# Sticky  A myxomatosis Warning



## Tink82

I know most of us here already know about Myxi (and what happened to my Pepsi) but I finally got my OH's camera today with pictures on it, including those of Pepsi that DD took when we knew there was pretty much slim chances of him pulling through....

I thought I would post them, although they are still pretty hard to look at for me, so that those passing by or wondering about myxi can see what a vile desease it is...

for those that do not know, Pepsi was my house rabbit last year. I was told by a vet (wrongly so) that he did not need a Myxi jab. I found out here that he did need it, two days before he became ill. I treated him for two weeks with many medicines and drops until he could no longer see and two weeks to the day he had a seizure and died.

Although it is pretty tough looking at pictures and reading about it, if it persuades at least one person to get theoir bunny vacc'd it is worth it  So excuse me whilst I quote....

*What is it?*
Myxomatosis is a severe viral disease of rabbits that decimated the wild rabbit population when it arrived in Britain 50 years ago.

*How is it spread?*
 Bites from mosquitoes carrying the Myxoma virus.
 Bites from fleas carrying the Myxoma virus (fleas can survive for many months in hay)
 Myxomatosis can also be spread by Cheyletiella fur mites
*
What happens when a rabbit catches myxomatosis?*
Classic myxomatosis starts with runny eyes and in the very early stages can be confused with other causes of conjunctivitis. However, myxomatosis differs as the genitals are also swollen. It rapidly progresses to a severe conjunctivitis which causes blindness and is accompanied by lumpy (nodular) swellings on the head, plus lumps on the body. Excessive amounts of thick pus discharges from the nose and swollen eyes (which are often sealed shut). There are also two atypical forms of myxomatosis: one causes pneumonia and a snuffles-like illness; the other ("Nodular myxomatosis") mainly affects skin and carries a better prognosis.

If a vaccinated rabbit develops myxomatosis, the disease is usually much less severe.

*Source:* RWAF: Understanding Myxomatosis Please visit the site for the full article and further info

So that is the blurb, here are his pictures. apologise to those who may be a little sensitive, but I think it is a pretty justified and worthy course to put them up. The first is Pepsi prior to becoming ill so you can see how he looked.


Gorgeous wasn't he  









Now below is Pepsi a few days before he died, you can see immedietly how myxi has affected him.










It started with his eyes, becoming red around the lids and swolling
His fur then started to fall out
eyes then started to weep and he developed a snuffle
eyes became worse and pretty much sealed up, genitals swelled
Within the last week his snuffling was so bad he couldn't breathe out his nose and he started to go off his food
in the last day-two days we think he lost his sight, blood started to seep from his eyes and his ears became infected and dropped back ( as you can see in the picture) and he started to wet himself as he couldn't find his litter tray
His nose then swelled with infection
Finally on the last day (two weeks to the day) he couldn't sit up properly so we decided to have one last night with him and to take him to the vets the next morning. Sadly he died of a seizure that night :cryng: 

I hope this is informative and highlights the need for myxi jabs, indoor or outdoor bunny. It is not my intention to scare or upset anyone, but I hope that our loss will get owners thinking and acting.

oh, for those that are new/didn't know about Pepsi, I decided not to PTS as he was such a fighter, everyday he tried so hard to fight it so I gave him the chance he deserved until he could no longer hold on


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## rebenda

im so sorry for what happened with ur little bun its so upsetting but i just want to say thanku for posting this, hopefully it will make people who havent thought about vaccinating to do it.its just not worth the risk. wer trying to do the same thing at work with parvo so owners can see what there animal goes through when we admit them for treatment. 

so sorry


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## WeeBarraxO

I am reasonably new, but I remember reading your post , 

My older bun Smokey never had any jabs because I thought he never needed them as I live in a flat and he doesn't get outside, but now he and the new bunny Magic have both had their jabs 

Its so sad with what happened to your little bun he was a little fighter till the end


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## Paws&Claws

Sorry to hear it  but thank you for the warning x


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## Kammie

That made me cry looking at the pictures, he was such a goergeous boy. He changed colour with the illness or is that just the lighting/summer-winter coat? Its such a horrible disease.


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## Sarah+Hammies

sorry to hear what happened to your beautiful bun.

Thankyou for posting this, it must be so hard for you to do. Its important for people to notice the symptoms and to be aware of the reason why we get our buns vaccinated.


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## Tink82

Thanks everyone.. yes it was awful looking at them and thinking it over again but when I saw the pics, I thought he would be a good example for people to see first hand what it can do, not just to wild bunnies..

Kammie, his fur started to fall out very badly. The colour change was down to this, and yeah, I have shed a few tears tonight putting this together :crying: took a few hours


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## VampiricLust

It also claimed my beautiful Autumn.

This video shows her from before catching it, during week by week, and a few days before her passing.

Tinks, I hope you do not mind me posting this, just to get more awareness with the shock factor 

Autumn, My Darling. at One True Media - share slideshows, slide shows, Facebook slideshows, free video sharing, video montages.


