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

Abstract

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. Data were extracted from VetCompass anonymised clinical records of rabbits under UK primary veterinary care during 2019. 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. A large proportion of records with incomplete breed information hindered full analysis for breed-related and conformation-related attributes. Limited evidence for major links between skull shape or ear carriage conformations andoverall 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.