State confirms coccidiosis in rabbits at Miami County Fair

UPDATE @ 5:40 p.m. (Aug. 15):

The Miami Valley Fair board confirmed that the state veterinarian’s office confirmed that coccidiois is the illness that struck many rabbits in the rabbit barn.

All rabbits were taken from the rabbit barn Tuesday night after the fair closed.

Also known as "inflated stomach disease," coccidiosis is highly contagious in rabbits, caused by a parasite. It rarely presents a danger for humans, according to MediRabbit.com.

FIRST REPORT

The rabbit barn at the Miami County Fair will be closed for the rest of the fair because of a potential illness, a fair official said Tuesday.

Jane Jess, rabbit chairwoman of the Miami County Agricultural Society, said the closure is a precautionary measure to ensure that if there is an illness of some kind, it will not spread.

Several rabbits have not been eating, she said, noting she was advised by the county fair veterinarian, along with a state veterinarian, to have the rabbits housed in the barn and leave with their owners Tuesday night.

Jess cannot confirm whether the rabbits are ill.

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“Rabbits are just a very high-stress animal,” Jess said. The heat, stress and low immune system may have led to the rabbits going off feed — or stop eating, she said.

When the rabbits return to their home environment, they could begin eating again, she said.
"A rabbit could go off feed for one or two days, and go right back on it," Jess said.

The fair, which opened Aug. 10, continues through Thursday.

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