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## Tink82

VampiricLust said:


> It also claimed my beautiful Autumn.
> 
> This video shows her from before catching it, during week by week, and a few days before her passing.
> 
> Tinks, I hope you do not mind me posting this, just to get more awareness with the shock factor
> 
> Autumn, My Darling. at One True Media - share slideshows, slide shows, Facebook slideshows, free video sharing, video montages.


of course not.. I wont watch the video just yet though... I have asked a mod to sticky this in here for people passing through


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## Clare7435

Oh that's awful I'm so sorry this happend to your beautiful buns.
I will never understand how man could have made such a terrible virus, I don't care how many rabbits over populated there could have been millions for all I know but there's no excuse for creatig anything that is going to cause so much pain and suffering to any living creature.
Thank you for posting this, I know it must have been terrible for you to do, but for the well being of all our bunnys you still did it and I really appreciate that.
Clarexx


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## 2rabbit&2ferrets

Thankyou for posting this thread. It was very brave of you to do! I also hope that people with house bunnies will see this and get their jabs as in your case you were told you didn't need them by a vet. If it eases your conscious, you weren't entirely to blame. 

Of course I am not saying its less important for outdoor bunnies. Hopefully this thread will get the message out how important it is to vaccinate your bunnies. If my pair weren't already vaccinated and booked in for their VHD & myxi boosters on the 22nd, then I think this thread would get me vaccinating.


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## simplysardonic

Tink82 said:


> I know most of us here already know about Myxi (and what happened to my Pepsi) but I finally got my OH's camera today with pictures on it, including those of Pepsi that DD took when we knew there was pretty much slim chances of him pulling through....
> 
> I thought I would post them, although they are still pretty hard to look at for me, so that those passing by or wondering about myxi can see what a vile desease it is...
> 
> for those that do not know, Pepsi was my house rabbit last year. I was told by a vet (wrongly so) that he did not need a Myxi jab. I found out here that he did need it, two days before he became ill. I treated him for two weeks with many medicines and drops until he could no longer see and two weeks to the day he had a seizure and died.
> 
> Although it is pretty tough looking at pictures and reading about it, if it persuades at least one person to get theoir bunny vacc'd it is worth it  So excuse me whilst I quote....
> 
> *What is it?*
> Myxomatosis is a severe viral disease of rabbits that decimated the wild rabbit population when it arrived in Britain 50 years ago.
> 
> *How is it spread?*
>  Bites from mosquitoes carrying the Myxoma virus.
>  Bites from fleas carrying the Myxoma virus (fleas can survive for many months in hay)
>  Myxomatosis can also be spread by Cheyletiella fur mites
> *
> What happens when a rabbit catches myxomatosis?*
> Classic myxomatosis starts with runny eyes and in the very early stages can be confused with other causes of conjunctivitis. However, myxomatosis differs as the genitals are also swollen. It rapidly progresses to a severe conjunctivitis which causes blindness and is accompanied by lumpy (nodular) swellings on the head, plus lumps on the body. Excessive amounts of thick pus discharges from the nose and swollen eyes (which are often sealed shut). There are also two atypical forms of myxomatosis: one causes pneumonia and a snuffles-like illness; the other ("Nodular myxomatosis") mainly affects skin and carries a better prognosis.
> 
> If a vaccinated rabbit develops myxomatosis, the disease is usually much less severe.
> 
> *Source:* RWAF: Understanding Myxomatosis Please visit the site for the full article and further info
> 
> So that is the blurb, here are his pictures. apologise to those who may be a little sensitive, but I think it is a pretty justified and worthy course to put them up. The first is Pepsi prior to becoming ill so you can see how he looked.
> 
> 
> Gorgeous wasn't he
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Now below is Pepsi a few days before he died, you can see immedietly how myxi has affected him.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It started with his eyes, becoming red around the lids and swolling
> His fur then started to fall out
> eyes then started to weep and he developed a snuffle
> eyes became worse and pretty much sealed up, genitals swelled
> Within the last week his snuffling was so bad he couldn't breathe out his nose and he started to go off his food
> in the last day-two days we think he lost his sight, blood started to seep from his eyes and his ears became infected and dropped back ( as you can see in the picture) and he started to wet himself as he couldn't find his litter tray
> His nose then swelled with infection
> Finally on the last day (two weeks to the day) he couldn't sit up properly so we decided to have one last night with him and to take him to the vets the next morning. Sadly he died of a seizure that night :cryng:
> 
> I hope this is informative and highlights the need for myxi jabs, indoor or outdoor bunny. It is not my intention to scare or upset anyone, but I hope that our loss will get owners thinking and acting.
> 
> oh, for those that are new/didn't know about Pepsi, I decided not to PTS as he was such a fighter, everyday he tried so hard to fight it so I gave him the chance he deserved until he could no longer hold on


I'm so very sorry for your loss, having been through hell with my boy Prince in July I know how devastating this is
I'd just like to add that all Prince's vaccs were up-to-date, we had him done every 6 months because our area is high risk, but this didn't prevent him from getting it, however his immunity at the time was possibly compromised because shortly before he contracted the disease he had been under anaesthetic to have a tooth removed & had 'died' briefly, although he was revived. He was only young, not even a year & we nursed him & cared for him but in the end we had to make the decision to have him PTS. I'm crying as I type this, it broke my heart


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## emzybabe

thank you for sharing his photo with us, I know it was such a horrible and tough time for you. *hugs* I hope this thread helps others to make the right decision and have their rabbits vaccinated. RIP pepsi


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## Tink82

VampiricLust said:


> It also claimed my beautiful Autumn.
> 
> This video shows her from before catching it, during week by week, and a few days before her passing.
> 
> Tinks, I hope you do not mind me posting this, just to get more awareness with the shock factor
> 
> Autumn, My Darling. at One True Media - share slideshows, slide shows, Facebook slideshows, free video sharing, video montages.


