VHD Question

[Lady Logamorph]

Just wondered if anyone knew the answer to the questions below

1. Can an un vaccinated rabbit catch VHD or VHD2 from a rabbit which has recently been vaccinated with the combi vaccine?
2. If a rabbit dies from what may be VHD can you bury the bunny in the ground or is it best to take to the vets to dispose of the body safely.

As you may guess from the above questions I have had 2 un vaccinated bunnies in recently and 2 bunnies that were vaccinated on the day they came to me. The bunnies that were un vaccinated have both died within a couple of days of each other and did not respond to treatment for statis. They went down hill very quickly (within 24 hours) refusing to eat and despite all the usual meds (abx, pain relief, syringe feeding and gut stimulant) they both passed away.

I can't think of any other illness that could take two bunnies so quickly. Also they were in pens so there is no way they could have been poisoned or eaten anything.

 

[Jack's-Jane]

Just wondered if anyone knew the answer to the questions below

1. Can an un vaccinated rabbit catch VHD or VHD2 from a rabbit which has recently been vaccinated with the combi vaccine?
2. If a rabbit dies from what may be VHD can you bury the bunny in the ground or is it best to take to the vets to dispose of the body safely.

As you may guess from the above questions I have had 2 un vaccinated bunnies in recently and 2 bunnies that were vaccinated on the day they came to me. The bunnies that were un vaccinated have both died within a couple of days of each other and did not respond to treatment for statis. They went down hill very quickly (within 24 hours) refusing to eat and despite all the usual meds (abx, pain relief, syringe feeding and gut stimulant) they both passed away.

I can't think of any other illness that could take two bunnies so quickly. Also they were in pens so there is no way they could have been poisoned or eaten anything.

I am very sorry for your losses. The combi vaccine (Nobivac-Myxo RHD) does NOT give any protection against RHD2, only RHD1. To protect against RHD2 Filavac or Eravac is the Vaccine needed.

You may find this information to be useful:

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/owners/frequently-asked-questions/FAQRHD

Santa, an RU Member, has been running a highly respected FB Group specifically about RHD. If you are on FB I recommend you join the group. The information and advice available there is second to none. Sadly many people have had to learn a huge amount about RHD from first hand experience of a disease outbreak.

The RWAF and some Rabbit Savvy Vets contribute to the group.

I hope that your remaining Rabbits stay well. Of course without a PM it is not possible to say for certain that your tragic losses were due to RHD, but it has to be a strong possibility.

 

[Lady Logamorph]

Thanks Jane, I will join the facebook group.

The two rabbits that came to me were due to have the RHD2 vaccine in a few weeks but had only been handed in the day before to the RSPCA hence why they had only had the combo vaccine. I am still unclear whether the un vaccinated rabbits caught something from the new rabbits that came in even though they were vaccinated the day they came in but these two rabbits are still alive or if the other two caught something from somewhere else e.g insects.

I will ring the vet tomorrow and see what they say about doing the RHD2 earlier than anticipated but the rabbits have a bad upper resp infection as well so are on septrin and abx so I suppose giving them too much at once might make them even worse.

 

[Santa]

Just wondered if anyone knew the answer to the questions below

1. Can an un vaccinated rabbit catch VHD or VHD2 from a rabbit which has recently been vaccinated with the combi vaccine?
2. If a rabbit dies from what may be VHD can you bury the bunny in the ground or is it best to take to the vets to dispose of the body safely.

As you may guess from the above questions I have had 2 un vaccinated bunnies in recently and 2 bunnies that were vaccinated on the day they came to me. The bunnies that were un vaccinated have both died within a couple of days of each other and did not respond to treatment for statis. They went down hill very quickly (within 24 hours) refusing to eat and despite all the usual meds (abx, pain relief, syringe feeding and gut stimulant) they both passed away.

