SAN DIEGO —
San Diego Humane Society staff is urging pet-rabbit owners to protect their bunnies from a contagious disease affecting domestic and wild rabbits across Southern California.
The Humane Society’s veterinary team said domestic rabbits should get vaccinated against rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus type 2, a fatal disease for the animals. The disease is “extremely contagious and spreading fast,” Humane Society spokeswoman Nina Thompson wrote in an email.
Since July 2020, the disease has been confirmed in domestic rabbits at 49 backyard properties in Southern California, she wrote. To date, six counties, including San Diego, have detected the disease in wild cottontail rabbits and/or jackrabbits.