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This picture shows the abdominal organs of a fat rabbit that died from gut stasis. He was presented for veterinary treatment because he was lethargic and anorexic. He died shortly after admission and the post-mortem examination was performed within an hour. A spur on an upper cheek tooth was discovered during post-mortem examination. It was digging into the cheek causing an ulcerated, necrotic area in the mucosa. This was the most likely cause of the anorexia and the triggering factor for gut stasis. The image shows several features of gut stasis. There is a pale fatty liver, some gastric ulceration, an empty caecum distended with gas and empty gas filled intestines. It takes at least 3 days for a rabbit to die from gut stasis. Death can be prevented by providing food and fluid (syringe feeding) and medication to stimulate gut motility. Treatment of the cause of gut stasis (in this case dentistry) is also necessary.

An enlarged congested liver can be due to rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) but is also a macroscopic feature of other conditions, such as congestive heart failure or septicaemia. Close inspection of the liver shows a mottled appearance, which is suggestive of RHD. In this case, RHD was diagnosed from the histopathological finding of characteristic hepatocellular necrosis.

The liver is always affected in rabbits with RHD. Microscopically hepatocellular necrosis is present in all cases. Macroscopically, there may be minimal changes or hepatomegaly with a pale mottled appearance as in this rabbit that died from RHDV2 confirmed by PCR testing.

Congestion is often present in the organs of rabbits that have died from RHD and can mask other characteristic changes. The liver of this rabbit that died from RHD is congested. Close inspection shows a mottled appearance.

Enterotoxaemia is characterised by inflammation of the caecum ( and sometimes other parts of the intestinal tract. The contents of the caecum are liquid and haemorrhagic

This image shows the liver of a rabbit that died with hepatic lipidosis. She died a few hours after admission, despite intravenous fluids and other supportive treatment. She was ataxic and hypothermic with a low blood glucose (4.2 mmol/l) on admission. Her urine was acidic on a dipstick due to ketoacidosis. The rabbit had undergone radical dentistry at another practice 4 days earlier and had not eaten since she was discharged on the day of dentistry.

This image shows the liver of a rabbit that died with hepatic lipidosis. She died a few hours after admission, despite intravenous fluids and other supportive treatment. She was ataxic and hypothermic with a low blood glucose (4.2 mmol/l) on admission. Her urine was acidic on a dipstick due to ketoacidosis. The rabbit had undergone radical dentistry at another practice 4 days earlier and had not eaten since she was discharged on the day of dentistry.

Abdominal haemorrhage was found in this rabbit that died on the way home after examination and treatment for anorexia. During the consultation. the rabbit struggled as the owner was returning it to its carrier. Unfortunately the rabbit escaped and fell from the consulting table. Post-mortem examination showed that abdominal haemorrhage from a ruptured liver was the cause of death. The liver was pale (arrow). Histopathology confirmed the presence of heaptic lipidosis.

The kidney is frequently affected by RHD. Histologically, glomerular thrombosis is a feature of the disease in many cases. Macroscopic changes are often masked by congestion, so the kidney is dark red, which was the case in this rabbit that died from RHD. Manipulation of the image (shadow and highlight) has shown that changes were present.