Flystrike 😢 absolutely devastated

[Gem121]

My sweet boy aged 9 has had to cross over rainbow bridge today due to the horrendous thing that is flystrike.
I am absolutely devastated as we clean his hutch and run daily and gave him bum washes daily and check him over. As he is elderly he needed to be washed everyday so to get any smells off him. The horrible things were on his back above his tail and we didn’t see them. They were quite big and hidden under all his fur. He was still eating ok and acting ok so had no idea.
We rushed him to the vets but told the kindest thing was to let him go. So so upset.
Has anyone had any experience of this horrible thing where their bunny has been ok? And not had to let them go.
We are totally devastated and feel so so sad that this has happened. Had 3 bunnies over the years and never had anything like this happen before.

 

[Shimmer]

So sorry for your loss.

I've had one rabbit with flystrike. Even though he was treated quickly and all the maggots removed before there was much tissue damage, we lost him a few days later from shock. Like yours, he had a frequent mucky bum that had to be washed daily. I was just a couple of hours late on that day and found the eggs, then noticed that some had hatched.

It's a horrible condition, and one of the few things that I would seriously consider PTS rather than attempt treatment if it happened again.

 

[ERCD]

I’m so sorry for your loss. That’s a terrible shock xx

We had an issue with flystrike a few years ago. I was away and my OH was looking after the buns by himself. It was during an intense heatwave and he’d checked them earlier that day and they were both fine. Next time he checked, they both had flies so he took them straight to the vet. (They had been sprayed with flystrike spray and were checked regularly).

The vets did a fantastic job and it was believed that both buns were free of flies, and they were sent home. Sadly our little Bella passed away shortly after getting back home, but Bertie made it through.

It’s horrible and I’m so sorry it happened to your bun xx

 

[bunny momma]

I am sorry for your loss. Sleep well little bunny.

 

[InspectorMorse]

I am very sorry for your loss Sadly flystrike fatalities usually occur due to internal damage done by the maggots that get inside the body. Also, the Rabbit can go into systemic shock.

I am posting this information for the benefit of anyone else reading this post, given that this thread is on a public part of the Forum, so people don’t have to be members of RU to see it

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/flystrike-in-rabbits/

https://www.vettimes.co.uk/app/uplo...on-and-treatment-of-fly-strike-in-rabbits.pdf


Is the Bunny you still have an outdoor Rabbit? If so is there any way he could be kept as a House Rabbit now as he would be lonely outside.

 

[Pets mum]

So sorry for your loss, R.i.p. little bunny x

 

[Omi]

I'm sorry for your distressing loss

 

[LilyBarney]

Sorry for your loss

 

[Barn Yard Bunnies]

Big big hugs. X

 

[Gem121]

So sorry for your loss.

I've had one rabbit with flystrike. Even though he was treated quickly and all the maggots removed before there was much tissue damage, we lost him a few days later from shock. Like yours, he had a frequent mucky bum that had to be washed daily. I was just a couple of hours late on that day and found the eggs, then noticed that some had hatched.

It's a horrible condition, and one of the few things that I would seriously consider PTS rather than attempt treatment if it happened again.

Thanks for your reply.
So sorry about your bunny. I didn’t realise they could pass away from shock. Was your bunny elderly too?
There was a lot of them horrible things on my little bunny and I feel very guilty that it could have been different if I had spotted them sooner. They had hatched high up above his tail on his back, which wasnt an area we had checked all the time as we focused on his bum area, where skin was visible. He struggled to clean himself and I think was starting to be incontinent, so it was never ending cleaning and hard to get Urine smells off his fur.
The vet offered treatment but said it was likely he wouldn’t come out of the anaesthetic. And that if he did, he would be likely to get flystrike again due to his ailments.
I was very torn what to do but decided I didn’t want him to have the stress of travelling to another vets and being with strangers having procedures done which might not have worked.

Thank you for your message. It has reassured me a little that treatment sometimes isn’t the best option.
It was so very hard because he was acting totally fine hopping about and eating.
They are such beautiful fragile little creatures.

 

[Shimmer]

My flystrike rabbit wasn't old - middle aged, maybe? Apart from a mucky bum (which we were working on), he was fit and bouncy.
The guilt doesn't go away. . I wish he had been PTS now (which I rarely do) - but that's so difficult when you see an otherwise OK rabbit.

The fly eggs can be difficult to see in some fur colours, even if you are looking for them. It doesn't take long for them to hatch in warm weather (less than a couple of hours in my case), and the maggots cause intense pain when they start burrowing and releasing various chemicals, hence the shock. So unless it's caught extremely early, I would look to stop the suffering.

Diet, adequate space to exercise and basic hygiene is the main way to prevent a mucky bum in rabbits (so more hay / grass, cleaner bum), but older ones often have other issues (like arthritis) which makes it hard for them to groom, or they may need a modified diet. They also tend to be less active, so urinary tract conditions tend to be harder to sort out and poo isn't dropped / eaten as intended.

For future reference, F10 Germicidal Wound Spray with Insecticide is safe to use on rabbits (including on open wounds) and is an effective anti-flystrike treatment, if the rabbit is at risk. It's not something you would need for a fit, healthy, mobile rabbit - but if the rabbit has issues which make it more susceptible to flystrike, it's worth getting in. I wouldn't use Rearguard, which is often recommended by some vets. It is expensive, hard to apply, can only be used on the bum and on intact skin, needs reapplying if washed off (so no use if doing daily bum baths), and often causes other issues eg reduced appetite.

RIP our much loved flystrike bunnies.