Pet rabbits have become the latest victims of Britain’s sodden summer of heavy rainfall and flash flooding.

Wet and humid conditions have triggered a flare-up of myxomatosis, which kills wild and domestic rabbits alike. In the early 1950s, when the disease was first identified in Britain, it almost wiped out the wild rabbit population.

This summer the disease has flourished, and scores of pet rabbits have died or been put down by vets in the past two weeks. The impact on the wild rabbit population is not yet known, though some have built up immunity to the disease.

The virus is spread by biting insects such as fleas, mosquitoes and horseflies. Infection may be spread from wild to pet rabbits, but domestic animals can easily pick up the disease in an outdoor pen or, if kept indoors, could be infected by a family dog that has picked up the virus.

The Rabbit Welfare Association has received reports of cases from the West Country to East Anglia in the South of England, as well as in the North. The charity’s helpline has been inundated with calls for information and advice about the disease. Owners have been told to look out for symptoms such as puffy eyes, breathing difficulties and swollen genitalia.

The association and vets are now urging owners to vaccinate their rabbits against the disease. The vaccine, which costs between £10 and £30, is not 100 per cent effective, but it allows some of the symptoms to be treated.

There are estimated to be between 1.1 million and 1.6 million pet rabbits in Britain. They are the third-most-popu-lar pet after cats and dogs, but only one in pet rabbits is thought to be vaccinated against the disease.

Judith Brown, the veterinary advi-sor to the RWA, said that many people did not even realise that a vaccine against myxomatosis existed.

Ms Brown, who practises in Newcas-tle upon Tyne, has also had to deal with a number of cases. She said: “Just this weekend I had to put down Flop-sy. The family with two little girls was devastated. The father felt guilty because he did not know there was a vaccine. We must get this message out more widely.”

Ms Brown said that myxomatosis often flares up at the end of the summer and could linger until November. “This year the humid weather has created ideal conditions for the spread of biting insects such as mosquitoes and fleas that carry the disease,” she said.

“These insects thrive in the warm wet weather and there are also lots of stagnant waters around that are the breeding grounds for these populations.”

There have been numerous reports of cases in Norfolk. Tim Roe, a partner at Willow Veterinary Clinic in Hellesdon, near Norwich, said that he had seen a massive increase in cases and had to put down eight rabbits last week. “You don’t expect to see this number in a five-day framework,” he said.

“The disease is miserable and very distressing. Most rabbits end up being put to sleep. We have had a few that have made it through, but not many.”

In nearby Taverham Vets, staff have put down 20 pet rabbits, and at Chapelfield Vets in Costessey, also near Norwich, 15 have been brought in with the disease in the past two weeks.

Mark Johnston, spokesman for the British Small Animals Veterinary Association, who practises in East Sussex, said that he had heard of widespread reports that the disease was back with a vengeance. He said that most outbreaks were episodic and tended to be extremely localised. He urged owners to vaccinate their pet rabbits every six months.

Myxomatosis was first identified in Britain at Edenbridge, Kent, in 1953. It spread nationwide and killed an estimated 100 million rabbits that were living in the wild.

It is a naturally occurring virus that was first identified in South America in 1896. It spread around the world, being deliberately introduced to protect crops from rabbit populations. For example, when it was introduced into Australia in 1950, rabbit numbers reduced from 600 million to 100 million.

Home and free

— There are up to 1.6 million rabbits kept as pets in Britain. They are the third-most-popular pet

— About 35 million rabbits live wild in Britain

— Common pet breeds include the dwarf lop, Dutch and Lionhead Myxomatosis came to Britain in 1953. It was released accidentally in France when a bacteriologist tried to rid his land of rabbits

Sources: Rabbit Welfare Association, Times database

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