RHD

Hi y’all. If you have a bunny as part of your family (I don’t like saying bunny ‘owner’ as it doesn’t seem right to me that a human should be able to ‘own’ another creature), you might have heard of RHD. You might be getting the ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL vaccinations yearly. If not, you NEED to read this post.

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What is RHD?

RHD (also known as RVHD, RHD and VHD) stands for Rabbit Viral Haemorrhagic Disease. This disease does some horrible things to rabbits’ bodies, including attacking their internal organs (e.g. liver), and causing internal bleeding. RHD is fatal.

There are two strokes of RHD. RHD1 is very sudden and usually is fatal within two days of catching it. RHD2 develops far more slowly and is fatal within a couple of weeks. Rabbits with RHD2 are a lot more likely to spread RHD to others, as they live for longer while still carrying the disease.

How do rabbits catch it?

RHD can be transferred in the air, by flies/other insects, or by contact with contaminated rabbits.

Signs of RHD

According to harcourt-brown.co.uk:

Clinical features in all rabbits

• Pyrexia (>40 degrees centigrade) is a consistent feature of RHD infection in laboratory investigations although hypothermia can occur just before death. This is a significant clinical sign.
• Anorexia
• Lethargy

Clinical features in some rabbits

• Nervous signs (convulsion, ataxia, paralysis, opisthotonos, paddling).
• Respiratory signs (dyspnoea, frothy and bloody nasal discharge).
• Signs of haemorrhage (haematuria, vaginal haemorrhage, bleeding from the mouth).
• Pallor or cyanosis of mucous membranes.
• Icteric sclera or pinnae
• Darkening of the iris in albino rabbits
• Collapse shortly before death.

Can you cure RHD / vaccinate

Simply, there is no cure for a rabbit who has RHD. But, you can get yearly vaccinations which protect them from both strains of RHD. IF YOUR BUNNY ISN’T VACCINATED, BOOK AN APPOINTMENT TO GET IT DONE RIGHT NOW!!!!!! It’s not a question of, ‘Should I get my bunny vaccinated?’, it’s ‘WHEN am I going to get my bunny vaccinated?!’. Vaccinating rabbits is just as important as human vaccinations.

Can humans get RHD?

Animaltrust.org.uk reassures us that:

The RHD virus is highly infectious and extremely contagious to other rabbits, and can cause sudden death. It cannot be caught by humans, cats, dogs or other pets.

To reiterate, RHD in rabbits is a fatal disease that is easily transferred. Humans cannot catch it, and vaccinations can be used to prevent it.

Hope you learnt something new today, and make sure to share this post to spread awareness about RHD. VACCINATE, y’all!

Peace and love ✌️+❤️

H-Mario out.