Variant of Hemorrhagic Disease of the Rabbit, vaccines available to the veterinary clinic.
The RHD (RHD – Rabbit Haemorragic Disease) is a rabbit disease for which no treatment is effective. This disease does not affect guinea pigs.
The causative virus is highly resistant in the environment (4 months in the droppings contaminated by a sick rabbit!)
Transmission of the disease occurs from rabbit to rabbit, but also through the contaminated greenery. Apparently biting insects can also carry the virus.
As this virus remains virulent in the droppings of infected rabbits during 4 month, it is entirely possible to infect a remaining rabbit apartment by purchasing hay contaminated by droppings from wild rabbits or related feed.
The disease develops in 24 hours and rabbit dies quickly (bleeding from the trachea, lungs, intestines…)
until recently, this disease was caused by a single virus, this was the form said RHD-1, against which there is a vaccine for a long time. In our clinic, we vaccinate rabbits against myxomatosis and the RHD-1 with the vaccine Nobivac Myxo-RHD.
But it appeared there a few years ago a variant of this known virus. It is responsible for said form RHD-2. The first cases were identified in 2011.
A vaccine was created against this variant form; having had to do no cases of hemorrhagic disease due to varying our customers, we are not far vaccinions our rabbits against this variant: in fact it represented an additional cost (and 2 visits per year) that n & rsquo; was previously not essential, and n & rsquo; was generally not desired, when we spoke in consultation.
But we have recently seen the first cases of this very serious disease.
C & rsquo; is why we deem extremely important to know, and to establish vaccination against the variant RHD.
So we referenced a new vaccine, the 1-RHD Filavac RHD2, effective against 2 forms of RHD.
It is not advisable to vaccinate simultaneously with the vaccine Nobivac Myxo-RHD, because we are going to overdose vaccination against RHD-1 and risk diminishing vaccine efficacy.
The solution, although more stringent, therefore to perform 2 vaccinations, one with Myxo-RHD vaccine, the other with the Filavac RHD1-2; these vaccinations must be separated by at least 1 month.
Namely also, if the number of cases occurring proved too great, we could be required to recommend a 2nd annual injection of Filavac, the 2 would then be separated from 6 month. It is not for the moment not the case, except of course on request.
There is no effective treatment against this disease, the death rate is extremely high.
That is why we very strongly encourage you to come quickly to vaccinate your rabbits, preferably first against the 2 variants de la RHD.
The ideal is to vaccinate in the spring or early summer. Why? Because biting insects are mostly found in summer, the hay is harvested in early summer and the virus can not survive more 4 months in contaminated hay. So the rabbit is protected most effectively during the most risky period.
Feel free to Contact us for information or to make an appointment.