The lethal virus affecting wild and domestic rabbits

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the first confirmed case of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the United States was in Washington on January 20, 2020. Shortly after this announcement, a ban was placed on travelers from China into America. In early March, states issued mandatory quarantines to prevent the spread of the virus. While people started to hunker down in their homes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) discovered another active virus. The rabbit hemorrhagic [hem-er-ajik] disease virus type 2 was detected in thirteen domestic rabbits at a veterinary hospital in New York City. Unfortunately, none of the rabbits survived.

The evolution of rabbit hemorrhagic disease, a disease that is lethal in 90% of wild rabbits, can be traced back to the mid-1960s and possible earlier. Although the geographic origins are uncertain, rabbit hemorrhagic disease emerged in European rabbits that are native to Western Europe, Australia, Chile, and Argentina. Factory farming of these rabbits for the meat and fur industry is most likely the cause of the virus. A 1984 outbreak occurred in China at an Angora rabbit fur farm where the disease spread around the globe via infected rabbits and mutated into the deadly rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RDHV). According to the CDC, in Italy between 1987 and 1990, hundreds of millions of rabbits died in regions where human density is high. In the late 1990s, Australia and New Zealand released RDHV on farms to control the wild rabbit population. This release of the virus into the wild likely strengthened it over the past two decades. A new, more powerful strain, rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus type 2 (RDHV2) was first encountered in France in 2010 where it made the jump from wild to domestic rabbits. May 2015 saw a return of the rabbit virus to Australia, but now in the new type 2 form where it took eighteen months to spread across the country. The first confirmed cases of RHDV2 in America was September 2018 on a farm in Ohio where it killed four domestic rabbits that roamed among horses. A year later, two domestic rabbits that interacted with feral rabbits died of the disease on the San Juan Islands in Washington State. In February 2020, the USDA detected RDHV2 in wild rabbits across the American Southwest. It is highly contagious, causes internal bleeding, and sudden death.

According to the USDA, the virus can survive on rabbit’s fur and within fresh, frozen, and decomposing meat for months on end making it easily transmissible by humans. Dr. Anne Martin, executive director of the House Rabbit Society states, “The announcement of the RHDV2 virus in late March actually has a silver lining. If it was weeks earlier, the general public may have missed the news because of the immediate human health concerns of COVID-19. Now, with our quarantine experience, we have the knowledge to quickly take precautions to slow down the nationwide spread of this rabbit virus and to protect our rabbit companions.” Vaccines are becoming available in the United States when requested by a veterinarian in a state where there has been a reported case of RHDV2. If you are a rabbit owner or come in contact with rabbits, please follow these steps provided by the House Rabbit Society.

House your rabbits indoors.
We strongly recommend that rabbits be kept indoors, or in enclosed environments, and not allowed outdoor playtime. Rabbits who live outdoors and those who exercise outdoors are at greater risk of contracting this disease.

Wash your hands thoroughly before handling your rabbits, particularly when you come home from places where other rabbits may have been, or where people who have been in contact with rabbits may have been, including feed stores, pet stores, fairgrounds, humane societies, etc.

Adopt a “no shoes in the house” policy, or keep your bunnies from running in high traffic areas of your home.

Trim your rabbit’s nails and groom them at home instead of taking them to a rescue or vet’s office, which are higher-risk locations.

Change your clothes and wash your hands after handling or coming in contact with other rabbits. Wash these clothes twice in hot water and dry in the dryer before wearing around your rabbit.

Don’t let your rabbit come into physical contact with other rabbits from outside your home, for example, “hoppy hour” or “bunny playground” activities.

Use an effective disinfectant for this virus. Clean the item first, then disinfect. Read all disinfectant instructions and safety information provided by the manufacturer before using. Ask your veterinarian about how to obtain these:

Know your sources of hay and feed and if they are near areas of any outbreaks.

Along with the above precautions, rabbit food manufacturer Oxbow Animal Health has suggested the following steps.

Do not feed plants, grasses, or tree branches foraged from outside in areas where there is an outbreak.

Minimize insects in your home by installing window and door screens. Eliminate mosquitoes and flies from your home.

Use monthly flea treatment (Revolution or Advantage II are safe for rabbits. NEVER use Frontline on rabbits) for rabbits and cats and dogs, in an area with an outbreak, especially if any pets in the home go outside.

Keep cats indoors, so they can’t bring in the virus from outside.

Homes with dogs and rabbits: Keep dogs on-leash outside, so they don’t directly interact with wild rabbits (alive or deceased). Consider having your dog wear booties outside, or washing dogs’ paws when coming inside. Designate separate areas in your home for your dog and block dog access to areas where your rabbits live or exercise.

Quarantine any new rabbit for at least 14 days. Always handle quarantined rabbits last, and keep all supplies for them separate from your other rabbits’ supplies.

If you see a dead rabbit outside do not touch them. Contact state wildlife officials if it appears to be a wild rabbit. By reporting any dead rabbits seen outside, you will help protect domestic rabbits, as we will know where the disease is spreading.

Please visit the links below for more information regarding the rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus from the House Rabbit Society.

Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus updates and information
Download a printable RHDV handout

Artwork Assemblage: Kevin Dresser
Black-Tailed Jackrabbit Photo: Joel Sartore / National Geographic