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VACCINATE- Myxo, RHD1 & RHD2 -Updated 1st October 2018

Made me shudder when I read it :cry:
I did not even realise until I went on the page that this poor bloke lost a very dearly loved rabbit to myxomatosis in the last couple of months. The rabbit was a tiny bit overdue vaccination due to ongoing treatment for abscess. This new rabbit almost certainly being a new companion for the bereaved. He was quite worried about the count down time for vaccination effectiveness.. especially living next to a colony of wildies. I feel sick with him knowing the circumstances:cry:
 
I did not even realise until I went on the page that this poor bloke lost a very dearly loved rabbit to myxomatosis in the last couple of months. The rabbit was a tiny bit overdue vaccination due to ongoing treatment for abscess. This new rabbit almost certainly being a new companion for the bereaved. He was quite worried about the count down time for vaccination effectiveness.. especially living next to a colony of wildies. I feel sick with him knowing the circumstances:cry:

I admit to shedding a tear for him. If the PM confirms RHD2 then the RSPCA Rescue will certainly need to look at changing their stance on Vaccinating. Personally I would not adopt from a Rescue unless their Rabbits were fully vaccinated. Same with buying from a Breeder.
 
I admit to shedding a tear for him. If the PM confirms RHD2 then the RSPCA Rescue will certainly need to look at changing their stance on Vaccinating. Personally I would not adopt from a Rescue unless their Rabbits were fully vaccinated. Same with buying from a Breeder.

Ditto. i really can't understand how this can happen. Hindsight isn't good enough.
 
Ditto. i really can't understand how this can happen. Hindsight isn't good enough.

I know that the additional vaccine means additional costs for Rescues, even if they can get them done at a reduced price. I have never understood why Individual RSPCA Branches receive no Funding from the National RSPCA. The National Charity is not exactly short of funds.

https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/rspca-income-up-in-2016-following-11-5m-worth-of-legacies.html

Some individual branches work their butts off and do all they can to raise funds, but why have 'RSPCA' attached to the individual Rescue when they really have no help from the organisation at all ?
 
In cases like this surely it makes sense to ask the adoptee to pay extra for the vaccine and keep the rabbit back for a week. A rescue ten miles from me has lost a rabbit to suspected RHD2 and their vet only started offering the vaccine a week earlier... There's so many preventable tragedies out there.
 
In cases like this surely it makes sense to ask the adoptee to pay extra for the vaccine and keep the rabbit back for a week. A rescue ten miles from me has lost a rabbit to suspected RHD2 and their vet only started offering the vaccine a week earlier... There's so many preventable tragedies out there.


Indeed there are :cry:
 
We can never be complacent about Myxomatosis, even if RHD2 is the hot topic at the moment.

On the FB Myxo-RHD page https://www.facebook.com/groups/MyxomatosismapfortheUK/

the RWAF have just reported this- COLCHESTER ESSEX :

''Reported to us by the BRC, Colchester, CO1, losses from Myxomatosis. The last reported loss was on 14th''


And Angie (Bunnymadhouse on RU) has just reported this

''Was informed by a local farmer at the weekend that there is myxomatosis in the wildie population around his farm .

Elsecar/Hoyland . Barnsley''

Make sure your Bunnies Nobivac Myxo-RHD Vaccinations are up to date x
 
'Santa', a highly respected RU member has a vast amount of knowledge about RHD2. Sadly this came about from first hand experience of a disease outbreak at her Rescue. To add to that awful situation one of the Rescues also contracted Myxomatosis. Santa kept a Blog about what caring for Rabbits during a disease outbreak involves. The blog is very well worth reading

https://rhd2diary.wordpress.com/
 
Frequency of vaccination against RVHD2

We're aware that there have been some concerns raised about frequency of vaccination to protect against RVHD2 so wanted to give essential information to owners.

All vets that treat rabbits should stock Nobivac Myxo/RHD which protects against Myxomatosis and the original strain of RVHD. It *does not* protect against RVHD2. It should be given once a year and it takes several days for the rabbit's body to mount a proper immune response following the vaccination. Allow at least 7, preferably 10 and please don't go over a year between vaccinations.

To protect against RVHD2 there is a choice of vaccines. Although there are special import licences for vaccines from Spain (Cunipravac) and Germany (Cunivac RHD) they don't have full UK licences and there is the need for more than one initial vaccination and also for frequent boosters. They are also suspended in mineral oil which can cause sterile abscesses at the site of vaccination.

