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A horrible question - please don't read if questions about bunny deaths upset you

Whitelighter

Warren Scout
But I am interested in all aspects of rabbit behaviour, not just the nice side.

Why, just before one of our beloved furry friend makes their last hop to the bridge, do they run, almost blindly, at full pelt. Is it in fact a nervous (as in subconscious nervous system) reaction to death that has already occurred. Has the rabbit already 'passed' by this stage?

I have only witnessed it once (and it was horrid) and the rabbit seemed very uncoordinated but despite colliding with a couple of obstacles kept on going for a good 30 seconds before finally coming to his final rest.

I hope not to witness it again
 
I've experienced a dying rabbit fitting, which was absolutely awful, but nothing like you are describing.
 
I suppose this could be a fit, but I felt while a little uncoordinated it was definitely a run. It seemed the bunny was trying to get 'home' as it was in the direction of their accommodation. On reflection perhaps 30 seconds was an over estimate (it just felt like it) - perhaps 10 seconds was closer to the mark
 
I've not known a bunny run immediately before dying either; most bunnies I've heard of dying without assistance from a vet seem to fit immediately beforehand, so I think that is definitely something to do with the body shutting down. Maybe the running was a similar mechanism, but it's not one I've heard before.
 
Not the same animal, but my only experience of a pet "running" before death...I had a cat who suffered his last moments from a saddle thrombus, although I didn't find out what it was until years later, I'd thought he'd had a stroke or heart attack. It was horrible to see him dragging himself through the house and he passed before I could get him to a vet. He was clearly panicked and with good reason, my poor boy, all I could do was hold him and comfort him till he was gone. :cry:

Something I didn't know until my OH told me years ago was that some animals wander off to die. This was what we had feared when his cat (not the same one) turned up missing for a week after we had moved and we figured he either had got lost or, since he'd seemed a bit off before he went, that he'd gone to find a quiet place for himself. Happily he returned to us and just appeared to be searching out the new digs, but we were proper scared the whole time. Bunny may have known his time was coming and been trying to find somewhere to go.

Or I guess a bunny might just be reacting to a fight or flight response to death and as such, was trying to outrun his "predator". Perhaps the in-coordination was whatever was causing him to be hallucinating something after him?
Whatever the case, I am sorry for your loss and the way it presented itself. :cry: I'm sure he's binkying in green grasses and lush fields at the Rainbow now and at peace. (((((Hugs))))) xxxx
 
I would think that something like a heart attack, that can be fatal but may not cause instant death, could cause a response like this. The chest pain could evoke the panic response before the heart finally gives out.
 
My Chissey ran really fast back to her cage where she had a massive fast seizure and dies very quickly. She seemed okay all day then suddenly started breathing heavy. I immediately called the vet and within minutes while I was telling them thst we would be tight in she ran to her cage and died. Both me and my husband was right there and powerless to do anything. It was so fast.
 
Different animal but I have had this with a hamster. Vet said it was most likely heart disease/heart attack.
 
All of my bunnies have passed very peacefully (as in they were laying in my arms or safe in a carrier) and all have kicked/fitted just before death, but none have actually got up and run. It's so distressing.
 
My first rabbit Baby died naturally in my arms- she stretched, gave a 'death rattle' and stopped breathing.
 
But I am interested in all aspects of rabbit behaviour, not just the nice side.

Why, just before one of our beloved furry friend makes their last hop to the bridge, do they run, almost blindly, at full pelt. Is it in fact a nervous (as in subconscious nervous system) reaction to death that has already occurred. Has the rabbit already 'passed' by this stage?

I have only witnessed it once (and it was horrid) and the rabbit seemed very uncoordinated but despite colliding with a couple of obstacles kept on going for a good 30 seconds before finally coming to his final rest.

I hope not to witness it again

If I've understood you correctly Whitelighter, then I have experienced it many times with bunnies who've died. Sadly I've had cause to experience many bunny deaths with not only my own rabbits but with fostered and rescued rabbits.

I have also had something similar reported from other people who've worried that rabbits have been in distress at this time and they've blamed themselves for something they should/shouldn't have done.

Now I have seen it so many times it doesn't worry me at all, but if I suspect an animal is going to die overnight and I'm not going to be with them, I do put them in a 'padded cell' type arrangement so they don't end up far from their beds in a pool of their own wee.

Why does it happen? I don't think they are conscious they are doing it. It is quite out of character for a very sick bunny to get a spurt on and then die. I feel it's the last clinging on to life. A last expression of all that they could do and will no longer. I don't know obviously, but it appears that way to me.

I always allow them to do it, and feel compassion for them, almost as if they are running for the bridge and can't wait to get there.
 
I've never had this, nor have I had any bunnies fitting before going, not even those that have had vet assistance
 
I had this with one of my Syrian hamsters. I didn't witness it, but I found him collapsed outside his den one day, unconscious but still alive, so I put him back inside before calling the vets etc. I came back a while later and he was dead, but somehow had managed to drag himself to the other end of the cage. No idea how or why.
 
But I am interested in all aspects of rabbit behaviour, not just the nice side.

Why, just before one of our beloved furry friend makes their last hop to the bridge, do they run, almost blindly, at full pelt. Is it in fact a nervous (as in subconscious nervous system) reaction to death that has already occurred. Has the rabbit already 'passed' by this stage?

I have only witnessed it once (and it was horrid) and the rabbit seemed very uncoordinated but despite colliding with a couple of obstacles kept on going for a good 30 seconds before finally coming to his final rest.

I hope not to witness it again

I have witnessed death without veterinarian assistance, and it can be much worse than you describe. I am choking up and cannot go into the horrible details.
 
I am so sorry to drag up bad memories

You correctly marked the thread as disturbing to some persons. I entered the conversation so those who have not experienced the unassisted death of a pet will know what they may encounter.
After my experience, I took my sister and the cat she inherited from my mom to the emergency vets to be PTS so my young nephew would not be exposed to death firsthand before he was ready.
Every circumstance is different and everyone has to make their own choice. In all cases it is good to give pain management and keep the pet calm.
 
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