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My bunny choked and died today

Karen's

Mama Doe
Hi RU,
Sorry for posting a sad post in rabbit chat as it should probably be in health or rainbow bridge but I don't have a question, I just need to talk.
My bunny Mavis choked and died right in front of me today, and I'm sure it was my fault. She'd been off her food since Friday night but was eating bits of grass and veg, her poops were few and far between yesterday and those she did do were misshaped and often stringed together. I got her an appt at the vets this morning, he said to give her critical care. She ate a few dandelions on the way home so before I embarked on the CC I put her on the grass just to see if she would have a nibble. She didn't so I decided to try her with the CC. I've had to do this before with others buns so knew what to do, just behind the front teeth, little at a time. She wasn't having any of it, just kept spitting it out so I decided to stop and try again a bit later. When she spat the CC out she also spat out a semi chewed dandelion flower. I cleaned her mouth, washed my hands then put her back in the run, went in the house to get some washing, and when I went back out I heard a thud and saw Mavis in the shed. I ran to her and her front legs were out to the side. I could tell something was wrong, then her head was dropping and she was drooling, but then would suddenly throw her head up, I panicked and didn't know what to do. I don't think I realised she was choking at this point, i just tried to confort her, but after about 15 seconds she was gone. I looked up the symptoms after and I'm sure she choked and I think it must have been the CC I gave her. Im so full of regret I didn't know how to help her, im devastated that she died that way, she must have been so frightened and in pain, and I caused it.
I'm now thinking she must have been having trouble swallowing, the vet commented she had grass in her mouth, and now I think about it she hadn't swallowed the dandelion flower she spat out.
I know I was only trying to do my best for her and it's one of those things, but she was a beautiful bunny and didn't deserve this ending. I'm heart broken.
Thanks for letting me share, I needed to.
 
I'm so sorry to hear your sad news. Please don't blame yourself, you took her to the vet and did what they said.
I'm not medical so no idea what happened but it's not your fault.
Big hugs.
 
I am so very sorry for your loss. :cry:
In January of this year, my 10 year old bunny, Pip, wasn't eating for about 6 hours (that I knew of, perhaps she'd been having trouble for longer) and I, too, syringed critical care and water to her, hoping to get her to eat. By 9 that morning, she was very weak and limp and within about 15 minutes of trying to feed her again, she began coughing, sticking her nose in the air, then running madly about the room and then collapsed and died in my arms while I was trying to get hold of the vet. It was the most horrible experience I've ever had, and I've lost a few pets to sudden death, and I am so very sorry you had to experience this yourself.

I also believe my bunny had trouble swallowing. But I don't know that it was the CC I fed her that was really the problem. Bunnies are so very good at hiding underlying illnesses and I am more of the idea now, after months of reflection, that this was the case with Pip. She simply had something else going on I didn't see and couldn't have known about. It is not something perhaps that had I known it I would have been able to save her either.

What is important is that we were both with our bunnies when they passed, instead of them being in a tiny cage or alone in a vet's office overnight, or suffering a great amount of time with a long term illness. They knew we loved them dearly and would've done anything for them to still be with us now. Please take heart that you were trying to help your bunny, and she would've known this.

You will be in my thoughts and I hope that you can find some comfort in knowing the love you shared with this precious friend will never die, it will always be with you and in that way, so will she. ((((((((((Huge hugs))))))))))) xxxx
 
I am so sorry. It sounds to me as though there was an underlying problem. You weren't to know given you were only doing as the vet had said. You tried your very best and your bunny would have know your love. Binky free little one. :cry:
 
I'm so very sorry, you did everything you could to help her. As others have said, there could well have been an underlying issue. She knew she was loved and cared for, please try not to blame yourself xxx binky free little bun xx
 
Thank you everyone for your kind words, they are very much a comfort.

