I love this, especially the gut feeling part!
My first bunny and the absolute love of my life, and was put to sleep at 5 years old...One day when I went to check on him before bed, I knew something was very wrong, there wasnt anything particularly visual to go on, but just the way he was sat, the way he didnt budge when i was talking to him, opening the door, etc I just knew straight away in my gut he wasnt right, and it was bad...I was 17 at the time, it was 11pm at night and with the rents away I had no way of getting him to a vet, I had to wait until the next day to get him in...the vet said I was overreacting, he was fine and had probably just overdone his binkying and pulled his back (as he'd done previously) she dosed him on pain killers and steroids and sent me home, feeling uneasy but shes the vet...i did what she said.
Over the next two weeks we were back at the vets every other day...he looked a bit like one side of his face had dropped (I still wonder if he'd had a stroke?) she kept dosing him up on the same stuff, pain killers, fluids, giving me packets of recovery food and sending me home...for about 3 days I was up every 3 hours with him, every 2 during the night, trying to get food, water, anything in him... I didnt leave the house, I separated him from his partner incase it was infectious...I didnt ask questions I just got on with trying to bring him through it and doing what the vets said I should.
at my next and final appt, they got him out of the carrier, pulled at his fur, told me he was too far gone and that was it. It was four years ago now and I still well up over it because he was my little buddy and I feel like I didnt do enough for him. That day I knew he'd given up and that was it, but now, with the joys of hindsight, I dont think the vets made any attempt to find out what was going on with him...just dosed him with general stuff and hoped it would work. I wish I'd gone with my gut, asked for another opinion, gone to a different vets...but I didnt I just did went along with what they said. They told me 5 years was a good age for a mini lop and also managed to send me his vaccination reminders twice over in the following months.
To cap it off, I was heartbroken and could barely look at my other bunny without breaking down, a month later she died in my arms. I'd taken her to the same vets at the start of the week as she was quite snuffly and seemed to be breathing oddly(completely different to Boo)...they gave her steroids and fluids and off we went...by wednesday i didnt think she'd improved, i rang them, and got told to give it longer...thursday night she still wasnt good, i rang them friday morning, they told me they'd no appts, she'd be ok though and they'd get me in first thing in the morning. I remember clearly getting up for the 9.15am appt with her, going out to the garage, opening her hutch and her wobbling over, licking my hand a few times, and nudging for a cuddle, I put my arm around her and she died there and then at 8.45am.
It wont bring them back but ever since I question everything, I want every option available, I want everything explained and if it doesnt make sense I have them go over it until it does...If Im not satisfied then I'll get a second opinion because I'm never letting that happen again...Im also at a different vets, I sourced my current vets...I asked if they had a "rabbit vet" theres one nurse and one vet I tend to stick with, but they've even rang me from their homes on days off, to find out how my other bunnies have gotten on after surgery and how they're recovering...I trust them as professionals and as individual people.
As you say, Im not saying go against what the vets say by any means, or even to blame the vets if it goes wrong, but make sure they do everything for you and your bunnies because not knowing whether everything was done or not, or if a different vet could have saved your bunny is absolutely heartbreaking.
it is so frustrating when your vet isn't rabbit savvy. Mine is ok but not fantastic, but there aren't any better ones close by, and my buns are terrified of travelling 
