• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.
  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

My rabbit has suddenly died :(

SmidgesFamily

Young Bun
I dont know what to do :(

My partner Matt has just gone out to check Smidge and she is dead :( :( :( I am heartbroken.

She was fine yesterday, hopping around the garden as usual. She is now lying in her nest box, and has died.

We have only had her a month, and when we took her to be neutered (I got her from a friend) they saud she was VERY underweight and had a lot of problems with her teeth and may need her front ones removing. We changed her diet and took her back to vets and she had started gaining weight, and in this last week, has been eating better than ever, she looked plumper and just looked healthier too, if that makes sense.

Why would this happen? What could it be? I just dont know what to do. i feel so bloody awful, as last night before bed, I didn't go out to check her, like we normally do, and I feel I have really let her down.

I dont think she has ever slept in her nest box, she prefers the top level of the hutch, so its killing me to think she went in there, knowing what was coming :(

:( :( :(
 
Oh no I'm so sorry Lisa :cry:

You musn't blame yourself, rabbits are such delicate creatures and it was obvious what good care you took of Smidge xx

Edited to add: I found my lovely Rowan dead on Christmas day last year. It was such an awful shock :cry: He had been ill a few days earlier and we'd been been to the vets a few times and he genuinelly seemed pretty much completely normal when I went to bed Christmas Eve but he was dead the next day :cry:
 
Having had Rusty die on me suddenly, I know exactly how you're feeling :cry: :cry: :cry: Without a post mortem (and even then, they're not conclusive) it's hard to say what caused her to pass away. :cry:
How was her body? Rusty was laid out with her legs behind her so I felt that she had not died in pain.
Please don't beat yourself up, the fact that she was hopping around enjoying life yesterday was a good sign.
 
I'm so sorry :( Sounds like you were doing everything to make her a happy bunny so try not to feel bad
 
What a terrible shock for you. She knew she was very loved though, and you gave her a great home, so take comfort in that.
 
Thanks for your messages.

She was laid out on her side, with her legs out behind her, kinda like when she is rolling in the mud in the garden.

Thank you Mandy - She had been seeing Rachel at the Gamston vets, and was due to go back in a couple of weeks. I shall ring in the morning and let them know.

I just dont know what to do. Matt thinks maybe she was just too thin. :(
 
I'm so sorry for your loss. I have lost a few rabbits to unknown causes and it is heartbreaking. Please don't blame yourself and play the what if game. From what you've said you obviously did all you could for little Smidge, loved her and cared for her and gave her the best life you could however short term it was. You might never know what caused her death but she is free from all earthly trappings now, binky free little girl.x
 
So sorry to hear about Smidge :(

As everyone has said, don't blame yourself, you gave her a better life than she previously had and without a post mortem you cannot know. It could have been anything but certainly not down to anything you have done!

(((*))) hug for you
 
So sorry for your loss :cry: What a horrible shock for you.

You obviously cared for her very much and gave her a loving home. Try not to blame yourself. x
 
Thank you for all your messages.

We really did adore her. She was our first rabbit, and I think we shocked ourselves at just how attached we became to her so quickly. She seemed to "bond" with Matt and would always sit on his lap and nuzzle him for attention. She was such a lovely little bunny. I dearly hope she didn't suffer :(
 
SmidgesFamily said:
Thank you for all your messages.

We really did adore her. She was our first rabbit, and I think we shocked ourselves at just how attached we became to her so quickly. She seemed to "bond" with Matt and would always sit on his lap and nuzzle him for attention. She was such a lovely little bunny. I dearly hope she didn't suffer :(

A sudden death is every Bunny carers worst nightmare. I am sure you must feel so distraught :cry:
It is probably of little comfort to you now but at least a sudden passing means the Bun did not suffer days or weeks of sickness, pain and stress.

As your Vet said she was unusually small maybe she had a congenital heart problem. She may well have passed in an instant with no pain or fear at all. Although you might never know 'why' she died please try not to blame yourself.
Smidge would want you to remember her and feel happy you knew her, albeit for such a short time. She would not want thinking of her to only make you feel sad.

Janex
 
:( I am so sorry for you..i found oscar dead and he was stretched out like that but he had been ill with gi stasis..i cannot imagine how it is to find an apperently healthy bun dead like thta..its so sad..i really am sorry.

likeive said many times before..the lady that saw us take oscars body into the evts took us to one side and said after years of losing beloved pets shed come to an conclusion..the animals we have arent our chice they are sent to us in a way as we give them exactly what they need comfort and real love..and when they are at the place where they have it al..they go to make way for the anmal whos ben waiting for you to welcome them and love them the same way..

you have dnt nothing wrong..being underweight does smack a little of maybe some form of cancer..kidney probs..diabetes anything.r likeus humans..sudden heart attack/faliure burst blood vessel in brain..alls orts..you will go mad if you keep trying to put a finger on it.

You are now destined to be a bunny mummy for ever onwards as you will want to feel that bunny love again and again and again..smidge was your learning buny.your learning curve..and it was a way of ensuring youd be there to take on more bunnies in the future..least thats how it always seems..and we do..we take on get another bunny and then add to the bunny colelction and become so obssessed people think we are crazy!

binky free and easy little bun..
 
I am really sorry to hear this :(

My bunny died last week just a few hours before he was running around, binkying everywhere so it was a complete shock when he died. We only had him a month too and he was only 12 weeks old so I know how attached you can get real quickly.

What I have done (and a few others I think) is got a plant in memory of my bunny (either outdoor or indoor) so you can watch it grow and call it after your bunny. I have placed a picture of him next to the plant and I often talk to it (crazy lady..!!). But I have found it had helped me loads.

xx
 
I've been there too and know how you must be feeling...... try not to think of the whats and whys, sometimes there are no answers, try to remember the fun and the love you shared. Sleep tight little bunny xxx
 
Back
Top