An article on myxomatosis in the rabbit.
I make no apology for writing this same article every year because every year I see cases of myxomatosis in pet rabbits. When I am presented with a rabbit suffering from this disease there is little I or any other vet can do, they are almost all put to sleep and what is most frustrating is that there is a relatively cheap and effective vaccine available. Some owners are still unaware of the high number of cases which occur annually and the fact that there is a vaccine which your veterinary surgeon can administer. At the moment we are in the middle of another outbreak, over the last month I have seen a great many wild rabbits and a number of pet rabbits which have been brought to me in a very sorry state suffering from the final stages of this disease.
Some owners are reluctant to vaccinate because they have only have one rabbit which is kept alone in its hutch and has no contact with other rabbits and so they think that their pet is not at risk. In fact this disease is spread by flying insects such as the mosquito as well as the rabbit flea which was the traditional means by which this disease was thought to have been spread. Both classes of insects feed on blood and so carry and spread the virus which causes myxomatosis. It is now thought that the mosquito is the main means by which this disease spreads and believe me it is easily capable of flying into your rabbit’s hutch and infecting it.
Diagnosis is by the clinical signs and the vaccination status of the animal. The time of year may also be an indicator as we see outbreaks during specific months when the mosquitoes are active. Symptoms start to appear between one and three weeks following the virus being introduced into the rabbit’s body via an insect bite. The first sign seen is that the eyelids start to swell, eventually closing over the eye. Swelling may occur in other parts of the body particularly the base of the ears and the genitalia. There is often an eye discharge and there may also be a nasal discharge. Affected rabbits will develop fast and laboured breathing as the disease develops, death usually occurs in almost all cases within about two weeks
On a lighter note the photo I have included with this article is of a Belgian Hare which one of my clients recently brought in to me for a myxomatosis vaccination. This breed is quite rare and I have seen very few of them at the clinic. Although it is called a hare it is in fact a rabbit which has been selectively bred to resemble a hare which indeed it does. They originated in Flanders and are not really suitable as children’s pets mainly due to their large size and speed. They are a specialist breed and are usually kept by specialist breeders who show them.
Not found what you were looking for? Search again using the search box below.
Or have a live consult with an online vet right now!
This article was brought to you by Scott Nimmo BVMS MRCVS. If you have found it to be interesting or of value please share it with your social media using the buttons below.
