Myxomatosis and Rabbit Viral Haemorrhagic Disease 

Vaccination is the best way to protect your rabbits from these diseases.

Currently there is a single dose vaccine (Nobivac plus) which covers Myxomatosis, RVHD1 and RVHD2.

There is also a new separate vaccine (Yurvac) for the new strain of RVHD.

These are both currently needed each year regardless of whether your rabbits are housed indoors or outdoors.

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Please find below information on both of these deadly diseases:

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Myxomatosis

Myxomatosis is a viral disease that is often fatal, although milder forms sometimes occur. It is spread by biting insects such as fleas and mosquitoes, and by contact with another infected rabbit. It damages multiple areas of the body and makes infected rabbits more vulnerable to other infections.

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Common symptoms are:

• Swelling around the eyes, ears, face and genitals (These are usually the first symptoms to be seen)

• Loss of appetite and / or difficulty eating or drinking

• Low energy

• Respiratory (breathing) problems

• Runny nose

• Skin lumps, ulcers and scabs

• Weepy eyes

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If you think your rabbit(s) has myxomatosis or is showing any of the symptoms above they need an urgent appointment with your vet. Unfortunately, the vaccine is not 'bulletproof', meaning there is a very small chance of vaccinated rabbits contracting the disease. A rabbit who is up to date with their vaccines and is treated quickly has the best chance of surviving. However, unvaccinated rabbits almost always die from this disease and usually will need to be euthanised to prevent further suffering.

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Vaccination against this disease is widely available. In the UK it is currently recommended that the vaccine should be repeated every six months in high-risk areas (where there are lots of mosquitoes and/or wild rabbits, and flat marshy areas) and annually elsewhere.

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The vaccine takes three weeks to take full affect therefore it is recommended that you wait for at least this amount of time before introducing them to other rabbits or to a different environment. 

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Annual vaccinations are best given in spring (but please don't wait if your rabbit is unvaccinated!) when biting insects start to become more common.

 

Prevention 

The best way to prevent your rabbits contracting this disease is to vaccinate each year.

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You can also deter biting insects such as fleas and mosquitos by using mosquito netting and/or flea treatment of all other pets in the household i.e. cats and dogs. Avoid having stagnant water in your garden.

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The myxomatosis virus can live for a long time on surfaces such as hutches, bottles, bowls etc - all of these should be thoroughly cleaned with boiling water (please be careful when doing this), and/or a disinfectant such as F10 or Anigene which is proven to be effective against myxomatosis, or even better thrown away and replaced, if they have been in contact with a rabbit that has had the virus. This also includes hay, straw, food etc which cannot be kept.

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Rabbit Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (RVHD)

This is also known as Rabbit Haemorrhagic disease (RVHD, RHD and VHD). There are now three strains of this disease (RVHD1, RVHD2 and a new strain) your rabbit should be vaccinated against. Remember there are two vaccines needed each year.

 

RVHD is also a fatal disease. The virus survives well in the environment and is easily spread between rabbits, by other animals, wild birds or by foods such as hay or fresh forage which have been contaminated by infected wild rabbits, or even by the wind and brought in on shoes and/or clothing.

 

RVHD attacks the internal organs, usually the liver, of a rabbit causing internal bleeding.

RVHD1 causes a sudden illness and is almost always fatal within two days of catching it.

RVHD2 usually develops more slowly and is often fatal within 1-2 weeks. This means that rabbits with this type are more likely to spread the disease purely because they will live longer with the virus.

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Symptoms are:

• Blood around the nose, mouth or bottom

• High temperature

• Low appetite or loss of appetite 

• Low energy

• Sudden death - RVHD often develops so quickly that infected rabbits usually die before their owner notices any symptoms.

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If you think your rabbit(s) is showing any of the symptoms above they need an urgent appointment with your vet. A rabbit who is up to date with their vaccines has the best chance of surviving this disease. However, unvaccinated rabbits usually will need to be euthanised to prevent further suffering.

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All rabbits, even those housed indoors, need annual vaccinations.

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The virus can live for months on surfaces such as hutches, bottles, bowls, hay, straw, food, toys etc - ideally these should be thrown away and replaced if they have been in contact with a rabbit that has had the virus or at the very least thoroughly disinfected (same procedure as per Myxomatosis).

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Any new rabbits introduced into your rabbits area should be fully vaccinated (and neutered).

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Remember your rabbits need vaccinating EVERY year.