This holistic guide brings rabbit production science and medicine together. It considers the full spectrum of commercial rabbit husbandry, including intensive, semi-intensive, and organic systems for meat, fur and leather. Drawn from an international authorship, the book addresses practical and fundamental topics. In comprehensive sections, readers will find easy-to-read chapters on:
•rabbit breeds, anatomy essentials and lagomorph physiology
•rabbit production with details on animal facilities and farm design, international trading, rabbit meat processing and biosafety, including a vivid appendix on meat inspection
•rabbit herd and health management, considering latest findings in welfare and behavior, preventive medicine, antimicrobial resistance and demedication to necropsy and specimen collection
•significant rabbit diseases, covering encephalitozoonosis cuniculi, rabbit enteropathies, and many more
•complete veterinary treatment, supplemented by reference ranges and interpretation of hematological and biochemical values
Besides an increasing keeping of pet rabbits, the animals are gaining interest for sustainable food production, leading to a rise in farming in various parts of the world. In this context, the present guide provides valuable contributions for consulting veterinarians and students, industry professionals, breeders and technicians, as well as for experts from the small and companion animal sector.
The relevance of rabbit farming from the viewpoints of greenhouse gas reduction and sustainable use of ecological resources (use of local feed) also creates useful links for readers interested in the sustainable development goals SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).
Part 1: Rabbit breed and anatomy essentials.- Introductory
Chapter: The
Domestic Rabbit and Farm Management.- Anatomical Features of Rabbits.-
Physiological Features of Rabbits.- Part 2: Rabbit production.- Worldwide
Rabbit Meat Trade.- Rabbit Farming: Industrial, Small-Scale and Organic
Housing Systems.- Rabbit Farming: Indoor microclimate.- Rabbit Farming: Cages
and related equipment.- Welfare, behavior and housing of rabbits.- Welfare
protocols for rabbits.- Rabbit Nutrition and Feeding.- Reproduction in the
Female Rabbit.- The Rabbit Male Reproduction.- Assisted Reproductive
Technologies.- Rabbit Meat Processing and Safety.- Assessing Rabbit Body and
Carcass Traits with Noninvasive and Nondestructive Image Techniques.- Rabbit
Skins and Furs, Production, Properties and Potentiality as Raw Material for
Tanning and Other Industries.- Part 3: Rabbit herd and health management and
diseases.- Preventive Medicine and Rabbit Health Management.- Administration
Antimicrobials and Resistancein Food-Producing Rabbits Dietary supplements
as potential alternatives.- Respiratory Complex in Rabbits (Pasteurellosis).-
Rabbit Enteric Syndrome.- Epizootic Rabbit Enteropathy (ERE).- Escherichia
coli in the Rabbit- Commensal or Pathogenic.- Clostridium spp. in Rabbits:
the underappreciated killer.- Staphylococcosis in rabbits and rabbitries.-
Rabbit Viral Diseases (I): Myxomatosis and Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease.-
Rabbit Viral Diseases (II): Other Viruses.- Dermatophytosis in Rabbits.-
Encephalitozoon cuniculi: An Emergent Pathogen.-Rabbit Coccidiosis.- Major
Endoparasitoses in Rabbits: oxyuriosis and metacestodosis.- Ectoparasitoses
in Rabbits.- Mycotoxins effects and risk management on rabbit production.-
Insights into Clinical Pathology of Rabbits.- Necropsy and Sample Collection
in Rabbits.
João Simões is a Professor of Large Animal Medicine and Reproduction at the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD). As a clinician and academic, he has dedicated 27 years of his professional career to veterinary students and producers, and collaborated with national and European animal production associations. On the basis of this work experience and research, he has written numerous scientific and technical publications. In recent years, he has also edited several books and special issues on animal production and veterinary medicine for scientific journals. José Manuel Monteiro, DVM, graduated at UTAD, Portugal, in 1999. After working with rabbits, pigs and cattle, his professional activity has been exclusively dedicated to clinical support and preventive medicine of rabbit farms in Portugal and Spain. He served as the technical director of Sumicor Portugal, Lda. (2004-2018) and Coren Agroindustrial S.A.U. Spain (2010-2018). In 2019, he created an owner enterprise (José Azevedo Monteiro, Lda., Portugal) to provide veterinary assistance to Iberian rabbit farms. Concomitantly, he keeps a close relationship with universities (UTAD, Lusofona University) and research institutions (INIAV) contributing to research and high-education in the field.
