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Rabbit Hemmorhagic Disease (RHD) is a viral disease of rabbits which up until 2000 had never been seen in the United States.

There is no need to panic, but knowing about this fatal disease can help prevent the spread and I thought that keeping it fresh in every Rabbit owner's mind would help.

Here are a few precautions to take if you are a Rabbit owner, Small Animal Vet or work with Rabbits in any way.

It is important to quarantine new rabbits or rabbits returning from shows etc. for at least 6 weeks (especially during an active outbreak; at a bare minimum always isolate new rabbits for 5 days).

Be very cautious if importing rabbits or rabbit products from Europe or other
countries affected by RHD. Disinfect any cages and equipment brought onto the
premises with a 10% bleach solution or parvocidal
disinfectant.

You can carry the virus on your clothing, so if you have contact with other rabbits, change your clothes and wash your hands and disinfect your footwear before handling your rabbits and equipment. Make sure your food supplier doesn't have rabbits on the premises that could contaminate the food source.

Keep rabbits indoors and try to limit pests including insects and rodents that could potentially carry the virus to your rabbits.

Also keep dogs and cats that go outside or left the premises (and could carry the virus on their coats or paws) away from your rabbits.

Information provided courtesy of http://www.rabbitmart.com/