VHD

[camies 1]

Ever come across a rabbit which is bleeding from it's nose, other orifices or looks like it has a foamy discharge from it's nose? :sick:

Or, are you finding dead rabbits without the usual signs of mixi i.e. watery discharge from the eyes and swelling around head, ears and sometimes genitals, eyes maybe swollen shut? :sick: :sick:

 

If you have be careful! They may have caught Viral Hemorrhagic Disease (VHD).

Not infectious to man (or so the experts say) VHD can decimate a warren within 2-3 days.

The rabbit bleeds internally. Open one up and it is a mess.

The meat is unfit for human consumption and useless as dog food.

 

This disease (unlike Mixi) is spread by contact from other infected rabbits, both alive and dead; rabbit meat, including frozen; rabbit pelts, their excrement, cages, feeders, can be carried by man, dogs, and maybe fleas.

You'll be getting the idea about now that this is a real bitch of a disease!

 

The bug itself is really tough and can lie dormant in the soil for up to a year. It likes the cold as well.

 

So why is this important? We all like to shoot and rabbit tastes great. The problem is if you are lucky enough to have a number of shooting sites and one of them has VHD.

If you don't take care, you may spread it round all your sites and that could lead to no prey, no meat, and no sport for a long, long time.

[jazz_11 5]

is this something which has recently been discoverd,.

it sound just as bad as mixi but acts faster by the sound of it.

[Malt 379]

It's not new, it's been around for years. It's also known as RHD, (Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease) and RCD (Rabbit calicivirus disease).

 

Take a look at this link for more info: RHD

 

[Grim Reaper 1]

Well done for the info Mal!

 

 

 

Regards,

Grim.

[Guest air gunner]

Whaaaat!!! that sucks is vhd wide spread? and is it easy to pick up or do you have to touch an infected rabbit to transfer it? is it worth burning infected rabbits to try and remove it? that really blows thanks for the info though atleast i know what to look out for.

[camies 1]

Slow down chaps, Don't start dunking your feet in Dettol just yet.

I got a call from a friend down South telling me about it.

He read a shooting magazine article about it & no I don't know which one, and (this is so heresay) when he was talking to a local ferreter he was told about a warren (South East somewhere) that was dug up full of corpses with symptoms of VHD.

So, being the inquisitive type he spoke to his vet.

Voila! He was given a page about mixi and VHD (which pet rabbits can be vaccinated against) and that was emailed to me. Here is the link to the advisory he sent me.

http://www.snh.org.uk/publications/on-line...notes/31/31.htm

 

Google vhd and "wild rabbits" and there is tons of stuff on vet sites about it.

 

It turns out that my local pest control mate knows about it but has yet to see it round here (South Lincs) BUT I though you might appreciate a "heads up" as we all like shooting rabbit!

 

Anyway, when I gut a rabbit I'm always looking for signs of ill health cause I just don't trust "experts" when they say something is safe to eat when half of them are vegitarians anyway. Any white spots, or gungy looking bunnys get buried with full military honours and me, the wife, and the dog only eat the best ones.

[spike25blue 55]

there was an article about this in airgunner or airgun world a couple of months ago

 

ive not seen any signs of it yet on my shoots....

[ferretville 69]

Seen the effect of it on land were they used to shoot between 10,000 - 20,000 rabbits annihalated the rabbits nowt left there now .

[The one 8,529]

Think its big down south but not affecting scotland yet

[Malt 379]

The thing with it is, is that it's that effective, it rarely gets to spread far. All the animals in a certain area are wiped out quickly, so it doesn't get a chance to travel to the next population.

 

Most new outbreaks are deliberate, caused by people spreading it...