That's awful  it made me cry... Poor Autumn.. it look like she had a different Myxi to Pepsi, he didn't get the growths like she had...



simplysardonic said:


> I'm so very sorry for your loss, having been through hell with my boy Prince in July I know how devastating this is
> I'd just like to add that all Prince's vaccs were up-to-date, we had him done every 6 months because our area is high risk, but this didn't prevent him from getting it, however his immunity at the time was possibly compromised because shortly before he contracted the disease he had been under anaesthetic to have a tooth removed & had 'died' briefly, although he was revived. He was only young, not even a year & we nursed him & cared for him but in the end we had to make the decision to have him PTS. I'm crying as I type this, it broke my heart


Aw sorry to hear this  it is not common for vacc'd buns to die from myxi is it? I know un-vacc'd like Pepsi have slim to no chance.. Didn't stop him fighting it though.. We thought he would actually make it through at one point


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## lynn4130

hello im so deeply hurt to hear that humans would be so cruel to do this to a breed that is so loving and to see all the hurt and pain these bunnies and humans go through just because they over populated one area there are other options than to create such a horriable diese i am also crying as i type i cry for the bunnies that have passed and that are infected i also cry for the owners cause i am a dad of 8 lionhead rabbits i rescued 3 and 2 of them had 5 so i am very aware of the love that they can give and how attached u can become to them and to see that man has done this to there race outrages me anyways i am so very sorry for your losses and pray that the person who created this burns for everyone of the bunnies and the owners that have sufferd from this pointless and uncalled for diese i pray that the lord heals the pain in your hearts and gives u the strength to continu to help the rabbit race 

p.s. if i rambeled im sorry it is hard to consintrate and see through the tears


your friend
lynn


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## K1nS

Tink, can I just say thankyou so much for posting this for us, I can understand how upsetting it must have been for you to do it *hugs*

I didn't actually know what myxomatosis did to bunnies, so thankyou so much for this, it has deffinatly shocked me. I will be getting Smudge's jabs done when I get paid


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## ilovesox

I am so sorry for your loss hun. I just want to say thank you for doing what you have done as fingers crossed it has made others realise what a horrible disease this is for our buns and how important it is for them to have the jabs plus the 6 monthly boosters. Once again my thoughts are with you.


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## Tink82

lynn4130 said:


> hello im so deeply hurt to hear that humans would be so cruel to do this to a breed that is so loving and to see all the hurt and pain these bunnies and humans go through just because they over populated one area there are other options than to create such a horriable diese i am also crying as i type i cry for the bunnies that have passed and that are infected i also cry for the owners cause i am a dad of 8 lionhead rabbits i rescued 3 and 2 of them had 5 so i am very aware of the love that they can give and how attached u can become to them and to see that man has done this to there race outrages me anyways i am so very sorry for your losses and pray that the person who created this burns for everyone of the bunnies and the owners that have sufferd from this pointless and uncalled for diese i pray that the lord heals the pain in your hearts and gives u the strength to continu to help the rabbit race
> 
> p.s. if i rambeled im sorry it is hard to consintrate and see through the tears
> 
> your friend
> lynn





K1nS said:


> Tink, can I just say thankyou so much for posting this for us, I can understand how upsetting it must have been for you to do it *hugs*
> 
> I didn't actually know what myxomatosis did to bunnies, so thankyou so much for this, it has deffinatly shocked me. I will be getting Smudge's jabs done when I get paid





ilovesox said:


> I am so sorry for your loss hun. I just want to say thank you for doing what you have done as fingers crossed it has made others realise what a horrible disease this is for our buns and how important it is for them to have the jabs plus the 6 monthly boosters. Once again my thoughts are with you.


Thank you  Im glad it is making people aware and taking action


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## vixtory

Tink82 said:


