Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-4rdpn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-15T11:14:28.776Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effect of footrests on the incidence of ulcerative pododermatitis in domestic rabbit does

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

JM Rosell  and
LF de la Fuente
JM Rosell*
Affiliation:
NANTA SA Ronda de Poniente, 9 28760-Tres Cantos, Madrid, Spain
LF de la Fuente
Affiliation:
Depto. Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, C/Profesor Pedro Cármenes s/n 24071-León, Spain
*
* Contact for correspondence and request for reprints: [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Ulcerative pododermatitis or sore hocks is a common condition in adult rabbits housed in cages with wire-mesh floors. This study was carried out on a recently-opened commercial farm with 224 breeding cages (112 without footrests [NFR] and 112 with footrests [FR]) to assess the effect of footrests on the incidence of sore hocks (SH) and plantar hyperkeratosis (K) on domestic rabbit does, throughout the first part of their productive lives. The accumulated incidence of SH in the fifth lactation was 71.5 and 15.1% for NFR and FR groups, respectively and the accumulated incidence of K, at the same point, was 100 and 64.5%. The footrests were also found to have a curative effect on 81.3% of affected does. Clinical and epidemiological information obtained in this study revealed that the installation of a plastic platform or slatted footrest on the wire mesh played a significant role in the prevention and cure of sore hocks. Problems specifically related to cage hygiene and cleanliness were not addressed in this study.

Keywords

animal welfaredisease preventionfootrestrabbitsore hocksulcerative pododermatitis
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 18 , Issue 2 , May 2009 , pp. 199 - 204
Copyright
© 2009 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

References

Broom, DM 2006 Behaviour and welfare in relation to pathology. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 97: 73–8310.1016/j.applanim.2005.11.019CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Drescher, B 1993 Zusammenfassende Betrachtung über den Einfluβ unterschiedlicher Haltungsverfahren auf die Fitness von Versuchs und Fleischkaninchen untersucht am Verhalten, dem Skelettsystem und den Nebennieren mit einem Beitrag zur Pododermatitis ulcerosa des Kaninchens. Tierärzt Umschau 48: 72–78. [Title translation: The effect of housing systems for rabbits with special reference to ulcerative pododermatitis]Google Scholar
Drescher, B and Schlender-Böbbis, I 1996 Etude pathologique de la pododermatite chez les lapins reproducteurs de souche lourde sur grillage. World Rabbit Science 4(3): 143–148. [Title translation: Pathological study of pododermatitis among heavy breeding rabbits on wire floors]Google Scholar
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) 2005 Scientific Report: The Impact of the current housing and husbandry systems on the health and welfare of farmed domestic rabbits. The EFSA Journal 267: 1–31Google Scholar
Harcourt-Brown, F 2002 Textbook of Rabbit Medicine pp 233–240. Butterworth-Heinemann: Oxford, UKGoogle Scholar
Julini, M and Cava, PL 1993 Controllo ispettivo delle carni di conigli macellati a fine carriera. Rivista di Coniglicoltura 9: 39–42. [Title translation: Meat inspection of aged parent rabbits]Google Scholar
Lebas, F 2000 Biology. In: Rosell, JM (ed) Diseases of the Rabbit. Mundi-Prensa Libros SA: Madrid, SpainGoogle Scholar
Marcato, PS and Rosmini, R 1986 Pathology of the Rabbit and Hare: a Colour Atlas and Compendium pp 201. Societa Editrice Esculapio: Bologna, ItalyGoogle Scholar
Mirabito, L and Delbreil, S 1997 Estimation de la Fréquence des Lésions Podales chez la Lapine dans les Elevages de Production Cunicole. ITAVI: Paris, France. [Title translation: Estimation of the leg injury frequency of the doe on rabbit production farms]Google Scholar
Petersen, J, Schlender-Böbbis, I and Mennicken, L 2000 Evaluation of optimal slat distance in slatted floor for rabbits using Behavioural Studies. In: Blasco, A (ed) Proceedings Seventh World Rabbit Congress pp 559–565. 4-7 July 2000, Valencia, SpainGoogle Scholar
Princz, Z, Dalle Zotte, A, Radnai, I, Ne'meth, E, Matics, Z, Gerencse'r, Z, Nagy, I and Szendro, Z 2008 Behaviour of growing rabbits under various housing conditions. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 111: 342–35610.1016/j.applanim.2007.06.013CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rommers, J and Meijerhof, R 1996 The effect of different floor types on footpad injuries of rabbit does. In: Lebas, F (ed) Proceedings Sixth World Rabbit Congress Volume 2 pp 431–436. 9-12 July 1996, Toulouse, FranceGoogle Scholar
Rosell, JM, Dronda, MA and de la Fuente, LF 2000 Dermatology. In: Rosell, JM (ed) Enfermedades del Conejo. Chapter XIX, Volume II pp 355–398. Mundi Prensa Libros SA: Madrid, SpainGoogle Scholar
Rosell, JM 2003 Health status of commercial rabbitries in the Iberian peninsula. A practitioner's study during 2002. World Rabbit Science 11: 157–169Google Scholar
Rosell, JM and de la Fuente, LF 2004 Health status of domestic rabbits in the Iberian peninsula. Influence of their origin. In: Becerril, C and Pro, A (eds) Proceedings of the Eighth World Rabbit Congress pp 614–619. 7-10 September 2004, Puebla, MexicoGoogle Scholar
Rosell, JM and de la Fuente, LF 2008 Health and body condition of rabbit does on commercial farms. In: Xiccato, G, Trocino, A and Luckefahr, SD (eds) Proceedings of the Ninth World Rabbit Congress pp 1065–1069. 10-13 June 2008, Verona, ItalyGoogle Scholar
Rosell, JM and de la Fuente, LF 2009 Culling and mortality in breeding rabbits. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 88(2): 120–127CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
SAS Institute 2007 SAS User's Guide: Statistics, Version 9.1. SAS®: Cary, NC, USAGoogle Scholar
Templeton, GS 1955 Domestic Rabbit Production, First Edition pp 164–167. The Interstate Printers and Publishers: Danville, IL, USAGoogle Scholar
Thrusfield, M 2005 Veterinary Epidemiology, Third Edition. Blackwell Publishing: Oxford, UKGoogle Scholar
Trocino, A and Xiccato, G 2006 Animal welfare in reared rabbits: a review with emphasis on housing systems. World Rabbit Science 14: 77–93Google Scholar
Webster, AJF 2001 Farm Animal Welfare: the Five Freedoms and the Free Market. The Veterinary Journal 161: 229–237CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wierup, M 2001 Why do we record disease? Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica 94: 7–9CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed