Province warns rabbit owners about deadly virus on Vancouver Island

Rabbit owners near Nanaimo onVancouver Island need to take precautions to protect their pets against a deadly virus that is killingferal rabbits.

According to Nanaimo Animal Control Services, about 30 dead rabbits have been found in the last four days on Vancouver Island University campus and in the surrounding area.

Three of the dead rabbitswere sent to the province's Animal Health Centre in Abbotsford which concluded theydied of rabbithemorrhagicdisease.

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The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resourcessaid in a statement it will continue testing, but itsuspects the other rabbits died from the same illness.

The disease causesthe infected rabbit to develop multiple blood clots, said Ian Welch, director of veterinarian services and research support at the University of British Columbia.

'It's nasty'

"At some point it runs out of agents needed to clot blood and ongoing bleeding cannot be clotted and the rabbit just bleeds out... It's nasty," said Welch, who added the disease attacks rabbits like the Ebola virus attacks humans.

Rabbit hemorrhagic disease is not a threat to humansor other animals, said Welch, but it is highly contagious and has an extremely short incubation period of one to twodays.

The disease is easilytransmitted to pet rabbitsbecause it can be carried on surfaceslike dog leashes and clothing.

Protect your pets

CarleyColcloughofNanaimo Animal Control Servicessaid rabbit owners should be cautious about bringing the disease home on their shoes if they walkin the area where the dead rabbits werefound.

Welch advises rabbit owners touse a 0.5-per-cent bleach solution to disinfect anything that has come into contact with the virus.

According to Welch, there is a vaccine for the virus but it is not routinely used in the provincebecause the disease is so rare in B.C. The vaccinealso takes weeks to take effect andWelch said the outbreak will likely run through the area's rabbit population in abouttwo weeks.

"At that point, you are either dead or survived if you are a rabbit."

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