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Vaccinations

Carole

Warren Scout
Hi,

Just wanted some advice, I have added this to another post, but thought I would put it on its own so that you can see it.

After reading a post on here I am a little nervous about having these jabs done.

I am getting a rabbit today - 9 week old Lionhead and I called the Vet and was told that she is old enough to have the jabs and there had to be a gap in between them so she is going on Tuesday to have the first one (myxi I think).

Do you think it is too soon to get the injections, or better to let her settle in. Also what is the correct procedure for having these jabs done, i.e. are they done in a particular order as the person I spoke to at the vets seemed a bit vague about this.

I presume the benefits of having these jabs outweigh the fact that it can make them feel under the weather for a couple of day.

Any advice greatly appreciated - thanks Carole
 
Just to piggy back on the back of this, how much are the jabs? I have 3 bunnsters and I think I will have to get them done but just wondered about the cost.
 
Hi, I will let you know definately next week, but the approximate cost I think for both of them was around £40 ish at my vets.

Carole
 
hi,
im not sure about jabs but baby rabbits are very suseptable to stress and can get something called bloat and this is when they get gas inside then and cant get rid of it so they blow up like balloons, so vets could be stressful on the rabbit but if u think she has setteled in ok by then she should be fine
becky
 
At 9weeks old, it is prudent to vaccinate against Myxomatosis first, then leave a two weeks gap, and have the VHD Later.
I believe Bunnies need to be 3 months old before they have the VHD vaccine ideally, so there immune system can cope, but if your Vet had advised for her to have it soon, then with the two week gap after the Myxomatosis vaccine that will be just about the right timing :D
Becky gives good advice, as it is important to ensure the bunny has settled in well with you first, and is not stressed by the move, before taking to be vaccinated.
The Myxomatosis vaccine is much more easily tolerated by bunnies though, so I would not hesitate to have this one done, as even house rabbits can get Myxomatosis.
Pop a drop of Rescue remedy in the drinking water for two days before and two days after the Vets visit, as this helps keep the stress to a minimum.
 
Thank you for all your advice. I will see how she is, yet to see her, another hour to go, but apparantly she is small, although she is 9 weeks old, so I may delay for a week and let her settle in.

I actually spoke to one of the vet nurses on the phone, who said they do plenty of rabbit vaccinations at the practice as well as spaying them, and I am sure she said to have the myxomatosis one first, and she did also say that she would have to check the age for the other one.

I appreciate all your help - just want to make sure I am doing everything right, and certainly dont want to stress her out too soon.
 
Hi we have just had both our bunnies vacinated again against myxi. We are in a high risk area so we have to have it done every 6 months. Our vets charges us £25 (give or take a few pence) to get both bunnies vacinated. I think VHD is the same.

We had both our bunnies vacinated first time around when they were 9 weeks old. Our vets also gives them a general checkup as well.
 
Ive just had claude vaccinted at the pet vaccintion clinic it cost £10 per vaccine,mine get done every six months
 
Just a quick note to focus the mind.... :D

Whatever the situation or the financial circumstances you really do need to get your rabbits vaccinated. I know that for some people if the cost is prohibitive some charities & Vets offer subsidies.

I agree that it is wise to follow your vets advice regarding what age to start. When you have your first jabs the vet will give you a card and you can keep track of when you have to go in next (usually every 6 months for Myxi and 12 months for VHD).

Whatever you do.... Please have it done. Some very sweet loving owners on this forum lost bunnies this year to Myxi and if you ask any of them what they would do if they could turn back time...it would be to have had their bunnies vaccinated. Myxi is a devastating thing to watch a rabbit suffer from. You can't do anything about it. No matter how much you love your rabbits, care for them, feed them, and keep them clean, the only thing you can do to prevent Myxi is vaccinate them.

<jumps down off her soapbox> :wink:
 
Hi,

Good words of advice, in my case fortunately the money isnt the issue, but I appreciate that for some people it can be an added expense.

I was just concerned about just having got her, and her being small, and didnt know whether it was too early to make her feel under the weather, but I guess she would be feeling a whole lot worse if I waited and anything happened.

Thanks

Carole
 
your talk of vaccinations has made me think...i don't think Dubbs ever had any! he certainly wasn't taken to the vets every year for them. he may have had one or two for Myxi as a baby/youngster, i think i can recall him having a jab or two...

i know my vet doesn't really agree with vaccinating cats on an annual basis (he thinks bi-annualy is more than enough)...but as far as i can recall he never reminded me to get Dubbs' annual vaccinatons done. maybe he thought that he was in alow risk area in central london?

bit late to worry about it now, it obviously didn't do Dubbs any harm not to have them, seeing as he lived to such a ripe old age....or maybe he was just lucky?
 
We're getting a lot of flies in the flat at the moment. With the paranoia I'd be suffering, even in a low risk area, I think the vaccinations are worth it just for the peace of mind they bring. I know they're not 100% effective, but they're better than nothing.
 
I recommend contacting a few vets in your area to get prices as I found that the prices varied significantly, or maybe someone could recommend a vet in your area.

I believe my vet in North London charged me 30 pounds for both jabs (myxi and VHD) and the jabs were done with a 2 week interval between them.
 
