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RABBITS SPRING 2009
At the moment we are seeing an increasing number of rabbits who have caught Myxomatosis and it is very early in the year for this. The disease spreads by contact or by bloodsucking insects and so can easily spread from wild populations to pet rabbits via fleas or mosquitos/gnats/etc.
Cats or dogs can pick up rabbit fleas while they are out in fields and bring them home where they transfer to domestic rabbits. Fleas may hibernate over winter and so infected fleas may lie dormant over cold weather ready to start the cycle of infection anew in the spring. Therefore it is important that flea treatments are kept up all year round.
Mosquitos and similar blood sucking insects can fly quite long distances and so can feed on a variety of animals, and also humans, possibly transferring diseases as they go.
Myxomatosis is a disease which only affects rabbits.
This disease is always fatal unless the rabbit has been vaccinated, and even if it has been vaccinated it may become quite poorly and need good nursing.
If your rabbit shows any of the following symptoms please bring him/her into the surgery for checking or read more on the links we give below.
Symptoms
Swollen eyes, swollen base of ears or small lumps inside ears, swollen nose, swollen lips, discharge from nose or eyes, lumpy skin, puffy skin round the anus and/or genitals. If these symptoms appear in an unvaccinated rabbit then within 1-2 days mucus membranes will have swollen sufficiently to cause blindness and difficulty in eating or drinking. Death will follow in about 12 days.
Pet education. com Please note that this is an American site and that Myxomatosis vaccine is not available in the USA
VACCINATION
Annual vaccination against this disease is usually very effective. The best time to vaccinate is in April and May (just before the risk period begins), but it can be done at any time.If your rabbit has been vaccinated in the last year he/she should be protected, but if their booster is due in the next month or two it’s probably worth bringing it forward. This will reset their annual booster to the start of the risk period. Nobivac Myxo vaccine
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