Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus / Calicivirus Alert
Recently, several of the Rabbit clinics have reported increased numbers of bunnies suspected of being infected with Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus (RHDV) also known as Calicivirus. Reports from these clinics suspect that we are at the start of an outbreak, and the concern is that they are likely linked to the newer strain of the virus, RHDV2, which has become the predominant strain in Australia.
Sadly infected bunnies only take about 12-18 hours to become ill, and almost 100% will die within 1-2 days. Whilst there is no cure or treatment once infected, vaccination has always helped prevent infection from the older strains, but not the newer strains. That is until now….
A new Vaccine has just been approved for use in Australia (FILAVAC), and will hopefully be a game changer, giving us a way of fully protecting our bunnies.
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Calicivirus is a man-made virus which causes fatal internal bleeding in un-vaccinated rabbits, and sadly there is no cure once infected.
The virus is transmitted by flying / biting insects and can be carried on clothes, shoes, tires, and can even be airborne so indoor rabbits can be equally susceptible. Also, with the recent warmer wet weather and expected increase to insect numbers, the conditions are perfect for increased spread of the virus.
There are now two vaccines available in Australia, the older CYCLAP and FILAVAC which has been granted an emergency use permit since August 2022.
- Cylap offers complete protection for the original strain (RHD1) and partial protection for the new ever strain (RHD2).
- Felivac provides protection for both RHDV1 and RHDV2 strain very well.
With the suspected increase numbers infected with RHD2 we are recommending all rabbits to be vaccinated with the new Filavac vaccine. The single booster will be protective for 12 months.
If your bunny has not recently been vaccinated then a booster would be recommended. Please contact us if you have any further questions or would like to organize a booster visit.
To read more about RHDV and vaccination recommendations Click Here
