This is from the Illinois Rabbit Breeder who contacted VHD in August of 2001. This was a first hand account of a personal experience, told from a personal perspective. The pictures were supplied by her.
They had been raising New Zealand white, and Standard Chinchilla for about 30 years, going to shows every weekend they could. Then one day her nephew called and asked if she could find 100 Flemish Giants for shipment. She did find them and they were shipped to Korea. The word got out that she shipped rabbits. She was put in touch with an export company for whom she started working and still does. "I felt so good to be making money with my hobby."
This summer(2001) a Chinese lady from Chicago, Illinois called and wanted some white rex. The first shipment was sent off, and they ordered more rabbits. She also got another order from China for 200. This is when she called Utah and told the breeder she would need rabbits all summer, and could he breed them for her. He could and he asked for money in good faith. She sent him half.
She picked up rabbits in PA the first of June, and also picked up rabbits in IN, and MN. The rabbits were beautiful stock. She called Utah and asked about his rabbits in the middle of June, and was told the babies were not ready, so she called again in July and was told the babies were dying from the heat. From the weather channel she saw Utah was having a hot summer. So she did not get too upset, "things do happen when raising rabbits." August, she called again and was told he could not fill the order that he promised, but call again in two weeks. She called and asked what he could sent. "Around 70 he said." She sent a driver to Utah to pick up the rabbits. This was costly because she had planned on 150 to 200 rabbits, not 72. They came straight from Utah, no stops, but for gas and food. The trailer was enclosed and aluminum, brand new. There were two dead on the trailer when it arrived, but it was a long trip and the others looked fine. The next day a man from China flew in to inspect the rabbits and loved them. This man said he was a small breeder of only 1000 rabbits. He was smiling the whole time. "I felt so proud of the rabbits and the job that I did in the love and care of each rabbit. I called some breeders and told them they should be proud of their rabbits."
August 18, her birthday, she worked all day worming, weighting, and tattooing rabbits, She did not do the Utah rabbits as she thought they should rest and they looked tired. That night the call came from Mr. Hull, the Illinois vet with the bad word. This was a Saturday. Monday, the USDA and the Illinois vet were at her house. That is the morning the Utah rabbits started to die. For five days.
The Illinois vet and she took blood from the Utah rabbits and then it was sent to Plum Island. Test was positive.
Now for 2 1/2 weeks she got to watch them die.
She was told to get the dead rabbits in plastic containers in the USDA inspected barn, which was inspected before she received any rabbits. This is required by China. No other animal, or people can go in. She had her rabbits 150 yards away.
Only honesty and the rabbits breeders working together can stop this disease. "I do have rabbits in my barn again and the USDA gave me a clean bill of health.....I am afraid of walking in to a rabbits show, but I will have to keep telling myself that I am clean; are they?"
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"The Utah rabbits died first, this was a slow death, as they would waste away. The virus eats the small blood vessels and then they would breed to death. The blood would come out any opening. The eyes, the nose, rectum, and even the toenails.
These rabbits did not scream. Just waste away. It went around the barn; the closest to the last dead rabbits would die next."
"This went on for one week, and then I started to fight back. I bleached everything twice a day, antibodies, it seemed to help."
She could not remove the dead rabbits or the droppings from the barn. She brought plastic containers everyday, to put the dead rabbits in and the also the droppings. She bleached her hands before and after feeding, she wore coveralls, hats and boots. Her rabbits were still O.K.
The second week, in August, the flies showed up. She sprayed. She was still loosing rabbits, five in the morning and up to 5 at night.
One morning she lost 36 rabbits. She kept records and a video tape of everyday. Blow flies started to come.
One morning as she was feeding her rabbits, she saw a blow fly on a Standard Chinchilla. It was the first rabbit in her other barn to go.
After 2 1/2 weeks the smell was so bad we could not stand it any longer. That is when her husband called the USDA and told them we were burying the rabbits. We hired a backhoe and dug a hole so big that we could bury the rabbits and cover it up and still have room when the USDA showed up.
They did finally show up to have me sign a paper to put down the rest of the rabbits. "I said I would not until I knew Illinois would be kept off the USDA list of infected states" since she had a inspected barn, and had done everything to keep the disease from leaving her farm. "Well, I signed the papers, as I was told they could put down the rabbits without me because I had no rights. There is no law for rabbits disease with the USDA as with other farm animals." She had 100 left at the time. One man from Illinois and one man from Chicago came to put down their rabbits. "My husband and myself held the rabbits as they gave the heart stick. They did die easy."
Here are some things she said she learned:
"It is a CONTACT disease. You could watch it move.
Each breed dies differently, Rex would waste away, the New Zealand would scream for about 15 minutes before dying.
You could hear them at nights..
the chinchilla would bled for days before dying.
Does would die with babies still sucking."
"As for the Utah people, I was told that a rabbit was brought in; this was from my supplier. I will repeat: It is a contact virus. No tire, no clothes, no feed, no cages. it is a virus. 2 to 5 days."
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