Your rabbits must be vaccinated against the following for Bunny Burrows Boarding to accept them into our holiday home. Please provide a photograph of vaccination certificates with your booking form and present the certificates upon drop off. 

 

Myxomatosis

 

Often referred to as Myxi or Myxo, myxomatosis decimated the wild rabbit population when it first arrived in Britain in the 1950's. It is still prevalent and deadly.

Unvaccinated rabbits generally cannot survive the disease & vaccinated rabbits can still contract the disease but have a good chance of survival with treatment.

 

The main route of infection is via blood sucking insects (e.g. fleas & mosquito's) and direct contact with infected rabbits. Both house rabbits and outside rabbits are at risk of the disease.

Myxomatosis starts with severe conjunctivitis, then affected rabbits develop swellings around the head and genital regions. They become increasingly weak, go blind and eventually die.

The vaccination is called Nobivac and the new Nobivac Plus vaccine that covers against all three diseases has been released June 2020.

 

Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (RHD)

 

RHD arrived in Britain in 1992 and is a swift deadly disease that generally kills unvaccinated rabbits that catch it within a day or two. The virus causes mass internal bleeding often leaving no outward sign of disease at all. RHD is spread by direct contact with infected rabbits or indirectly via urine/faeces. The virus can also survive for months within the environment and is easy to bring home.

E.g.

 

• Hay may have been in contact with infected rabbits as grass growing in a field.

• Birds and insects may transport the disease.

• It can be trodden in on shoes and can be brought home on hands and clothes.

 

 

RHD2

 

RHD2 is a new strain of the RHD virus which arrived from Europe in the UK in 2016. It is spread the same way as RHD and requires a separate vaccination as the original combination booster doesn't offer any protection against this more ruthless strain of the disease.

The vaccine is either Filavac or Eravac but is now included on the Nobivac Plus vaccine.

 

 

 

Flystrike

 

Rabbits are said to have flystrike when flies lay eggs upon them and these eggs hatch out into maggots. Some fly species like the blue bottle and green bottle can produce maggots that rapidly mature and eat into living flesh within 24 hours. Flystrike can be rapidly fatal to rabbits.

All rabbits are at risk but certain factors will increase risk:

• Rabbits who cannot keep their bottom clean

• Generally occurs all year round but is more prevalent in the warmer spring/summer months.

 

To prevent flystrike promote a healthy diet made up mainly of hay and exercise. Health check rabbits everyday, remove soiled bedding and change litter trays daily, disinfect living quarters regularly.

A liquid called rearguard is available which is applied to the rabbit and works as a preventative for roughly 10 weeks.

 

Encephalatizoon cuniculi

 

E. Cuniculi is a microscopic brain and kidney parasite that can affect all rabbits. Once a rabbit has e. cuniculi it is passed along through spores in the urine which other rabbits pick up by eating these spores in contaminated water or food. Once the parasite has entered the rabbits body it is carried through the blood to the organs and central nervous system. Only a small percentage of rabbits show signs of the disease.

There are some typical but not guaranteed signs of infection.

• Kidney disease - drinking or urinating more than usual, incontinence

• Unexplained behavioural changes

• Eye disease – cataracts

• Neurological disease – head tilt, unsteadiness, weakness of the back legs, paralysis, convulsions

 

Diagnosis is often difficult as rabbits carry the antibodies anyway that show up in blood tests so a blood test doesn't often give definitive answers.

Treatment is often anti inflammatory drugs alongside a 28 day course of panacur. Response of treatment varies on the severity of the infection once caught. Sometimes the parasite can cause irreversible damage and certain associated symptoms e.g. head tilt never correct themselves.

 

The organism can survive in the environment (hutch/house) for a month and regular use of disinfectant to eliminate and control the disease is recommended.

A regular 9 day course of Panacur 2-4 times a year is recommended to prevent EC.

 

E. cuniculi is zoonotic (can be transmitted to humans) but generally only affects people with very compromised immune systems (HIV/AIDS or someone undergoing chemotherapy).

 

It is essential all rabbits coming through our doors are fully vaccinated for their own protection and the protection of other rabbits.