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Vaccinating Badger, yay or nay?

Should I vaccinate Badger?

  • Yes- for both Myxo and VHD

    Votes: 1 7.1%
  • Yes- for Myxo only

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Yes- For VHD only

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • No. Not right now/at all.

    Votes: 13 92.9%

  • Total voters
    14

Sky-O

Wise Old Thumper
Next week we start our bi-annual epic vaccination effort. Nearly everyone will be being vaccinated. Wish won't be, for obvious reasons.

My question is relating to Badger.

Badger has laryngeal issues. Is on Prednicare Steroid once a day, Zithromax once a day and also Corvental once a day.

He is going anyway, for a fully checkup. Having heard and taken on board all Liz says about her ill bunnies, my gut feeling is to not get him vaccinated (because of the steroids lowering his immune system, the high risk of lower respiratory infection, etc).

Does anyone have any thoughts on that? Agree or disagree? I think I'm going to attempt to add my first ever poll.

I'm worried that vaccinating him will end his life prematurely.


ETA- We will also obviously be discussing it with the vet, who has been very good to him, so this is by no means final, or definite or anything.
 
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I wouldn't get him vax'd...he probably wouldn't survive myxi even if vax'd due to his respiratory problems, and VHD is much less common anyway, so you have to weigh up the chances of him getting VHD compared to the chances of getting ill from the vax
 
if hes had a lifetime of VHD jabs previously there should be some immunity in his body even if they say theres not :? i dont understand why humans need once a life jabs yet animals need once a year ones :?

Holly had the lapinject and altho 100% healthy it really seemed to kock her about, i was almost worried enough to get her back to the vets.. she seemed too quiet, moving less and haunching abit which lasted about 4 days :( not sure id risk that in a poorly bun which i would expect my vet to delay it until the bun was stable anyhows.
and as already posted Myxi can still be caught, so whats the point of immunising against it if the bun would be too ill to fight the illness in the lesser form

unless the vet insisted and gave good reasons i would avoid any jabs full stop.
 
No I don't think I would do either. Not only is he poorly, but he is also on steroids. I'm sure whatever you decide will be the best decision for Badger. x

ETA Sky-O I just found this thread where you wrote something important
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=235019&highlight=vaccinating+ill not the same obviously but same theory applies, so you see, you already know the answer :)
I'm sure once you've chatted it through with your vet you will feel much happier that whatever you decide it is the best decision for now. There isn't really a right or wrong one, it's what is right for Badger right now.
 
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We are currently doing myxi for everyone and VHD for those who have no illnesses - so we are doing 15 out of 18 for VHD. Only on's not doing have respiratory compromises or some other compromise (Blackberry is active EC).

BUT we will also make absolutely sure that Comfrey - who has to have regular GAs for dentals - will be as far away from a GA as we can get when he is vacc'd for VHD even though he has no other problems.

We are also only doing 2 at a time for VHd (its a long process :lol:) in case there is a reaction to a batch or something . . and to make sure we don't suddenly have 18 ill buns on our hands.

Having said all that that I am really not sure what we will do when Damson's myxi is due next month - his reaction to the VHD jab was SO severe. He had myxi as a young bun but has had vaccine ever since and will be due one - - worry worry.

and I will worry when Viola Rose has hers - she had bad myxi last year so has a tearduct/nasal problem now.

I think if I was in your position I would not do him for now and perhaps just myxi when he is a bit better and off steroids.
 
It's such a tricky one isn't it. Given Badger's poor general health I'd have thought that there was more chance of the vaccine making him poorly and his body not actually producing the necessary immune response. Sadly it's one of those situations where if you have him vaccinated and he falls ill, you'll say 'if only I hadn't', but if you don't vaccinate him and he gets myxo, you'll say 'if only I had'. Sadly none of us have a crystal ball so I do think it's really just going to have to be an informed choice between you and your vet.

Santa hasn't had her VHD yet this year - we gave her the myxo and she did struggle for a while afterwards so my vet and I have decided not to do the VHD for now and give her body a break between them and until her weight is back up to normal.
 
Thanks guys, for your opinions and also personal experiences. As far as we can work out, Badger's problem is lifelong, and the steroids were the very last option (otherwise he would have been PTS:( Thankfully he wasn't though:)). We have no other options for him other than upping his steroid when he deteriorates further.

I think that if I vaccinated him and he got ill, I would blame myself, but if I didn't vaccinate him and he got ill, I think the guilt may be less. Only may though. Which is somewhat backwards but nevermind. :lol:
 
It's such a shame we don't know how prevalent VHD is as well - in some ways I think if a bun can only handle one vaccination, it would be better for it to be VHD because it's such an awful suffering before the bun dies - at least with myxo it develops slowly and there would be opportunity to say goodbye before the bun suffered. But myxo is so clearly visible and prevalent so it seems logical to do that one because we know how much of it there is.

I went for myxo with Santa because we do live by a river so there are lots of mozzies and there are lots of wild rabbits and there is myxo, so I feel that the risk of her contracting that is greater...but the risk of VHD is just so unknown.
 
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