Ponsonby Veterinary Centre

Rabbit Viral Hemorrhagic Disease (VHD) is a highly contagious disease caused by a calicivirus. VHD is also often known as rabbit calicivirus.

First seen in China in 1984, VHD is now seen in many countries including New Zealand.

Symptoms of VHD include fever, lethargy, loss of appetite, spasms, and sudden death, although some rabbits may die without showing any symptoms. Up to 90% of affected rabbits may die from the disease which progresses rapidly (death occurs approximately 1-3 days after infection). The virus is very hardy and can be transmitted by contact with infected rabbits or their excreta, rabbit products, insects and rodents, and contaminated objects. Rabbits that survive the disease may become carriers and spread it to other rabbits. There is no cure for VHD. Killed virus vaccines have been developed.

Bring your rabbits indoors or keep them in an enclosed environment. Any rabbit in contact with the outdoors is more at risk, as compared to an indoor rabbit, for contracting the disease.
Minimise insects where rabbits are housed.
Wash you hands before handling rabbits, especially when you have been places other rabbits may have been or with people that have contact with rabbits.
Wash your clothes and shoes after coming in contact with rabbits.
Quarantine a new rabbit for five days and keep their supplies separate from the other rabbits' supplies.
Regularly clean and disinfect the rabbits' environment.

Rabbit Viral Hemorrhagic Disease is highly contagious, hardy, and deadly. Although it does not infect humans or other animals, it moves swiftly among rabbits with deadly results (in 1995, a laboratory accident in Australia caused the virus to be released and it killed 10 million rabbits in 8 weeks).