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princess

pringles

New Kit
Hi my 9 year old rabbit princess has gone to her burrow in the sky on saturday.
she had arthritis/spondylosis and was on daily metacam to ease any discomfort she may have had so she was a bit wobbly on her back legs but this didn't hinder her she could still hop very well and run fast she also had a long standing lump near her mammary gland which we didn't want a biopsy on as she was doin so well we didn't want her pulled about due to her age
as she still had quality of life and the run of my 50 foot garden which she last ran about in until thursday.
On thursday as she had a long standing history of teeth spurs and was not eating her hard pellets anymore only watered down ones so i decided to take her for her 5th dental the last being at the end of august so not that long ago.
i knew the risks of general anesthetic and thought that she had been ok with the other 4 that this would be the same and she would be ok.However when the vet called and said she was all done and ready to collect which when i got there she was understandably wobbly she drank from her bowl ok and had some lettuce which i took as a good sign.
The next morning she was very starey and as if in a trance and wasn't eating so i rang the vets and was asked to pop in and pick up some special recovery food which needed watering down and syringe fed which i went and got and tried but i had to lift her head and only managed a small amount.i thought this may improve with time as i hear it could take up to 48hrs for anesthetic to clear obviously this was not the case and she felt cold so i tried a hot water bottle to try and warm her up but she wouldn't keep in one place near it she just kept resting then picking herself up with her front legs and turning in different positions and a few hrs later she had a massive fit and died.
The only good thing i can take from this was i was with her stroking her as she was laying there in her cage indoors whilst she took her last breaths and managed to tell her how much i loved her.
i am now in pieces as she was my world i keep saying to myself why why why didn't i take her back to the vets when i went to pick up this recovery food if i had done maybe they would have seen how poorly she had become and been able to do something and i cant help thinking this was all my fault and i'm really upset and cant get this out of my head why when i was asked to go didn't they say or me think to take her with me i just thought she would be better off resting but i will now never know i'm so upset.
i just wonder has anyone else had similar and would something have been able to have been done for her.R.I.P princess you are so missed.
 
I am so sorry for your loss. Don't blame yourself, rabbits hide their symptoms so well it may have been very difficult to know what was wrong. It could have been something to do with the anesthesia or many other things. I have had two Rabbits pass away in my arms, one had cancer and I was syringe feeding him, the other was very sudden, when I was waiting to see my vets and he had never been ill before.

I know it's tough. Sending a hug.
 
I am so sorry to read about Princess :cry: I haven't experienced anything similar to this, but I have quite recently lost one of my rabbits, who was almost 8 years old and I recognise very well the turning over and over events in my mind, wondering whether the outcome would have been different if I had done this or that. I think it is a normal reaction and part of the process that we go through when we lose a beloved animal, but it is very distressing.

Sending you lots of hugs. It is a very sad time.
 
Hi my 9 year old rabbit princess has gone to her burrow in the sky on saturday.
she had arthritis/spondylosis and was on daily metacam to ease any discomfort she may have had so she was a bit wobbly on her back legs but this didn't hinder her she could still hop very well and run fast she also had a long standing lump near her mammary gland which we didn't want a biopsy on as she was doin so well we didn't want her pulled about due to her age
as she still had quality of life and the run of my 50 foot garden which she last ran about in until thursday.
On thursday as she had a long standing history of teeth spurs and was not eating her hard pellets anymore only watered down ones so i decided to take her for her 5th dental the last being at the end of august so not that long ago.
i knew the risks of general anesthetic and thought that she had been ok with the other 4 that this would be the same and she would be ok.However when the vet called and said she was all done and ready to collect which when i got there she was understandably wobbly she drank from her bowl ok and had some lettuce which i took as a good sign.
The next morning she was very starey and as if in a trance and wasn't eating so i rang the vets and was asked to pop in and pick up some special recovery food which needed watering down and syringe fed which i went and got and tried but i had to lift her head and only managed a small amount.i thought this may improve with time as i hear it could take up to 48hrs for anesthetic to clear obviously this was not the case and she felt cold so i tried a hot water bottle to try and warm her up but she wouldn't keep in one place near it she just kept resting then picking herself up with her front legs and turning in different positions and a few hrs later she had a massive fit and died.
The only good thing i can take from this was i was with her stroking her as she was laying there in her cage indoors whilst she took her last breaths and managed to tell her how much i loved her.
i am now in pieces as she was my world i keep saying to myself why why why didn't i take her back to the vets when i went to pick up this recovery food if i had done maybe they would have seen how poorly she had become and been able to do something and i cant help thinking this was all my fault and i'm really upset and cant get this out of my head why when i was asked to go didn't they say or me think to take her with me i just thought she would be better off resting but i will now never know i'm so upset.
i just wonder has anyone else had similar and would something have been able to have been done for her.R.I.P princess you are so missed.


