~ILoveMyBunny~
Alpha Buck
We had the most awful experience this weekend. Long story short our baby Honey was in the vet a few weeks ago as she had suddenly developed a cataract in her left eye.
We have EC issues in the household at the moment. Our dutch girl tested EXTREMELY high for it when taken in as an emergency (not eating, minor head tilt) a good month or more ago but made a full recovery - one other rabbit was also sampled and tested positive for exposure. All rabbtis have been on 28 days panacur including Honey who was nearing the end of her 28 day course in a few days.
On examination the vet discovered Honey had one-sided facial paralysis (I suspect this preceeded the recent EC outbreak as she's held one side of her face oddly for a while and always had one lop ear that she has never let you touch - many other vets have examined and never found a problem - she's been like that since we adopted her at 4 months old) and that her lop ear had tested positive for 2 bacteria that shouldn't be there so she's been on antibiotics for about 2 weeks + metacam. In herself she seemed generally well and bouncy but has spent a few weeks massively overproducing cecotrophes, some of which I ultimately had to remove as there were simply so many and she didn't eat them all and they would stick to her fur (Honey was long haired).
She had been doing really well until Friday she started to go off her food. She was slightly picky a day or two before but nothing really unusual.
Saturday I came down to do her medication and picked her up, she was very still. I put the metacam in her mouth and quickly realised something was wrong when she just held it there.
I put her on the ground and she flopped to one side. I immediately called vet and taxi (I can't drive + had surgery myself a few days before) to rush her in. Everything was a disaster from there.
I waited about an hour for the taxi (I was told 7 minutes) and kept being told it was outside. I ended up walking up and down the road and pulled my stitches slightly in doing so, all the while knowing something was seriously wrong with Honey. She'd made one or two small squeaks and I'd wiped the metacam from her mouth for fear of her choking.
I opened the carrier and she suddenly tried desperarely to get out. A few minutes later I saw her put her head back and I assumed she was gasping for air. She did it a couple of times and stretched her front legs out with her head back, mouth wide open. Then her heart stopped. I did cpr for about half an hour, chest compressions and blowing into her nose but I couldn't bring her back.
Eventually a friend was able to collect me and the vet certified what I already knew.
I am so far beyond devastated I can't even begin to explain. Honey was the 'baby', the youngest except for Harley (about 6yrs) and as far as I knew healthy. Watching that happen, being unable to bring her back and all of the what-if's are beyond explanation. I am in total shock. I am furious with the taxi for never turning up, furious with myself for not being able to do more, terrified that I did something wrong to cause this.
Right now I'm trying to figure out what happened and whether I should worry for the rest. The vet offered post mortem but I don't think I can bear having her messed with.
My instinct is that it was EC. However it's worth noting that her vaccinations had run out. In fact all of them have. Over covid they had suspended giving vaccinations (I've now found out they're doing them again but wasn't aware they'd resumed until yesterday). With a long story short I lost my Mum to cancer 5 months ago and just had surgery myself so I'm now kicking myself for not thinking to phone back and see if they'd resumed the vaccines.
I'm currently trying to get them all booked in but have been quoted £1,120 to vaccinate all 8 so I'm checking to see if I can find anywhere else to vaccinate as it's more than double their last round of vaccines.
I didn't see any signs of blood etc that might have indicated RHD but I am scared. They are all indoors and she shared her room with 3 others who are all healthy.
I am beyond devastated and feeling so so guilty. Everything possible has been going wrong for us this year. I cannot process that my sweet Honey is gone or the guilt that somehow I might be at fault.
We have EC issues in the household at the moment. Our dutch girl tested EXTREMELY high for it when taken in as an emergency (not eating, minor head tilt) a good month or more ago but made a full recovery - one other rabbit was also sampled and tested positive for exposure. All rabbtis have been on 28 days panacur including Honey who was nearing the end of her 28 day course in a few days.
On examination the vet discovered Honey had one-sided facial paralysis (I suspect this preceeded the recent EC outbreak as she's held one side of her face oddly for a while and always had one lop ear that she has never let you touch - many other vets have examined and never found a problem - she's been like that since we adopted her at 4 months old) and that her lop ear had tested positive for 2 bacteria that shouldn't be there so she's been on antibiotics for about 2 weeks + metacam. In herself she seemed generally well and bouncy but has spent a few weeks massively overproducing cecotrophes, some of which I ultimately had to remove as there were simply so many and she didn't eat them all and they would stick to her fur (Honey was long haired).
She had been doing really well until Friday she started to go off her food. She was slightly picky a day or two before but nothing really unusual.
Saturday I came down to do her medication and picked her up, she was very still. I put the metacam in her mouth and quickly realised something was wrong when she just held it there.
I put her on the ground and she flopped to one side. I immediately called vet and taxi (I can't drive + had surgery myself a few days before) to rush her in. Everything was a disaster from there.
I waited about an hour for the taxi (I was told 7 minutes) and kept being told it was outside. I ended up walking up and down the road and pulled my stitches slightly in doing so, all the while knowing something was seriously wrong with Honey. She'd made one or two small squeaks and I'd wiped the metacam from her mouth for fear of her choking.
I opened the carrier and she suddenly tried desperarely to get out. A few minutes later I saw her put her head back and I assumed she was gasping for air. She did it a couple of times and stretched her front legs out with her head back, mouth wide open. Then her heart stopped. I did cpr for about half an hour, chest compressions and blowing into her nose but I couldn't bring her back.
Eventually a friend was able to collect me and the vet certified what I already knew.
I am so far beyond devastated I can't even begin to explain. Honey was the 'baby', the youngest except for Harley (about 6yrs) and as far as I knew healthy. Watching that happen, being unable to bring her back and all of the what-if's are beyond explanation. I am in total shock. I am furious with the taxi for never turning up, furious with myself for not being able to do more, terrified that I did something wrong to cause this.
Right now I'm trying to figure out what happened and whether I should worry for the rest. The vet offered post mortem but I don't think I can bear having her messed with.
My instinct is that it was EC. However it's worth noting that her vaccinations had run out. In fact all of them have. Over covid they had suspended giving vaccinations (I've now found out they're doing them again but wasn't aware they'd resumed until yesterday). With a long story short I lost my Mum to cancer 5 months ago and just had surgery myself so I'm now kicking myself for not thinking to phone back and see if they'd resumed the vaccines.
I'm currently trying to get them all booked in but have been quoted £1,120 to vaccinate all 8 so I'm checking to see if I can find anywhere else to vaccinate as it's more than double their last round of vaccines.
I didn't see any signs of blood etc that might have indicated RHD but I am scared. They are all indoors and she shared her room with 3 others who are all healthy.
I am beyond devastated and feeling so so guilty. Everything possible has been going wrong for us this year. I cannot process that my sweet Honey is gone or the guilt that somehow I might be at fault.