# New rabbit vaccine?



## Minabug (Apr 7, 2012)

Hi. 

This is my first post. I registered just to ask this question. Couldn't see if it had been answered elsewhere.

I took one of my buns to vet this week and whilst there asked about the new combi vaccine and when best to bring my rabbits in once their last round of shots wears off. 

He told me that any rabbit that has been previously vaccinated will not be suitable for this new combi vaccine. Apparently the information is there but it is hidden in pages of jargon.

I thought he meant that I would have to leave a gap for the old vaccines to be out of their systems but he said no. If you've had the old (current vaccines) then the new vaccine won't be suitable to give to your rabbit. 

I couldn't get into discussion with him as we were on our way out and he was running behind schedule.

I'm a bit confused. He is an excellent vet, has always been very thorough and sensitive to all our pets needs and in an emergency when we approached him for a 2nd opinion on a friends rabbit he practically saved it's life and gave the original vet a proper telling off. I have faith and trust in this vet but he is the only dissenting voice I've heard on this new vaccine and if they withdraw the old one my buns are up the proverbial creek without a paddle. 

Anyone heard anything simillar?

Thanks for any comments/advice you can offer. 

M Bug x


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

where abouts do you live? as far as im aware that only applies to rabbits in other countries, not the UK, as they use different vaccines to us


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## Guest (Apr 7, 2012)

Where abouts are you?
In the UK the new combi vaccine is perfectly safe to use for rabbits that have been previously vaccinated with the single vaccines.
However in Europe they use a different make and rabbits that have been previously vaccinated with the singles do not develop an immunity to the VHD part of the vaccine.

There are still extensive tests running in the UK and I personally am waiting for the results to be published but I do know some people that have their rabbits vaccinated with the combi and they are all fine.


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## Minabug (Apr 7, 2012)

I'm UK based. Have had all my buns vaccinated by this vet and am really surprised by his comments. 

I'm trying to get as much info as possible so that i can go back to him and discuss further. 

They've had Lapinjet (vhd) and Nobivac Myxo. Any idea if these are standard uk vaccinations? 

I've never really researched vaccines, just made sure we got them, so have no idea how they would differ in europe or how this new one is going to affect my furbabies. Need to find out as they are due again early June! 

Thanks for your comments. Much appreciated. 

Mbug x


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

yep they are normal uk vaccines, i would imagine your vet just isnt as clued up on the new vacs as he thinks, bernie has been emailing the companies involved to find all this information out


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## Minabug (Apr 7, 2012)

Brilliant, I'll bring it up with him then and see if we can all get on same page. 

Of all the vets we've ever known and used he is by far my favourite so I don't really want to change vets over this, especially as I have one high needs bunny that he is working brilliantly with. 

Thank you so much for the info. I'll keep researching and check back on bernies posts to see if I can find anything else. 

Cheers

MBug x


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## Guest (Apr 7, 2012)

Minabug said:


> I'm UK based. Have had all my buns vaccinated by this vet and am really surprised by his comments.
> 
> I'm trying to get as much info as possible so that i can go back to him and discuss further.
> 
> ...


Your rabbits should be perfectly fine to vaccinate with the new combi vaccine 

The only issue that the UK are having at the moment is with rabbits that have never been vaccinated before. In these cases the rabbits aren't developing a complete immunity to the VHD part of the vaccine, however this is overcome by vaccinating the rabbit with a single dose of the vhd vaccine and then 2 weeks later giving the combi vaccine.
The company are also stating that rabbits that couldn't be vaccinated with the vhd vaccine due to health reasons will now be able to have the combi vaccine but I'm waiting for the test results to be published before I am willing to say this is the case.

I think your vet might have been getting confused and reading up on the problems in Europe rather than the UK


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## MrRustyRead (Mar 14, 2011)

ill only ever speak to my head vet about it as the others are tbh useless. but he didnt seem to know everything about it yet and said he would fill me in when he knows more


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## MrRustyRead (Mar 14, 2011)

im extremely worried now, Ruby was vaccinated today with the new combi vaccine. they never mentioned anything about needing the single vhd as its her first jabs. how do i get her checked to see if she has built up an immunity?


