Reaction to VHD Jab

[Flashy]

I took mine to a rabbit savvy vet today (I sought him out and he was great) about their VHD reactions.

The fur on your bun might be coming out due to stress of the vet visit, or the jab. Also, it could be a reaction from the medicine, so those things won't stop with ivermectin because they are totally unrelated.

With regards to it happening again, the vet I spoke to said that he would be tempted to give the vaccine a second time (as in when they next need it) but at half dose and see if a reaction occurs because this reaction could just be a one off, or it could be the bunny can't tolerate it. And I guess the theory is the same with you because if your bunny had mites, then possibly shouldn't have had the vaccine, so next time, if he is really healthy then there might not be a problem next time, equally there might.

I guess what my vet was saying, was try the next time and then assess whether it is worth it.

 

[ellissian]

Ohhh, yes Milly is definately feeling well again. He has been a very, very, very naughty bunny today! He has been digging me, peeing all over and he ate the computer mouse cable! I don't know how he reached it as it is always well hidden, one of the kids must of pulled it out. Thankfully he was ok. And he has put holes in a few items of clothing.

But to be honest I would rather him be naughty than act all poorly like he was.

Flashy, his fur is coming out in clumps today its never ending. New fur is growing but I can see he is going to lose a lot more. He is going to be so bald soon, like he was when I first got him

How often have people been told their buns need their jabs? My vet said 6 months but I'm not sure if he is just trying to make money out of me. How do you find out if there has been any out breaks ofVHD & myxi in your area?

He has got a few scabs on his back, near where the metacam was injected too.

Do you think it's ok for him to have his myxi a week on Tuesday or should I wait until his fur has regrown?

Sorry for all the questions, I just want him to be healthy.

Thanks

 

[Flashy]

VHD is yearly, and myxi is every 6 months to a year depending on local risk.

Is your bun moulting? Maybe that, in addition to the jab, has caused the fur to fall out. It might be worth getting him checked over, just incase. A lot of Badger's fell out and he has lots of bald patches, but hopefully the cream should help that. Maybe see if you can get some.

As for the myxi, I personally would wait until the bun was healthy. Bombarding the system with too much could have a bad effect, but only you can make that decision. You could ask your vet. The vet I saw today said that Cloud (who had the smallest bald patch) could have the myxi, but to wait with the others, but I chose to not give him the jab today. I would prefer to wait until he is healthy.

The vet also said he saw more reactions with myxi than VHD, which,in my mind, is even more reason to wait until the bun is fully healthy.

 

[ellissian]

I'm not sure if it is only a moult since I've never seen him with a full coat of fur.

His fur is that thin you can see a lot of skin.

This is a photo taken today, I'm not sure if you can see how bad the fur loss is

Considering he looked like this only 8 days ago

And this 12 days ago

I just wish I knew what was causing it so I could put it right.

 

[Flashy]

Aw, poor little guy. There is a definite difference there, isn't there. Is your vet a rabbit savvy vet?

 

[ellissian]

I'm not sure yet as I decided to take Milly to another vet in town. My old vet was usless with my guinea pigs so I thought I would give these a go. They seem to know a lot more, but this new vet did'nt suspect mites and said it may be an allergy.

Since the new fur is growing back should I take him back to the vets or wait.....arrgh.... I don't know what to do!

I just wish Milly could have fur....like all the time and not just for a week before it falls out again!

 

[Flashy]

You said you wished you knew what caused it, so in my eyes you feel you need to take her to get a diagnosis, or try to. It could be stress causing it, or a totally different problem.

 

[ellissian]

I will take him back to the vets, hopefully get an appointment tomorrow or Monday.

 

[naturestee]

Loki's fur looks similar to that too now, because he's in a molt. He might be in a more or less constant molt for a while now due to his previous poor health. I had that with Fey and Sprite. They molted nearly constantly for months. They were in such poor health from worthless unhealthy food plus digestive problems. They probably kept molting as their whole body slowly improved from getting good nutrition. Their fur did get noticeably better with each molt.

I'm glad Milly is feeling better!

 

[ellissian]

Naturestee, Thanks for your reply. I feel a bit better now I know other buns have been through the same.

But is it normal to moult fur that you only grew 2 weeks ago? When the fur first came through it was soft and shiny then last week it started to go dull and fall out. Did this happen with your buns?

I'm happy with his growth and weight gain, hehas put on over half a pound in the last week.

Its just this dam fur problem, if bother me more than it does him!

 

[ellissian]

Milly is feeling all better now

His fur has stopped coming out in clumps today, just strands. Hopefully his fur has stopped falling out and small patches of fur are growing on his back.

 

[naturestee]

Yes, Fey and Sprite would have total full body molts. They'd stop molting for a week or two and then start another full molt again. Sometimes they'd start the new molt when the old one wasn't even finished yet- their butts would be molting from the old one and their heads and shoulders would be going from the new one. It was pretty crazy.

 

[ellissian]

That does sound the same as what Milly is going through. He lost the fur on his back legs and bottom, when his body was growing new fur. Then his legs and bottom were growing back and he started to lose his neck, shoulder and back fur.

The fur he has just lost is from his stomach and chin.

Hopefully he won't lose anymore and this new fur thats growing will be staying around a while!

 

[ellissian]

Milly has lost a lot more fur.

He is virtually bald on his back and his stomach has big bald patches too. As far as I can tell he is still losing fur.

The only place that has new hair growth is his shoulders.

 

[Flashy]

Bless him. Is the skin dry or flakey or anything like that? (mine went drydry and flakey after their jabs).

Maybe it is just a drastic moult. But if he has bald patches, maybe it's worth getting something to put on them?

Poor little guy. At least it's not cold cold weather, so he shouldn't be cold or anything.

 

[ellissian]

No, his skin is really clear with no flakiness, redness or dandruff at all.

Hopefully this is just 'another' drastic moult.

 

[ellissian]

This is how Milly's fur looks today.

My son said a teacher who got another bun in the litter is losing fur again too, but I have'nt managed to speak to her yet.

 

[rabb1tmad]

Oh the poor guy. If there is no itchiness or flakiness then that would suggest that it is unlikely to be mites of any kind. I first thought of ringworm when I saw what looked like a V-shape on his neck but now he seems to have lost fur everywhere bless him.

If it were me I would take him to the vets for a skin scrape/testing just to be sure but it could still be due to his poor diet/stress before you had him. The only other thing - in the photo his fur looks almost wet but that could be just the glare from the flash or something. Is his fur moist? If it is, either he is licking his fur out by overgrooming or it could be a form of mange which can get worse if the rabbit becomes immunocompromised i.e. just after a VHD jab?? Just an idea.

 

[ellissian]

No his fur is'nt moist at all, must be the flash.

He does'nt scratch, his skin is clear. He had a vets appointment for his myxi jab this Tuesday but I cancelled it today as I wanted to give him a bit longer after his reaction to the VHD. I made a new appointment for the 10th July for his myxi, I will see what the vet says then. It's not like his fur loss is bothering him in the slightest, so he should be ok to wait till then.


Thanks for the advice

 

[rabb1tmad]

Maybe it was just a subsequentreaction to the VHD then. Fingers crossed that it grows back and stays this time.

P.S.: He still looks sooo cute, those beautifulbig earsx