Grieving Bunny

[MPerry]

Hello,

Sorry I am new here so please redirect me if I am in the wrong area.

My husband and I adopted two baby mini lops at the beginning of September, Dave and Derek. They were 8 weeks old when we got them. They had their first vets check just a few days after coming home and were both given a clean bill of health. At 13 weeks and 3 days we took them for their vaccinations, all went smoothly, they were both gaining weight as expected, neither showing any signs or symptoms, two happy bunnies.

They were both super active, always running and throwing themselves into binkies, they were both REALLY into their food and would easily get through a big pile of hay in a day and would come running full speed as soon as they heard the crinkling of the pellet bag.

Yesterday, at 15 weeks and 2 days unfortunately one of the boys passed away. We have no idea what happened to him. They had both been happily playing, hopping about, eating and drinking at 2300 when we closed them away for the night and when I went to check on them at around 1000 the next morning Dave was laid out and unresponsive and I quickly realised he had died. Derek seemed absolutely fine but I rushed him to the vet to have him checked out. The vet (who was truly a horrible man) said that he seemed fine but to keep an eye on him. All through yesterday he was completely normal, hopping about, eating, drinking and pooping as he normally would.

This morning he has refused his pellet food (he has never done this before, it was usually a bit of a competition to see who could get their head in the bowl quickest) and he has been extra sleepy. He is still eating hay as he would any other day but he has not touched his pellets at all and he hasn’t drank any water either. He has spent most of the day loafed on the rug by the window in the sun. His poop has been normal too with the exception of one slightly loose stool. I called the vet and they said he is fine as long as he is eating hay still, which he is, but my instincts say something is not right.

I am home with him all day today but tomorrow I go back to work and so he will be alone for the day and I am super anxious about leaving him. I’ve got a few people who are going to come and check him throughout the day. However. I would be super grateful if anyone could offer me some advice as I am really nervous we could loose Derek too.

 

[Omi]

I'm very sorry that one of your bunnies has died It is particularly difficult when it has been a sudden death with no indication of the cause.

Do you have a record of which vaccinations your bunnies were given? They do need vaccinating for the 3 diseases ie RHD both 1 and 2 as well as Myxomatosis. These are normally given as just the one injection currently. I ask this as an RHD infection can lead to a very sudden death.

I would keep a very close watch on your other bunny, Derek. Some bunnies do grieve when they have suddenly lost their partner, but it is sensible not to rule out some sort of illness, which I'm sure you are doing.

Sending lots of vibes for Derek.

 

[Scrappy's Little Helper]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I'm so sorry you lost Dave. It's frightening how quickly they can go downhill

It's difficult to know if Derek's current behaviour is due to grief or whether he's becoming unwell himself. Personally I always think you should trust your gut instinct if you feel that they're not "right". The problem with bunnies is that as a prey species they're biologically programmed to hide pain and illness so that by the time they become obviously unwell they may already be very poorly.

Unfortunately not all vets are very clued up about rabbits. Do you know whether your current vet is rabbit savvy? I know it's trickier because it's a Sunday, but it might be worth posting your rough location so people can recommend a rabbit savvy vet near you. It may just be the case that Derek is grieving for his friend but I think it would put your mind at rest if you have him checked over by a competent vet.

I hope Derek perks up soon. It is encouraging that he's still eating hay and pooing. Once again, I am very sorry for your loss x

 

[InspectorMorse]

I am sorry for your loss Had your Rabbits both been vaccinated ? If not then sadly RHD ( Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease) is a real possibility. Do Derek’s ears feel unusually hot ?

Info about RHD here https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-health/disease/rabbit-vhd/

 

[MPerry]

Thank you so much for all your kind words. Derek is pretty much the same, definitely it his usual self, much more subdued. He has spent his day mooching about, done lots of snoozing and not much else. He still hasn’t eaten any of his pellets, he hasn’t had much to drink either but is still munching away on hay to his hearts content. I did give a different vet a call, who was lovely, he said that since Derek is not showing any obvious signs of illness he would rather not put him through any further stress by bringing him in again. We are going to leave him overnight and see if he picks up tomorrow. We have some friends who are going to come and check on him while we are at work and we Will just have to play things by ear. Fingers crossed for him. Please keep little Del in your thoughts.

 

[MPerry]

Hello, thank you for replying. Both boys had all their vaccinations on the 17th October , I think there were two injections, it’s listed in their records as “Novibac: Myxo-RHD Plus”. I am hopeful that Derek is just sad but trying to remain realistic and keep my eyes peeled for signs of anything more sinister. My poor boy.

 

[InspectorMorse]

I am glad that they were vaccinated. It does take 3 weeks for a full immune response to the vaccine to occur so RHD is still a possibility, sadly. I really hope that Derek will be OK x