• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

*Vaccinated* Rabbits Still Dying From RHD2 ?

J

Jack's-Jane

Wise Old Thumper
I follow a couple of FB pages about RHD2 and recently there have been several reports of vaccinated Rabbits still dying from RHD2 (Lab confirmed, allegedly). The most recent case I have just read about refers to the loss of 10 out of 11 Rabbits, all vaccinated- Derbyshire area. One vaccine fail out of 11 I can accept as being very possible. But 10 out of 11........... :?

I know that no vaccine gives 100% protection but ..........:? So far I have not seen anyone post which RHD2 vaccine was given -Eravac or Filivac; or how frequently the vaccine was given.

Trouble is how much of what is posted about these losses is 100% factual.

:?
 
That's such a shame :( I would guess the vaccines were all done by the same vet, I wonder whether the vet or their supplier might have stored them wrongly, or if it was a dodgy batch?
 
Almost always, when I've pressed people further when they've said "they were vaccinated" it turns out that they were vaccinated with nobivac. There is a case at the moment where there's a possible vaccine failure, but this was a bulk vial and they seem to be struggling to get information (e.g. batch, storage, when vial opened) out of the vet, so there seems to be something that doesn't quite add up. Almost all cases I've heard of where buns have died after vaccination have been: not vaccinated with an RHD2 vaccine, or vaccinated from a bulk vial, or came down with RHD2 within a week of vaccination (i.e. probably already harbouring it when vaccinated) or sick at the time of vaccination. Out of all the cases I've heard of, I can think of one, or maybe two, where everything seemed to be 'normal'. I am hearing plenty of cases however where unvaccinated rescue or breeder rabbits have died, but the vaccinated ones there have all survived. Of course there's always going to be an occasional case where there is a vaccine failure but I have yet to see any decent evidence that it's a real issue.
 
And actually that owner has now confirmed directly that they were vaccinated with nobivac - but not against RHD2.
 
Santa said:
Almost always, when I've pressed people further when they've said "they were vaccinated" it turns out that they were vaccinated with nobivac. There is a case at the moment where there's a possible vaccine failure, but this was a bulk vial and they seem to be struggling to get information (e.g. batch, storage, when vial opened) out of the vet, so there seems to be something that doesn't quite add up. Almost all cases I've heard of where buns have died after vaccination have been: not vaccinated with an RHD2 vaccine, or vaccinated from a bulk vial, or came down with RHD2 within a week of vaccination (i.e. probably already harbouring it when vaccinated) or sick at the time of vaccination. Out of all the cases I've heard of, I can think of one, or maybe two, where everything seemed to be 'normal'. I am hearing plenty of cases however where unvaccinated rescue or breeder rabbits have died, but the vaccinated ones there have all survived. Of course there's always going to be an occasional case where there is a vaccine failure but I have yet to see any decent evidence that it's a real issue.
Click to expand...

The other thing is that often the person reporting the 'incident' is not actually the owner of the Rabbits lost. The latest one being an example, a report of a report made elsewhere on FB.
 
MiniC said:
Case of Chinese whispers then?
Click to expand...

That and posts that only contain part of the full facts. I am sure that in most cases the posts are made with good intentions and not to cause any additional anxiety. I certainly didn't raise the issue on here to cause panic, I just wondered if it was only me who found it hard to accept what I had read. I am glad that what I read on FB was not 100% factual and that there have been very few, if any, losses due to 'vaccine failure'.
 
The trouble is, people are at their most emotional when they lose a pet, so aren't thinking very straight, are they? :( The rumour mill thing is reminding me a lot of the outbreak of guinea pig chlamydia about 10 years ago. Not that there was a vaccine there, but just the way stories start to circulate.
 
SarahP said:
The trouble is, people are at their most emotional when they lose a pet, so aren't thinking very straight, are they? :( The rumour mill thing is reminding me a lot of the outbreak of guinea pig chlamydia about 10 years ago. Not that there was a vaccine there, but just the way stories start to circulate.
Click to expand...

Oh gosh I have never heard of Chlamydia in Guinea Pigs. Is it as lethal as RHD in Rabbits ?
 
Jack's-Jane said:
Oh gosh I have never heard of Chlamydia in Guinea Pigs. Is it as lethal as RHD in Rabbits ?
Click to expand...

No, it was all a really confusing situation at the time around the testing and the different strains. And it turned out that the guinea pig strain is actually not too terrible at all - it can be treated and some pigs can even fight off the infection themselves. But, if the rumours were to be believed, a lot of piggies were put to sleep. I think the testing has improved now, as I actually had one tested for it in recent times (it was negative).
 
SarahP said:
No, it was all a really confusing situation at the time around the testing and the different strains. And it turned out that the guinea pig strain is actually not too terrible at all - it can be treated and some pigs can even fight off the infection themselves. But, if the rumours were to be believed, a lot of piggies were put to sleep. I think the testing has improved now, as I actually had one tested for it in recent times (it was negative).
Click to expand...

It's many years since I had any Piggies so I am completely out of touch with health issues related to them. I have enough trouble trying to keep up with the ever evolving information about Rabbit health !
 
Jack's-Jane said:
It's many years since I had any Piggies so I am completely out of touch with health issues related to them. I have enough trouble trying to keep up with the ever evolving information about Rabbit health !
Click to expand...

I only wish things moved on so fast as with rabbit health. So little is still known about smaller furries.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

O
4 weeks in with EC! Please help me understand a few things!
Replies
14
Views
2K
InspectorMorse
InspectorMorse
C
Vaccination help!
Replies
9
Views
873
capable
C
C
Bunny housing and RHD2
Replies
1
Views
1K
Jack's-Jane
J
Back
Top