Creating better tomorrows for all pet rabbits
Rabbit Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (RVHD)
There are two strains of RVHD, known as RVHD1 and RVHD2. Both strains are lethal and you must vaccinate to protect your rabbits. RVHD2 has been in the UK since 2013 and has now overtaken classic RVHD as the primary strain.
Vaccination is very effective. See our vaccinations page for details.
What RVHD does
RVHD1 is a swift and efficient killer – almost all unvaccinated rabbits who catch RVHD1 die within a day or two. The virus causes massive internal bleeding. Some rabbits bleed from the nose and back passage before death, while others die so quickly that there may be no outward sign of disease at all. Owners often think their rabbit has died of “fright”, a heart attack” or (in summer) “heatstroke”. Most cases are never diagnosed: RVHD is often only suspected when several rabbits die in quick succession, and a post-mortem examination is needed to diagnose the illness.
RVHD2 is often fatal, although some rabbits have recovered with veterinary care. What makes it more dangerous in some ways is that it has a longer period in which the rabbit is infectious, which results in the disease spreading more widely. The strain can also be less easily recognised because there is often no visible bleeding, so rabbits can simply be found dead or ill with no obvious cause.
Due to the lack of obvious symptoms, owners often do not realise their rabbit has an infectious disease and this results in:
- The rabbit not being given treatment early enough.
- Precautions not being taken to contain the infection.
How can pet rabbits catch RVHD?
Both strains of RVHD are spread by direct contact with infected rabbits or indirectly via their urine or faeces. The viruses can survive for months in the environment and are terrifyingly easy to bring home to your pets. They survive cold very well.
For example:
- Hay may have been in contact with infected wild rabbits as grass grows in the field.
- Birds or insects may transport the virus on their feet (or in their droppings) to your rabbit grazing on the lawn.
- The virus may be blown in the wind.
- You might bring the virus home on your feet or your other pets’ feet (or car wheels) from infected wild rabbit droppings.
- You could bring the virus home on your hands or clothes.
Both strains of RVHD have been recorded all over the UK. All pet rabbits should be vaccinated against both strains. There is no way of predicting where the next outbreak will strike and no practical way of shielding your pet rabbits from all the possible sources of infection. Vaccination is the only way to be safe.
How can I protect my rabbits against RVHD?
RVHD vaccines are very effective. Your rabbits can currently be protected against both strains of RVHD.
It’s very important to clean and disinfect anything that may be carrying the viruses, including water bottles, bowls, bedding and housing. This means that boarding and rescuing rabbits, even with up-to-date vaccinations, may potentially be a risk, and establishments should take suitable precautions, as should vets who may have infected rabbits brought to them for treatment. Anything that an unknown rabbit has touched should be thoroughly cleaned and treated with virus-killing agents. In high-risk situations foot covers or foot dips may be wise measures.
If you are about to obtain a young rabbit that hasn’t yet been vaccinated:
- Follow the advice given in the vaccinations section
- Don’t use second-hand hutches or equipment without finding out what happened to the previous occupant.
RVHD2 update
We are aware that there is, sadly, yet another strain of Rabbit Viral Haemorrhagic disease out there: “virulent” or “highly virulent” RVHD2.
It’s been detected in Hungary, France, Northern Italy and the Netherlands, where it makes up approximately 50% of the cases seen (the other 50% being “classical” RVHD2). As yet, we can’t be sure of its presence in the UK, as no work has been done to look for it. We are in the process of finding out if it is possible to do any surveillance for it, but we know from past experience with previous strains, that it is only a matter of time before it gets here, if it’s not here already.
The good news is that there is a new vaccine which covers both it and the “classical” RVHD2 strain, but not RVHD1, nor myxomatosis. The bad news is that we don’t expect this to be available in the UK until early next year. Because of the restriction placed on us by the Veterinary Medicine Directorate we are not able to provide the names of any vaccinations to rabbit guardians and caregivers, only to clinicians such as vets. However, we are communicating this to them also so you should contact your vet for advice.
We hope to be able to give more news nearer the time of its release, including suggested vaccine regimes, for vets and for owners. Until then, please do not stop vaccinating with the currently available vaccine, as this offers the fullest possible protection available right now, and please continue to take sensible precautions to avoid bringing it into your rabbit’s environment (eg by changing outdoor footwear at the door, and being careful to forage in places with, ideally, no wild rabbits present).
If you are adding any new rabbits to your household (or if you run a rescue) then we advise quarantining any new additions for 2 weeks.
Richard Saunders (he/him) BSc (Hons) BVSc FRSB CBiol DZooMed (Mammalian) DipECZM (ZHM) FHEA FRCVS
Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund Veterinary Advisor
How to report a vaccine failure
Unfortunately, we have had reports from owners about vaccinated rabbits dying from what PCR testing then confirms as RVHD2. As yet, it still isn’t possible for UK PCR tests to differentiate between the classic strain of RVHD2 and the new High Virulence strain, RVHD2(HV). With this in mind, please ensure your rabbits are vaccinated with both the standard ‘triple’ vaccine and also the new vaccine that covers RVHD2(HV), but not myxomatosis.
If your rabbit dies suddenly with few or no visible symptoms, then we would urge you to have a post-mortem carried out with samples taken and sent for PCR testing. If this comes back positive for RVHD2 and your rabbit has been vaccinated within the previous 12 months, then you and/or your vet should report this to the VMD (Veterinary Medicines Directorate) as a vaccine failure. This can be done here.
Supplies of the new vaccine should now be available in single-dose vials. If your vet doesn’t advise you to have this done, then you need to ask for it. All the vet practices on our Rabbit Friendly Vets list should have it in stock, and we hope they will be advising clients to have it done.
If your vet doesn’t know about the new strain or the vaccine, then please ask them to visit the vets-only section of our website, where there is a lot of advice and information for them. They can also apply to join our RWAF Veterinary Professionals Group on Facebook. If you feel they are rabbit savvy, but they aren’t currently on our list, then please urge them to join up and apply for inclusion on the list. We want to make it easy for all rabbit guardians to find a rabbit-savvy vet within easy reach.