Content
- Two essential vaccines in certain countries
- From two months, a rabbit can be vaccinated
- How often should you vaccinate a rabbit?
- Rabbit vaccine: others
- Other Preventive Care for Rabbits
Rabbits are susceptible, like any other pet to contracting diseases. For this reason, if you have or are considering adopting a rabbit, you should know what rabbit vaccines are.
There are two types of vaccines, mandatory and recommended in some countries, but not in Brazil. However, there are two vaccines you need to pay attention to if you live in Europe, where rabbits need a vaccine.
Continue reading this PeritoAnimal article about rabbit vaccines to find out whether or not it is necessary to give your rabbit a vaccine and to know a little better about the vaccines available.
Two essential vaccines in certain countries
Does Rabbit Need Vaccine? Not in Brazil. The two most important vaccines for a pet rabbit in countries such as Europe are myxomatosis and hemorrhagic disease. Both are diseases with a mortality rate close to 100% and very contagious, which can even affect a domestic rabbit that lives with humans and without other congeners, although it is true that the danger is multiplied when several animals share the same space.
However, in Brazil there are practically no records of these diseases and, therefore, the rabbit vaccine is not mandatory here. In fact, the vaccine for myxomatosis is not manufactured or sold in the country precisely because of the lack of demand.
Now let's get to know these two important vaccines for rabbits that are mandatory in many places around the world:
- THE myxomatosis it decimated the rabbit population in Spain during the 1970s and was a determining factor in the compromised situation in which the Iberian rabbit found itself. Nowadays, the epidemic among wild rabbits has not yet been controlled, but thanks to the vaccine, many unpleasantness with domestic animals can be avoided.
- THE viral hemorrhagic disease it is a disease of sudden evolution. After one to three days of incubation period, it manifests and causes death within hours (between 12 and 36 hours). The rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus produces autopsies in the animal's internal tissues, which, given the rapid evolution of the disease, sometimes does not allow time to be detected.
Most strains of rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus can be prevented by vaccination, although in France, for example, a resistant strain has been detected.
From two months, a rabbit can be vaccinated
In countries where vaccination for rabbits is mandatory, which, as we have seen, is not the case in Brazil, rabbits cannot be vaccinated until they have reached the age of two months, and what is recommended is space both vaccines, myxomatosis and hemorrhagic fever in two weeks.
By analogy with other mammals, the application of various vaccines to very small breeds of rabbits, such as the dwarf rabbit, leaves open the possibility that the animal may develop some disease against which it is intended to be immunized.
How often should you vaccinate a rabbit?
Once the rabbits have received their two vaccines (hemorrhagic fever and myxomatosis), must be renewed annually in the case of the hemorrhagic virus, and at least every six months if we talk about myxomatosis in countries where there is an epidemic.
THE ideal time to vaccinate rabbits against hemorrhagic disease and against myxomatosis it is spring, since summer is when there is an increase in cases of these diseases, although it can be done throughout the year.
The veterinarian is the one who can advise everything about rabbit vaccination depending on the your rabbit's breed, as some species are more susceptible to contagion than others. In addition, it will indicate which of the two vaccines against myxomatosis that exist is the most suitable for each case.
In epidemic regions, for rabbits that live in the field or that just visit to play, the frequency of vaccination against myxomatosis can be as high as four vaccinations a year, since after three months the vaccine loses some effectiveness.
Rabbit vaccine: others
when they live together many rabbits sharing the same space the advisability of vaccinating them in autumn against respiratory-type diseases should be studied. These pathologies, if they appear, are treated with antibiotics.
There are different diseases that can affect a rabbit, for this reason it is important to know them in depth if we have several animals living together.
Other Preventive Care for Rabbits
rabbits must be internally dewormed and it is also necessary to make sure that they do not contract external parasites taking into account the hygiene of the animal. Humidity and lack of hygiene can cause fungus or even scabies.
Scabies can also show up in very old cages, as corners are always tricky to clean perfectly. Both fungal infections and scabies are treatable diseases, although prevention is always the best option for the well-being of our rabbit.
Now that you know all about rabbit vaccine, whether you live with one of these animals or are thinking about adopting one, continue browsing the Animal Expert to find a name for your rabbit, discover rabbit care or rabbit food.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to rabbit vaccines, we recommend that you enter our Vaccination section.