Erin Holcomb holds her rabbit Ziggy at home in Chicago on July 21, 2023. Ziggy, who was previously vaccinated, was exposed to a rabbit hemorrhagic disease while boarded at Cuddle Bunny in Lakeview and is now quarantined.A rescue rabbit with traces of Silver Fox, Ziggy, now 3, quickly became a part of the Holcomb’s family.“We love him like people love a cat or a dog,” said Holcomb, who lives in North Center.
The Illinois Department of Agriculture confirmed rabbit hemorrhagic disease had been detected in Cook County but did not disclose the location. The vaccine for RHDV2 has been available in Illinois since October 2021, said Melissa Giese, a veterinarian with Chicago Exotics Animal Hospital in Skokie. Holcomb said she had assumed that Cuddle Bunny, which had solicited donations on social media to help cover vaccine costs in October 2022, had vaccinated all of its rabbits.
Rachael Sanders, director of the House Rabbit Society of Chicago, a rabbit rescue group, said she had been preparing for the arrival of RHDV2 in Illinois over the last two or three years.