• Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

New Variant RVHD- Known as 'RVHD2' U/D 15th October 2024

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Just a reminder that we can never let our guard down with regards to RHD. The virus is now endemic in the UK and ALL Rabbits are at risk. Whilst no vaccine can ever give 100% protection it is still absolutely essential that ALL Rabbits keep up to date with their vaccines.

Sadly there are still some Veterinary Professionals who are advising clients that House Rabbits are not at risk. Or that Rabbits in urban areas are not at risk. This is simply NOT TRUE. The RWAF provides up to date and factual information about RHD

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-health/disease/rabbit-vhd/

The vaccine now being given is the Nobivac Myxo RHD Plus (AKA the Triple Vaccine’), this covers Myxomatosis, RHD1 and RHD2. The Vaccine can be given to kits from the age of 5 weeks

https://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/?id=-476284

The previous Nobivac Myxo RHD vaccine, which only gave protection against Myxomatosis and RHD1, has been discontinued now. There is a specific protocol Vets need to follow when vaccinating a Rabbit with the Triple Vaccine for the first time if the Rabbit had previously had the now withdrawn Nobivac Myxo RHD or if the Rabbit’s vaccine status is unknown

https://www.msd-animal-health-hub.co.uk/ahp/rabbit-switching

It is VERY important that this protocol is followed

Finally, if you are unfortunate enough to lose a Rabbit to suspected or confirmed (after PM liver sample testing) RHD then there are specific actions you need to take to try to protect any other Rabbits you may have. No new Rabbits should be brought in for at least 4 months. The bodies of any deceased Rabbits must be cremated. Burial risks disease spread as detailed in the advice given on this link

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/ar...c-disease/how-to-deal-with-an-outbreak-of-rhd

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I have been made aware of numerous RHD losses in vaccinated and unvaccinated Rabbits in the Hartlepool and Gateshead areas. One person losing 15 Rabbits within 72 hours :cry: House Rabbits as well as outdoor Rabbits :(

Whilst vaccination cannot give 100% protection, as the above details prove, it is still ESSENTIAL to have all Pet Rabbits vaccinated and to make sure their vaccination status is kept up o date every year.This applies to indoor Rabbits as well as outdoor Rabbits.
 
I think part of the problem is that people get their rabbit vaccinated but then don't get the booster within a year. There is some ignorance over vaccinations, an assumption they'll last a lifetime.
I've witnessed this in the past anyway.
 
Sadly there appears to be a big up-tick in losses to confirmed RHD. Whilst most of the deceased Rabbits were not vaccinated, some were.

As I mentioned some time ago, although not officially confirmed here in the UK I believe another variant of the virus, which HAS been confirmed in France, RHD2k, is now present in the UK. Unfortunately the only two vaccines available in the UK, Nobivac Myxo RHD Plus and Filavac, do NOT cover the new strain. In France the Filavac Vaccine has been updated to cover RHD2k, the vaccine is called ATU Filavac VHD Var K. It has been granted a special licence for use only if it can be confirmed that there has been/is an RHD2k outbreak in a specific area. ATU Filavac VHD Var K is not available at all in the UK AFAIK. I made some enquiries about all this last year, as did my Vet. Sadly neither of us received any response. I do hope the matter is being addressed as there are certainly a lot more losses of vaccinated Rabbits now than there used to be. I hope at PMs Vet labs are actually looking for the RHD2k mutation. If they don’t look for it they won’t find it.

As things stand it remains ESSENTIAL that we vaccinate our Rabbits, even if doing so cannot give 100% guarantee that our Rabbits will not succumb to RHD.

Shockingly there are still some people being told by a Vet that indoor Rabbits do not need vaccinating. This is NOT true. ALL Rabbits are at risk.

As a reminder, the only vaccine we have to cover for Myxo is now Nobivac Myxo-RHD Plus. If your Rabbit is given Filavac to cover for RHD they will NOT be covered for Myxo. There is no longer any vaccine available in the UK just to cover for MyxoIMG_3970.jpeg
 
RVHD2 Update

‘’We are aware that there is, sadly, yet another strain of Rabbit Viral Haemorrhagic disease out there: “virulent” or “highly virulent” RVHD2. It’s been detected in Hungary, France, Northern Italy and the Netherlands, where it makes up approximately 50% of the cases seen (the other 50% being "classical" RVHD2). As yet, we can’t be sure of its presence in the UK, as no work has been done to look for it. We are in the process of finding out if it is possible to do any surveillance for it, but we know from past experience with previous strains, that it is only a matter of time before it gets here, if it’s not here already.



The good news is that there is a new vaccine which covers both it and the "classical" RVHD2 strain, but not RVHD1, nor myxomatosis. The bad news is that we don't expect this to be available in the UK until early next year. Because of the restriction placed on us by the Veterinary Medicine Directorate we are not able to provide the names of any vaccinations to rabbit guardians and care givers, only to clinicians such as vets. However, we are communicating this to them also so you should contact your vet for advice.



We hope to be able to give more news nearer the time of its release, including suggested vaccine regimes, for vets and for owners. Until then, please do not stop vaccinating with the currently available vaccine, as this offers the fullest possible protection available right now, , and please continue to take sensible precautions to avoid bringing it into your rabbit's environment (eg by changing outdoor footwear at the door, and being careful to forage in places with, ideally, no wild rabbits present).

If you are adding any new rabbits to your household (or if you run a rescue) then we advise quarantining any new additions for 2 weeks.’’

Richard Saunders (he/him) BSc (Hons) BVSc FRSB CBiol
 
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