Vaccinations

[juicyjuicee]

Do rabbits need to be vaccinated againstanything?. When i took in Charlie to get neutered i asked the vet andhe said no. But lately i've been looking at rabbits up for adoptionthat have been vaccinated against Myxomatosis and VHD. *more on thissitehttp://www.barrieranimalcareclinic.co.uk/rabbit_vaccinations.htm*

 

[kfonz]

Interesting. I, too thought that rabbits do notneed any vaccinations. Maybe just for outdoor rabbits orbreeding rabbits? i dont know..:?

-k

 

[bunnydude]

My understanding is that only rabbits in the UK need vaccinations. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.)

 

[pamnock]

There are no approved vaccines for rabbits in the US.

Pam

 

[naturestee]

When I adopted Loki his records said that he hadbeen vaccinated for rabies. I didn't know they could do thatfor rabbits or that they were carriers. Has anyone ever heardof this?

Oh, and you do need vaccinations in the UK.

 

[Stan_and_Jane]

In the UK we always have our rabbit vacinnatedagainst VHD and mixi. I would recomend this to anyone here. As you knowdomestic rabbits share a common ancestor with the wild european rabbitand that may account for the need.

 

[pamnock]

naturestee wrote:

When I adopted Loki his records said that he had beenvaccinated for rabies. I didn't know they could do that forrabbits or that they were carriers. Has anyone ever heard ofthis?

Oh, and you do need vaccinations in the UK.

Rabies vaccines are also not approved for use in rabbits in the US.

Pam

 

[naturestee]

pamnock wrote

Rabies vaccines are also not approved for use in rabbits in the US.

Pam

Thanks, Pam! That's what I thought.

 

[Bunnys_rule63]

That is weird, i've never heard of rabies vaccines for rabbits.

 

[Conejita]

I don't think they do I ask before andthey told my that not here in theUS unless there's a deasespreding. I forgot who told me this but I think it was SPCAnot sure .

 

[LuvaBun]

Yes, in the UK we need to have our rabbitsvaccinated against myxamatosis (this has been a bad year for it here)and VHD. The myxi vaccine is recommendedtwice yearly in highrisk areas, and doesn't guarantee the rabbit not catching it. However,if they do get it, vaccinations make recovery more likely.

Jan

 

[juicyjuicee]

We don't have to worry about those 2 diseases in the US?

 

[pamnock]

There has been an occasional out break of VHD inthe US. Myxo is endemic to the US west coast, but there areno vaccines for these diseasesin the US legally approved foruse on rabbits.

I posted the following info right after the last VHD outbreak:

The current policy is toeuthanize any rabbits that testpositive or are suspectedof having been exposed to thevirus. An extensive outbreak of this virus in the US couldresult in the slaughter of millions of rabbits in theUS.Vaccinatedrabbits will testpositive for VHD, and under current policy would be euthanized.

Thedisease is easier to contain in the US than in othercountries because the US does not have a wild species such as theEuropeanWildrabbitsthat serve as a virusreservoir easily spreading the disease throughout the country.

So far, this policy has prevented the diseasefrom becomingendemic to the United States. While it may not cause ahardship for pet owners to vaccinate, it would be an economic burdenfor large breeders to vaccinate their herds.



Quote directly taken from USDASeptember 15, 1997


"VHD is classified as foreign to the US. The USDAhas takenthe stance that if the disease is discovered in the US that aneradication program would be initiated at that time. Therefore,administration of a vaccine would be contraindicated. Since no VHDvaccineis licensed for use in the US and no company wouldrealize any profit from pursuit of such a product there is no changeanticipated in policy from the USDA."

 

[kelso]

naturestee wrote:

When I adopted Loki his records said that he had beenvaccinated for rabies. I didn't know they could do that forrabbits or that they were carriers. Has anyone ever heard ofthis?

Oh, and you do need vaccinations in the UK.

I think almost all mammals can be rabies carriers. I think Kelso mayhave been vaccinated when I adopted him, but I'll have to check hispaperwork.