Pet Rabbits & Myxomatosis

Today I took the rabbits for their annual vaccinations. They are vaccinated against Myxomatosis & VHD (Rabbit Viral Haemorrhagic Disease Virus). 

A lot of people in the UK are surprised that you need to vaccinate your pet rabbit against Myxomatosis, especially if you don't live in a rural area and you are not close to any wild rabbits. However, the disease is spread to pet rabbits in several ways:

• A bite from a mosquitoes carrying the Myxoma virus. If you live in an area with "water", as I do, near the river, this is a particular risk since mosquitoes are prevalent.

• A bite from a flea carrying the Myxoma virus. When you buy your hay or straw it may come from many miles away, maybe a farm that has wilds rabbits on its land. Fleas from these can live for many months in hay.

• Myxomatosis can also be spread by Cheyletiella fur mites

People often make the mistake of thinking that rabbits are easy and cheap pets to look after; that they need little attention and don't need to be taken to the vet unless they are ill.
Most people also don't know that rabbits require a vet that is experienced in dealing with rabbits because they need particular care. Once a rabbit is ill, especially with a digestive problem, they can die very quickly. In the UK it is quite difficult to find a vet that specializes in rabbits since most vets are more familiar with cats and dogs.
Sadly these misconceptions mean many pet rabbits die and suffer unnecessarily.
I am lucky that I have a good vet nearby. Although she doesn't specialize in rabbits as such, she has had a lot of experience with them.
As well as the vaccinations, a trip to the vet is always worthwhile because a good vet will check the overall health of your rabbit at the same time, at no extra charge. The rabbits are weighed, checked for lumps/tumours, have their teeth & ears checked, are given the once over for fleas, mites and ticks and finally have their claws clipped.
Both rabbits hate going to the vets. Poor Olivander is a very sensitive soul, he was literally shivering with fear….you could see his fur shaking from the pounding of his heart. Lulu on the other hand became extremely aggressive, especially when the vet was trying to examine her teeth! She's a very strong rabbit and we struggled to control her. I received a nice long scratch down my arm and a face full of white fur!
This trip to the vets was expensive, the total cost for both rabbits was £92.00. I feel this is a necessary cost since Myxomatosis is a truly horrible disease for any rabbit to suffer and when you take on the responsibility of having rabbits as pets, you need to make sure you do all you can to protect their health and well-being and you need to be aware of and accept the financial costs involved.