Myxomatosis Surge Kills Pet Rabbits In Scotland
Wednesday, 14 October 2009 14:25 | 
Written by Jon Hunter |
Rabbit owners in Flintshire are being warned to be on there guard against an outbreak of a virus that is fatal to rabbits. Vets are reporting record numbers of animals being brought in with the deadly myxomatosis virus.
Rabbit owners in Flintshire are being warned to be on there guard against an outbreak of a virus that is fatal to rabbits. Vets are reporting record numbers of animals being brought in with the deadly myxomatosis virus.
Vets in Shotton, have recorded 11 cases in the past two weeks, including five cases in just one day. Normally it would be uncommon to see more than a dozen cases within a six months. In the UK cases are usually seen from August through to February, so a dozens cases is what they would expect to see throughout the entire year.
The disease, which can cause blindness, is often spread by fleas and mosquitoes and a pet rabbit does not have to come into contact with an infected rabbit in order to catch the disease, thus enabling an easy transfer from wild to domestic rabbits.
Myxomatosis cannot be easily treated and is often fatal to rabbits; a veterinary surgeon has commented "I have only ever had one rabbit survive in the last 10 to 15 years. If an animal has got it then we would advise euthanasia." The virus causes blindness and then a rabbit which is in the wild will often either starve or be eaten by predators, the blindness can also understandably cause distress for rabbits."
The warm September in Scotland is the key. The spread of the disease is linked to an increase in the mosquito population as a result of an extended warm and dry period of weather. No other known factors are deemed to be involved at this time.
Symptoms of Myxomatosis include swellings of the rabbits face, especially eye eyelids, nose and inner ear. Also the rabbits genitals may swell and the animal may be seen become lethargic and loose their appetite.
An effective vaccine is currently available against the disease and owners and breeders could move a rabbit hutch indoors and use one of a number of special flea treatments available to reduce the chances of infection. Rabbit owners who have concerns are advised to telephone their nearest vet. The best medical advice available is that myxomatosis can not be caught by humans and people should be worried about there own health.
Rabbit owners in Flintshire are being warned to be on there guard against an outbreak of a virus that is fatal to rabbits. Vets are reporting record numbers of animals being brought in with the deadly myxomatosis virus.
Vets in Shotton, have recorded 11 cases in the past two weeks, including five cases in just one day. Normally it would be uncommon to see more than a dozen cases within a six months. In the UK cases are usually seen from August through to February, so a dozens cases is what they would expect to see throughout the entire year.
The disease, which can cause blindness, is often spread by fleas and mosquitoes and a pet rabbit does not have to come into contact with an infected rabbit in order to catch the disease, thus enabling an easy transfer from wild to domestic rabbits.
Myxomatosis cannot be easily treated and is often fatal to rabbits; a veterinary surgeon has commented "I have only ever had one rabbit survive in the last 10 to 15 years. If an animal has got it then we would advise euthanasia." The virus causes blindness and then a rabbit which is in the wild will often either starve or be eaten by predators, the blindness can also understandably cause distress for rabbits."
The warm September in Scotland is the key. The spread of the disease is linked to an increase in the mosquito population as a result of an extended warm and dry period of weather. No other known factors are deemed to be involved at this time.
Symptoms of Myxomatosis include swellings of the rabbits face, especially eye eyelids, nose and inner ear. Also the rabbits genitals may swell and the animal may be seen become lethargic and loose their appetite.
An effective vaccine is currently available against the disease and owners and breeders could move a rabbit hutch indoors and use one of a number of special flea treatments available to reduce the chances of infection. Rabbit owners who have concerns are advised to telephone their nearest vet. The best medical advice available is that myxomatosis can not be caught by humans and people should be worried about there own health.
About the Author:
Jon Hunter is an SEO consultant based in cheshire who runs a number of sites including one about rabbit runs