Mimzmum, I am very sorry to read about pip, thank you for sharing, big hugs x
 
Hi RU,
Sorry for posting a sad post in rabbit chat as it should probably be in health or rainbow bridge but I don't have a question, I just need to talk.
My bunny Mavis choked and died right in front of me today, and I'm sure it was my fault. She'd been off her food since Friday night but was eating bits of grass and veg, her poops were few and far between yesterday and those she did do were misshaped and often stringed together. I got her an appt at the vets this morning, he said to give her critical care. She ate a few dandelions on the way home so before I embarked on the CC I put her on the grass just to see if she would have a nibble. She didn't so I decided to try her with the CC. I've had to do this before with others buns so knew what to do, just behind the front teeth, little at a time. She wasn't having any of it, just kept spitting it out so I decided to stop and try again a bit later. When she spat the CC out she also spat out a semi chewed dandelion flower. I cleaned her mouth, washed my hands then put her back in the run, went in the house to get some washing, and when I went back out I heard a thud and saw Mavis in the shed. I ran to her and her front legs were out to the side. I could tell something was wrong, then her head was dropping and she was drooling, but then would suddenly throw her head up, I panicked and didn't know what to do. I don't think I realised she was choking at this point, i just tried to confort her, but after about 15 seconds she was gone. I looked up the symptoms after and I'm sure she choked and I think it must have been the CC I gave her. Im so full of regret I didn't know how to help her, im devastated that she died that way, she must have been so frightened and in pain, and I caused it.
I'm now thinking she must have been having trouble swallowing, the vet commented she had grass in her mouth, and now I think about it she hadn't swallowed the dandelion flower she spat out.
I know I was only trying to do my best for her and it's one of those things, but she was a beautiful bunny and didn't deserve this ending. I'm heart broken.
Thanks for letting me share, I needed to.


Oh Karen, that's awful for you :( I'm so terribly sorry :(

I don't believe you did anything that could have caused it, it was just an accident and very bad luck for Mavis.

Sending you loads of hugs xx
 
Sending you lots of comforting hugs.
They really do hide illness so well and I don't think anything you done caused her to pass.
Try not to play it over & over in your mind... just focus on how much she was loved and the happy life she had.

Sent from my SM-G903F using Tapatalk
 
Hi RU,
Sorry for posting a sad post in rabbit chat as it should probably be in health or rainbow bridge but I don't have a question, I just need to talk.
My bunny Mavis choked and died right in front of me today, and I'm sure it was my fault. She'd been off her food since Friday night but was eating bits of grass and veg, her poops were few and far between yesterday and those she did do were misshaped and often stringed together. I got her an appt at the vets this morning, he said to give her critical care. She ate a few dandelions on the way home so before I embarked on the CC I put her on the grass just to see if she would have a nibble. She didn't so I decided to try her with the CC. I've had to do this before with others buns so knew what to do, just behind the front teeth, little at a time. She wasn't having any of it, just kept spitting it out so I decided to stop and try again a bit later. When she spat the CC out she also spat out a semi chewed dandelion flower. I cleaned her mouth, washed my hands then put her back in the run, went in the house to get some washing, and when I went back out I heard a thud and saw Mavis in the shed. I ran to her and her front legs were out to the side. I could tell something was wrong, then her head was dropping and she was drooling, but then would suddenly throw her head up, I panicked and didn't know what to do. I don't think I realised she was choking at this point, i just tried to confort her, but after about 15 seconds she was gone. I looked up the symptoms after and I'm sure she choked and I think it must have been the CC I gave her. Im so full of regret I didn't know how to help her, im devastated that she died that way, she must have been so frightened and in pain, and I caused it.
I'm now thinking she must have been having trouble swallowing, the vet commented she had grass in her mouth, and now I think about it she hadn't swallowed the dandelion flower she spat out.
I know I was only trying to do my best for her and it's one of those things, but she was a beautiful bunny and didn't deserve this ending. I'm heart broken.
Thanks for letting me share, I needed to.

I am so sorry that you lost Mavis :cry:
 
I am so sorry that you lost Mavis in this way.

I think most of us have syringe fed our bunnies CC when they have stopped eating - I certainly have on many, many occasions. You were doing the best you could for Mavis, after having taken advice from your vet. That is all any of us can do.

It does sound like there was something else going on with her but I know how easy it is to blame ourselves - I have done it a lot after losing one of my furries - we replay the events thinking 'What if?' and 'Maybe, if I had?' It is a natural part of grieving but, if you can, try to treat yourself as you would a friend in a similar situation. Be kind.

You did your very best and Mavis was loved and cared for - so many bunnies never experience that in their lifetime.

Thinking of you xxxx
 
Thank you everyone for your replies, they mean a lot to me.

I've had a day full of tears and what if's, why didn't I do this, or that, wanting to turn back the clock and do something differently.

Rihanna - that is such good advice, to treat myself like I would if it happened to a friend, I wouldn't blame my friend in this situation. I'm sure I will get to this point but it may be a while yet. I'm still so sad.
 
I'm so sorry for your loss. Please don't blame yourself, even the best vets can't save every animal and we all know that bunnies, as much as we love them, are particularly difficult to help when they are sick. However hard we may try sometimes you can do everything right and still lose them.
 
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