I wanted to briefly update everyone on this thread. Firstly to say how touched and grateful I am that so many people felt they knew Leo and that he touched so many hearts.
Secondly to update you on the debrief I’ve given the exotic specialist. This has been a truly awful morning at work - I am on my own, in an isolated noisy office and the pain is just beyond words. To make things worse I spoke to one of our pet customers earlier who, whilst we were speaking, took a call from her vet. I asked her if her pet was ok and she said no, sadly it had to be pts. When you’re down, the boot just keeps kicking you. You can imagine my emotional reaction to that awful news.
Anyway, I spoke to our exotic vet. She sounded down - she is as upset as we all are, but she has offered her thoughts on what I described last night when Leo passed. She said that all his vitals were good. Everything was going the right way. So this came as a massive shock. She said all rabbits carry pasturella naturally and, under normal circumstances, the rabbits immune system deals with it. In Leo’s weakened state for surgery, she said that likely pasturella made it from Leo’s bloodstream into his heart. He was not able to fight that off. She said that had we not brought him home last night, he would have passed at the vets because the pasturella would already be infecting his heart. She described it as ‘super acute’.
Also, that when we took him in, she said that it was as early as we could have to intercept the appendix. But she’s never seen or heard of a rabbit with both a stomach blocked and appendicitis.
She said that had Leo not had the fur blockage, he would have passed from burst appendix so we at least gave Leo a chance of surviving through surgery.
It does not comfort me at this moment in time. I tell everyone else not to get consumed by guilt and yet I find myself now on a very lonely dark space with nothing left and exhausted. I’ve lost a most special and gentle soul from my life who deserved much longer but who sadly has now left us to play with all the other bridge bunnies.
I’d write more but my eyes are so sore from crying.
Thank you each and everyone for your supportive words.
Craig xxx
Someone else said you need to be tough to own rabbits, and I do have to say all what the vet said would have given me great comfort, but I am pretty tough. The fact you're not doesn't make you any less a great bunny parents, in fact i think it makes you a better one than I 
