Conformation-associated health in pet rabbits in the UK: A VetCompass cohort study

O'Neill, Daniel; Williams, Abbie; Brodbelt, Dave C.; Church, David B.; Hedley, Joanna

Abstract

Abstract Background Domestic rabbit breeds vary substantially from the wild rabbit body type. However, little is known about how the conformation of pet rabbits influences their health. Methods Data were extracted from VetCompass anonymised clinical records of rabbits under UK primary veterinary care during 2019. Results The study included 162,107 rabbits. Based on 88,693 rabbits with relevant breed information recorded, skull shape was classified as brachycephalic (79.69%), mesaticephalic (16.80%) and dolichocephalic (3.51%). Based on 83,821 rabbits with relevant breed information recorded, ear carriage was classified as lop-eared (57.05%) and erect-eared (42.95%). From a random sample of 3933 rabbits, the most prevalent disorders recorded overall were overgrown nail(s) (28.19%), overgrown molar(s) (14.90%) and obesity (8.82%). Compared to those with a mesaticephalic skull shape, brachycephalic rabbits had lower odds of obesity, anorexia and gastrointestinal stasis and higher odds of perineal faecal impaction, tear duct abnormality and haircoat disorder. Compared to erect-eared rabbits, lop-eared rabbits had higher odds of perineal faecal impaction and tear duct abnormality. Limitation A large proportion of records with incomplete breed information hindered full analysis for breed-related and conformation-related attributes. Conclusion Limited evidence for major links between skull shape or ear carriage conformations and overall disorder risk suggests that factors such as husbandry or even just living life as a domesticated species may be bigger drivers of common health issues in pet rabbits in the UK.

Citation

O'Neill, D., Williams, A., Brodbelt, D. C., Church, D. B., & Hedley, J. (2024). Conformation-associated health in pet rabbits in the UK: A VetCompass cohort study. Herpetological Conservation and Biology, https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.4396

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 10, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Jul 9, 2024
• Publication Date: Jul 9, 2024
• Deposit Date: Jul 9, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 18, 2024
• Journal: Veterinary Record
• Electronic ISSN: 1931-7603
• Publisher: Herpetological Conservation and Biology
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.4396
• Publisher URL: https://bvajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/vetr.4396