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Did I do the right thing?

*lily*

Wise Old Thumper
I was just reading in the Rabbits in need section about a rabbit that had pneumonia and who was saved by using some strong antibiotics.

Simba had been treated with Baytril and, when he was still very ill with pneumonia, the vet said there was nothing more that could be done and he was PTS.

I feel so sick to think that maybe by using stronger antibiotics he could have been saved :( The vet said that he was suffering and would have died over the next few days so I did what I thought would be in his best interest, I never wanted him to suffer. But now I wonder if I gave up on him too easily?

I miss him so much :cry:
 
awww how sad for you to find out about that when it's too late - but please don't dwell on it as you had to trust what your vet said at the time - we all do :(

Having said that, you might want to find a vet that knows a bit more about rabbit medicine, if you still have other bunnies - you never know when you'll need it and in an emergency situation it's hard to go hunting for a better vet.
 
Ditto what Elve said. I've had a bunny pts on the advise of a vet in the past and then read on here about someone who managed to save theirs from the same thing and felt guilty. But - you are not a vet and you took the advise from someone who was and bear in mind Max was touch and go, there would have been no guarantees it would have worked for your bun. Chin up chick - you did the best thing for Simba at the time.x
 
Pneumonia kills a lot of rabbits, sometimes despite receiving the best care available.

You can only follow your vets advice...perhaps Simba was more poorly than this other rabbits?
 
We were very lucky with our rescue who had pneumonia, whilst the vets that treated her never suggested PTS, vets I have spoken to since just seem amazed that she didn't die :shock: I didn't think a huge deal of it at the time :?

She was one of the lucky ones but the after effects severely shortened her life span....she only lived a further 6 months.

We can only go on the advice of the vets, after all you trust them to do their job properly, even though the trust often seems to be misplaced :cry:
 
the thing is, okay, he could have pulled through, but then again he could have suffered for weeks on end and slowly died, you did what you think was best for your bun as you didnt want him to suffer and to me thats admirable because it means leting go of something you love so it doesnt suffer any longer xXxXx
 
Aw sweetheart - try not to blame blame yourself.

My friend's husband has just spent a week in intensive care with pneumonia, my friend thought she had lost him. :(:( He comes home today after two weeks in hospital. I had no idea that pneumonia could do this to someone relatively young:(

I can therefore now understand how fatal it would be in bunnies. I am sure you did your utmost for Simba and he knows this.

Thinking of you,
Vanessa xx
 
Each rabbit is different and even if your rabbit had had the medication that the other rabbit was given there is no guarantee your rabbit would have survived. You had to trust your vet in those circumstances. You might feel for your peace of mind that you should change to another vet that someone on here recommends for the future.
But no matter if our vet is one of the best in the country I think in the end we all feel guilty when a pet is pts because we all think ...could I hav done something to save them..? It's our nature because we love them so much.Sue
 
When we decided to have Skid PTS, there was the option of carrying on with treatment with a very slim chance of recovery. However we decided it was far kinder to let him go as he was so miserable and had no decent quality of life. It was either that or putting him through another operation, the next would have been very invasive with a small chance of success if he didn't die on the table. And then he'd have to been given medication twice a day which he hated for the next few months, possibly the rest of his life. He'd lost his hearing in one ear which made him very agitated and lost all control of the muscles on one side of his face.

I still do wonder what if we carried on would we still have him today? But I know in my heart it was the right decision and it would have been selfish to put him through any more treatment.

You've got to do what's in the rabbit's best interests, not yours, even if other rabbits with a similar condition pulled through, doesn't means yours will have. Don't feel guilty about your decision.
 
Thank you so much everyone, I'm in flipping tears again :cry:

The vets that I see really do seem to know a fair bit about rabbits, I was quite impressed with their knowledge. But, then when you hear about a rabbit that did survive, then it makes you wonder about the what ifs....

Simba was a rescue from someone that kept him totally confined in a tiny hutch for 2 years. I don't know whether he was ever ill when she had him so maybe that could be why he became so ill with the pneumonia? I suppose I will never know.
 
Hun - every situation is different. I have no doubt at all that you did everything possible for Simba. You trust your vet and you both did the best for him. Chin up xx
 
the thing is, okay, he could have pulled through, but then again he could have suffered for weeks on end and slowly died, you did what you think was best for your bun as you didnt want him to suffer and to me thats admirable because it means leting go of something you love so it doesnt suffer any longer xXxXx

I agree with you. What meds work for one may or may not work for another. He may of been more poorly than the other rabbits and really was coming to the end - in which case you let him go with peace and diginity.
 
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