Vancouver Island rabbit owners are being encouraged to vaccinate their pets after a deadly disease was identified on nearby San Juan Island in Washington state.
Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) is a highly contagious disease that affects rabbits’ internal organs, and which can cause death within 24 hours — usually after a bunny begins bleeding from their mouth or nose. It has no known cure.
RHDV was recently identified on three premises on Orcas Island, Wash., and one on San Juan Island, according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture.
While no cases have yet been reported in B.C., Victoria is only around 20 km from San Juan Island as the crow flies — and a previous outbreak in 2018 has prompted concerns for bunnies in the province.
🐰🚨 The Washington State Department of Agriculture has confirmed Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus type 2 (RHDV2) in San Juan County.<br><br>For more information and safety precautions, please read our press release.<a href=”https://t.co/582r7Kuzm3″>https://t.co/582r7Kuzm3</a><a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/RabbitHealth?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#RabbitHealth</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/RHDV2?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#RHDV2</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/ProtectYourPets?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#ProtectYourPets</a> <a href=”https://t.co/3RKat44hvK”>pic.twitter.com/3RKat44hvK</a>
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A Nanaimo-based charity, VI Fluffle, is running a vaccination clinic for rabbits in the region on Sunday. Humans are not at risk from the disease, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Lois Fernyhough, the president of the Vancouver Island Rabbit Breeders Association, said the 2018 outbreak in B.C. was first detected in the Lower Mainland, and later spread to Vancouver Island and caused hundreds of both feral and domestic rabbits to die.
“The rabbits were just dying in groups. There were dead rabbits sort of all over the place,” she told Gregor Craigie, host of CBC’s On The Island. “And that was our first brush with a virus that, up until then, had not been in North America.”
The Washington State Department of Agriculture and Canadian Food Inspection Agency say the disease is spread through direct contact with saliva, nasal secretions, urine or other fluids from infected rabbits — and can be spread by flies, scavengers, predators and wild rabbits.
“People can also easily spread the virus to rabbits if it is on their hands, clothing or footwear after being in contact with infected rabbits,” the inspection agency says. “The virus can be spread by car tires after travelling through an area where infected rabbits have been.”
On The Island7:19Deadly rabbit disease detected on Washington state’s San Juan Island
Rabbit hemorrhagic disease was found on San Juan Island, close to Vancouver Island. On The Island host Gregor Craigie spoke to Lois Fernyhough, the president of the Vancouver Island Rabbit Breeders Association.
Fernyhough said it’s unclear exactly where the latest strain of RHDV originated.
“It’s now classified as stable endemic, which means it will reappear on occasion in the feral population, with possible transference to the domestic population if you don’t practise good sanitation procedures,” she said.
Fernyhough said an annual vaccination for the disease would help protect pet bunnies.
She also recommends that pet owners practise good sanitation procedures and limit visitors to their rabbit breeding areas while the virus is of concern — though no cases have yet been reported in B.C.