The Importance of Vaccinating Your Rabbit: Protecting Against Myxomatosis and RHD 1 and 2

26th June 2026 - UPDATE ON THIS - IN THE UK, IRELAND AND EUROPE THERE IS A NEW VACCINE BY YURVAC AVAILABLE AS IT IS BELIEVED TO COVER A NEW STRAIN OF VHD2 WHICH IS NOT COVERED BY THE ORIGINAL VACCINE.

So in Ireland / UK and Europe it is recomnmended to have two annual vaccines - The  'Triple' vaccine against RVHD (also kown as VHD or RHD) 1, 2 and also Myxomatosis and The New vaccine by Yurvac covering RVHD 1 and 2, including the new strain

These can be given 2 weeks apart, but since your rabbit should be checked by a vet every 6 months, you can also have them done 6 months apart - this is also thought to give added protection 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION-
Not all vets are offering this new vaccine for two reasons - 

1. It is only currently available in multi vial doses in most places - once the bottle is open it must be used within a few hours, which means they need to run a clinic and book lots of rabbits in the same day to have the vaccine, rather than vaccinating your rabbit whenever you are in the clinic or want to come in, as is the case with the other vaccines as they come in single vial doses' It also isn't that readily available yet - in some places it IS available in single vial doses though

2. It is not thought that the new strain has reached the UK or Ireland, - or that if it has, that the 'old' vaccine won't protect against it and some vets are concerned that giving them the other vaccine as well can be an overload on the rabbits system 'double dosing' which can cause health issues.

So you may find some vets don't offer it, - if your vet is rabbit savvy (very experienced with rabbits, sees lots of them and has done additonal 'exotic' training) then they will be up to date on this and you and your vet can make a decision together, weighing up the pros and cons. If you still want the vaccine and your vet doesn't do it, you can contact other vets to see if they do.

🐇PLEASE NOTE, I HAVE HEARD OF SEVERAL CASES WHERE RABBITS ARE OFF THEIR FOOD / HAVE TUMMY ISSUES OR ARE OUT OF SORTS FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS AFTER HAVING THE NEW VACCINE - if you are going ahead and gettig the vaccine, please do discuss this with your vet and what to do if it happens. 




In this episode, Fiona, also known as The Bunny Coach, discusses the importance of In this episode, Fiona, also known as The Bunny Coach, discusses the importance of vaccinating rabbits against Myxomatosis and Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease (RHD) Types 1 and 2. She explains that these man-made diseases, originally meant to control wild rabbit populations, now pose a threat to domestic rabbits worldwide, even those kept indoors. Fiona details how these diseases spread and the severe symptoms they cause, emphasizing the urgency and effectiveness of vaccination. She also advises consulting rabbit-savvy vets or resear

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