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My fault - a warning.

TimTom

New Kit
Hello everybody,

I have been skulking around the forum since we got our two rabbits in October of last year, 2018. Its a very helpful place, and I read what I could and learned about our new pets.

Sadly, in December of 2018, our two rabbits were in the run and a wild female rabbit was in the garden, and took an interest in our two male rabbits, which at that time had not been neutered. Disaster struck when one rabbit attacked the other, and an emergency operation was needed but thankfully, little Tim pulled through.

Tim became my favourite, so vulnerable and sweet. We seperated the rabbits and had Tommy neutered, then slowly reintroduced them both. Many happy days in the garden followed and I began to hate the hutch that we had been sold with our two rabbits, so I modified a children's play house and that became their new home, with different levels, vinyl flooring, a bed and lots of toys.

A couple of times, one or the other of the rabbits went off their food and I learned that this was very serious, took good care of them by bringing them indoors and caring for them until they started to eat again. The longest that took was two days.

Things were good.

On Monday, I noticed that both of the rabbits had stopped eating. I usually let them free in the garden every evening and at weekends and I thought that maybe they had eaten something that didn't agree with them. So I kept a close eye on them. Last night (Tuesday) they were still not eating but Tim took lots of water and a little food, so I thought he was on the mend. Tommy was not taking anything and he is usually the most delicate of the pair when it comes to digestive problems.

I decided to take them to the vet the nxt morning (today) but was horrified when I looked in on them to find Tim in a really bad way. He was almost unresponsive and I got him and Tommy straight to the vet. They hospitalised Tim for the day but were unable to save him. They phoned me and asked what I wanted to do so I picked the kindest option of having Tim put to sleep straight away, since I couldn't make it back to the vets for a couple of hours.

Tommy was treated also, so I went back and collected poor Tim so that I could bury him here at home. I will plant a rose bush over his grave. Tommy is on medication and I am syringe feeding him.

I am devastated. I am a grown man and just can't stop crying. This is my fault and I should have taken Tim to the vet earlier. I have to be strong for my daughter who is also very upset but I just needed to get this out. My wife is very sweet but I feel stupid talking to her about this as she has suffered with losing more than one family member at young ages, and sometimes in tragic circumstances but she never once really broke down in front of me, though I wanted her to.

I just want this to serve as a warning to others. Please take your rabbits not feeding seriously and get help straight away. Even if you have managed things yourself before, this is what can happen without involving the vet.

Rest in Peace, Tim. xx
 
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I'm so sorry you have had this sadness and loss. Thank you for sharing the experience. It is clear Tim was a loved and well cared for rabbit, and the rosebush is a lovely idea. Sending vibes that Tom will continue to recover well.
 
I am so sorry that you lost Timmy; and I hope that Tommy will recover soon.
Because they are prey animals, rabbits are very good at hiding their illness. It is not uncommon, even for those of us with years, or even decades, of experience with rabbits to not realize a beloved pet is ill until it is too late. Some bunnies will also go downhill very quickly, so we do not always have time to either get treatment or for the treatment to work before the illness takes our beloved rabbit away.
Sometimes it helps to use the Rainbow Bridge section of this forum to share memories of our beloved pets.
Rabbits have a way of tugging at our heartstrings and it can take time to accept they are gone when they are only with us in our heart, mind and spirit.
 
I'm sorry :(

Yes, as bunny momma said, I think most of us have experienced this at one time or another. Animals can't tell us when they're not feeling well and when it's serious. And to make matters worse, they hide when they're ill and can be very delicate. It's not always easy to decide what the best action would be or know how quickly to act. Don't be too hard on yourself x
 
Hello everybody,

I have been skulking around the forum since we got our two rabbits in October of last year, 2018. Its a very helpful place, and I read what I could and learned about our new pets.

Sadly, in December of 2018, our two rabbits were in the run and a wild female rabbit was in the garden, and took an interest in our two male rabbits, which at that time had not been neutered. Disaster struck when one rabbit attacked the other, and an emergency operation was needed but thankfully, little Tim pulled through.

Tim became my favourite, so vulnerable and sweet. We seperated the rabbits and had Tommy neutered, then slowly reintroduced them both. Many happy days in the garden followed and I began to hate the hutch that we had been sold with our two rabbits, so I modified a children's play house and that became their new home, with different levels, vinyl flooring, a bed and lots of toys.

