful of
timothy hay. Finally, a 1" strip of
commercial feline hairball remedy
twice a week can go a long way to
preventing this serious problem.
Rabbits are exotic pets and require
you to be extra-attentive to signs of
medical illness.