sudden death in ny 3 year old dwarf

hi everyone. my rabbit died today after suddenly becoming ill. i didnt close his latch properly and when i got home he was in his hutch with his eyes half shut. i brought him in and he had mud or poo all over his tail and legs matted. he couldnt push up on his back legs and was not bothered id picked him up even though normally he wouldnt allow it.

i rung a vet who said keep him comfy and warm but he wont pull through. his heart rate dropped. i put him in a box with towels and sheets next to my brd and watched him akl night. he eventually laid on his side and every now and then hed wiggle around. his breathing continued but his heart was barely beating.

the next morning i tried to wet his mouth and he didnt respond. he two hours later almost meowed like a cat before his front legs were twitching like he was trying to run. all his muscles relaxed and his last breathe came out and he was gone.

my happy sociable rabbit gone in hours. im heart broken. he always seemed so strong. any ideas what could of happened?

Aww so sorry Binky free bunny why didn't you take bunny into your vets to get medical attention :wave:

So sorry for your loss, how did the vet know he wouldn't pull through? Was he examined?

no he spoke to me on phone and said hed be gone by morning sounds internal.

Hi, I am so sorry about your bun Binky free little guy.

To me it sounds like you have a vet that isn't up on their rabbits. It's really common as rabbits are classed as exotics despite being the third most popular pet. If you have any other rabbits or plan to get any more I would change vets. If you ask on here there are members from all over the country and we can help you find a bunny savvy one.

It's heartbreaking when you as the owner do everything right in seeking medical attention to get the 'it's just a rabbit' attitude from the vets

Was he vaccinated at all? Although to me it doesn't sound like the symptoms of vhd or myxi so probably wouldn't have affected the outcome.

Was he outside for any length of time,Sounds like maybe a predator cat/dog maybe chased him and he injured himself in a panic.Agree with the others,you need a better vet,he should have seen him and given him assistance,maybe even put him to sleep humanely.Poor bunny.

Hele said:

Hi, I am so sorry about your bun Binky free little guy.

To me it sounds like you have a vet that isn't up on their rabbits. It's really common as rabbits are classed as exotics despite being the third most popular pet. If you have any other rabbits or plan to get any more I would change vets. If you ask on here there are members from all over the country and we can help you find a bunny savvy one.

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^^^ this a vet who does not examine a pet ANY pet before giving a diagnosis is unfortunately not reliable. Unfortunately there are many things that can make a bunny poorly but without a vet exam or post mortem I am sorry to say you may never find the reason why.
Again I'm so sorry for your loss binky free little one

Hi there

very sorry to hear your loss, my giant rabbit died last year he went exactly the same way, just as we pulled into the emergency vets he let out a blood curdling scream a few breathes then he died ....the vet examined him and said he had a blockage , a build up of gas which got bigger then pressed on his heart causing a heart attack..

he went from looking a bit poorly to not even having the strength to hold his head up the vet said rabbits are prey so only show signs of illness when they are very ill and quite often when its too late.

sharon109 said:

hi everyone. my rabbit died today after suddenly becoming ill. i didnt close his latch properly and when i got home he was in his hutch with his eyes half shut. i brought him in and he had mud or poo all over his tail and legs matted. he couldnt push up on his back legs and was not bothered id picked him up even though normally he wouldnt allow it.

i rung a vet who said keep him comfy and warm but he wont pull through. his heart rate dropped. i put him in a box with towels and sheets next to my brd and watched him akl night. he eventually laid on his side and every now and then hed wiggle around. his breathing continued but his heart was barely beating.

the next morning i tried to wet his mouth and he didnt respond. he two hours later almost meowed like a cat before his front legs were twitching like he was trying to run. all his muscles relaxed and his last breathe came out and he was gone.

my happy sociable rabbit gone in hours. im heart broken. he always seemed so strong. any ideas what could of happened?

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I am so sorry for your loss I dont think it is appropriate to start debating about how 'Rabbit Savvy' your Vet is, you dont need that upset right now on top of coping with grief.

To me it sounds as though a predator (Fox/Cat) got to your Rabbit and a combination of injury and shock led to his very sad passing Even if you had rushed him to a Vet the stress of transportation may have been too much for him anyway and he could have died en route. At least he passed in a safe warm bed. The twitching and 'meowing' you heard was probably not conscious actions, but autonomic responses as his brain closed down. He would not have been aware of it all, by then he was effectively in a coma.

I really am very sorry, you must be heartbroken

thanks guys. yes theres a chance he could of been out for hours as i was at work. peoples cats round here are a pain for coming in garden. ive not been able to let him roam around the garden for hours as we have a new neighbour with at least two.

i know its so annoying when people say hes just a rabbit. he knows me and loved playing and communicating. he wouldnt be picked up but he loved being near me.

it breaks my heart knowing he wont be racing across the gravel this summer skip and jimping all over the place. and on a summers day when its beautiful outside hes there at his cage mesh enjoying the sun :-(

im so upset hed be here now if i wasnt rushing and its all my fault he was scared and alone

Don't blame yourself. My Beautiful rabbit died suddenly on Friday night & I have been thinking "what if" all weekend. I haven't stopped crying. Her brother is just so lost without her. You have just got to remember that you gave your Rabbit love & affection and it had a wonderful life with you. xxx

I'm so deeply sorry for your loss, Jane speaks very wise words.

With the guilt thing, even with deaths we had nothing to do with, we always feel guilt; sadly it's a part of the process. If we do feel we had a part to play, it's even worse. In that respect, I can relate a lot. On April 11th 2010 I had an accident with a bunny that ended his life within about 5 seconds of it. It was just horrific and the guilt I feel, even now, is sometimes unbearble. Go back a few years and I'm responsible for another couple as well; the guilt has never left me for those either. However, drawing from those experiences I would urge you not to try to focus on what you did (or didn't) do, but just learn from what happened. So, with my accident, I never, EVER carry anything heavy around my rabbits anymore (I dropped something that fell on his neck because he thought it would be smart to investigate and it broke his neck), other examples I have from my steep learning curve are having a decent vet, checking the cat hadn't climbed into the rabbit hutch, things like that. It might be, for you, if you wanted to get another bunny or two in the future, to have different catches (maybe bolts, maybe padlocks) that couldn't be rushed. It's awful feeling responsible for a death, but please don't be too hard on yourself because it was not intentional. What matters most, at this timme, is that in his last hours he was surrounded by love and with someone he knew.

Thinking of you.

sorry to hear your sad news...

hugs to you .. binky free little one.......

fee x

I'm very sorry to hear about your buny. Jane and Sky-O have both given good advice/wise words.

Sleep tight little bun x

So sorry that you lost your little one, but please don't blame yourself xxx

Sorry for your loss. X

thanks everyone. i buried him just now. felt so horrible putting him into a hole and puttong mud over him. life is so sad at times. makes u realise how much u take the little things for granted. id give anything to see him stand on his hind legs when i go putside again. and to see him rubbing his chin on things he believed were his. such a special personality ill miss xx

sharon109 said:

thanks everyone. i buried him just now. felt so horrible putting him into a hole and puttong mud over him. life is so sad at times. makes u realise how much u take the little things for granted. id give anything to see him stand on his hind legs when i go putside again. and to see him rubbing his chin on things he believed were his. such a special personality ill miss xx

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Why don't you get a little plaque done for him. I ordered one last night. It might make you feel better. xxx

whered u get youres from? i ordered a cup from moonpig and put his picture on it x

p.s have your buried yours yet xx