All you need to know about vaccinating your pet rabbit <\/p>
Like every responsible pet owner, you will want your pet rabbit to live a happy, healthy life and\u00a0an important part of this is having\u00a0them\u00a0vaccinated\u00a0against\u00a0contagious and potentially life-threatening diseases<\/strong>, says veterinary nurse Sarah Cottle<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p> Taking your pet rabbit to the\u00a0vet\u2019s\u00a0for their vaccinations is also a great opportunity to\u00a0have your rabbit\u00a0weighed\u00a0and to ask your vet to\u00a0check them over to ensure they are well and have no signs of any problems.<\/p> Vaccination creates immunity, which is\u00a0the natural ability to fight infection,\u00a0by exposing the body to a small but entirely harmless dose of the diseases we want to protect against.<\/p> Rabbit kits are protected in\u00a0the\u00a0first few weeks of\u00a0their\u00a0life due to immunity passed through their mum\u2019s milk, however\u00a0the effects diminish rapidly.\u00a0Rabbits can be vaccinated from five weeks old\u00a0to ensure they are kept safe and protected against dangerous diseases.<\/p> The two diseases your rabbit should be\u00a0routinely vaccinated against\u00a0are myxomatosis and\u00a0viral haemorrhagic Disease (RVHD) strains one and two. A triple vaccination for these diseases\u00a0is available.<\/p> This disease\u00a0can\u00a0spread from wild rabbits to pet rabbits via fleas\u00a0and biting insects, so in addition to vaccination\u00a0it is worth minimising the risk of flea transmission using safe products\u00a0recommended by\u00a0your vet and doing the same for other pets in your home such as cats.\u00a0<\/p> Symptoms of myxomatosis include\u00a0runny eyes and nose,\u00a0low energy, reduced or absent appetite, swelling around the eyes\/face\/ears and genitals, a fever, breathing issues and\u00a0bumpy\/scabby skin on the body and face.<\/p> RHVD can spread rapidly\u00a0from\u00a0rabbit to rabbit and\u00a0the disease\u00a0can be passed\u00a0through contact with\u00a0outdoor clothing and\u00a0footwear,\u00a0so caution is needed\u00a0to avoid\u00a0accidentally introducing\u00a0the\u00a0disease.\u00a0Symptoms of RVHD include a high fever, low energy, reduced or absent appetite,\u00a0bleeding from the nose, mouth or bottom\u00a0or sudden unexplained death.<\/p> Vaccination against\u00a0myxomatosis and both strains of RVHD are needed annually. These diseases are usually rapidly fatal to an unvaccinated rabbit, and no cures exist.\u00a0<\/p> When your rabbit attends a vaccination appointment, the vet will give them a full health check and record their weight. They will discuss any concerns with you and, providing your rabbit is well,\u00a0they will receive a small injection, which is often given under the skin on the back of the neck. <\/p> Your vet will then fill in your rabbit\u2019s vaccination card and advise you on\u00a0when the next injection is required to achieve continued protection.\u00a0Keep the vaccination record card safe as you will need this for future appointments.\u00a0<\/p> Most rabbits show no symptoms of feeling poorly after their vaccinations. Mild signs, such as being a little quiet or having a mild\u00a0increase in body temperature,\u00a0can be seen but usually rabbits\u00a0will be back to their normal self within 24 hours or so.\u00a0<\/p> On occasion,\u00a0a little swelling can be felt at the scruff of the neck where the vaccine was given and\u00a0usually goes down within three weeks.\u00a0If the swelling is still present after this time, it is worth contacting your vet for further advice.<\/p> Serious vaccine reactions are very rare, and the risks are far outweighed by the protection vaccines offer. Any vaccine reactions can be reported by vets or owners to the\u00a0Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD).<\/a><\/p> If your\u00a0rabbit\u00a0ever seems poorly after a vaccine, is off their food\u00a0or you are worried about them,\u00a0call your vet practice for advice.<\/p> If you are concerned that your\u00a0rabbit\u00a0is not vaccinated or has gone over a year between booster vaccinations, then speak to your vet\u00a0practice. If there is no evidence to suggest they are up to date with vaccines, it is often sensible and safest to revaccinate them. This will not cause any harm and will ensure your\u00a0rabbit\u00a0is fully protected going forwards.<\/p> If you have any questions about vaccination reach out to your vet for further advice.<\/strong><\/p> Qualified veterinary nurse\u00a0Sarah Cottle is nursing team leader at Beechwood Veterinary Group in Leeds.\u00a0<\/em><\/p> Beechwood Veterinary Group<\/em>\u00a0<\/a>is part of\u00a0VetPartners<\/a>, a UK and European veterinary group, which includes first opinion practices for large animals, equine and small animals as well as a growing network of referral practices that offer specialist care for small animal and equine patients.<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n All you need to know about vaccinating your pet rabbit <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":37439,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"4"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/06\/do-pet-rabbits-need-vaccinations-keep-your-pet-healthy-and-happy.jpg",2123,1413,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/06\/do-pet-rabbits-need-vaccinations-keep-your-pet-healthy-and-happy-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/06\/do-pet-rabbits-need-vaccinations-keep-your-pet-healthy-and-happy-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/06\/do-pet-rabbits-need-vaccinations-keep-your-pet-healthy-and-happy-768x511.jpg",768,511,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/06\/do-pet-rabbits-need-vaccinations-keep-your-pet-healthy-and-happy-1024x682.jpg",800,533,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/06\/do-pet-rabbits-need-vaccinations-keep-your-pet-healthy-and-happy-1536x1022.jpg",1536,1022,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/06\/do-pet-rabbits-need-vaccinations-keep-your-pet-healthy-and-happy-2048x1363.jpg",2048,1363,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"All you need to know about vaccinating your pet rabbit","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/37438"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Why do we vaccinate rabbits?<\/strong><\/h2>
How old do rabbits have to be before being vaccinated?<\/h2>
What vaccinations does my rabbit need?<\/h2>
Myxomatosis<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>
Rabbit viral haemorrhagic disease (RVHD, strains\u00a0one\u00a0and\u00a0two)<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>
How often does my rabbit need to be vaccinated?<\/strong>
What happens at a vaccination appointment?<\/strong><\/h3>
Will my rabbit feel poorly after their vaccinations?<\/strong><\/h3>
What do I do if my rabbit\u00a0is unvaccinated or has missed their booster vaccination?<\/strong><\/h3>
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