Rabbits

While much of the information in the NASAN Resource Hub is applicable across species, rabbit care and surgery often require species-specific considerations.

Quality improvementSmall animalsAudits and benchmarksSurgery and anaesthesia

This section brings together dedicated rabbit resources to support your team in delivering the best possible outcomes for rabbit neutering and perioperative care. Some of these resources may not relate directly to neutering procedures but can still inform your approach to rabbit care in practice.

We’ve curated a selection of evidence-based resources and Knowledge Summaries from trusted sources.

Veterinary Evidence

Best, E. (2021) Should doses exceeding 0.2 mg/kg of oral meloxicam be given to reduce surgical recovery time in rabbits and should twice daily administration be considered?. Veterinary Evidence, 6 (3). https://doi.org/10.18849/ve.v6i3.372 (CPD: 60 minutes)
Nield, K., and Govendir, M. (2019) Comparison of 0.2 Mg/kg Vs. 1.0 Mg/kg of Oral Meloxicam for Safe and Effective Analgesia in Domestic Rabbits. Veterinary Evidence, 4 (2). https://doi.org/10.18849/ve.v4i2.215 (CPD: 45 minutes)
Schofield, R. (2019) In Solitary Rabbits, Does the Presence or Absence of a Mirror Affect Stress, Fear and Anxiety? Veterinary Evidence, 4 (2). https://doi.org/10.18849/ve.v4i2.177 (CPD: 30 minutes)

Journal watch

Veterinary care of rabbits [inFOCUS][online]. Available from: https://www.infocusvj.org/vcr-veterinary-care-of-rabbits/ [accessed 29/11/2022].
Listen to the podcast, Research Focus: Veterinary care of rabbits [Published January 2023].
Quality of Life assessment tools – Pain assessment tools [inFOCUS][online]. Available from: https://www.infocusvj.org/qol-quality-of-life-assessment-tools-pain-assessment-species-specific-assessment-tools-rabbitssment-tools-pain-assessment-tools-rabbits/ [accessed 14/4/2022].
The benefits and risks of neutering rabbits and other small animals [inFOCUS][online]. Available from: https://www.infocusvj.org/brnp_benefits-and-risks-of-neutering-pets-what-is-the-evidence-rabbits-and-other-small-animals/ [accessed 14/4/2022].
Bristol Rabbit Pain Scale (BRPS) clinical utility, validity and reliability [inFOCUS][online]. Available from: https://www.infocusvj.org/bristol-rabbit-pain-scale-brps-clinical-utility-validity-and-reliability/ [accessed 8/2/2023].

Case examples

A rabbit anaesthetic death (CPD: 20 minutes): After a team lost a rabbit patient under anaesthetic, they perform a significant event audit to find out what happened and see if processes can be changed to help prevent it from reoccurring [PDF 511KB] (Published November 2019).