Flystrike — fly larvae infesting living rabbit tissue — is a rapidly fatal and agonizing condition that is almost entirely preventable with appropriate husbandry and monitoring.
Flystrike causes some of the most acute suffering of any companion animal condition — larvae consuming living tissue while the rabbit is still alive, creating open wounds with systemic toxaemia. The progression from egg-laying to life-threatening infestation can occur in hours during warm weather. Because rabbits hide illness and owners may not handle them daily, cases are often detected too late for treatment. Every flystrike death represents a preventable welfare failure — the condition is eliminated by daily checking and appropriate weight management.