A couple of times, one or the other of the rabbits went off their food and I learned that this was very serious, took good care of them by bringing them indoors and caring for them until they started to eat again. The longest that took was two days.

Things were good.

On Monday, I noticed that both of the rabbits had stopped eating. I usually let them free in the garden every evening and at weekends and I thought that maybe they had eaten something that didn't agree with them. So I kept a close eye on them. Last night (Tuesday) they were still not eating but Tim took lots of water and a little food, so I thought he was on the mend. Tommy was not taking anything and he is usually the most delicate of the pair when it comes to digestive problems.

I decided to take them to the vet the nxt morning (today) but was horrified when I looked in on them to find Tim in a really bad way. He was almost unresponsive and I got him and Tommy straight to the vet. They hospitalised Tim for the day but were unable to save him. They phoned me and asked what I wanted to do so I picked the kindest option of having Tim put to sleep straight away, since I couldn't make it back to the vets for a couple of hours.

Tommy was treated also, so I went back and collected poor Tim so that I could bury him here at home. I will plant a rose bush over his grave. Tommy is on medication and I am syringe feeding him.

I am devastated. I am a grown man and just can't stop crying. This is my fault and I should have taken Tim to the vet earlier. I have to be strong for my daughter who is also very upset but I just needed to get this out. My wife is very sweet but I feel stupid talking to her about this as she has suffered with losing more than one family member at young ages, and sometimes in tragic circumstances but she never once really broke down in front of me, though I wanted her to.

I just want this to serve as a warning to others. Please take your rabbits not feeding seriously and get help straight away. Even if you have managed things yourself before, this is what can happen without involving the vet.

Rest in Peace, Tim. xx

I am very sorry for your loss :cry: It is very brave of you to post about the circumstances and doing so is a reminder to all of us who have Rabbits the importance of consulting a Vet if our Rabbits stop eating.

RIP Tim xx
 
I’m so sorry :cry: rabbits do hide their illnesses very well as has been said. When I lose any of my furry friends I find it very hard to cope with too. I hope Tommy will recover quickly, I’m sending lots of vibes.

RU is here for you if you want to talk :love: thinking of you and sending hugs.
 
I am very sorry to read your story about Tim and I share Bunny Momma's thoughts and views. The Rainbow Bridge section is one where one can find solstice and comfort. Rabbits are frail little animals who hide illness and injury well and most of us on here have stories and expeience of our own rabbits hiding illness.
I am 53 and I still cry and shed tears about my beloved bridge Bun Ben and I lost him almost 2 years back now. We all have a special bun in our lives who ultimately tugs so hard at our heart strings. But we understand on this forum how it feels and we all sympathise and share in the pain and grief that loosing a special rabbit brings.
It is testamount to Tim that you cared deeply for him, and still feel the way you do, and that Tim touched your heart and soul in a way that you feel able to share amongst us.
And I'm sure many of us still shed a quiet tear when we read about the loss of every rabbit through this forum.
The rose bush memory for Tim is a wonderful idea and a very personal reminder of how much Tim meant to you and your family.
Binkey free little Tim. xx
 
So sorry to hear that you have lost your beloved Tim, many of us on here have felt, and can share your pain. You did your best for Tim, and a rose bush is such a lovely thought. Please feel free to post any time, always someone here to share with xx Binky free little Tim x
 
I'm so sorry for your loss, they can deteriorate very quickly but you did all you can. You did actually take him to the vets and notice that he was unwell, please try not to be too hard on yourself. RIP little Timx
 
I'm so sorry to hear about Tim :( It's obvious that you cared deeply for him. Please do stick around on the forum. It's such a friendly and welcoming community here <3
 
i think all on here understand your pain, guilty feelings, regrets etc. and probably all look back at things that could've been done differently - I certainly do, but all we can do is grieve for the loss of a much loved bun.
Re: your wife & her losses, I wouldn't feel bad about grieving so much about a rabbit. It's a different situation to human losses but can still be devastating as we are their 'total' carers & generally feel total responsibility for anything that happens to them.
Personally, i take the loss of a bun very very badly. The description of the circumstances with Tim is very familiar to me :cry: . I hope Tommy gets back to full health as soon as he can xxx .
 
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Hello again everyone,

I logged in quickly before I finished work on Friday and I can't tell you how overwhelmed I felt after reading all of your posts. I'm not going to quote you all individually as there are too many replies but to read that rabbits hide their illnesses so well is something of a comfort. To read your posts and feel your empathy is a great comfort, and to hear that I am not the only one that has misread the importance of a situation with sick rabbit is also good to stop me beating myself up quite so much and feeling so guilty.

