A survey of veterinary surgeons by Supreme Petfoods has revealed that dental disease, gastrointestinal stasis and obesity are the three most common rabbit health issues seen in practice.

230 vets took part in the survey1.

75% reported that they see rabbits affected by dental disease regularly.

GI stasis came in second place at 54%, followed by obesity at 52%. 

They were followed by respiratory tract infections (21%) mobility disorders (19%), urinary disease (10%) and pododermatitis (10%).

Purina says the three most common diseases are all intrinsically linked to the feeding of poor-quality diets and despite substantial improvements in nutritional knowledge among rabbit owners, 57% of rabbits are still being fed inappropriately. 

Claire Hamblion, Supreme’s Marketing Director said: “Owners want to do the right thing, but all too often lack of awareness about nutrition leads to poor health and wellbeing.

"The great news is that progress is being made.

"Well over half of UK rabbit owners now take their pet to the vet at least once a year2, and 79% of vets say that nutritional knowledge among rabbit owners has significantly improved.

"We’re keen to build on this and are proud to offer not just high-quality species-specific nutrition but a range of educational materials as well as free samples to help veterinary teams engage with owners”. 

References

  1. Survey of 230 UK vets from Supreme’s vet database, July 2023
  2. Survey of rabbit owners from Supreme’s database, October 2023

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