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giant rabbits..giant health problems???

rabbitmum

Mama Doe
hi,
im new to this site...hello to all who read this!!
my husband and i have just lost our beloved french lop, jessica
we have 3 other house buns (she was a house bun also)but they are smaller breeds.
jess died aged 3yrs and 2 mths, of a suspected stroke.after 2 plus yrs of fighting constant abscesses in her mouth and dewlap.she was an amazing strong character ,and even the rabbit specialist was amazed that she survived her last major abscess.
to date she has cost us £5,000...which we did not begrudge her in anyway.
she was not insured but i dont think they would have paid out any how.
my question is this "do big rabbits always seem to have big health problems?"
or was my jess just terribly unlucky?
i want another big bun but dont think i could handle the constant worry.
if i would have known when we got her, the cost, monetary or concern wise, i still would have got her.she was such a terrific ad for a house bun.
thanks for reading my waffling on!!!!
jessicas mum
 
I have 15 giants, and some of mine are coming up to nearly 4 to 4.5yrs and some of them have never had any illnesses, but then another as had only routine problems such as eye infections. I really think it is just the look of the draw basically:D
 
I'm sorry you have lost Jessica:(

I have a frenchie whose spay went disastorously wrong and she was operated on three times within a two week period, so I reckon she must be pretty resilient!
My other giants are still under 2yrs, but I think the main potential health worries are around obesity and their mobility. I agree with kayj that I think it's the luck of the draw really.
 
my Hares are pretty large so not sure if you would put them in this catorgory but ive never had any problems with them :D
 
oh im sorry to hear about jess, but you sound like a wonderful bunny mum :):):) i dont know about giants but i would guess that your poor girl was very unlucky :(:( would lvoe to see photos of your bunnies!:D
 
I am so sorry to hear about Jessica and welcome to the forum

I love Giant bunnies and my dream one day is to own a giant white bunny called Alice.I have 3 dutch rabbits at the moment.My friend has had several giants and they have died at a young age and she told me not to get one because they have health problems.I will get a rescue one and take out pet insurance for it.

One Day.........
 
I've had Frenchies and English Lops for 15 years and I cannot honestly say that they are any more prone to developing problems than any other breed of rabbit. These things could happen to any rabbit though, so I think maybe you have just been unlucky with Jess. I will just say though that large breeds do not live as long as smaller breeds. Four to five years is an average for Frenchies. All of mine have lived to this age - my old boy is 5 and one of my girls made it to 5 1/2. Its also not uncommon for old rabbits to keel over quite suddenly with a stroke/ heart attack ... I've noticed this happen to several of my old buns, large and small,but I do think large breeds are most likely more suspectible to this due to their size.

I hope you have not been put off having another big bun. I wouldn't be without my French people :D:D. Were you thinking of going to a breeder or getting a rescue ?
 
I have giants and as said before its down to luck .

My Delilah cast a fortune before she died, but the others (touching Wood) have been trouble free.

However my latest French lop Monty has come to me as a cruelty case with overgrown teeth sore hocks and ulcerated eyes. so he will cost lots it the future.
 
Hi guys, thanks for the comments.This is bunnymums other half here, adding his little bit
We are going to get another frenchie I think, as the house seems so quiet.
Our other buns are a 7 yr old German lop who is still like a spring chicken, a cross bred dutch(I have a thing for the dutch bun breed and although not a true dutch saw him and fell in love with him straight away) and a tan and white cross heinz 57(both of these two are under a year old)
Back to Jessica though, she was a handful from when we first got her, always climbing inside shopping bags in the hope that she would find a "treat".
She'd jump on cupboards, laps, sofas if there was a chance of finding food and snuggled up to out cat, Pickle in front of the TV.
She was diagnosed with an abscess that sprung up on her jaw overnight and was succesfully treated for that, only to get another on her dewlap a few weeks later that was literally the size of a cricket ball.
We travelled to our specialist Bunny vet some 85 miles away(Guy Carter, Medivet Watford) who prescribed Dupafen, lots of tlc later and it had gone.
Next abscess turned up under her teeth and she had her front teeth removed and also a life threatening operation removed a huge abscess from inside her mouth on the jaw line which lost her a few more teeth but she survived this despite the fact that the vet was worried about breaking her jaw(which would have been curtains). When she came to after the operation, the nurse and vet were amazed at Jessica- most rabbits need a bit of help eating after a big op especially on the mouth area for obvious reasons- Not Jessi- she piled straight into a bowl of super rabbit exel and hay like it was going out of fashion- She was a celebrity bunny at the vet( names like bionic bunny and incredibun) were used(and her photo is still displayed in the waiting room area)
We were waiting for the next abscess to rear its ugly head but thanks to injections every other day of dupafen, they stayed away.
She went downhill on Friday just gone and went to the vet who checked her over and found nothing wrong, we were forced into force feeding her as she had given up eating and decided to get a blood test done to see what was going on as her head had started to literally flop down on the floor- within 5 minutes of reaching the vet across the road from us, she had a small fit and died
We know that there was little else we could do and feel privileged to have had her for 3 great years- she has left an impression on everyone who met her both socially and professionally and to be honest, I doubt we'll ever have or meet another bun like her but I'm sure you guys will all confirm that there are plenty other little "toads"out there that will capture our hearts again and I know we'll go back for more in the end.

Jessi.....You were a Legend!! x x x
 
We have 3 Giants and a French who are all happy and healthy (touchwood). Their ages are 3, 3, a year and a half and a year. Welcome :wave:.

Neil
 
They sort of get you smitten don't they.....:censored:

We got Kitty, our French lop at 2 days short of 8 weeks and feel privileged that we've been able to see her grow...

7 weeks, 5 days...

Kitty7weeks0010.jpg


9 weeks...

kitty9weeks0058.jpg


11 weeks...

11weeks0044.jpg


All grown up...

yyy054.jpg


Neil

ps could you add your rabbits' names to the thread in this section, please :D.
 
Got our beloved Jessicas Ashes back from the Pet Crematorium today.

Sounds strange, but its nice to have her home....
 
hello kent person!! i got my first french lop a couple of years ago but sadly only had him for 9 months as he got myxie:cry: he had a small abcess removed and was fine no other problems during the time i had him. i have now got two, a girl and boy that live together. they have not had any health problems so far. both netured and vaccinated. i think french lops are gorgeous! i also have what i think is a neatherland dwarf, she lives on her own in my kitchen as the frenchies dont like her:(
 
I would also say its just the luck of the draw. You can have one animal who seems to be constantly at the vets and another that never goes. I think abcesses in any breed of rabbit are very hard to cure. It is important to add though that big bunnies, do mean big bucks where veterinary treatment is concerned.
 
It was a true testiment to Jessicas strength that she got through all those abscesses and underwent loads of medical care and survived the lot.
We always thought the abscesses would get her in the end and she proved us wrong as always as only she could....
Boy was she a tough cookie- the rainbow bridge is gonna be a busy place with her around up there- better get some extra curly kale in.......:lol:
 
Abscesses

HI,Ive got continental giants and they are carrying the staff bacteria which shows it self by giving them abscesses in their paws.I lost my beloved maizey last summer.His mum had to have a toe amputated and his girlfriends paw got so bad after months of treatment which included taking her to the royal vetinery college that she has just had to have her leg amputated.I have two others which seem to be fine and they all run around the garden together.
 
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