> I know most of us here already know about Myxi (and what happened to my Pepsi) but I finally got my OH's camera today with pictures on it, including those of Pepsi that DD took when we knew there was pretty much slim chances of him pulling through....
> 
> I thought I would post them, although they are still pretty hard to look at for me, so that those passing by or wondering about myxi can see what a vile desease it is...
> 
> for those that do not know, Pepsi was my house rabbit last year. I was told by a vet (wrongly so) that he did not need a Myxi jab. I found out here that he did need it, two days before he became ill. I treated him for two weeks with many medicines and drops until he could no longer see and two weeks to the day he had a seizure and died.
> 
> Although it is pretty tough looking at pictures and reading about it, if it persuades at least one person to get theoir bunny vacc'd it is worth it  So excuse me whilst I quote....
> 
> *What is it?*
> Myxomatosis is a severe viral disease of rabbits that decimated the wild rabbit population when it arrived in Britain 50 years ago.
> 
> *How is it spread?*
>  Bites from mosquitoes carrying the Myxoma virus.
>  Bites from fleas carrying the Myxoma virus (fleas can survive for many months in hay)
>  Myxomatosis can also be spread by Cheyletiella fur mites
> *
> What happens when a rabbit catches myxomatosis?*
> Classic myxomatosis starts with runny eyes and in the very early stages can be confused with other causes of conjunctivitis. However, myxomatosis differs as the genitals are also swollen. It rapidly progresses to a severe conjunctivitis which causes blindness and is accompanied by lumpy (nodular) swellings on the head, plus lumps on the body. Excessive amounts of thick pus discharges from the nose and swollen eyes (which are often sealed shut). There are also two atypical forms of myxomatosis: one causes pneumonia and a snuffles-like illness; the other ("Nodular myxomatosis") mainly affects skin and carries a better prognosis.
> 
> If a vaccinated rabbit develops myxomatosis, the disease is usually much less severe.
> 
> *Source:* RWAF: Understanding Myxomatosis Please visit the site for the full article and further info
> 
> So that is the blurb, here are his pictures. apologise to those who may be a little sensitive, but I think it is a pretty justified and worthy course to put them up. The first is Pepsi prior to becoming ill so you can see how he looked.
> 
> 
> Gorgeous wasn't he
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Now below is Pepsi a few days before he died, you can see immedietly how myxi has affected him.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It started with his eyes, becoming red around the lids and swolling
> His fur then started to fall out
> eyes then started to weep and he developed a snuffle
> eyes became worse and pretty much sealed up, genitals swelled
> Within the last week his snuffling was so bad he couldn't breathe out his nose and he started to go off his food
> in the last day-two days we think he lost his sight, blood started to seep from his eyes and his ears became infected and dropped back ( as you can see in the picture) and he started to wet himself as he couldn't find his litter tray
> His nose then swelled with infection
> Finally on the last day (two weeks to the day) he couldn't sit up properly so we decided to have one last night with him and to take him to the vets the next morning. Sadly he died of a seizure that night :cryng:
> 
> I hope this is informative and highlights the need for myxi jabs, indoor or outdoor bunny. It is not my intention to scare or upset anyone, but I hope that our loss will get owners thinking and acting.
> 
> oh, for those that are new/didn't know about Pepsi, I decided not to PTS as he was such a fighter, everyday he tried so hard to fight it so I gave him the chance he deserved until he could no longer hold on


I`m really sorry to hear about your bunny hun.. i went through this just before christmas with 3 of my bunnies! Jessica ( mum ) Petal ( daughter ) and Hazel ( also daughter of Jessica ) all lived outside in my garden, Petal got myxi first and i had no choice to pts... i tried various treatments afterwards to prevent Jessica and Hazel catching it but it was too late and i also had to have them pts too.. i was devastated, days earlier i had had 4 healthy rabbits and then after the myxi i was just left with Jessica`s partner Mowgli who died just a few weeks ago with old age!

I have also just got another bunny Katie, my intentions were to put her outside when she was a few weeks older so i booked her in for the myxi jab.. however she has made it quite clear that she is very much an house rabbit and we have decided to keep her indoors... i called my vet and asked if she still needed the myxi jab and was told she didn`t so it was cancelled!

Now i have seen your post i am very concerned for Katie.... i don`t want her to get myxi because i`ve seen first hand the horrible things it does to their eye`s, ears and genital area and have seen how much pain they suffer! Now i am wondering if i should change my vets for one that actually knows what they are talking about!


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## vet-2-b

how old do bunnies have to be to have the jab ?


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## vixtory

vet-2-b said:


> how old do bunnies have to be to have the jab ?


6 weeks old... thats what my vet told me! But don`t feel i can trust a word she says anymore! x


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## Kammie

6 weeks for the jab. Even house rabbits need myxi. I would change your vet and look for one that specialises in rabbits if I were you.


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## jemma_79

Got Willow, my indoor bunny, the vaccination!


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## jemma_79

Dusty had her jab today!


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## Tink82

jemma_79 said:


> Dusty had her jab today!


just seen this.. well done :thumbup:


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## pinkyblare

Thanks for this thread and i am sat here at work crying at your pics and the video that was also posted, i have booked my two in for there jabs this wed morning i was also under the impression that we were not at risk - enclosed garden not near fields other animals but thats made my mind up for sure they are booked in now then in for their VHD ones two weeks later would hate for my buns to get this knowing i could of prevented! breaks your heart to hear and see all of you that have lost bunnies to this god bless little ones sleep tight :sad::crying::crying::crying:


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## Tink82

pinkyblare said:


> Thanks for this thread and i am sat here at work crying at your pics and the video that was also posted, i have booked my two in for there jabs this wed morning i was also under the impression that we were not at risk - enclosed garden not near fields other animals but thats made my mind up for sure they are booked in now then in for their VHD ones two weeks later would hate for my buns to get this knowing i could of prevented! breaks your heart to hear and see all of you that have lost bunnies to this god bless little ones sleep tight :sad::crying::crying::crying:


ahh sorry to make you cry at work 

I'm glad your getting your buns done, means this thread is having the right effect! it is truly awful for them, they become so ill it's hard to explain in words.. it's sickening


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## clarissalouise

Hello, my rabbit passed away a few hours ago with myxomatosis, and i just wanted to make people aware how quickly it can happen.. Dolly was fine yesterday morning we let her out to run around the garden, yesterday evening she wouldnt come out for her play and we noticed her eyes had swollen horribly.. we left her overnight to see how she was and gave her her morning food and rang the vetinary at 10am, we then took her to the vets (-food and water untouched) and it was confirmed dolly had myxi, she was put to sleep and is at the vets at the moment waiting to be taken to the Garden of remembrance..

all of this happened in one day, Dolly was only 3 years old and was never neglected, had a lovely coat and used to like to play with the cats.. when she was bought from a local pet shop we were told not to worry and shed had all the injections needed, so maybe carelessly we did not check this up.