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## Guest (Apr 12, 2012)

jimbo_28_02 said:


> im extremely worried now, Ruby was vaccinated today with the new combi vaccine. they never mentioned anything about needing the single vhd as its her first jabs. how do i get her checked to see if she has built up an immunity?


I would phone your vets tomorrow and explain that Ruby hasn't been vaccinated with the single vaccine, if they say that isn't a problem then ask them to phone the manufacturer of the vaccine to make sure.

They are running more trials to insure that rabbits who have NEVER had a previous VHD Vaccine will have an adequate immune response to give protection against VHD. If they are unable to prove this 'beyond all reasonable doubt' they are likely to advise that rabbits NEVER previously vaccinated against VHD have a second Combination Vaccine given 2 weeks after the first one. I am assuming this would be a one off necessity and after that the rabbit would go on to only require an annual combination Vaccine.

This is a snippet from one of my emails direct from the manufacturer:
'The question we need to solve in the work we are finishing right now is whether at the strength (titre) of vaccine we will end up releasing on the market one dose will be sufficient or whether we would only expect RHD (VHD) immunity after a second dose in the very specific subset of rabbits that have only ever been given Nobivac Myxo with no RHD vaccine. Since the strength we have in the final product is very close to the strength which worked well for both diseases after a single dose in all animals regardless of previous vaccination status our expectations are high. However before we can give definitive and final advice to vets on this issue we feel we need to prove this beyond all reasonable doubt with the actual product at the strenth it is released at. If we cant prove this for whatever reason we may have to issue a more complex guideline of two doses two weeks apart but only in this specific group of animals'

I haven't been told that they have proved that the vaccine is sufficient on it's own in an un-vaccinated rabbit, so I would assume that Ruby should receive another combi vaccine in two weeks.


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

im prettu sure it would also work if you got the single vhd vacc 2 weeks after the initial vacc, then next time round she should be fine for the combi vacc


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## MrRustyRead (Mar 14, 2011)

B3rnie said:


> I would phone your vets tomorrow and explain that Ruby hasn't been vaccinated with the single vaccine, if they say that isn't a problem then ask them to phone the manufacturer of the vaccine to make sure.
> 
> They are running more trials to insure that rabbits who have NEVER had a previous VHD Vaccine will have an adequate immune response to give protection against VHD. If they are unable to prove this 'beyond all reasonable doubt' they are likely to advise that rabbits NEVER previously vaccinated against VHD have a second Combination Vaccine given 2 weeks after the first one. I am assuming this would be a one off necessity and after that the rabbit would go on to only require an annual combination Vaccine.
> 
> ...





Lil Miss said:


> im prettu sure it would also work if you got the single vhd vacc 2 weeks after the initial vacc, then next time round she should be fine for the combi vacc


ill ring them tomorrow and be like well ive investigated it and found out this and this and see what they say. if its not going to work then they sure as hell should not be using my rabbit as a test to see if it does!


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

thanks for this guys, having had a good read through of everyones posts I think it sounds very much like the new vaccination is still going through trials.

My guys are due their vaccinations soon and I personally will be asking if I can have the single shots, I will wait 6 months and then see how the "trials" everyone elses rabbits are doing!!! 

My 2 have their VHD vaccinations 6 months apart from each other, so I'm guessing for a start it would not be wise to give George the combine vaccine soon as he only had the single VHD and Myixi in November.... I would there for think the myixi vaccine must still be singly available....


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## Guest (Apr 15, 2012)

At the moment the single vaccines are still available but they will be withdrawn within the next year


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## MrRustyRead (Mar 14, 2011)

they didnt really give me a choose! i was not happy! she had it in his neck while i was talking to the other vet about rusty.


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## Cardamom (Jun 3, 2012)

Just check out this website: NOAH Compendium of Animal Medicines: Overview - Welcome
NB: no vaccine is ever 100% effective.


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