RAW 2019: Protect & Prevent

We've chosen the theme Protect & Prevent for this year's Rabbit Awareness Week (RAW) (1st–9th June) because of the emergence of the strain of rabbit viral haemorrhagic disease-2 (RVHD2), a new strain of the original RVHD virus that can kill rabbits within hours. RVHD2 is present across the whole of the UK and the RAW partners have been inundated with calls from distraught owners who have lost their rabbits to this deadly disease. The disease has no symptoms, so it is often too late by the time owners recognise that there is something wrong with their rabbits.

Vaccination is the safest and most effective way to protect against the disease but the RAW partners are warning that not enough bunnies in the UK are vaccinated, with the the most recent sales figures showing that only 137 405 vaccinations have been distributed to veterinary practices in the last year1, meaning that many practices aren't stocking the vaccine.