Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum but I'll just get straight into this because it's probably going to be long.
So I'm thinking of maybe getting some more rabbits after what happened last year in December with my two young buns. I'm going to get upset writing this but anyway...
I got my two lionheads back in May at 8 weeks old (first time I've owned rabbits) from a lionhead breeder. I called them Hope and Faith because I had gone through a tough year or so and this was a new start. And I loved them to bits, we cared for them and gave them so much love and attention and we gave them the full garden (which isn't massive) to run around while we watched them. They were fine for months and never really had any problems. But one Saturday in December, Faith didn't seem quite herself. She just wasn't as lively as normal and didn't seem to be eating very much. We didn't really think much of it but she seemed a bit worse over the weekend so we took her to the vets and stuff. Anyway, the vet told us to give her this food formula which is basically powdered hay that you mix with water and syringe it to your bun. I felt so so dreadful doing it, I had to get my parents to hold her still whilst I tried to syringe it into her mouth and it went everywhere and she got really agitated.
On the Monday she didn't seem very well at all and also, Hope started to look ill too. So I was super worried and we spent ages on google trying to find what was wrong. We got a few ideas but I don't think we were right. And I still feel SO GUILTY because we didn't take them to the vets that day. We should have done, it was stupid thinking back. But we didn't. Anyway, next morning my parents came into my room and said that HOPE had died. Hope had only been ill for a day, Faith had been ill all weekend. So obviously I was distraught. We tried to care for Faith for the rest of the day but she kept getting worse and worse. She had hardly any energy, wouldn't eat much, wouldn't drink very much, didn't want her favourite treats, and she was so floppy when I held her. And when she ran around she stumbled and staggered as if she had no coordination. I knew she was going to go. We took her to the vets later and one thing led to another and it's too long to explain, but she had to be put down later. I cried and cried . The vet wasn't sure what was wrong with her, she said there was some toxins in her blood so we thought maybe they had eaten something in the garden that they shouldn't have. Or it could have been RHD because they went so suddenly and so close together.
So firstly, does anyone know what it could have been? I don't know which is worse but I just wish I knew. And secondly, the reason I wrote this post was because I think I am finally ready to adopt some more rabbits, but I am so scared to do it because the same thing might happen again. If they ate something they shouldn't have, we will have to not let them have the whole garden, but have a big run in the garden instead, and watch them very, very closely. If they had RHD then I don't even know. I know there is a vaccination for strain 1 but not for strain 2. I'm just so anxious about owning anymore rabbits in case they get ill like Hope and Faith and die really young (they were 10 months old ).
So should I risk getting rabbits again? Is it worth it? What should I do? Any precautions or things I should do to prevent illness if I got more rabbits. Aaahhhh, I don't know, rabbits are so fragile and prone to illness .
Thanks,
Fwuff
So I'm thinking of maybe getting some more rabbits after what happened last year in December with my two young buns. I'm going to get upset writing this but anyway...
I got my two lionheads back in May at 8 weeks old (first time I've owned rabbits) from a lionhead breeder. I called them Hope and Faith because I had gone through a tough year or so and this was a new start. And I loved them to bits, we cared for them and gave them so much love and attention and we gave them the full garden (which isn't massive) to run around while we watched them. They were fine for months and never really had any problems. But one Saturday in December, Faith didn't seem quite herself. She just wasn't as lively as normal and didn't seem to be eating very much. We didn't really think much of it but she seemed a bit worse over the weekend so we took her to the vets and stuff. Anyway, the vet told us to give her this food formula which is basically powdered hay that you mix with water and syringe it to your bun. I felt so so dreadful doing it, I had to get my parents to hold her still whilst I tried to syringe it into her mouth and it went everywhere and she got really agitated.
On the Monday she didn't seem very well at all and also, Hope started to look ill too. So I was super worried and we spent ages on google trying to find what was wrong. We got a few ideas but I don't think we were right. And I still feel SO GUILTY because we didn't take them to the vets that day. We should have done, it was stupid thinking back. But we didn't. Anyway, next morning my parents came into my room and said that HOPE had died. Hope had only been ill for a day, Faith had been ill all weekend. So obviously I was distraught. We tried to care for Faith for the rest of the day but she kept getting worse and worse. She had hardly any energy, wouldn't eat much, wouldn't drink very much, didn't want her favourite treats, and she was so floppy when I held her. And when she ran around she stumbled and staggered as if she had no coordination. I knew she was going to go. We took her to the vets later and one thing led to another and it's too long to explain, but she had to be put down later. I cried and cried . The vet wasn't sure what was wrong with her, she said there was some toxins in her blood so we thought maybe they had eaten something in the garden that they shouldn't have. Or it could have been RHD because they went so suddenly and so close together.
So firstly, does anyone know what it could have been? I don't know which is worse but I just wish I knew. And secondly, the reason I wrote this post was because I think I am finally ready to adopt some more rabbits, but I am so scared to do it because the same thing might happen again. If they ate something they shouldn't have, we will have to not let them have the whole garden, but have a big run in the garden instead, and watch them very, very closely. If they had RHD then I don't even know. I know there is a vaccination for strain 1 but not for strain 2. I'm just so anxious about owning anymore rabbits in case they get ill like Hope and Faith and die really young (they were 10 months old ).
So should I risk getting rabbits again? Is it worth it? What should I do? Any precautions or things I should do to prevent illness if I got more rabbits. Aaahhhh, I don't know, rabbits are so fragile and prone to illness .
Thanks,
Fwuff