the point i am trying to make is it can happen to any rabbit even ones that arent prone to infection, that are well treated and havent even had rabbit sniffles before, and you should always ask for papers / documents when you take your rabbit, because you cant trust any pet shop!

rip dolly always in our thoughts xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


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## Erzs

I'm sorry to hear about Pepsi, and with Clarissa Dolly. But thank you for getting the warning out there. <3


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## wacky

Tink82 said:


> I know most of us here already know about Myxi (and what happened to my Pepsi) but I finally got my OH's camera today with pictures on it, including those of Pepsi that DD took when we knew there was pretty much slim chances of him pulling through....
> 
> I thought I would post them, although they are still pretty hard to look at for me, so that those passing by or wondering about myxi can see what a vile desease it is...
> 
> for those that do not know, Pepsi was my house rabbit last year. I was told by a vet (wrongly so) that he did not need a Myxi jab. I found out here that he did need it, two days before he became ill. I treated him for two weeks with many medicines and drops until he could no longer see and two weeks to the day he had a seizure and died.
> 
> Although it is pretty tough looking at pictures and reading about it, if it persuades at least one person to get theoir bunny vacc'd it is worth it  So excuse me whilst I quote....
> 
> *What is it?*
> Myxomatosis is a severe viral disease of rabbits that decimated the wild rabbit population when it arrived in Britain 50 years ago.
> 
> *How is it spread?*
>  Bites from mosquitoes carrying the Myxoma virus.
>  Bites from fleas carrying the Myxoma virus (fleas can survive for many months in hay)
>  Myxomatosis can also be spread by Cheyletiella fur mites
> *
> What happens when a rabbit catches myxomatosis?*
> Classic myxomatosis starts with runny eyes and in the very early stages can be confused with other causes of conjunctivitis. However, myxomatosis differs as the genitals are also swollen. It rapidly progresses to a severe conjunctivitis which causes blindness and is accompanied by lumpy (nodular) swellings on the head, plus lumps on the body. Excessive amounts of thick pus discharges from the nose and swollen eyes (which are often sealed shut). There are also two atypical forms of myxomatosis: one causes pneumonia and a snuffles-like illness; the other ("Nodular myxomatosis") mainly affects skin and carries a better prognosis.
> 
> If a vaccinated rabbit develops myxomatosis, the disease is usually much less severe.
> 
> *Source:* RWAF: Understanding Myxomatosis Please visit the site for the full article and further info
> 
> So that is the blurb, here are his pictures. apologise to those who may be a little sensitive, but I think it is a pretty justified and worthy course to put them up. The first is Pepsi prior to becoming ill so you can see how he looked.
> 
> 
> Gorgeous wasn't he
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Now below is Pepsi a few days before he died, you can see immedietly how myxi has affected him.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It started with his eyes, becoming red around the lids and swolling
> His fur then started to fall out
> eyes then started to weep and he developed a snuffle
> eyes became worse and pretty much sealed up, genitals swelled
> Within the last week his snuffling was so bad he couldn't breathe out his nose and he started to go off his food
> in the last day-two days we think he lost his sight, blood started to seep from his eyes and his ears became infected and dropped back ( as you can see in the picture) and he started to wet himself as he couldn't find his litter tray
> His nose then swelled with infection
> Finally on the last day (two weeks to the day) he couldn't sit up properly so we decided to have one last night with him and to take him to the vets the next morning. Sadly he died of a seizure that night :cryng:
> 
> I hope this is informative and highlights the need for myxi jabs, indoor or outdoor bunny. It is not my intention to scare or upset anyone, but I hope that our loss will get owners thinking and acting.
> 
> oh, for those that are new/didn't know about Pepsi, I decided not to PTS as he was such a fighter, everyday he tried so hard to fight it so I gave him the chance he deserved until he could no longer hold on


why is he blue in the first pic and brown in the second pic just wondering


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## rabbit-lover

That is really sad...I now think that I should take my rabbit to the vets to get the jab. Thanks for persuading me...


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## crofty

rabbit-lover said:


> That is really sad...I now think that I should take my rabbit to the vets to get the jab. Thanks for persuading me...


Glad you are going to have it done, you'll need vhd too, they have to be given 2 weeks apart though, vhd is annual and myxi 6 monthly x


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## Tink82

wacky said:


> why is he blue in the first pic and brown in the second pic just wondering


Different light, different camera as one was off my mobile and the fact he lost so much fur in clumps for the two weeks. He had and agouti coat so it was various shades anyway


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## Tink82

rabbit-lover said:


> That is really sad...I now think that I should take my rabbit to the vets to get the jab. Thanks for persuading me...


Glad to hear it  that was my aim so good to see it is working


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## emily77189

Such a terrible disease, my blue rex got it even after having her booster every year but as from the jab she had some immunity she was able to fight it off other night, she had collapsed, had swollen eyes and was barely breathing we thought she was going to go so we tried to make her comfortable and prepared ourselves for it but the next day we were shocked to find that she was up and about being her normal self


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## emily77189

I think its also worth mentioning that myxomatosis can be spread from a dead rabbit so if you keep more than one you need to dipose of the body asap to give the others the best chance-won't go into what we had to do with ours. Make sure you qaurantine the infected rabbit and was hands after handling it etc


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## oliviajo

I am so sorry about your bunny, it's so awful.
We have just got 2 new babies, they are 2 girls, both will only ever be in our garden or their hutch. 
I thought that they would never come across myxi but after reading this I am going to ring the vets in the morning to have them vaccinated, thank you so much, this is the type of information you never get when you first get your rabbits you have done us a great service, thank you xxxx


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## oliviajo

I am so sorry about your bunny, it's so awful.
We have just got 2 new babies, they are 2 girls, both will only ever be in our garden or their hutch. 
I thought that they would never come across myxi but after reading this I am going to ring the vets in the morning to have them vaccinated, thank you so much, this is the type of information you never get when you first get your rabbits you have done us a great service, thank you xxxx


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## oliviajo

I arranged to get our baby bunnies vaccinated. It was easy, the vets had an evening drop in session. I was worried, they are so small, i thought it would be stressful for them, but we took them in the cardboard box carrier and sat in the vets waiting room. 

