Hi
I've been a member for a while but have not posted for ages. If anyone has any advice on this I would be most grateful. My 3 month old rabbit, Emily, was free running in a room in my house (all my rabbits are house buns) with some other free roamers. When she came to get her food I noticed a horrible wound almost taking up the whole of her side. The remaining fur was not sticking either. I immediately took her to a vet who advised to put her down. She was very placid at this point and I thought she deserved a chance. Despite being told by the vet that the treatment would last months, she would be in pain, and it would be very expensive, I put my foot down and said I wanted to treat her.
The vet used laser treatment on her which was very successful and within 3 weeks she was back home and her wound had completely healed. I put her in a cage at that point as I had originally thought she had been attacked (which would have been unusual with my buns), and I wanted her to have some peace. She was doing brilliantly, and, although aggressive when she came back from the vets, and because she had to wear a buster collar which was then removed when she got home, she started to calm down and trust me. She loved her food and water and I gave her a mobile toy to play with (which she destroyed in minutes but liked to bat it like a cat when I pushed it gently towards her). I felt we were getting a nice bond between us.
10 days after this - on Monday morning just gone, I went to feed my buns and discovered she had chewed her side again without warning overnight. This time the wound wasn't as wide but it was so deep the muscle was showing and there was black congealed blood on her. Her little nose was red as well. There was no gunk in her cage so she must have eaten all the skin and blood. I was cross (but didn't shout) she had done this to herself.
i immediately took her to the vet and left her there for the vet to assess later on in the day and to call me with a treatment plan. At this stage I wasn't worried as I thought she would just have to be admitted again - even though she hated the vet. Unfortunately the vet called me later on and said she had to be put down as she would only do it again and again, was aggressive and went for the vet, and was in pain and "had had enough". She was so persuasive and said the treatment this time would take months (even though she said the same last time and it was only 3 weeks). In my high emotional state, and because she was telling me to, I agreed. The vet asked if i wanted to be there but I knew I would frighten little Emily with my crying etc, so I said no. I spoke to my daughter who is at college doing animal care, and she said she would hold Emily whilst she was being put to sleep, but would also be able to get a good idea if she was as stressed as the vet was making her out to be (she was very docile when I left her at the vets). My daughter phone the vets 10 minutes after I had put the phone down, but Emily had already been put to sleep.
The vet is one of the best rabbit vets around my area, but I'm shocked that they didn't give Emily a second chance, were adamant she needed to be put down, and they put her to sleep so quickly after the phone call to me.
I'm devastated and I think I made the wrong decision and should have either taken her to another vet who would have treated her, or insisted she was treated at least for a week so I could assess her after the week and see how she was then. I miss her so much and feel I've let her down as she defied the vet's original suggestion that she was put down and it would take months to heal her etc.
Has anyone else ever had a rabbit put down to self mutilation, and what would you have done in this circumstance? I never want to make the same mistake again.
I've been a member for a while but have not posted for ages. If anyone has any advice on this I would be most grateful. My 3 month old rabbit, Emily, was free running in a room in my house (all my rabbits are house buns) with some other free roamers. When she came to get her food I noticed a horrible wound almost taking up the whole of her side. The remaining fur was not sticking either. I immediately took her to a vet who advised to put her down. She was very placid at this point and I thought she deserved a chance. Despite being told by the vet that the treatment would last months, she would be in pain, and it would be very expensive, I put my foot down and said I wanted to treat her.
The vet used laser treatment on her which was very successful and within 3 weeks she was back home and her wound had completely healed. I put her in a cage at that point as I had originally thought she had been attacked (which would have been unusual with my buns), and I wanted her to have some peace. She was doing brilliantly, and, although aggressive when she came back from the vets, and because she had to wear a buster collar which was then removed when she got home, she started to calm down and trust me. She loved her food and water and I gave her a mobile toy to play with (which she destroyed in minutes but liked to bat it like a cat when I pushed it gently towards her). I felt we were getting a nice bond between us.
10 days after this - on Monday morning just gone, I went to feed my buns and discovered she had chewed her side again without warning overnight. This time the wound wasn't as wide but it was so deep the muscle was showing and there was black congealed blood on her. Her little nose was red as well. There was no gunk in her cage so she must have eaten all the skin and blood. I was cross (but didn't shout) she had done this to herself.
i immediately took her to the vet and left her there for the vet to assess later on in the day and to call me with a treatment plan. At this stage I wasn't worried as I thought she would just have to be admitted again - even though she hated the vet. Unfortunately the vet called me later on and said she had to be put down as she would only do it again and again, was aggressive and went for the vet, and was in pain and "had had enough". She was so persuasive and said the treatment this time would take months (even though she said the same last time and it was only 3 weeks). In my high emotional state, and because she was telling me to, I agreed. The vet asked if i wanted to be there but I knew I would frighten little Emily with my crying etc, so I said no. I spoke to my daughter who is at college doing animal care, and she said she would hold Emily whilst she was being put to sleep, but would also be able to get a good idea if she was as stressed as the vet was making her out to be (she was very docile when I left her at the vets). My daughter phone the vets 10 minutes after I had put the phone down, but Emily had already been put to sleep.
The vet is one of the best rabbit vets around my area, but I'm shocked that they didn't give Emily a second chance, were adamant she needed to be put down, and they put her to sleep so quickly after the phone call to me.
I'm devastated and I think I made the wrong decision and should have either taken her to another vet who would have treated her, or insisted she was treated at least for a week so I could assess her after the week and see how she was then. I miss her so much and feel I've let her down as she defied the vet's original suggestion that she was put down and it would take months to heal her etc.
Has anyone else ever had a rabbit put down to self mutilation, and what would you have done in this circumstance? I never want to make the same mistake again.