Illustrated Articles
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There are four major infectious diseases seen in pet rabbits: myxomatosis, rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD), encephalitozoonosis, and pasteurellosis. This handout discusses the causes, signs, and treatments for these diseases. Be sure to have your rabbit checked annually by a veterinarian to keep them as healthy as possible and minimize problems.
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Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) is a fatal calicivirus that affects only rabbits. It can be transmitted by direct contact with a diseased rabbit or from feces, urine, or hair from a diseased or dead rabbit. Hemorrhaging from one or more body orifices is a common sign of the disease.
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Rabbit syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by a spirochete organism called Treponema cuniculi. Infected rabbits develop sores that are confined to the mucocutaneous junctions, such as the external genitals, anus, lips, nostrils, and eyelids. Humans cannot contract this disease from rabbits.
