Should I get my rabbit vaccinated?
In the vast majority of cases the answer is yes, around the world there are a number of life-threatening diseases that your rabbit can be protected from with the help of a vaccine. The diseases we vaccinate rabbits for are myxomatosis and rabbit viral haemorrhagic disease (types 1 and 2) – all of which are usually fatal.
What are vaccines?
Vaccines are a type of medication designed to teach the immune system what different types of bacteria and viruses look like, so that if they encounter them in the future the immune system will be able to produce a much faster and stronger response, preventing the animal from getting as sick. Vaccines generally use either pieces of the disease-causing organism or a modified version of the bacteria or virus where the dangerous parts have been removed, still allowing the immune system to learn how to recognise them. The immune system then produces memory cells which stay in the blood stream for a long time, however these do not last forever which is why vaccines need to be refreshed and is the reason ‘booster’ vaccines are required at set time intervals.
What about adverse effects?
Just like with human vaccines, animals can have adverse reactions to vaccinations – most of these are minor however in rare cases there can be more serious reactions. The more serious side effects happen very infrequently and because of this it is widely accepted that the benefits from the vaccines outweigh the risks of possible adverse effects. The milder side effects of vaccines can include pain and slight swelling at the site of the injection and having a mild increase in body temperature for a few days after vaccination. The more serious side effects which happen very infrequently (less than 1 in 10,000 rabbits) can include anaphylactic type reactions, scabs and hair loss at the injection site, however if these occur and are noticed quickly, they can be treated.
What are rabbits vaccinated for?
As previously mentioned, the vaccinations we give rabbits are for myxomatosis, rabbit viral haemorrhagic disease (RVHD) 1 and 2. These are all infections that are spread from wild rabbit populations to pet rabbits, mainly through blood sucking insects (mites, mosquitoes, and fleas), but can also be spread through direct contact with wild rabbits, or indirect contact, such as through environmental contamination of food or water bowls, grass, and items of clothing. In addition to vaccinating your rabbits, you can also minimise the risk of these types of contact to help prevent the spread of these diseases.
Myxomatosis
Myxomatosis is a type of pox virus, and as such the main presenting sign that you will see with rabbits is the presence of skin lesions – this will initially appear as swellings around the site of infection, for example where the insect bit the rabbit, before spreading around the rest of the body and causing large swellings around the eyes and genitals. In addition to causing large swellings, myxomatosis also causes suppression of the immune system, leading to secondary infections taking advantage, and causing the other signs which rabbits usually present with – namely respiratory infections that lead to difficulty breathing and discharge from the nose. Usually rabbits infected with myxomatosis become lethargic, struggle to eat and drink, and usually the disease is fatal. As with most viral diseases, there is no specific treatment for myxomatosis, and as most rabbits that become infected die in spite of supportive treatment, the recommendation is usually to put infected rabbits to sleep before they suffer.
Rabbit Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (RVHD/RHD)
RVHD, types 1 and 2, is a disease that primarily attacks the liver of rabbits, and it has the name because severe damage to the liver can lead to bleeding (haemorrhage) disorders. RHD2 was first detected in 2010 in France, and it quickly rose to the attention of rabbit owners all over the world as it was still infecting and killing rabbits that had already been vaccinated for RHD1. Since this time, new vaccinations have been created to cover for both RHD1 and RHD2, and all rabbits should be vaccinated for both of these. By rapidly replicating in the liver, these viruses cause severe liver damage over a short space of time, and therefore the time before clinical signs are detected is usually very short. Rabbits can present in three main ways when they have RHD, the first is sudden death after showing absolutely no signs of illness, the second involves vague signs of illness, including reduced appetite, lethargy, and sometimes spontaneous bleeding from the nose or genitals, prior to sudden death, and the third involves a more protracted course of disease where they have vague signs that grumble on before they cannot cope any longer. In all three cases the disease is hard to detect and there are no specific treatment options, and similarly to myxomatosis, most infected rabbits die despite supportive treatment.
As you can tell these diseases are extremely dangerous for rabbits, and are also near impossible to treat once your rabbit has contracted them, and for these reasons it is definitely wise to vaccinate your rabbits. If your rabbits are indoor only then the risk of them catching either of these diseases is lower, however because insects are one of the main ways the disease is transmitted, it may still be worthwhile vaccinating them.