It was so easy! The vet had a great technique giving the jab, they hardly flinched, also she gave them a good look over which reassured me that they are healthy, if a bit lean. She also checked their teeth, and sexed them, which had already been done before we got them but it was good to confirm!

i would say to anyone, just do it, I didn't think it was necessary to vaccinate against myxi but after reading these forums I knew it was vital. we now have 2 certificates, and a reminder to go again in 6 months, as it needs renewing every 6 months. We have to wait 2 weeks to get the viral haemorragic one but we will be going. the vet also told us that it is 14 days from vaccination that they are properly protected, so I hope nothing happens in the meantime. They are so lovely, becoming part of the family and it seems absolutely important to protect them from anything that we can


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## bigbird

Rusty has just had his booster and the VHD is booked for Monday.


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## MrRustyRead

those pictures have put tears in my eyes, such a sad way to go and such stupid advice from a vet. sometimes i go and know more about rabbits than they do. when i was younger they never told me about fly strike. so i sadly learnt the hard way from one of my rabbits catching the horrible disease. so ever since my rabbit has never ran out on fly strike protection and never will


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## tutter

ah this made me cry
aw my god man look at the little thing 
it makes me so angry when vets give bad advice/info 

so sorry for your loss and ty for posting this


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## cowfish

So sorry to hear about your poor rabbit, very very sad.


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## sammi_3664_uk

I'd just like to say the Jabs don't always work! I had two rabbits when i was younger 1 called Snowy who lived till she was 8 had just died of old age, she went to the vet once to get the myxomatosis jab i never kept it up to date. The other rabbit i had was Smoky who died at the age of 4 who was at the vets a few times, survived fly strike twice but died of kidney failure and who also never had the jab. Then recently i found a rabbit whilst walking the dog which we kept and named him Yogi the vet said he was around 1-2 years old his claws where about 2cm long!!! we then rescued a rabbit from the blue cross called Milly both had there jabs then last thursday took Yogi to the vet as his eyes were all wet and swollen he went a few weeks before with the same thing and was told he had an allergy to the dust in the hay but this time it was really bad, same vet took one look at him and diagnosed him with myxomatosis! he was given some pain relief and some antibiotics and was told to bring him back next day which we did and has was given more antibiotics and we now have some to give to him. Hes still eating, drinking, weeing and pooing. But he does find it hard to breath some times his eyes are swollen and also his genitals. He looks in a bad way but the vet said if hes still eating and drinking he may get through it. So like i said the jabs don't always work.


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## Guest

sammi_3664_uk said:


> I'd just like to say the Jabs don't always work! I had two rabbits when i was younger 1 called Snowy who lived till she was 8 had just died of old age, she went to the vet once to get the myxomatosis jab i never kept it up to date. The other rabbit i had was Smoky who died at the age of 4 who was at the vets a few times, survived fly strike twice but died of kidney failure and who also never had the jab. Then recently i found a rabbit whilst walking the dog which we kept and named him Yogi the vet said he was around 1-2 years old his claws where about 2cm long!!! we then rescued a rabbit from the blue cross called Milly both had there jabs then last thursday took Yogi to the vet as his eyes were all wet and swollen he went a few weeks before with the same thing and was told he had an allergy to the dust in the hay but this time it was really bad, same vet took one look at him and diagnosed him with myxomatosis! he was given some pain relief and some antibiotics and was told to bring him back next day which we did and has was given more antibiotics and we now have some to give to him. Hes still eating, drinking, weeing and pooing. But he does find it hard to breath some times his eyes are swollen and also his genitals. He looks in a bad way but the vet said if hes still eating and drinking he may get through it. So like i said the jabs don't always work.


There is always a risk that rabbits will contract myxi, the jab doesn't stop the infection BUT any rabbit that is up to date with vaccinations has a chance of fighting it with around the clock care.

I hope your bun can fight through this horrible illness, also as your rabbit is vaccinated you need to tell your vet to report it to the manufacturers because at the moment there is a HUGE outbreak so any vaccinated rabbit that catches myxi need to be reported to them so that changes to the vaccine can be made


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## sammi_3664_uk

Unfortunatly My Bunny Yogi died last sunday. He was doing really well untill the early hours where he was taking short sharp breaths and could no longer stand just wanted to lay on his side and was breathing fast. We knew he was in alot of pain even tho he had pain relief that morning which is ment to last 24 hours so it wasn't fair to keep him going when he just seemed to want to give up. So we had him put to sleep. Our other rabbit at the moment is showing no signs of it and i hope she dosen't. She does seem lonely and we will be getting another its a shame this is the second husbun she has lost this year! we have another 2 weeks if shes ok we can go ahead a rescue another for company. RIP Yogi bear x


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## Emma Guard

I will definately be takeing my 2 buns to the Vet's after reading this, I brought them from Pets at home and the guy said they didn't need it as house rabbits and how the Vet 's just try to get money from you, I think I would rather trust a vet and know my buns are protected.


