Vets are also reporting a sharp increase in rabbits being brought in with suspected myxomatosis.
Senior veterinary nurse Sarah Ozanne, who works at Isabelle’s Vets, said about 45 rabbits were treated in one week, and the condition of some animals arriving for treatment had been distressing.
“They’re very, very underweight; very skinny. They’ve got their eyes sort of welded shut from all the discharge,” she said.
Ozanne said myxomatosis only affected rabbits and hares and did not pose a risk to other pets, such as dogs.
However, she warned domestic rabbits could also become infected, even if they were kept at home or in a private garden, as fleas and biting flies could carry the disease.