The vaccines that do have full UK licences are Filavac and Eravac.

Filavac should be given once a year, except in situations such as rescues, boarding and showing where a lot of rabbits from different backgrounds are being brought together into the same environment, when they should have 6 monthly vaccination. Originally there was advice that 6 monthly vaccinations should also be given where it is known the disease is in your area, but because we are certain it is now in every part of the UK this advice is redundant, and unless you are bringing in a rabbit from an unknown background, with unknown exposure, to be with your own vaccinated rabbits, there shouldn't be a need for more frequent than annual vaccination.

Eravac has a licence that states immunity os known to last for 9 months. Again in rescue, boarding and showing it would be sensible to increase frequency of vaccination, for the same reasons. Otherwise the advice is the same as for Filavac.

It takes a couple of weeks for these RVHD2 vaccines to trigger a full immune response so your rabbits are still vulnerable during this time. Please do not go over the proper time for re-vaccinating.

To find vets that stock either Eravac or Filavac you can consult this map http://rhd2map.buntools.org.uk/index.php?&p=vaccines The owner works hard to keep it up to date, but if you know of any omissions or errors, please use the contact tab on the site to let her know.

Further advice about viral diseases and vaccination is all covered on the RWAF website in the health section https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-health/ Please also see Further Reading in this section.

Finally, while there is talk of it being okay to give Nobivac at the same time as one of the other vaccines, this is not recommended practice. These vaccines have not undergone clinical trials together and with such a sensitive immune system, overloading it in this way may mean that rabbits would not mount full immune responses to any of the illnesses. So, to give your rabbits the best chance of survival, leave at least 2 weeks between the two vaccinations.
 
We're aware that there have been some concerns raised about frequency of vaccination to protect against RVHD2 so wanted to give essential information to owners.

All vets that treat rabbits should stock Nobivac Myxo/RHD which protects against Myxomatosis and the original strain of RVHD. It *does not* protect against RVHD2. It should be given once a year and it takes several days for the rabbit's body to mount a proper immune response following the vaccination. Allow at least 7, preferably 10 and please don't go over a year between vaccinations.

To protect against RVHD2 there is a choice of vaccines. Although there are special import licences for vaccines from Spain (Cunipravac) and Germany (Cunivac RHD) they don't have full UK licences and there is the need for more than one initial vaccination and also for frequent boosters. They are also suspended in mineral oil which can cause sterile abscesses at the site of vaccination.

The vaccines that do have full UK licences are Filavac and Eravac.

Filavac should be given once a year, except in situations such as rescues, boarding and showing where a lot of rabbits from different backgrounds are being brought together into the same environment, when they should have 6 monthly vaccination. Originally there was advice that 6 monthly vaccinations should also be given where it is known the disease is in your area, but because we are certain it is now in every part of the UK this advice is redundant, and unless you are bringing in a rabbit from an unknown background, with unknown exposure, to be with your own vaccinated rabbits, there shouldn't be a need for more frequent than annual vaccination.

Eravac has a licence that states immunity os known to last for 9 months. Again in rescue, boarding and showing it would be sensible to increase frequency of vaccination, for the same reasons. Otherwise the advice is the same as for Filavac.

It takes a couple of weeks for these RVHD2 vaccines to trigger a full immune response so your rabbits are still vulnerable during this time. Please do not go over the proper time for re-vaccinating.

To find vets that stock either Eravac or Filavac you can consult this map http://rhd2map.buntools.org.uk/index.php?&p=vaccines The owner works hard to keep it up to date, but if you know of any omissions or errors, please use the contact tab on the site to let her know.

Further advice about viral diseases and vaccination is all covered on the RWAF website in the health section https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-health/ Please also see Further Reading in this section.

Finally, while there is talk of it being okay to give Nobivac at the same time as one of the other vaccines, this is not recommended practice. These vaccines have not undergone clinical trials together and with such a sensitive immune system, overloading it in this way may mean that rabbits would not mount full immune responses to any of the illnesses. So, to give your rabbits the best chance of survival, leave at least 2 weeks between the two vaccinations.





Thanks for posting this important information Ros. It is very important that all Rabbit owners seek the advice of a qualified Rabbit Savvy Vet regarding their individual Rabbit(s) Vaccination needs at any given time . It is only a Veterinary professional who can give this advice x
 
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