Treatment of myxomatosis in rabbits. Myxomatosis in rabbits: prevention

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Rabbits are fairly common household animals. The tasty meat of these animals encourages farmers to breed them in hundreds, since this is not difficult, thanks to their extreme fertility. Those who have these animals on the farm know that there is a dangerous rabbit disease - myxomatosis, from which the entire livestock can die out if the necessary measures are not taken. What it is? What are the symptoms of this disease? How is myxomatosis treated in rabbits?

What is a disease

Myxomatosis is a virus that affects only animals, it does not affect humans at all. Runs extremely fast. Transmitted via:

• mosquitoes;

• mosquitoes;

• fleas;

• lice;

• ticks.

Also, the source of the disease is the sick or ill rabbits themselves, who are carriers of the virus. The causative agent of myxomatosis is very dangerous and can continue to live even in the corpses of dead animals for up to seven days. In soil, the virus can live for about 2 years.

An interesting featureis that European rabbits are most sensitive to this disease, and when a representative of this breed is infected, the treatment does not give the desired result. The animal quickly dies. Rabbit disease myxomatosis is caused solely by a virus and is characterized by an extremely rapid and acute course.

Symptoms of disease

Signs of the virus are expressed in nodules and swelling of the ears, eyes, parts of the head, genitals and anus. Rhinitis, sneezing, discharge from the ears and eyes are also noted. It is worth noting that the appetite remains the same, the animals do not refuse food. Although some individuals chew hay with some lethargy.

When infected in rabbits, there is a strong increase in body temperature, up to 41 °. Often the heat alone is enough to kill the animal. If there are symptoms of rabbit disease - myxomatosis - treatment should be carried out under the supervision of a veterinarian. Only after receiving competent advice from a specialist. you can take action.

How to treat myxomatosis in rabbits

The most common form of treatment for the disease is the vaccination of animals. When the first symptoms of the disease appear, it is necessary to immediately transplant individuals infected with the virus into separate cells and keep them there until complete recovery. Treatment of myxomatosis in rabbits does not take much time, but requires certain skills. To carry out all the necessary procedures, you must consult with a qualified veterinarian, or even better, call the doctor on site.

Whenit is worth remembering that even after the rabbit seems completely he althy to you, it still remains a carrier of a dangerous virus. Therefore, a recovered animal must be kept in quarantine for several more months.

It is the vaccine against rabbit myxomatosis that is very effective and is widely used in veterinary medicine. It is worth noting that this tool is recommended for livestock, even in order to prevent the disease.

How vaccination works

In case of rabbit disease (myxomatosis), the treatment consists in vaccinating the entire livestock. To carry out this procedure, you must purchase a tool and syringes. Each animal must be injected on its own in the thigh or anus area, the veterinarian will inform you in more detail about this. It is necessary to use a separate syringe for each individual. Experienced farmers advise against vaccinating laying hens and lactating rabbits.

One ampoule consisting of a strain of myxoma virus divided into 10 doses. Before vaccination, it is necessary to boil the syringes well or use disposable ones. The injection site itself must be disinfected with alcohol.

After the procedure, the animals need careful care. Rabbits must be looked after for 20 days. It is necessary to independently conduct a daily examination of patients, manually checking them for the presence of nodules on the head and in the anus. Do not neglect these measures, as the slightest oversight threatens extinctionthe entire rabbit farm.

How recovery works

Vaccination against the virus implies the production of antibodies in the body of animals on the 5th day after the procedure. Treatment of myxomatosis in rabbits should take place under sterile conditions, the cells should only be stuffed with high-quality hay. Rabbits should also be fed with care, giving only proven food.

Recovery from the disease is characterized by the healing of conjunctivitis and the disappearance of nodules. At the sites of injury, necrosis is formed, which disappears over time. As a result of vaccination, rabbits acquire immunity against the virus, in the future, re-infection of animals is unlikely.

Prevention

Treatment of myxomatosis in rabbits requires vaccination with a strain of myxoma virus. Prevention of the disease is also carried out with the help of the same remedy. This procedure must be done to small rabbits from the age of 28 days. However, if the conditions of detention do not meet hygiene standards, then newborn animals can be vaccinated after waiting 7 days. This does not provide 100% protection against the virus, but it significantly increases the chances of livestock survival in case of infection.

There is an opinion that sick rabbits should not be treated. They need to be disposed of, as recovered animals will remain carriers of myxomatosis for life. However, experienced rabbit breeders agree that it is necessary and even recommended to save ill individuals. The fact is that in the future the offspring will be wheremore resistant to myxomatosis than the previous one.

Myxomatosis is a contagious viral disease that is completely harmless to humans. Rabbits are such gentle creatures that when infected with the myxoma virus, the livestock dies in the shortest possible time, and the fight against the disease requires a lot of effort. Therefore, carrying out preventive measures is much more profitable and effective than treating the entire livestock from an acute form of the disease.