Myxomatosis in rabbits: symptoms and home treatments

Such a deadly viral disease as myxomatosis develops rapidly in rabbits and often leads to the death of animals. Its carriers are mainly mosquitoes, from which it is impossible to protect yourself. It is customary to vaccinate young animals at the age of 30-45 days. However, sometimes the virus comes back. Sick rabbits are destroyed, a mild nodular form of the disease is treated with cauterization.

General description of the disease

Myxomatosis is a very dangerous viral disease of rabbits, which is completely untreated and can lead to the death of the entire breeding stock. Rabbit breeders try to prevent infection and vaccinate against this disease to young animals at the age of 30-45 days.

The causative agent of myxomatosis is considered to be a DNA-containing virus of the genus Leporipoxvirus belonging to the Poxviridae family. In sick rabbits, serous-purulent conjunctivitis from the nose is observed, reddish nodules and spots form on the ears and eyes. Solid subcutaneous tumors are possible on different parts of the body, including in the anus and vulva. A sick animal breathes with difficulty, wheezes, coughs, fluid flows from the nose. Redness in the form of spots near the eyes, small pimples on the ears are already visible on the 3-5th day of infection.

Myxomatosis can affect rabbits at any age, often not vaccinated, and sometimes even vaccinated. The incubation period lasts from 2 to 20 days. The disease can have an acute and subacute course. Any of them is dangerous to the life of animals.

Myxomatosis can occur in two clinical forms:

edematous (gelatinous swelling on the body);
nodular (limited nodules on the head and other parts).

Important! If not vaccinated, the animal may die. The edematous form always results in the death of rabbits. Nodular disease only in 10-30 percent of cases ends in recovery.

How does infection happen?

The virus can be found in water, soil, contaminated grain, hay, grass. It is spread by blood-sucking insects, in whose body it persists for up to seven months, as well as by rodents. Most often, outbreaks of myxomatosis are observed in spring and summer, with the onset of activity of mosquitoes and flies. The peak of the disease is in August. In winter, animals get sick less often with myxomatosis.

It is almost impossible to protect the rabbit population from the virus. It can be found in purchased feed and contaminated grain. Animals become infected with the virus through food, drink, insect bites.

Symptoms of disease

There are two forms of myxomatosis: edematous and nodular. Each of them has its own characteristics and features of the course. Initially, any form begins with reddish spots in the eyelids and small bumps on the ears.

Edematous form

The classical form is characterized by an acute course of the disease. Duration - 5-6 days. Rabbits have swollen heads and ears. Then the eyelids swell and redden, conjunctivitis appears, pus is released from the eyes and nose. Sick rabbits have difficulty breathing. The temperature rises to 40 degrees, then drops sharply.

Outwardly, the symptoms are as follows: tearing, runny nose, shortness of breath, cough, wheezing. Sometimes there are subcutaneous gelatinous infiltrates, that is, dense bumps on the neck or on other parts of the body. Mortality - 100 percent.

Knot shape

The nodular form of the disease is milder than the edematous form. Papules, nodules of various sizes (from a millet grain to a pigeon's egg) appear on the ears, near the eyes, all over the head and on other parts of the body of rabbits. After two weeks, foci of necrosis form at the site of nodular growths.The disease lasts 30-40 days. Body temperature is within normal limits. Mortality - 70-90 percent.

Diagnostic Methods

Diagnosis can only be made by a veterinarian. It is impossible to determine the disease on your own. The fact is that the symptoms of myxomatosis are very similar to smallpox, staphylococcosis, vagrant pyemia. Only a specialist will be able to determine the virus based on the clinical picture, pathological changes and laboratory results. Diagnosis should be carried out in the clinic. Rabbits are examined, biological samples are taken from them, and a histological analysis of the pathological material is made.

Important! If the behavior of the animal is suspicious, it is immediately transplanted into a separate cage and observed for some time. When red spots appear on the ears and around the eyes, the rabbit is shown to the veterinarian.

How to cure myxomatosis in rabbits

Healing animals from this disease is not easy. No drug has been developed to treat myxomatosis. Mortality - 70-100 percent.

Use of antibiotics

It is known from theory that antibiotics only treat bacteria, not viruses. The fact is that bacteria are full-fledged living cells. Viruses are non-cellular life forms. Antibiotics are unable to recognize and kill the virus or the cell it infects. The veterinarian, having diagnosed myxomatosis, advises not to treat at home, but simply to cull and destroy sick rabbits. He althy animals with no symptoms of infection should be quarantined urgently.

However, with the nodular form of myxomatosis, about 10-30 percent of rabbits can recover and become immune to this disease in 30-40 days. True, weakened animals can suffer from a runny nose and pneumonia.It is in this case that an antibiotic (4% "Gentamicin") will help them.

In parallel, it is recommended to cauterize nodules on the skin with an antiseptic ("ASD-3"). If myxomatosis occurs in vaccinated rabbits a few months after vaccination, then they should immediately receive Gentamycin injections (3 times a day, 5 days in a row), cauterize the nodules with an antiseptic, and inject the Gamavit vitamin preparation.

Important! It is forbidden to treat rabbits with antibiotics of the penicillin group. Such drugs cause indigestion.

Folk remedies

It is also not recommended to treat myxomatosis with alternative methods. There is information on the Internet that marigolds, antiseptics (Iodinol) can kill this virus. In fact, these treatments are ineffective. Even a rabbit that has been ill in a mild form is better to get rid of. In an outwardly he althy but infected animal, a number of internal changes occur, the meat becomes disgusting in appearance (red, dotted with infiltrates).Only timely vaccination can save rabbits from the virus.

Prevention measures

As a prevention of myxomatosis, a number of sanitary measures and vaccination of rabbits are carried out. Particular attention is paid to the maintenance of animals. Cells are regularly cleaned and disinfected. Rabbits are given only clean water and uncontaminated food. In spring and summer, animals are protected from mosquitoes, fleas are taken out once a quarter.

Vaccination of rabbits against myxomatosis is carried out on the 30-45th day of life. The weight of the animal must be more than 500 grams. Vaccinated pets receive immunity for 6-12 months. Animals are usually vaccinated against myxomatosis and viral hemorrhagic disease. The vaccine can be bought at a veterinary pharmacy (Mixoren, Pestorin, Lapimun). Only he althy rabbits are vaccinated. The vaccine won't help the sick. Before the injection, the animals are given anthelmintic drugs.

Quarantine measures

Usually rabbit breeders themselves determine whether a rabbit is he althy or not. Pay attention to the behavior of the animal. If the animal is active, eats well, then there is no reason to worry. If the rabbit huddled in the far corner, refuses food, lowered his ears, then he is urgently isolated from his relatives.

The sick animal is transplanted into a separate cage. The isolator must be in another room. The quarantine lasts about 30-40 days. During this period, animals are fed with hay, carrots, grains, watered with clean water, and injections of "Gamavit" are given. The cage is cleaned 2 times a day. During the quarantine period, the condition of the animal is closely monitored. Early diagnosis allows you to quickly start treatment or at least prevent infection of the entire livestock.

When symptoms similar to myxomatosis are detected, it is recommended to take the rabbit to the veterinarian or call a specialist to the farm. If the diagnosis is confirmed, quarantine is imposed on the farm, and all infected animals are required to be destroyed.Only timely vaccination will help save livestock from disposal.