Giant Continental Stasis

I rehomed an 18 month old giant continental rabbit called Timmy.
I have only had him one month and he sadly passed away on Friday.
He had a good diet of greens , hay and his bowl of pellets in the evening.
On Friday morning I noticed he seemed lethargic , he was still eating a lot but I also noticed worms in his poo (I have no other rabbits)
I took him to the vets and on the way he went into shock and sadly once there his heart stopped.
I am heartbroken, he deserved longer to live and be happy.
The vet said the x-ray showed he had stasis.

I’ve been wracking my brains as to why it happened.
I have chickens and I suddenly remember on the Monday he ate some of their corn on the cob before I realised rabbits couldn’t have it.
I feel so sick and guilty wondering if that causes the stasis.
Could it have happened 4 days after a few bites?
Or could it have been related to the worms?

Thank you

I'm sorry you lost him so young.

Only a post mortem examination by your vet could have given you an answer - but sometimes even that isn't conclusive, and it needed to be done as soon as possible. There are so many possibilities, including genetic factors over which you had no control. Giant rabbits in particular can have delicate hearts, for instance.

You may be able to discuss what happened with your vet, especially as there is an X-ray which maybe could show if there had been a blockage caused by the worms or corn. Personally, I doubt that a few mouthfuls of fresh corn on the cob would have been harmful. Dry corn can cause issues, though.

RIP Timmy.

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Originally Posted by Shimmer

I'm sorry you lost him so young.

Only a post mortem examination by your vet could have given you an answer - but sometimes even that isn't conclusive, and it needed to be done as soon as possible. There are so many possibilities, including genetic factors over which you had no control. Giant rabbits in particular can have delicate hearts, for instance.

You may be able to discuss what happened with your vet, especially as there is an X-ray which maybe could show if there had been a blockage caused by the worms or corn. Personally, I doubt that a few mouthfuls of fresh corn on the cob would have been harmful. Dry corn can cause issues, though.

RIP Timmy.

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Thank you for your thoughtful reply.
I have been so scared to admit it as I feel sick at the thought of it being confirmed it could of been the corn.
I asked the vet exactly what he died off and he said this - enterotoxaemic shock which is a release of toxins from a severe bacterial infection in the gut likely secondary to gut stasis.

I have now asked about the corn as I believe he did have an x-ray.
I would never forgive myself if I stopped his beautiful life short.
The lady in the pet shop when I bought his stuff said he could have corn on the cob but I always google things so I don’t know why I didn’t when I gave it to the chickens 😔

I'm so sorry you lost Timmy, its especially difficult when they are young. Sweet dreams big bunny

I am sorry for your loss.

Really sorry to hear that you have lost your bunny, sometimes we never find out the cause. Sweet dreams Timmy x

I'm so sorry you lost Timmy :cry:

I'm so very sorry you lost your Timmy, and so young, too. :(

There really are many things that could've caused him to pass away so suddenly. Like Shimmer said, the only way to know for certain would've been a post mortem, and even that might not have given you an answer. I think it's unlikely that it was a few bites of corn, personally, especially since he was fine for 4 days after he ate it. The worms could've been related to the stasis, or it could've been a coincidence. There's no way to know, sadly.

I’m so sorry you lost Timmy :cry: whatever the cause, they can be so fragile and can also hide illnesses. In the past, years ago before I knew dried corn on the cob could cause issues, I fed it to my rabbits, without issues as it’s often marketed for them :cry: you shouldn’t blame yourself for accidents and mistakes, we can only do our best with the knowledge that we have at the time.