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Heat stroke is most likely to affect rabbits that are housed in hutches at the bottom of the garden during a hot spell in the summer that have no shade. These hutches can quickly turn into ovens when temperatures soar.

The symptoms of heat-stroke are that the rabbit will be flat on his belly, unable to move, with shallow breathing and his pulse very rapid and weak.

You must act very quickly as the rabbit is very close to death.

Soak a towel in cold water and wrap the rabbit in it, or get a bucket of cold water and sponge the rabbit down. Please note that you must NEVER dunk the rabbit in a bucket of cold water, as this shock to the system could prove fatal! If you have an electric fan to hand, you can play it on the rabbit at top power.

Recovery can be very quick. The rabbit will shakily try to get onto his feet and it should then be assisted and supported by your hands under his belly once he is up. At this point, the water treatment should stop, as it could go the other way and chill the rabbit.

As soon as the rabbit is able to stand unaided, give the rabbit rehydration treatment. If you have no rehydration fluid to hand, you can give water with a teaspoon of sugar and a pinch of salt added and administer it orally with a syringe or it can be poured into the water bottle and given from the sipper tube. I would recommend that rabbit keepers stock Electrolyte sachets in their medicine cabinet. These can be bought from any chemist. They are human preparations to treat dehydration during bouts of diahorrea and can be given to a rabbit by following the instructions on the packet for human usage. Flat isotonic energy drinks can also be given.

If you find your rabbit has laboured breathing once he is up on his feet and his nostrils are flaring and there is a crackly sound coming from his lungs, take him to the vet ASAP, as this usually means fluid on the lungs which could quickly turn into mechanical pneumonia (pneumonia caused by fluid collecting on the lungs due to the rabbit being in a state of collapse). The rabbit could literally drown in his own lung fluid if diuretic treatment is not given promptly! Even then, diuretic treatment is not infallible if there is a lot of fluid on the lungs, but it can help shift the fluid from the lungs by speeding up kidney function.

Most rabbits that pull through this usually make a full recovery.

Victoria Carey GBAR RVECP Rodentologist

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