Do we really need to vacinate at all, I sent an e-mail to the secertary of Fur and Feather magazine a few weeks ago to discuss this, as I have just started keeping bun's again after a break of about 20 year's, they said to vacinate is your choice, even if your rabbit is vacinated against myxi, it doesen't stop them contracting it, it just help's your bun not get so sick, VHD well if you keep your hutche's clean and disinfect reguarly, to safe guard against flystrike, then you should be ok, so at the end of the day it is really your choice.


Polly-anna.
 
Vaccinating against myxy greatly reduces the chance of your rabbit contracting it and if you rabbit is one of the few that still gets it it increases the possibility of surviving.

I'm afraid I disagree with the person you spoke too. Flystrike is different to VHD.

Flystrike is caused by blow flies laying eggs which hatch in to maggots which eat at the rabbit. Keeping the hutch and rabbit clean goes a long way to preventing this as these flies are attracted by feaces.

VHD and Myxy on the other hand are caused by blood sucking insects such as mosiqutos and fleas. Generally cleaning doesn't work as well in preventing these, particularly fleas which can be picked up from a passing cat, dog, hedgehog or even a human and are nothing to do with cleanliness. Even house rabbits can contract both these illnesses.

VHD is also spread by contact so if you cuddle an infected rabbit and then your own rabbit you can pass it on via your clothing.

As you say it is down to choice but its important to understand how these diseases are passed on.

Tam
 
Yes I agree Tam, but if you have a stud of rabbit's, there is no way you would be able to vaccinate them all, all you can do is be very careful, I didn't mean you don't have to vacinate, I just meant that being vacinated against myxi wont stop your rabbit contracting it.


Polly.
 
polly-anna said:
Yes I agree Tam, but if you have a stud of rabbit's, there is no way you would be able to vaccinate them all, all you can do is be very careful, I didn't mean you don't have to vacinate, I just meant that being vacinated against myxi wont stop your rabbit contracting it.


Polly.

Yes but if a rabbit is vaccinted is has more chance of a recovery from myxi i know someone who bun had myxi for 11 weeks he has recovered very well

this topic is very close to my heart after loosing my little william to myxi,all my rabbits are vaccinted every 6 months now and i dont live in whats classed as a a high risk area.
I was very carefull my rabbits are house rabbits but he still caught myxi.
 
Hi,

Misty went last night to get her Myxi jab, and so far there doesnt appear to be any side effects. My Vet also told me that they have seen a significant increase in rabbits coming into the surgery with Myxi, so personally I feel that it is very worthwhile to have this vaccination.

She will be going back in 2 weeks to get the VHD one.

My vet charged £17 for Myxi injection and I think the other one is around the same price. I could have travelled 20 odd miles and got the vaccinations for £10 each, but as I have a lot of trust in my local vet I preferrred to pay the extra and get her vaccinated there.

The choice to vaccinate of course is down to the owner, but I like to give my pets every chance to have a healthy life, and according to my Vet it is very beneficial to get these vaccinations done.
 
polly-anna said:
Yes I agree Tam, but if you have a stud of rabbit's, there is no way you would be able to vaccinate them all, all you can do is be very careful, I didn't mean you don't have to vacinate, I just meant that being vacinated against myxi wont stop your rabbit contracting it.

Polly.

Hi Polly,

I get your point about maybe not vaccinating all of your buns if you have a stud of rabbits but I guess most rabbit owners don't keep a stud.
Most just have one or two for pets.
As a result these people feel a deep love for their rabbit and consider it a part of their family.

Wearing a seatbelt when your on the M25 doesn't prevent you from being in a car accident but it sure as heck increases your chances walking away from the wreckage.

I think people can save themselves a lot of heartache by having their rabbits vaccinated. Yes, they still may contract Myxi but they will know in their hearts the they gave their pet the very best chance of survival. And what a result if the bunny lives!
 
Holly Go-Lightly said:
[quote="polly-anna

Wearing a seatbelt when your on the M25 doesn't prevent you from being in a car accident but it sure as heck increases your chances walking away from the wreckage.

/quote]

Andrea this is a very good way to sum things up.
Vaccinations are the only way to give your rabbits as much protection as possible, and even with the slight vaccination rate failure, it is still the best defence we have against this deadly disease.
You can of course do some practical things too, like De Fleaing your rabbits environment and hanging net curtains over hutches/ runs to stop flying insects getting to your rabbits.
We combine both the above methods above to help protect the Sanctuary.

The vaccination costs vary wildly between vets, and we found a Vet who comes out and vaccinates for cost (almost) as he has the view that the bunnies cannot afford to be left unvaccinated, and he knows we would have difficulty keeping their vaccinations up to date otherwise.
Try and find a sympathetic Vet, and vaccination costs can be greatly reduced, but as far as we are concerned, when looking at the Sanctuary budget the vaccinations are a priority, and although the Annual Bill comes to over 1000 pounds (with all the reduction in cost we get through our lovely Vet) it is something we cannot afford not to do.

Every individual has their own priorities in life, so each has to make his/ he own choices, vaccinating the Sanctuary rabbits is mine :D
 
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