• Vaccinations
• Neutering
• Insurance
• Common problems

Rabbit Vaccinations

Rabbits are the fastest growing pet population in the UK and as a result there has been a lot of progress over the last five or so years in our knowledge on how to treat and prevent various diseases.

Rabbits should be vaccinated against two diseases - myxomatosis and viral haemorragic disease (VHD).

Myxomatosis is a fatal disease whereas VHD, although not always fatal, will make your rabbit very unwell. Pet rabbits do not need direct contact with wild rabbits to contact either of these viruses since biting flies and fleas can act as vectors. Vaccination therefore, is the only way to protect your pet rabbit.

Rabbits receive a single dose of each vaccine as the primary course and this needs to be repeated 6 monthly in order to maintain protection.

At vaccination your rabbit will be given a complete health check by the veterinary surgeon and this also gives you the opportunity to discuss any problems you may have encountered with your pet.

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We recommend that both male and female rabbits are neutered from six months of age. Males are castrated and females undergo an ovariohysterectomy.

As with the other species this requires a general anaesthetic and is a longer procedure in the female than the male. At this practice we use isoflurane gas for all rabbit anaesthetics- this ensures the maximum possible safety in veterinary gaseous anaesthesia.

It has been suggested that over 50% of female rabbits over the age of four years will develop uterine carcinoma (cancer) so the argument for spaying rabbits is a powerful one.

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Insurance

Rabbits can now also enjoy the benefits offered by pet insurance.

Check out Petplan's web site for information on insuring your rabbit.

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Overgrown nails: a common problem, especially with house rabbits that spend most of  their time on carpets. These are easily clipped back although care must be taken not to cut too much away or the nail may bleed.

Fly strike: faeces matting around the rabbit's anus and genitalia is seen more often in outdoor hutched rabbits. This can pose a serious and life threatening problem if flies lay their eggs in the wet fur and skin folds since maggot strike will quickly ensue.

The best advice is to visually check under your rabbit's tail once a day for any evidence of faecal soiling, especially in the summer weather. If you are suspicious of maggots being present then seek immediate veterinary attention.

Poor or inadequate diet: feeding rabbits an incorrect diet often leads to abnormal development, especially of the teeth, with potentially disasterous results. A lot of work has been done in this field recently and our advice would be to feed a complete pelleted food plus ad lib hay.

Overgown teeth: rabbits teeth grow continuously throught life and so any abnormal wear can lead to overgrowth. As a result it is very important to check your rabbits teeth regularly and to seek veterinary attention if you are in any doubt.

Remember the most common reason for your rabbit not to eat is dental problems.

For more information please contact the surgery or have a look at the Rabbit Welfare Association web site at http://www.houserabbit.co.uk

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