Stress Response

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I had a bit of a scare recently when my pet rabbit, Wally, stopped eating his hay. It was a sign that something was wrong. And it could cause even more problems because hay is vitally important for maintaining their delicate digestive system.

As part of his exam, his veterinarian took a blood sample. The clinic called the next day to say that his blood chemistry all looked normal except for elevated glucose levels. They were not concerned because rabbits who are stressed (after a long car ride and veterinary exam, for example) often have high glucose.

That is a normal stress response that is adaptive for survival. Stress serves to prepare animals (including humans) for "fight or flight" in response to a threat. Heart rate, respiration, and blood sugars are increased to provide the body extra fuel for running from or tussling with a predator (1). Since Wally didn't know that Dr. Mary was, in fact, trying to help him, his body was prepared to handle what he perceived to be a dangerous situation.

The exam didn't show anything obviously wrong with Wally. They gave him a dose of a general painkiller, just in case. Luckily that seemed to do the trick. Wally started munching on his hay the next day and was back to his usual self, leaping happily for fresh hay and pellet snacks.




(1) Reference: Kuti et al., 2022


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