Thursday, January 22, 2015

BunnyVac Pasteurella Vaccine Update

Basically, I have nothing to report.. and that's a good thing!

I vaccinated my whole herd in November, gave them booster shots in December, and it has been more than another month since without any problems. I joined the Rabbit pasteurella vaccine group on Facebook and have been reading pretty much the same results for other breeders/breeds across the nation. One person said they had sterile abscesses develop at the injection site, though in the discussion, it came out that technique was questionable and there was a concern the vaccine had been injected into muscle instead of just under the skin (subcutaneously). Here is a link to information on how to properly give this vaccine:

http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medication/Inject/inject_en.htm

 There have also been a handful of folks that have had snotty rabbits develop after vaccinating and the thought is that the stimulation to the immune system is causing some carrier rabbits (already infected rabbits with no symptoms) to show the active disease (become symptomatic). I actually think that is a good thing because carriers are a real menace with this disease, hiding in plain site with the potential to infect all of the rabbits around them. To clarify, it is NOT possible for the vaccine to give rabbits Pasteurella.

There was a recent discussion on the aforementioned group about breeding for a "strong" immune system, which I know is very controversial. I've also said before that I used to believe in it as well, but no longer do. All evidence is to the contrary on every research/scholarly article that I can find, though some breeders still devoutly believe this and state they will not even buy vaccinated stock. I don't really sell rabbits these days, but I have added to my terms page that I vaccinate all breeding/show stock with BunnyVac so there is no misunderstanding.

I recognize that it can be hard to amend our ways after believing something for a long time, but sometimes that is the price we pay for progress. I can think of a million examples, but here is one related to health: doctors didn't used to wash their hands before procedures because they didn't believe that they could be spreading illness. Eventually a doctor noticed that there seemed to be a correlation between dirty hands and women dying of infections after childbirth. He started washing his hands and making his staff wash their hands. Infection/death rates dropped dramatically. Despite the overwhelming evidence, the doctor encountered resistance everywhere he went. Doctors resented him because they felt he was implying that they (the other doctors) were causing these poor mothers to die. Dr. Semmelweis lost his job and eventually also died young at 47 (of sepsis- the very thing he was trying so hard to prevent in his patients!). After his death, the rest of the world revisited his work and found that he had been doing the right thing all along. Hand-washing is now the gold-standard for healthcare. If you made it this far in the post, I could argue that the anti-vaccine movement in rabbits is similar. Ultimately, though, it is up to each individual to decide which is better for them. Handwashing or not? Vaccinating or not? You decide. :)

The scientist (Robert Glass) working on this project also responded to concerns that breeders won't be breeding for "strong" immune systems anymore by posting, "I think the chances of developing a Pasteurella resistant strain by selective breeding of Pasteurella "survivors" has a very low chance of success. With infection rates 25-75% in many or most herds it is hard to imagine that a resistant line would have been discovered by now if it were possible. It may be possible to develop lines that are more tolerant of the infection (i.e. less symptomatic) but completely resistant to infection appears to be impossible. The theory of Acquired Inherited Immunity is that in some diseases a surviving male or female is able to pass the immunity they developed during infection to their offspring. IF THIS OCCURS it is in a minority of diseases and the ones I have read about are viral not bacterial. In the case of Pasteurella rabbits that "stronger" immune systems will benefit more from the vaccine as they can elaborate a protective immunity without infection."

The verdict: I plan to keep vaccinating all of my breeding/show stock from here forward.

I encourage others to do their own homework and make their own decisions. I'm happy to answer any questions, but ultimately the decision on whether to vaccinate or not has to be what is best for each individual rabbitry. I know I am biased after losing prized animals that I poured my heart, time, and wallet into and I am just thankful that something has finally been created to protect my herd from having this happen again. Hope the information over the past few months has been helpful!

10 comments:

  1. I would think this would be very good for show rabbits for sure! Much like you need to vaccinate show horses much more than a horse that never leaves your property. I commend you for doing the research to find out what's best for your animals!

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    1. Thank you! I agree that it is probably much more helpful to show breeders or even 4H/FFA folks than people that just raise their own stock for homestead purposes, but I still vaccinated because I never know when I will be bringing home a new addition and I learned the hard way that even just one or two new rabbits can decimate a herd with illness. The sucky thing about a disease with carriers is that a quarantine is not even sufficient to ward off the disease. I do wish it was offered in smaller quantities though. I think people would be more likely to vaccinate their meat herd breeding stock if it was available in maybe 5 dose or 10 dose vial for a lower price.

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  2. I had it in some of my Rex way back in the day and it is heartbreaking!

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  3. Perhaps as it becomes more common the prices and dosage will change?

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    1. I really hope so! Then it will be more accessible for everyone.

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  4. On our Term of Sales Page I have the following posted: Fuzzibutt's Rabbitry chooses :to vaccinate our rabbits (herd {pet/fiber, brood and show string}) against Pasterurella utilizing the BunnyVac Vaccine from PanAm Labs. All rabbits sold by Fuzzibutt's Rabbitry from NOW ON will be vaccinated from here on out! It is up to the new owner to follow through with the booster and yearly vaccination if YOU CHOOSE to (it is your right as a buyer to choose whether or not you wish to continue using the BunnyVac Vaccine). I have many friends who choose to vaccinate and others who do not it, it is up to you!

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    1. That's great! I hope vaccinating will become more common as people see that we as breeders are vaccinating our rabbits and plan to continue doing so. I respect other people's choices, even though I don't really understand the controversy. I can't really see any downfall to protecting against snuffles. There is no science to back up claims about breeding for immune systems and with carriers, it is literally total guesswork. To contrast, there are now a number of breeders with good experiences and a clinical trial to prove the vaccine is effective. I know which choice I would recommend! :)

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  5. The more shows that I attend, all over the East Coast, I notice more and more rabbits with snot on the show tables. I think the biggest thing is to disclose if you the breeder, or owner choose to vaccinate.

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    1. I agree it is important to disclose about the vaccine so people can make a choice about whether to continue. I can't say I am surprised at the snot found at the East Coast show. The snot we dealt with came from a show breeder and it was never disclosed to me that they had a problem. Sad, but true! :(

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    2. I don't know how to edit, but I was trying to say East Coast shows. Thanks!

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