Protect Your Rabbit This Holiday Season
Fortune Cookie was adopted from House Rabbit Society in 2024. All rabbits adopted from HRS are vaccinated against RHDV2.
With the busy months of travel and gatherings ahead, it’s the perfect time to make sure your rabbit’s vaccination status is up-to-date. Staying current not only protects them, it’s also required to board your rabbit at House Rabbit Society (as well as most other boarding and pet sitting options for rabbits).
Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus type 2 (RHDV2) is a serious and extremely contagious disease. Rabbits of all ages are affected by RHDV2. House Rabbit Society strongly encourages rabbit guardians to vaccinate their rabbits. Over the past several years, RHDV2 has been confirmed in 29 U.S. states with cases involving domestic, feral, and wild rabbits and hares. The virus is endemic to the western states. Federal and state agencies continue to detect cases in both wild and domestic rabbits in multiple states. Detection can lag behind actual spread due to testing, reporting, and resource constraints.
Even indoor-only rabbits are at risk of RHDV2, since the virus can be transferred to them by people (on their shoes and clothes), other animals (including dogs and cats, especially if they go outside), and even insects. The most important thing you can do to protect your rabbit is to get them vaccinated.
Vaccination not only protects your individual rabbit but also helps protect the larger rabbit community. By reducing the spread of RHDV2, you can help more rabbits stay safe and healthy. Sadly, there is no cure once a rabbit contracts the virus, but vaccination is a safe and effective way to protect them.
If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, House Rabbit Society offers a monthly low-cost vaccine clinic at our facility in Richmond, held on Wednesdays. Rabbit must be at least 7 weeks old to be vaccinated. The cost is $50 for the initial 2-dose series, and $30 for the annual booster. Due to the holiday season, spaces are limited in October, November, and December, so don't wait to book your appointment. Register now at houserabbit.org/medical. (After booking your appointment, please be sure to also sign the waiver.)
We use Medgene Lab’s RHDV2 vaccine. This is a 2-shot vaccine series comprised of the initial vaccination and a booster vaccination 21 days later. BOTH shots are required for vaccine efficacy. Full efficacy for this vaccine is 14 days after the second shot. For rabbits who previously received the Medgene vaccine, and whose coverage hasn’t lapsed, they only need a single booster shot.
The Medgene RHDV2 vaccine is safe and effective. So far, Medgene safety testing studies report only rare instances of swelling at the injection site which resolve within 48 hours. Other possible side effects are a temporary slight fever and/or lethargy for 1-2 days. Notably, the Medgene vaccine is recombinant vaccine, which means it doesn’t need rabbits to make it. Those who love rabbits can breathe easier knowing Medgene’s vaccine is available to protect our rabbits from this terrible virus.
Visit houserabbit.org/rhdv to learn more about RHDV2 and the Medgene vaccine.