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## Summersky

This was a very brave thread to start, but well worth it if it makes a difference and encourages bunny owners to keep up to date with vaccinations. Thank you.

If only we could educate the ignorant vets out there, who still give owners such poor advice.


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## hemat

that's right vets should be educated, the ignorants ones i mean, or rather they should take responsability for what they did or else many other pets will be victims of such ignorance


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## Eevee

I am definitely going to get Arthur vaccinated, although I also was told that as an indoor bunny he wouldn't need it. Such a sad thread and saddening pictures.


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## Summersky

Hi and welcome.

Yes -vaccination is crucial, whether buns are kept indoors or outdoors. Myxi is a cruel disease. And the combivaccine protects against VHD too.

If it was your vet that told you an indoor bun doesn't need vaccinating, they are not remotely rabbit savvy, as this is basic knowledge - so please change vets.


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## Eevee

It wasn't the vet, and I would have sought more information before making any decisions anyway please don't worry! Thank you, though, for putting me right on it.


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## rabbithutches2u

Really sad to see those pics, thanks for the info hopefully more owners will get their bunny's vaccinated thanks to you x


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## pixierock

this has really scared me I have just brought home a 4 month old male mini lop and hes going to be a house rabbit. Im in a pretty high risk area and I had buns a few years ago who contracted myxi. I thought by him being vaccinated and being a indoor rabbit he would be ok. I kinda feel bad having him now if the vaccine dosent stop it? any advise on how to lower the risk?

_Posted from Petforums.co.uk App for Android_


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## Typewriter

I had 2 lovely champagne argent rabbits and both of them got myxi and had to be put down, it was so upsetting to see them ill. It is the most horrible disease and no cure. To be honest I never knew much about the disease I thought they got it from foxes that was so wrong. 

I now have them injected every year and last year they brought out a combined injection that covers myxi and VHD (which is another deadly disease for rabbits) and they have this only once a year instead of every 6 months.

When the buy a rabbit from a pet shop there should be posters up warning of the dangers of not getting your rabbit injected.


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## Guest

Oh ... I'm so sorry, he looked really miserable. It's really upsetting he didn't pull through. At least he's out of his pain and misery now.


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## emzybabe

Just a note to say I've seen lots of myxi infected wild bunnies in the last 2 weeks, please don't forget your bunny vaccinations!


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## FamilyD

Hi, I am a newbie. I am so sorry to hear about your sad news regarding your bunnies. Its just heart breaking. Saw this as soon as I logged on and I just felt I had to tell you our story. I watn to say that don't think you are safe just because your bunny has been vaccinated...... We got our netherland Dwarf house bunny from a breeder about 7 weeks ago. Bunny was 8 weeks old. We were told right from the start to vaccinate our bunny within the next week in fear of Myxmytosis. We were very careful with bunny and never her let her out the house, in fact, never let her out of the room we were keeping her in, while she was becoming used to us and her new surroundings. A week later bunny had her vaccination. About 10 days later, I noticed a HUGE lump on her eyelid, like someone had hit her, hard. I didn't even think of MM as she had being given the vaccine.

To cut a long story short our bunny got MM, even after being vaccinated against it. It appeared on her eyes and her nose and when the vet first saw her, her face dropped and she said the diagnosis wasn't good. Bunny's (not her real name) temp skyrocketed and she was expereincing a bad fever. The vet gave her an antibiotic and an anti inflammatory and told us to take her home, give her lots of love and to try and gently ease the kids (Its my 7yo sons first pet) into the fact she'll die or be put to sleep with the next 24 hours or so. We stayed up all night holding her, stroking her, cuddling her and telling her how much we loved her. My DH is a big boy, a real mans man and he was in tears...bunny had got hold of our hearts and we couldn't imagine her dying..

The following day, with our heads bowed and our hearts already breaking, we had to take her back for an updated check. Her temp had gone down by 1 degree and she wasn't as lethargic as she was the day before. The vet repeated the drugs from the day before and told us to come back again the next day. She said that she was already shocked the bunny hadn't become anyworse and that even though there was no answer as to why she hadn't decreased, that she may still go downhill and we may still have to put her to sleep. For the next 5 days we went to the vet and everyday bunny's temp went down although her eyes were still pussy. The vets were gobsmacked. They took a swab of her eye and sent it off to the company who manufacturers the vaccine to see what their thoughts were as a bunny with M doens't survive...and why did she get it after being vaccinated? All we can think of is that the vaccine carried abit of the live virus and that bunny showing signs of MM was an after effect. Our vet has been a vet for 30 years and was stumped. She brought all the medical journals out and had a good read about the vaccine and also about survival with MM. Nothing is written inthe journels about the vaccine carrying a little of the live virus and she has never heard a bunny survive the virus. We asked her was the next step was? She told us, honeslty, she had no idea as she had never seen this case before. She told us to keep on loving the bunny and to give her anti imflammatories and antibiotics twice a day for two weeks and to see her after the course had finished. Obviously if bunny declined in any form, to rush her back to the vets immediately!

