Reviewed against RWAF, RSPCA, PDSA, Merck Veterinary Manual, House Rabbit Society and Australian Veterinary Association guidance · Last reviewed August 2026 · Educational reminder planner, not veterinary advice or a vaccination record

Rabbit Vaccine Schedule Planner: Track Myxomatosis and RHD Booster Dates

Rabbit vaccines protect against myxomatosis and rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD1 and RHD2), but the products available, the ages they are licensed from and how often they are repeated all differ by country and change over time. This planner takes the date of your rabbit's last dose and the repeat interval your own vet has specified, then works out and explains the next reminder date. It never assumes an interval for you, and it does not replace your vet's advice or the product label.

Rabbit booster reminder planner

Enter what your vet has already told you. This tool does not choose a vaccine, an age or an interval for your rabbit.

1. Your rabbit and your country
2. Age
3. Vaccine product
4. Last vaccination
5. Repeat interval set by your vet

Your reminder plan

How this planner works

The planner performs one piece of arithmetic and shows its working: it takes the date of the last dose you entered, adds the repeat interval your own vet specified, and compares the result with today's date. Month intervals are added calendar-style, so a dose on 31 March plus six months becomes 30 September, because September has no 31st. Week intervals are added as exact seven-day blocks. Age is either counted day by day from a date of birth, or converted from an approximate figure using 7 days per week, 30.44 days per month and 365.25 days per year, in which case the result is labeled approximate.

There is deliberately no default interval anywhere in the tool. Rabbit vaccine intervals are set by the product's license and by local risk assessment, and a figure invented by a website could easily be wrong for your rabbit, your product and your country. If you have not been given an interval, the planner says so and stops rather than guessing.

What this tool cannot tell you

  • It cannot tell you whether your rabbit is currently protected. Immunity takes time to develop after a dose, varies between individuals, and no vaccine is fully protective.
  • It cannot choose a product, a first-dose age or an interval, and it is not a substitute for reading the product label with your vet.
  • It cannot confirm what was actually given at a past appointment. Only the vaccination record can do that.
  • It is not a vaccination certificate, and boarding, rescue or insurance requirements are not assessed by it.
  • Guidance and product availability described here are current to August 2026 and will change. Check the sources below and your vet's advice before acting on anything.

Why intervals and products differ so much by country

In the United Kingdom, RWAF and PDSA describe vaccination of rabbits from around five weeks of age using a combined product covering myxomatosis, RHD1 and RHD2, with a booster every 12 months. Because highly virulent RHDV2 strains have been reported in continental Europe, RWAF has additionally advised the use of a separate RHD vaccine that carries a license specifically covering those strains, given on a separate occasion at least two weeks apart, with the plan set by the treating vet. UK charities are not permitted to publish vaccine product names directly to owners, which is why your vet, not a website, is the source for names and protocols.

In the United States the picture is different again: the Merck Veterinary Manual notes that myxomatosis and RHD vaccines used elsewhere are not approved there, while an RHDV2 vaccine produced by Medgene has been granted a USDA conditional license and is distributed through veterinarians, with state veterinarians influencing access. Published descriptions of that product involve a two-dose primary series roughly three weeks apart followed by boosters.

In Australia, no myxomatosis vaccine is available or permitted, because of the risk of immunity spreading into the wild rabbit population. The Australian Veterinary Association describes long-standing use of an RHDV1 vaccine and, since a 2022 emergency permit, a product covering RHDV1 and RHDV2. Keeping pet rabbits is not legal in Queensland. Anywhere else, treat local veterinary advice as the authority.

Reading your result sensibly

A future date simply means the interval you were given has not yet elapsed. A date within the next month is a prompt to book, because appointments are not always available at short notice. A date in the past means more time has elapsed than the interval you entered, which is worth a phone call: depending on the product and how much time has passed, a vet may boost as normal or may want to restart a course. That decision is clinical, and the planner does not attempt it.

If two products are used for the same rabbit, run the planner once per product and keep the two reminders separate. The diseases covered are not the same, and the intervals may not be either.

Myxomatosis, RHD1 and RHD2 in brief

Myxomatosis is caused by a poxvirus spread mainly by biting insects such as mosquitoes, fleas and flies, and also by direct contact and contaminated material. Typical signs described by veterinary sources include swelling around the eyelids, base of the ears and genitals, milky eye discharge, fever, lethargy and loss of appetite. Unvaccinated rabbits very often die. Vaccinated rabbits can still become infected, but the illness is usually milder and survival is much more likely.

Rabbit hemorrhagic disease is caused by a calicivirus, with RHD1 and RHD2 being distinct types, and RHD2 now dominant in many places. It is highly contagious and can spread indirectly on hay, bedding, clothing, shoes and equipment, so indoor-only rabbits are not exempt. Sudden death with few or no visible signs is common, which is why RWAF recommends post-mortem PCR testing where the cause of death is unclear. In recent years, highly virulent RHDV2 strains have been reported in several European countries, and the ability of laboratories to distinguish them from classical RHDV2 is currently limited.

Signs that need urgent veterinary attention

Rabbits hide illness and deteriorate quickly. Contact a vet immediately, out of hours if necessary, if you see any of the following. Do not wait for the reminder date this planner produced.

  • Not eating, or not passing droppings, for around 12 hours or more, or droppings that suddenly become tiny or stop.
  • Sudden collapse, seizures, unresponsiveness, or a rabbit lying unusually still and quiet.
  • Labored or noisy breathing, or bleeding from the nose, mouth or bottom.
  • Swelling of the eyelids, ears, nose, lips or genitals, or thick eye discharge.
  • Maggots or wet, soiled fur around the rear in warm weather, which is a life-threatening emergency.
  • The sudden death of a companion rabbit, which may mean the survivor and your environment are at risk.
  • Any swelling, marked lethargy or fever in the days after a vaccination that does not settle quickly.

Working with a rabbit-savvy vet

Rabbit medicine is not covered in the same depth as cats and dogs in general veterinary training, and RSPCA advice encourages registering with a practice that has extra rabbit experience. RWAF maintains a rabbit-friendly vet directory in the UK, and the House Rabbit Society lists rabbit-experienced veterinarians in the United States. Useful things to ask at the next appointment: which product will be used and what it covers, the licensed minimum age, the exact interval to the next dose, whether more than one product is advised where you live, and whether local disease reports mean the interval should be shorter this year.

Authoritative sources

Content reviewed August 2026. Vaccine products, licensed ages and intervals change; always confirm current advice with a rabbit-experienced veterinarian.