A DEADLY disease which can wipe out whole rabbit populations is spreading to domestic pets in Hampshire.

Vet Richard Hatton has been forced to put down about six pet rabbits in the past few months after they contracted the fatal virus, myxomatosis.

He says the disease, which causes a slow and painful death, is on the increase - and is warning bunny owners to vaccinate their pets now.

He said: "Most people think rabbits have to come into contact with a diseased rabbit for myxomatosis to spread, but it travels through fleas or mosquitoes.

"A flea can bite a wild rabbit, then hitch a ride on a cat, land in your garden and, if you are unlucky, bite your rabbit.

"Only one in 1,000 rabbits will survive myxomatosis. It's highly fatal and it's an awful death," he said.

All rabbits are susceptible to the disease, which can be devastating to populations living wild.

It tends to develop in surges, with rabbits that are immune surviving an epidemic and then rebuilding the population until the next time the virus strikes, normally in the autumn.

"This is a particularly bad year," said the vet, who runs Harrier Surgery in Hamble Lane, Hamble.

"I have had to put down about six pets in the last few months and that's very high. There does seem to be a problem with myxomatosis this year.

"I had one lady whose rabbit had been looked after by a friend in the countryside while she was on holiday. It had obviously picked up the disease there.

"But it can affect domestic rabbits in urban areas as well as in places closer to the country. It's all down to how the fleas travel around."

Pet rabbits can be given a single vaccination to build up their immunity against myxomatosis.

It costs about £15 at most veterinary surgeries and needs to be updated every 12 months.

It's best to vaccinate during June as myxomatosis tends to worsen in the autumn, but the jab can be given at any time of year.