Two weeks on and our bunny is back to her normal mischevious self and her eye has healed remarkably - I would say 98% back to its normal self. She still has a little lump on her nose but that has decreased in size everyday. We see the vet on Monday for a check up and hope that bunny can finally be 'discharged' from her care.

Um, so, it seems we have a little miracle bunny on our hands - this is just my unique story and something our vets have never come across, but maybe you have heard a story like this before...


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## lisa r

Tink82 said:


> I know most of us here already know about Myxi (and what happened to my Pepsi) but I finally got my OH's camera today with pictures on it, including those of Pepsi that DD took when we knew there was pretty much slim chances of him pulling through....
> 
> I thought I would post them, although they are still pretty hard to look at for me, so that those passing by or wondering about myxi can see what a vile desease it is...
> 
> for those that do not know, Pepsi was my house rabbit last year. I was told by a vet (wrongly so) that he did not need a Myxi jab. I found out here that he did need it, two days before he became ill. I treated him for two weeks with many medicines and drops until he could no longer see and two weeks to the day he had a seizure and died.
> 
> Although it is pretty tough looking at pictures and reading about it, if it persuades at least one person to get theoir bunny vacc'd it is worth it  So excuse me whilst I quote....
> 
> *What is it?*
> Myxomatosis is a severe viral disease of rabbits that decimated the wild rabbit population when it arrived in Britain 50 years ago.
> 
> *How is it spread?*
>  Bites from mosquitoes carrying the Myxoma virus.
>  Bites from fleas carrying the Myxoma virus (fleas can survive for many months in hay)
>  Myxomatosis can also be spread by Cheyletiella fur mites
> *
> What happens when a rabbit catches myxomatosis?*
> Classic myxomatosis starts with runny eyes and in the very early stages can be confused with other causes of conjunctivitis. However, myxomatosis differs as the genitals are also swollen. It rapidly progresses to a severe conjunctivitis which causes blindness and is accompanied by lumpy (nodular) swellings on the head, plus lumps on the body. Excessive amounts of thick pus discharges from the nose and swollen eyes (which are often sealed shut). There are also two atypical forms of myxomatosis: one causes pneumonia and a snuffles-like illness; the other ("Nodular myxomatosis") mainly affects skin and carries a better prognosis.
> 
> If a vaccinated rabbit develops myxomatosis, the disease is usually much less severe.
> 
> *Source:* RWAF: Understanding Myxomatosis Please visit the site for the full article and further info
> 
> So that is the blurb, here are his pictures. apologise to those who may be a little sensitive, but I think it is a pretty justified and worthy course to put them up. The first is Pepsi prior to becoming ill so you can see how he looked.
> 
> 
> Gorgeous wasn't he
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Now below is Pepsi a few days before he died, you can see immedietly how myxi has affected him.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It started with his eyes, becoming red around the lids and swolling
> His fur then started to fall out
> eyes then started to weep and he developed a snuffle
> eyes became worse and pretty much sealed up, genitals swelled
> Within the last week his snuffling was so bad he couldn't breathe out his nose and he started to go off his food
> in the last day-two days we think he lost his sight, blood started to seep from his eyes and his ears became infected and dropped back ( as you can see in the picture) and he started to wet himself as he couldn't find his litter tray
> His nose then swelled with infection
> Finally on the last day (two weeks to the day) he couldn't sit up properly so we decided to have one last night with him and to take him to the vets the next morning. Sadly he died of a seizure that night :cryng:
> 
> I hope this is informative and highlights the need for myxi jabs, indoor or outdoor bunny. It is not my intention to scare or upset anyone, but I hope that our loss will get owners thinking and acting.
> 
> oh, for those that are new/didn't know about Pepsi, I decided not to PTS as he was such a fighter, everyday he tried so hard to fight it so I gave him the chance he deserved until he could no longer hold on


_so sorry thank you for sharing so those of us new to bunnies like myself will now make sure my bunnies are vac._


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## Summersky

So glad that your bun has survived this; and yes, a vaccinated rabbit can still catch myxi, but this vaccine does give them some protection, so that they have some sort of fighting chance of beating it.but your bun was very young, so this is great news.


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## FamilyD

Summersky said:


> So glad that your bun has survived this; and yes, a vaccinated rabbit can still catch myxi, but this vaccine does give them some protection, so that they have some sort of fighting chance of beating it.but your bun was very young, so this is great news.


Thanks. The Vet cannot believe how she has bounced back. She had her check up today and even though she seems to have pulled through, we are carrying on with one more course of antibiotics, just to make sure. We are very lucky and so is our bunbun, as like you have said, she is very young.


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## Meghan

Hey, 
I'm so so sorry for the loss of your beautiful pepsi, those photos are heartbreaking, i know first hand the awful effects of Myxi. I was also told by my first vet practice that a house bun didn't need to get vaccinated, however my bun Martha contracted Myxi last September and is still alive today ONLY BECAUSE i vaccinated her regularly after changing vet practice and was told that all it takes is someone walking into the house with the myxi imbedded into something on their shoe, and for one of my buns to come in contact with it and bam, a myxomatosis bunny. I came to this site today for some advice as the affects of myxi for my Martha meant her eyes were removed today as they were severely ulcerated and I have no idea what to do to help a blind bunny (although she's taking it all in her stride). 

There needs to be more training for vets on rabbits and the complicated health risks they have, all of this could of been different for you and pepsi if a vet had more knowledge and up to date bunny information to give to patients and their owners.


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