Evaluation of the Use of Immunostimulants to Prevent Post-Weaning Stress-Related Diseases in Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

To evaluate the effect of using immunostimulants as a preventive measure against post-weaning stress-related diseases in young rabbits, this experiment was conducted using a completely randomized design consisting of four treatments and three replicates per treatment (three weaned young rabbits per replicate): T1 = Relative control Complex B (the day before weaning, the day of weaning, and the day after weaning) + 20 mg/kg of toltrazuril; T2 = Complex B (same) PO (oral). T3 = Complex B (as above) + 1 cc of FOS MVN once daily for 7 days prior to weaning (PO), and T4 = Complex B (as above) + 1 cc of colostrum once daily for 7 days prior to weaning (PO). No significant differences were observed in production and performance parameters (p > 0.05); blood cortisol levels were statistically different (p = 0.019), being higher for T3 and T4 (0.64 and 0.41 µg/dL, respectively) compared to the control (0.14 µg/dL). Regarding blood parameters, total immunoglobulin levels were statistically different (p < 0.01) on day 7 compared to day 0 and were higher in T1 and T2 (3.5 and 2.3 g/dL, respectively) compared to T3 (0.9 g/dL). At the same time, animals in the T1 group showed more clinical signs (abdominal distension and diarrhea) than those in the other treatment groups. The use of immunostimulants promotes a better clinical response to post-weaning stress.