Rabbit Myxomatosis: Respiratory Signs and Severe Disease in Rabbits

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Quick Answer
  • See your vet immediately if your rabbit has swollen eyelids, eye or nose discharge, ear droop, skin lumps, or any breathing trouble.
  • Myxomatosis is a severe poxvirus infection of rabbits. In domestic European rabbits, it is often fatal, especially when respiratory signs develop.
  • There is no proven antiviral cure. Care focuses on isolation, hydration, pain control, nutritional support, and treatment of secondary bacterial infection when your vet feels it is appropriate.
  • Mosquitoes, fleas, and direct contact with infected rabbits or contaminated items can spread the virus. Indoor housing and insect control lower risk.
  • Typical US cost range for urgent evaluation and supportive care is about $150-$500 for the initial exam and basic stabilization, with hospitalization commonly bringing total care into the $800-$3,500+ range.
Estimated cost: $150–$3,500

What Is Rabbit Myxomatosis?

Rabbit myxomatosis is a serious viral disease caused by the myxoma virus, a member of the poxvirus family. It affects rabbits, especially domestic European rabbits, and can progress quickly from swelling and discharge to severe systemic illness. In the US, cases have been reported in western states including California and Oregon, and disease can be especially severe in pet rabbits.

Many rabbits first show puffy eyelids, eye discharge, nasal discharge, ear swelling or droop, and skin nodules around the face, ears, or genitals. As the disease worsens, some rabbits develop fever, stop eating, become weak, and start breathing with more effort. Respiratory signs matter because they can signal pneumonia, airway swelling, or secondary infection.

For pet parents, this is an emergency condition. A rabbit that is quiet, not eating, or breathing harder than normal can decline fast. Early veterinary assessment helps your vet discuss realistic options, including supportive care, isolation, and quality-of-life decisions based on how advanced the disease appears.

Symptoms of Rabbit Myxomatosis

  • Swollen eyelids or puffy face
  • Eye discharge, often white or thick
  • Nasal discharge
  • Breathing faster, louder, or with effort
  • Ear swelling or ear droop
  • Skin nodules, lumps, or scabby lesions on the face, ears, eyelids, or genitals
  • Fever, lethargy, or hiding
  • Poor appetite or not eating
  • Blue-purple skin spots or skin hemorrhage
  • Sudden collapse, seizures, or rapid decline

See your vet immediately if your rabbit has any breathing change, stops eating, or develops marked swelling around the eyes and face. Rabbits can hide illness until they are very sick, and respiratory distress is never a wait-and-see symptom. If you have more than one rabbit, isolate the sick rabbit right away and wash your hands, change clothes, and clean shared items before handling the others.

What Causes Rabbit Myxomatosis?

Myxomatosis is caused by infection with the myxoma virus. The virus is most often spread by biting insects and external parasites, especially mosquitoes and fleas. That means a rabbit can be exposed even without direct contact with another pet rabbit, particularly in areas where infected wild rabbits are present.

Spread can also happen through direct contact with infected rabbits and, less commonly, through contaminated bedding, bowls, cages, or clothing. Eye and nasal secretions are important sources of virus. If a pet parent handles a sick or wild rabbit and then handles their own rabbit without changing clothes and washing up, that may increase risk.

In the United States, there is no USDA-approved myxomatosis vaccine for pet rabbits. Because of that, prevention relies heavily on reducing exposure: keeping rabbits indoors, using screens or mosquito barriers, avoiding contact with wild rabbits, and talking with your vet about safe parasite control for your rabbit and region.

How Is Rabbit Myxomatosis Diagnosed?

Your vet will usually start with a history and physical exam, looking for the pattern of swelling, discharge, skin lesions, fever, and breathing changes that fit myxomatosis. Because rabbits with this disease can deteriorate quickly, your vet may recommend stabilization first, especially if your rabbit is dehydrated, weak, or struggling to breathe.

Diagnosis is often presumptive at first, based on clinical signs and exposure risk. Your vet may also recommend blood work, imaging such as chest radiographs if respiratory disease is suspected, and sampling of blood or affected tissue for confirmatory testing. Laboratory confirmation helps distinguish myxomatosis from other causes of facial swelling, conjunctivitis, skin disease, or pneumonia.

This disease may also trigger public health and regulatory steps for animal disease reporting in some settings. If your vet suspects myxomatosis, they may discuss isolation, careful handling, and whether additional reporting or specialist consultation is appropriate in your area.

Treatment Options for Rabbit Myxomatosis

Spectrum of Care means you have options. Here are treatment tiers at different price points.

