Serum samples from 97 clinically healthy domestic rabbits were tested for antibodies to Encephalitozoon cuniculi by an indirect elisa technique. Fifty (52 per cent) of them were seropositive. The samples were taken as part of a routine health screen or before general anaesthesia at 22 veterinary practices in England, Scotland and Wales, and the veterinary surgeons were asked to complete a questionnaire to provide information concerning the animal's husbandry, diet, vaccination, health status and any preventive medicine routines. None of these factors was found to be associated with the serological status of the rabbits.

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Six lop rabbits were presented with clinical signs of otitis media or externa. The presence of disease was confirmed by computerized tomography examination, with two rabbits suffering from bilateral disease. The rabbits were anaesthetized and underwent surgery of the affected bulla. Rabbits with bilateral disease had a minimum of 2 weeks between procedures. A single vertical incision was made over the base of the vertical canal, which was bluntly dissected free from surrounding tissue. The ventral portion of the vertical canal was removed and a lateral bulla osteotomy was performed. The mucosa at the base of the dorsal vertical canal was apposed and the aural cartilage sutured to form a blind-ending pouch open at the pretragic incisure. Histopathological samples taken from the dorsal margin of the vertical canal yielded subtle and non-specific changes in the six samples submitted. All rabbits were discharged within 48 hours of surgery. The cosmetic outcome was excellent with animals retaining visually normal aural anatomy. The partial ear canal ablation/lateral bulla osteotomy procedure is quick and has a good cosmetic result when performed in rabbits.

Objectives To describe the incidence, aetiology, characteristics, assessment, management and outcome of long‐bone fractures in rabbits presenting to a single institution. Materials and Methods Medical records of pet rabbits diagnosed with long‐bone fractures over a 12‐year period were analysed. Patient signalment, fracture aetiology, fracture location, fracture description, time from fracture occurrence to veterinary presentation, fixation method, postoperative complications, clinical outcome and follow‐up were recorded. Results Twenty‐eight pet rabbits that sustained 30 fractures were included in the study [femoral (n=12), tibial (n=6), metacarpal/metatarsal/phalangeal (n=5), radial and ulnar (n=4) and tarsal (n=3)]. Twenty‐one (75%) of the rabbits were less than 2 years of age, including seven (25%) under 6 months of age. Twenty‐five fractures had no identifiable cause and five were traumatic. Only one fracture was open. Surgical stabilisation was performed in 22 fractures, four were non‐surgically managed, two had the affected limb amputated, one underwent digital amputation and one was euthanased. Postoperative complications occurred in nine fractures [major (n=6), minor (n=3)]. The frequency of complications or attainment of a functional recovery was not notably different between the different methods of fixation. Overall, 24 rabbits recovered, two were euthanased and four underwent limb amputation. Clinical Significance Fractures in rabbits typically occur in young animals and they usually lack an obvious aetiology. The majority of the rabbits treated achieved a functional recovery, although the postoperative complication rate was high in fractures treated surgically (41%).

ALTHOUGH endocrine diseases of small pet mammals are frequently encountered in veterinary practice, they are only rarely reported in the literature and may, therefore, go undiagnosed by the general practitioner. Diagnosis is not easy because of the small sample size, the variability in response to established diagnostic tests for endocrine diseases in dogs and cats, and the lack of normal reference range values in these species. Treatment is often complicated by the need for high dosage frequencies due to short drug half-lives, which makes stabilisation difficult. In addition, owners find it hard to administer medication and may also be reluctant to finance further diagnostic tests. This article discusses the clinical signs associated with common endocrine diseases in small mammals and, wherever possible, describes diagnostic tests and treatment regimens.

Pododermatitis, often called 'sore hocks', is a chronic, granulomatous, ulcerative dermatitis which most commonly affects the plantar aspect of the caudal metatarsal and tarsal areas. Pododermatitis is a common clinical finding in the pet rabbit population, but no data is available regarding the actual prevalence of this condition in the UK pet rabbit population or possible husbandry-related factors which may predispose pet rabbits to development of this condition. It was the aim of this study to determine the prevalence of pododermatitis within a sample pet rabbit population, and study possible correlations with husbandry, sex, breed and origin of the rabbits. Findings suggested that young rabbits are at a lower risk of pododermatitis compared with older rabbits; female domestic rabbits are more predisposed to pododermatitis than males; and 100 per cent of the neutered females examined showed clinical evidence of pododermatitis. The effect that different types of bedding may have on the prevalence of pododermatitis was also investigated. This study also produced a scoring system which can be used to score clinical cases. Our study is of clinical importance because it helps to recognise many of the factors which predispose pet rabbits to pododermatitis, representing the first step towards increased awareness of this extremely common problem.

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