Vaccination

Hi,

I've been out of the rescue world for coming up to a year, although i still have my own. I feel like I'm not completely up to date re vaccination recommendations, so wonder if I can have some clarification please? Is the combo vaccine still in action, and if so are we still considering it to be as safe as can be? Mine are older buns & I'm increasingly wary of what impact the vaccines have on their bodies with each passing year. If it's the singular vaccs, is it still a case of vaccing against myxo twice yearly? Not sure I've ever been comfortable with that one. I have them booked in this morning.

Thanks in advance.

My older two girls were vaccinated in March and I tried every vet nearby and branched out quite a bit to try to find someone who might still be using the separate vaccines but they were all using the combination. So unless something's changed in the last few months I think all vets are using the combination. I've got to take my boys in next week for their first vaccinations and I believe that's a combination.
Wish they would do them separate again as from what I've heard the combination doesn't always seem to be as effective.
In terms of safety I haven't heard anything myself but someone else might be able to give you more details about this.

Yes it's only the combi vaccine now, and yes it's just given once a year with no need for the 6-monthly booster. I think it's pretty safe, I have no problem vaccinating older rabbits with it - although as always, the vaccines should only be given to rabbits in good health unless discussion with the vet suggests that on balance it should be given anyway. There are of course always going to be some instances in which it doesn't work (either at all, or the bunny gets a mild form of myxo), in some cases this may well be because the rabbit was harbouring something else at the time of the vaccination and therefore it didn't 'take'.

I have asked some bunny savvy vets about this and they say that yes they have seen a slight increase in the number of rabbits presenting with atypical myxi (the form that doesn't usually kill) but they have also seen an enormous increase in the number of bunnies being vaccinated, so that overall it doesn't seem to be much different because more rabbits are being vaccinated so you'd expect to see higher numbers of 'problems'. One of mine came down with nodular myxi last year 11 months into the vaccine, it was literally just one nodule and was very mild, so it just goes to show that even towards the end of the year, the vaccine is effective against a myxi challenge.

Good luck at the vets :wave: