Rabbit hemorrhagic disease and myxomatosis are fatal viral diseases preventable by vaccination — yet rabbit vaccination rates remain low in many countries due to owner unawareness.
Rabbits dying from RHDV2 experience acute internal hemorrhage — a rapid but terrifying death involving bleeding from the nose, mouth, and rectum. Myxomatosis causes progressive facial swelling, blindness, and multi-organ disease over 10-14 days of suffering. Both deaths are preventable with annual vaccination. The welfare failure in unvaccinated rabbit deaths is compounded by how easily it could be avoided — yet many owners are unaware these diseases exist, believing indoor rabbits face no infectious disease risk.