First case of fatal rabbit disease detected in Kansas; vaccine available for owners
A disease that can kill wild and domestic rabbits with little to no symptoms has been detected in Kansas.
The Kansas Department of Agriculture says a veterinary lab detected the first case of rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus serotype 2 (RHDV-2) in a domestic rabbit in Leavenworth this month.
The department’s website lists RHDV-2 as a “highly contagious and fatal disease that only affects rabbits.” The disease does not affect human health.
If rabbits show symptoms, they could include a fever, not wanting to eat or breathing abnormally, according to a Kansas Department of Agriculture news release. The disease also can cause blood-stained noses from internal bleeding and sudden death.
The disease has also been reported in states west of Kansas including Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas.
“This was a domestic case, but once it gets out into the wild and we see a positive wild rabbit case, it can become a problem,” said Joan Gedraitis, executive director and senior caretaker for Bunny TNT.
Bunny TNT is a rescue organization in Wichita focused on rabbits.
Gradraitis says wild rabbits leave droppings. These droppings can find their way inside a home.
“These wild rabbit droppings can end up on your front yard where you step in and out. The precautions I would take as an owner is to take your shoes off, wash your hands and even change your clothes if you can,” Gedraitis said.
Gedraitis urges owners to get their rabbits vaccinated in order to protect them from the disease.
Kansas has granted an emergency use of a RHDV-2 vaccine for licensed veterinarians. A list of veterinarians that carry that vaccine in Wichita and Kansas is available online. The only clinic in Wichita that currently has the vaccine is Gupton’s House vet clinic, 2813 S. George Washington Blvd., the list shows.
Owners can also visit House Rabbit Society, a non-profit organization, which is listed as “the nation’s largest rabbit welfare group,” their website says.