Hi there pringles, and it's lovely to see you here on the forum, but sorry it's in such sad circumstances for you :cry:

I know it's so easy to blame yourself, but from what you've said I am very sure that the vet wouldn't have been able to do anything to save her. Our rabbits are fragile little creatures, and hide their stuff so well that we often don't know what's going on until it's far down the line.

This is not your fault. A GA is always risky for a rabbit but you have to trust your vet and that's what you did. They did their best and they wouldn't have released her home to you if they hadn't been confident of her recovery.

Sometimes a rabbit can have a delayed reaction to the anaesthetic and pass away shortly afterwards. This has happened to someone I know quite recently and it's absolutely devastating :cry:

I hope you can begin to forgive yourself. If not now, then in time. Forgive yourself for something that you couldn't possibly have done anything to prevent, because it was her time to leave.

Hugs xx
 
Hi my 9 year old rabbit princess has gone to her burrow in the sky on saturday.
she had arthritis/spondylosis and was on daily metacam to ease any discomfort she may have had so she was a bit wobbly on her back legs but this didn't hinder her she could still hop very well and run fast she also had a long standing lump near her mammary gland which we didn't want a biopsy on as she was doin so well we didn't want her pulled about due to her age
as she still had quality of life and the run of my 50 foot garden which she last ran about in until thursday.
On thursday as she had a long standing history of teeth spurs and was not eating her hard pellets anymore only watered down ones so i decided to take her for her 5th dental the last being at the end of august so not that long ago.
i knew the risks of general anesthetic and thought that she had been ok with the other 4 that this would be the same and she would be ok.However when the vet called and said she was all done and ready to collect which when i got there she was understandably wobbly she drank from her bowl ok and had some lettuce which i took as a good sign.
The next morning she was very starey and as if in a trance and wasn't eating so i rang the vets and was asked to pop in and pick up some special recovery food which needed watering down and syringe fed which i went and got and tried but i had to lift her head and only managed a small amount.i thought this may improve with time as i hear it could take up to 48hrs for anesthetic to clear obviously this was not the case and she felt cold so i tried a hot water bottle to try and warm her up but she wouldn't keep in one place near it she just kept resting then picking herself up with her front legs and turning in different positions and a few hrs later she had a massive fit and died.
The only good thing i can take from this was i was with her stroking her as she was laying there in her cage indoors whilst she took her last breaths and managed to tell her how much i loved her.
i am now in pieces as she was my world i keep saying to myself why why why didn't i take her back to the vets when i went to pick up this recovery food if i had done maybe they would have seen how poorly she had become and been able to do something and i cant help thinking this was all my fault and i'm really upset and cant get this out of my head why when i was asked to go didn't they say or me think to take her with me i just thought she would be better off resting but i will now never know i'm so upset.
i just wonder has anyone else had similar and would something have been able to have been done for her.R.I.P princess you are so missed.

I am very sorry for your loss. As with all species every GA comes with some small risks but if we never took that small risk no surgical procedures could ever be done. It could be that Princess had underlying issues that meant she was not able to recover this time. For example older Rabbits may have a somewhat compromised kidney function making a GA more of a challenge for them and meaning that they may struggle to maintain their blood pressure after a GA. Even with intensive supportive care (IV fluids/being placed in an incubator with heat/oxygen therapy) she may still not have recovered. There is no way that Princess's passing was your fault. I am sure that the Vet who treated her will be extremely upset to hear the sad news.

RIP Princess xx
 
I'm very sorry for your loss. Please don't blame yourself, or anyone. I'm sure you all did the very best for Princess and that she knows how much she's loved. xxx
 
thank you to all for your kind words and support at this sad time for me i really appreciate it and only people that have lost a very dear pet can understand how im feeling at present thank you all of you
 
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I'm very sorry you lost Princess. I wouldn't have done anything differently but it is natural to disect each of our decisions & question whether different action would have had different outcomes but as has been said it was sadly your girls time & I imagine the difference is she got to pass at home, in your arms. I hope you find peace with this in time. Sweet dreams little bunny xx
 
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