RHD is usually fatal and can rarely be treated. The viruses, RHDV1 (well known in the UK) & RHDV2 (which first appeared in the UK in 2015) can persist for between 200 days to a year in the environment and can be carried home on clothes, shoes, hands, and carrion (e.g. crow) faeces.
They can cause sudden deaths where they act so fast that there are no symptoms seen, or a slightly slower course of events with bleeding and liver failure. Our combined Myxo/RHD Vaccine provides good protection against RHDV1, and can be done annually. A separate vaccination is needed for protection against RHDV2 and may need to be given annually or six months; dependent on the local risks. We currently recommend the six monthly vaccinations due to the outbreak.
Due to the outbreak, we are offering 10% discount on the Filavac vaccinations, please get in touch to arrange an appointment. Sadly, if your bunny already has the disease, this will not offer protection but healthy rabbits will be protected after one week.
In the meantime, rabbits should still have their normal vaccinations, and ones that go outside may have a natural boost to their immunity. If you are picking wild plants for your bunny- keep away from wild rabbit areas, and choose tall ones. If you lose a bunny- we would encourage you to have it tested to provide vital information for the other pet bunnies in the neighbourhood.
Keep an eye on our Website and Facebook page for further updates. Clients, please make sure that we have your email addresses for any alerts of local disease out breaks or vaccine availability.