Budget-Conscious Care

$150–$500
Best for: Rabbits with suspected early disease, pet parents needing a lower-cost starting point, or situations where the goal is immediate assessment and comfort-focused decision-making.
  • Urgent exam with an exotic-animal veterinarian
  • Isolation instructions for the home
  • Basic supportive plan if your rabbit is still stable enough for outpatient care
  • Subcutaneous fluids if appropriate
  • Pain and anti-inflammatory medication if your vet feels it is safe
  • Assisted feeding or recovery diet guidance
  • Discussion of prognosis and humane euthanasia if suffering is severe
Expected outcome: Guarded to poor. Some mildly affected rabbits may stabilize with supportive care, but severe disease and respiratory signs carry a high risk of death.
Consider: Lower upfront cost, but limited monitoring. Rabbits can worsen quickly at home, and outpatient care may not be enough if breathing effort, dehydration, or secondary pneumonia develops.
Most Common

Recommended Standard Treatment

$800–$2,000
Best for: Rabbits that are weak, not eating, dehydrated, or showing moderate facial swelling, discharge, or early breathing changes.
  • Emergency or same-day exam and isolation precautions
  • Blood work and targeted diagnostics
  • Hospitalization for monitoring
  • Fluid therapy
  • Syringe feeding or assisted nutrition
  • Pain control and anti-inflammatory care
  • Antibiotics when your vet suspects or wants to prevent secondary bacterial infection
  • Oxygen support if mild to moderate respiratory compromise is present
Expected outcome: Still guarded. This tier gives many rabbits the best chance at short-term stabilization, but survival remains uncertain and depends on strain severity, timing, and complications.
Consider: More monitoring and support than home care, but higher cost range and emotional intensity. Even with treatment, some rabbits continue to decline.

Advanced / Critical Care

$2,000–$3,500
Best for: Rabbits with severe swelling, marked lethargy, pneumonia, labored breathing, or rapid decline that need intensive monitoring.
  • 24-hour hospitalization or referral-level exotic critical care
  • Oxygen therapy for significant respiratory distress
  • IV catheter placement and intravenous fluids
  • Chest radiographs and expanded diagnostics
  • Frequent reassessment of hydration, temperature, pain, and breathing effort
  • Aggressive nutritional support
  • Management of pneumonia, septic complications, or severe secondary infection
  • Quality-of-life discussions, including humane euthanasia when suffering cannot be adequately relieved
Expected outcome: Poor to grave. Advanced care may help selected rabbits, but severe myxomatosis in domestic rabbits often remains fatal despite intensive treatment.
Consider: Most intensive monitoring and support, but also the highest cost range. It may extend treatment time without changing the final outcome in very severe cases.

Cost estimates as of 2026-03. Actual costs vary by location, clinic, and individual case.

Questions to Ask Your Vet About Rabbit Myxomatosis

Bring these questions to your vet appointment to get the most out of your visit.

  1. Based on my rabbit's breathing, swelling, and appetite, how urgent is hospitalization today?
  2. What findings make you think this is myxomatosis instead of another cause of eye, skin, or respiratory disease?
  3. Which tests would most change treatment decisions right now, and which are optional if I need to manage cost range?
  4. Is my rabbit stable enough for home care, or do you recommend oxygen support and in-hospital monitoring?
  5. What signs at home mean I should return immediately, especially overnight?
  6. How should I isolate this rabbit from my other rabbits, and how long should I treat bowls, bedding, and clothing as contaminated?
  7. Are antibiotics, pain control, fluids, or assisted feeding appropriate in my rabbit's case?
  8. If prognosis is very poor, how will we assess comfort and decide whether humane euthanasia is the kindest option?

How to Prevent Rabbit Myxomatosis

Prevention centers on reducing exposure to insects and infected rabbits. Keeping your rabbit indoors is one of the most practical steps in the US. Use intact window screens, avoid outdoor time during heavy mosquito activity, and keep housing clean and dry so it is less attractive to insects. If your rabbit does go outdoors, ask your vet which parasite-control products are considered safe for rabbits in your area.

Do not allow contact with wild rabbits, and be cautious with hay, carriers, bowls, and clothing if you have handled a sick rabbit or been in an area with wild rabbit activity. New rabbits should be quarantined before introduction to the household. Shared equipment should be cleaned thoroughly, and pet parents should wash hands and change clothes after handling a rabbit suspected of infection.

There is no approved myxomatosis vaccine for rabbits in the United States as of March 11, 2026. That makes environmental prevention especially important. If you live in a region where cases have been reported, your vet can help you build a realistic prevention plan that fits your rabbit's housing, local insect pressure, and overall health.

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