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Ear health and quality of life in pet rabbits of differing ear conformations: A UK survey of owner-reported signalment risk factors and effects on rabbit welfare and behaviour

The impacts of ear disease on animal welfare and behaviour are little documented. Ear disease may be common in rabbits, but difficult to recognise, and lop-ears have previously been indicated as a risk factor for ear disease. We aimed to better understand the range of ear conditions in pet rabbits,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2023-07, Vol.18 (7), p.e0285372-e0285372
Main Authors: Chivers, Benedict D, Keeler, Melissa R D, Burn, Charlotte C
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:The impacts of ear disease on animal welfare and behaviour are little documented. Ear disease may be common in rabbits, but difficult to recognise, and lop-ears have previously been indicated as a risk factor for ear disease. We aimed to better understand the range of ear conditions in pet rabbits, signalment risk factors, and impacts on welfare and behaviour. Through an online questionnaire, we investigated owner-reported signalment, veterinary diagnosis of ear conditions, impaired hearing, and ear pain for UK pet rabbits. Relationships between ear condition measures and ear conformation, quality of life, and behaviour were analysed using logistic regression. Of 551 valid responses, 28.5% of rabbits reportedly had experienced ear conditions; 21.2% diagnosed or mentioned by vets, with otitis and excess cerumen most common. Approximately 25% of lop-eared rabbits had ear conditions indicated by a vet versus 10% of erect-eared rabbits. Lop-eared, half-lop, and older rabbits were most at risk (P
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0285372