Written by Rabbit Hole Hay
With outbreaks of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease (RHDV2) in New York City, Washington, Florida, Ohio, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, California, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, Montana, Oregon, Idaho, and Colorado our team at Rabbit Hole Hay has received multiple phone calls and email questions about any precautions we are taking and where we source our hay.
Before we go any farther, we want to let our customers we are keeping a close eye on what is being reported by the California Department of Food & Agriculture (the agency that is monitoring RHDV2 in California) and to date there have been NO reported cases of RHDV2 in the Northern California areas where we source our hay and where our warehouse is located.
As of right now, all Rabbit Hole Hay product currently in the marketplace (whether on our website, Amazon, Chewy, or another third-party seller) is from our Northern California 2021-2022 growing season.
With outbreaks of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease (RHDV2) in New York City, Washington, Florida, Ohio, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, California, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, Montana, Oregon, Idaho, and Colorado our team at Rabbit Hole Hay has received multiple phone calls and email questions about any precautions we are taking and where we source our hay.
Before we go any farther, we want to let our customers we are keeping a close eye on what is being reported by the California Department of Food & Agriculture (the agency that is monitoring RHDV2 in California) and to date there have been NO reported cases of RHDV2 in the Northern California areas where we source our hay and where our warehouse is located.
As of right now, all Rabbit Hole Hay product currently in the marketplace (whether on our website, Amazon, Chewy, or another third-party seller) is from our Northern California 2021-2022 growing season.
As you will discover in the article below, the USDA estimates the virus can remain stable for up to 3 months. Considering the dates of the recently confirmed cases and dates of harvest, along with the location of the harvest, we can safely reassure you that no Rabbit Hole Hay product that is available is currently at risk for being a carrier of RHDV2.
At Rabbit Hole Hay, we are monitoring RHDV2 closely and want to provide you both assurance that our product is safe for your rabbits, as well as provide answers to some of your questions. Additionally, you will find links throughout this article that will give you great resources to learn more about RHDV2 and how you can protect your small pet.
Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease (RHDV) is a highly contagious and fatal disease that is caused by a calicivirus and, as the name suggests, affects rabbits. Originally RHDV was known as a foreign animal disease found in wild European rabbits.
RHDV was first seen in 1984 in China and since then there has been confirmed cases in 40 other countries. RHDV2, the second strain, started in 2010 in France and quickly spread through Europe along with the Mediterranean, replacing the original strain in many countries.
House Rabbit Society states that RHDV causes necrotizing hepatitis and may cause necrosis of the spleen. There may be internal or externally visible blood hemorrhage. Death occurs from liver failure or hemorrhage due to an impairment in the blood’s ability to clot.
Prior to 2018 RHDV had never been seen in North American native rabbits or hares, but there have now been confirmed cases in the United States. While there had been isolated cases starting in 2018, in 2020 there was an outbreak which ended up being more widespread (and continues to spread), causing concern for both veterinarians as well as pet owners. This outbreak has seen cases that have ended in death in multiple states across the country. It's important to note that the outbreaks in Ohio, New York City, and Washington/British Columbia are a different from the single genetic isolate found in other states.
The first California case was reported in May of 2020 in Palm Springs (Riverside county), where a jackrabbit died from RHDV2 according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Since May, there have been several more cases of both wild and domestic rabbit deaths. Here is the latest from California Department of Food & Agriculture:
"As of August 1, 2022 - RHDV2 was confirmed in wild rabbits in Mono and Inyo Counties in July 2022. It had been confirmed in domestic rabbits in Los Angeles County on June 30, 2022. Other recent detections in domestic rabbits were in Riverside, San Luis Obispo, and Mendocino Counties in June 2022. RHDV2 detections also were made in wild rabbits from Riverside, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, and Stanislaus counties during June 2022."
California has executed a quarantine on rabbits entering the state, forbidding rabbits to enter from any state that has been diagnosed with RHDV in the last 12 months. The only exception is if they have a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection. For more on what the California Department of Food & Agriculture is doing, read their FAQ here.
Below you'll find a map of the counties that have been affected by RHDV2 as of August 10th, 2022. You'll also find that we highlighted the areas where we've already known about the outbreak (cases) along with the most recent outbreaks as of March 2022. We have also highlighted where our hay is grown at the very top of Northern California. We wanted you to be able to see the physical distance between them.
Counties filled with a redish color = wild rabbit case(s) from Mar 2020 - Mar 2022
Counties with royal blue outline with no redish color, have been affected but no deaths have been reported.
Counties filled with a grayish color = domestic rabbit case(s) from Mar 2020 - Mar 20, 2022
Counties filled with pinkish color = feral domestic rabbit case(s) from Mar 2020 = Mar 20, 2022
Red Outline = RHDV2 Stable / Endemic Area
Blue Outline = Counties with wild case(s)
Dark Blue Dash/Dot Line = International Boundary