I will always miss Tim, and I know that there will be further tears for quite some time to come, but all of your posts, be they a simple message of condolence or something more, have lifted the weight on my shoulders considerably. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I like the idea of posting in Rainbow Bridge but I am just too upset to do that right now, maybe in the future, just for a lasting memory of little Tim and to celebrate the short life of such a treasured little bunny who was taken too soon.

I will let the ground settle for a while and then plant the rose bush, it just happens to be in the place that Tim spent most of the day before he died. I have a wooden cross there for now with his name on it: "Tim Burton RIP", named after the American film director, producer, artist, writer, and animator.

Tommy has been very poorly and not eating so he went back to the vets today. We have been syringe feeding him and giving him his medication and water. I think Tommy is very slowly coming around as we had a few poos last night and some more today. He also seems to be a bit more alert and has regained some of his fiesty behaviour. I don't think we're out of the woods yet but things seem to be looking better, so I will keep you all updated.

Regarding vaccination, I think that both rabbits had two vaccinations shortly after we bought them. One was for myxomatosis, but I am not sure of the other one. I have a PM regarding vaccinations, which was very thoughtful and very welcome so I will read that in detail soon.

Moving on, I was wondering about poor Tommy, and how he might miss his little companion, so I would be grateful for any advice from you guys as to what and when I should do about maybe considering a new friend for Tommy, to keep him company and give him somebody to snuggle up with on those cold winter nights.

Someone suggested that I stay around here, which I will definitely do. Again I would like to thank all of you for your sympathy, empathy, advice and condolences. You are lovely people, you are kind and thoughtful and you really all do showcase the best of humanity.

:love:
 
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Hello again everyone,

I logged in quickly before I finished work on Friday and I can't tell you how overwhelmed I felt after reading all of your posts. I'm not going to quote you all individually as there are too many replies but to read that rabbits hide their illnesses so well is something of a comfort. To read your posts and feel your empathy is a great comfort, and to hear that I am not the only one that has misread the importance of a situation with sick rabbit is also good to stop me beating myself up quite so much and feeling so guilty.

I will always miss Tim, and I know that there will be further tears for quite some time to come, but all of your posts, be they a simple message of condolence or something more, have lifted the weight on my shoulders considerably. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I like the idea of posting in Rainbow Bridge but I am just too upset to do that right now, maybe in the future, just for a lasting memory of little Tim and to celebrate the short life of such a treasured little bunny who was taken too soon.

I will let the ground settle for a while and then plant the rose bush, it just happens to be in the place that Tim spent most of the day before he died. I have a wooden cross there for now with his name on it: "Tim Burton RIP", named after the American film director, producer, artist, writer, and animator.

Tommy has been very poorly and not eating so he went back to the vets today. We have been syringe feeding him and giving him his medication and water. I think Tommy is very slowly coming around as we had a few poos last night and some more today. He also seems to be a bit more alert and has regained some of his fiesty behaviour. I don't think we're out of the woods yet but things seem to be looking better, so I will keep you all updated.

Regarding vaccination, I think that both rabbits had two vaccinations shortly after we bought them. One was for myxomatosis, but I am not sure of the other one. I have a PM regarding vaccinations, which was very thoughtful and very welcome so I will read that in detail soon.

Moving on, I was wondering about poor Tommy, and how he might miss his little companion, so I would be grateful for any advice from you guys as to what and when I should do about maybe considering a new friend for Tommy, to keep him company and give him somebody to snuggle up with on those cold winter nights.

Someone suggested that I stay around here, which I will definitely do. Again I would like to thank all of you for your sympathy, empathy, advice and condolences. You are lovely people, you are kind and thoughtful and you really all do showcase the best of humanity.

:love:

Hello again and thank you for the update. I do hope that Tommy can pull through. As I mentioned in my PM as RHD2 cannot be ruled out I would hold off bringing any new Rabbits into your home. All the links I sent in my PM contain information that will be extremely important to read and I am glad that you are going to do so. If you find out that Tim and Tom had 'some vaccinations' then this must mean two separate vaccines administered at least 2 weeks apart. I sent you this link with the others in my PM, but I'll post it again here :

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?472636-Vaccinations-2019&p=7041560#post7041560



If you do eventually obtain another Rabbit then Adopting one from a Rescue may be something to consider. The Rabbit will already have been neutered and FULLY Vaccinated, so you wont have that worry. Also, some Rescues will help with the bonding process.