So very sorry to hear this. In answer to your questions:

1) Not from the vaccine itself or from the body's response to the vaccine, no. But they could potentially have 'caught' it from the vaccinated rabbits if those rabbits were harbouring or shedding it as asymptomatic carriers, or if the disease was already in the vicinity and those two other rabbits had natural immunity so weren't affected. I only had 1 out of 13 die from RHD2 so it's entirely plausible that the seemingly healthy ones were pooping it out or walking it around. It's entirely possible for any household to have RHD2 lying around it, regardless of whether they have rabbits or not, although the risks are obviously higher in households where lots of rabbits/rabbit owners come and go, where wild rabbits are nearby, or where owners/dogs etc walk in areas with wild rabbits. RHD2 has an incubation of 3-9 days so if it is that, whether they picked it up from the other bunnies may also depend on how those timings worked out.

2) Definitely ask the vets to arrange cremation. RHD2 can live for up to 8 months outside of a living host in perfect conditions, and a buried body will be a significant reservoir for infection potentially for several months. Much safer to arrange cremation.

 

[MightyMax]

Just wondered if anyone knew the answer to the questions below

1. Can an un vaccinated rabbit catch VHD or VHD2 from a rabbit which has recently been vaccinated with the combi vaccine?
2. If a rabbit dies from what may be VHD can you bury the bunny in the ground or is it best to take to the vets to dispose of the body safely.

As you may guess from the above questions I have had 2 un vaccinated bunnies in recently and 2 bunnies that were vaccinated on the day they came to me. The bunnies that were un vaccinated have both died within a couple of days of each other and did not respond to treatment for statis. They went down hill very quickly (within 24 hours) refusing to eat and despite all the usual meds (abx, pain relief, syringe feeding and gut stimulant) they both passed away.

I can't think of any other illness that could take two bunnies so quickly. Also they were in pens so there is no way they could have been poisoned or eaten anything.

It's lovely to see you again, but I am so very sorry for your losses

There's a Forum thread running here:

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?471653-RHD2-July-2018
(This is particularly useful for those people who don't use Facebook)

It contains links to important info about RHD2.

Other info here:

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/owners/frequently-asked-questions/FAQRHD

I would take the bodies to the vets asap to arrange a cremation for them. The vet will be the best person to take care of that.

 

[Lady Logamorph]

Thanks Santa for that info. I have learnt a very hard lesson here that if I'm taking in multiple rabbits they need to be all vaccinated before they come in.

The first rabbit became ill sometime last Thursday daytime and passed away in the early hours of Friday morning. The second rabbit was ill on Saturday morning and passed away on Sunday morning at 7:40 am so judging by those timings they must have both caught it at a similar time.

I will ring the vet in the morning and arrange for cremation.

 

[Lady Logamorph]

Thanks MightyMax and yes a cremation seems the safest option at the moment.

 

[Jack's-Jane]

Thanks Santa for that info. I have learnt a very hard lesson here that if I'm taking in multiple rabbits they need to be all vaccinated before they come in.

The first rabbit became ill sometime last Thursday daytime and passed away in the early hours of Friday morning. The second rabbit was ill on Saturday morning and passed away on Sunday morning at 7:40 am so judging by those timings they must have both caught it at a similar time.

I will ring the vet in the morning and arrange for cremation.

Really glad Santa has posted and I hope her advice and the vast amount of info on her FB group will be of help.

I am really sorry that you have potentially encountered RHD2. I think it's something we all absolutely dread happening. I sure know that's how I feel

 

[MightyMax]

Thanks MightyMax and yes a cremation seems the safest option at the moment.

You're welcome. I really feel for you and am so sorry you have to go through this.

Sending you hugs xx

 

[Lady Logamorph]

Thanks Jane and MightyMax it has broken my heart this week to lose two bunnies so close together. The fb page has been really useful. x

 

[Jack's-Jane]

Thanks Jane and MightyMax it has broken my heart this week to lose two bunnies so close together. The fb page has been really useful. x

I am so glad that it has helped, but of course nothing can negate the awful experience of losing Rabbits to RHD. When I read some posts of people losing over 20 Rabbits I feel physically sick.