Tuesday, December 16, 2014

BunnyVac Booster Update

Today the whole herd received their BunnyVac booster (which is given 30 days after the initial vaccine is administered). To give a little background for anyone that hasn't heard of it before, this is the vaccine to prevent Pasteurella infections in rabbits. It does not treat an infection and can't cause an infection, but it would be invaluable to me if it prevented even one rabbit of mine from getting snuffles. This is always a risk when attending shows, bringing a new rabbit home, etc. Pasteurella can decimate an entire herd. It is difficult to treat and symptoms often return after long periods of expensive antibiotics. Many breeders (myself included) have a policy that as soon as a rabbit shows signs or symptoms such as sneezing, thick opaque snot, abcesses, etc., the rabbit is culled from the herd. I used to try to breed for resistance, but my research has indicated that this is not possible as Pasteurella is simply a bacterial infection similar to tuberculosis or typhoid fever that people can get.

I haven't seen any problems with the vaccinated rabbits so far and I'm hoping some of the does are pregnant. I didn't notice any extra sneezing or clear nasal drainage with the first few days and I specifically looked for sterile abscesses at the injection site. I never saw or felt any lumps or any other problems anywhere. Everyone has been eating/drinking normally and doing their own usual things. BunnyVac is approved for use on pregnant or nursing does and on kits 6 weeks or older. If any kits result from the planned breedings this month, I plan to vaccinate any keepers once they are old enough. I have been told some people are adamantly opposed to vaccinating their herds and don't want to buy any stock that has been vaccinated. All I can say is that I encourage everyone to do their own research and come to their own conclusions for what is best for them. I will continue to be very transparent about the whole process.

In hindsight now that I am thinking about it, I should have taken pictures of how to give a rabbit a subcutaneous injection. I will plan to take some photos of the vaccination process next time in case anyone is nervous about giving their rabbits a shot. The Harlies really couldn't care less. I gave them some willow and hay to much on before hand and they went back to eating/grooming/whatever right after the quick stick. Definitely not a traumatizing experience by any stretch of the imagination. Anyway, the decision to vaccinate is best for me and my herd and I'm going to continue with vaccinations on my breeding stock for the foreseeable future. My adults won't be due again until a year from now, but I will be sure to update again before then. Hope everyone is having a great December! :)

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