Going back to helping Tommy whilst he is poorly, this information about 'Gastrointestinal Stasis' may be useful to read too

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-...OWkzeRO4iVp1B4Eeh_zDzxp9nzlA4O5AUi2tr-2Qm5hT8

http://anyflip.com/dvpt/hzvv

https://www.vin.com/apputil/content/defaultadv1.aspx?id=3846185&pid=11147

https://www.vin.com/apputil/content...=29493&id=3846186&ind=70&objTypeID=17&print=1

So sorry for the information overload, I am just trying to help but sometimes it can feel all too much to take in.Especially as you have been so recently bereaved :cry:

Lots of get well soon vibes being sent for Tom xx
 
I am pleased that you are able to find some degree of solstice from the forum. It is many things to different people and I am sure we have all found support from each other when we have needed that support.
Tim will live forever with you and your family - it is his way of living on within you as all our pets do. And you will find yourself asking many questions as time goes on. This forum is here should you wish to share those questions.
As for Tommy - my own view is that you allow yourself and also Tommy, a little bit of time to grieve and to allow yourself the time to feel ready to move on. But, it's important to keep a closer eye on Tommy not just through his current unwell state, but he too, will grieve and so he will feel unsettled and sad. So it's important to monitor his behaviour.
But in time, and because rabbits are sociable animals, then it would benefit Tommy to have a companion. A female (spayed) would be better and probably one from around a similar age and if possible from a rescue centre.
Moving forward is always difficult for all of us, and it needs to be at your pace, not others. So please feel free to use the forum and share if you feel you wish to.
We are all here to help each other as much as we can. x
 
Sorry to hear about little Tim. I know how hard it is to lose them, I've lost one of mine this week and it's terrible. I have also planted a rosebush in memory of mine, it is a lovely way to remember them. I hope Tommy gets better soon x
 
Hello again and thank you for the update. I do hope that Tommy can pull through. As I mentioned in my PM as RHD2 cannot be ruled out I would hold off bringing any new Rabbits into your home. All the links I sent in my PM contain information that will be extremely important to read and I am glad that you are going to do so. If you find out that Tim and Tom had 'some vaccinations' then this must mean two separate vaccines administered at least 2 weeks apart. I sent you this link with the others in my PM, but I'll post it again here :

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?472636-Vaccinations-2019&p=7041560#post7041560



If you do eventually obtain another Rabbit then Adopting one from a Rescue may be something to consider. The Rabbit will already have been neutered and FULLY Vaccinated, so you wont have that worry. Also, some Rescues will help with the bonding process.

Going back to helping Tommy whilst he is poorly, this information about 'Gastrointestinal Stasis' may be useful to read too

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-...OWkzeRO4iVp1B4Eeh_zDzxp9nzlA4O5AUi2tr-2Qm5hT8

http://anyflip.com/dvpt/hzvv

https://www.vin.com/apputil/content/defaultadv1.aspx?id=3846185&pid=11147

https://www.vin.com/apputil/content...=29493&id=3846186&ind=70&objTypeID=17&print=1

So sorry for the information overload, I am just trying to help but sometimes it can feel all too much to take in.Especially as you have been so recently bereaved :cry:

Lots of get well soon vibes being sent for Tom xx

Hi there and thanks again for your supportive and informative message. I have had a good read of the links that you sent me and I think that Tommy is on the mend. His apetite is still not quite what it was but his poos are looking much healthier and he is eating regularly now.

I still have him indoors but he is out in the run during the day and tucking into the grass quite well. I'm not letting him back into the garden until I can totally rule out and poisonous vegetation. The family were away last week so I sat him in the living room with me in the evenings to keep him company.

I have looked up the vaccinations and there is nothing for RHD2, just the myxomatosis/RHD one, so I must have been mistaken with the two vaccines I mentioned.

I think now that the problem with Tommy is that he misses Tim, he just doesn't seem himself he goes for long period just sitting on the grass in the run, its like he's daydreaming about poor Tim, or maybe I'm just silly! I suppose the next steps are to get him vaccinated for RHD2 and find him a companion. I will definitely be getting a rescue rabbit this time and I wish I had done that in the first place, but you live and learn.

So do the lovely people of the forum have any advice for me here other than to get a female of the same sort of age? Is it the right time, or should I give him some more time to grieve?

Thanks. xxx
 
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