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How to Report A Suspected Case of RVHD in the US:
So. You have a rabbit dead, and you want to find out what killed it and if it might possibly have been RVHD. What should you do?
Know Your Options:
Any owner or breeder may use a diagnostic laboratory with the assistance of their veterinarian. Make arrangements before you need them with your veterinarian as to submission requirements and cost.
Contact your state's official State or Federal Veterinarian. They often share an office and if you suspect RVHD for ANY REASON, you certainly need to make them aware of the fact, preferably as soon as possible. Discussing the possibility beforehand is again a good idea; that way they are aware of the proper procedures should the need arise.
(Please check with your Federal and State Veterinarian and let us know the proper reporting procedure for your state; we will build a page to display the information.)
Reporting Procedures and Dealing With the Body:
First, double bag the carcass, disinfect the outer bag, and store it, airtight, in your refrigerator. Although freezing does not destroy the RHDV virus, it does cause massive cell damage that can distort results and slow diagnosis of other possible causes of death. Once this is accomplished (as soon as possible after death occurs!), call your veterinarian.
Explain to them that you have an animal that you need necropsied as soon as possible by a pathology laboratory. DO NOT allow the local vet to necropsy the animal; they simply do not have the equipment and supplies to perform the necropsy in sufficient detail.
Follow their and the Federal/State veterinarians' directions on packing the animal for shipping and delivery to the laboratory you and your veterinarian have decided upon; fill out the appropriate submission forms and mention that you would like the carcass tested for the presence of RHDV virus and reference the official veterinarian for more information. Make sure to request that duplicate samples of lung, liver and spleen be taken and held for USDA analysis if calicivirus is found. (Most pathology laboratories will happily send you submission forms before the fact; it saves them and you time and labor.)
The next step is the difficult one. You wait. And wait. And WAIT, seemingly forever. Results are usually sent to your veterinarian, so pester them, not the laboratory. A full and complete necropsy with bacterial culture, electron microscopy, and written report may take between a full week to two weeks depending on the lab. They do usually issue preliminary reports during that time, however.
In this waiting time, clean the barn. Disinfect EVERYTHING. It kills time and helps you wait. Read up on diseases that can cause death in rabbits and compare them with what you saw. Write up a history of exactly what happened to the rabbit, and any contacts with outside animals or people that you know of. You MUST be scrupulously honest here; this information could be vital to tracking the spread of disease. DO NOT go visiting other rabbitries or go to shows during this time if at all possible unless you shower, dress in clean clothes that have been washed in hot water with bleach, and you use very careful quarantine procedures during this time...and repeat the process when you return.
The report comes back; caliciviri were found on electron microscopy. Immediately you should contact the Federal veterinarian, who will instruct the pathology laboratory on proper submission of the duplicate samples you had them take to USDA's Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Plum Island. He/she will then also come to your barn and collect data and further samples for analysis.
From here on out, it's up to the experts.
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