Loss of Rabbit Advice

Hi just joined the forum and after some advice please.
Our 11 month old mini lop passed away last night and he went down hill very quickly.
He's always been a very active and fun house rabbit and kept his hutch indoors since we got him.
He stopped eating on Friday but was still active but yesterday he went very lethargic so we took him the vet who checked him over and found nothing untoward.
Last night he was very quiet and wouldn't come out of his hutch or entertain any food or water.
I heard some nose coming from his hutch so went to see if he was ok but he was on his side and sort of fitting and gasping with his mouth open and within a minute he had sadly passed away.
We don't have any other pets and he had the freedom of the back garden every day.
Can anyone advise what would cause such a sudden decline and for him to pass away ?
Thanks
Jon


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jonwilde6 said:

Hi just joined the forum and after some advice please.
Our 11 month old mini lop passed away last night and he went down hill very quickly.
He's always been a very active and fun house rabbit and kept his hutch indoors since we got him.
He stopped eating on Friday but was still active but yesterday he went very lethargic so we took him the vet who checked him over and found nothing untoward.
Last night he was very quiet and wouldn't come out of his hutch or entertain any food or water.
I heard some nose coming from his hutch so went to see if he was ok but he was on his side and sort of fitting and gasping with his mouth open and within a minute he had sadly passed away.
We don't have any other pets and he had the freedom of the back garden every day.
Can anyone advise what would cause such a sudden decline and for him to pass away ?
Thanks
Jon


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I'm so sorry for your loss


Was he vaccinated? The combined vaccine and the RHD2 vaccine?

If he stopped eating that's very serious, gut stasis can kill a rabbit very quickly also

Very sorry x

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Graciee said:

I'm so sorry for your loss


Was he vaccinated? The combined vaccine and the RHD2 vaccine?

If he stopped eating that's very serious, gut stasis can kill a rabbit very quickly also

Very sorry x

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Hi he only had the nobivac/myxo vaccine.
The vet never advised on any others at the time.

If we get another bunny can we reuse the hutch we have if it's thoroughly disinfected?

Thanks


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jonwilde6 said:

Hi he only had the nobivac/myxo vaccine.
The vet never advised on any others at the time.

If we get another bunny can we reuse the hutch we have if it's thoroughly disinfected?

Thanks


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There's another vaccination for RHD2. RHD2 is sadly killing lots of rabbits at the moment.

If he died from RHD2, reusing the hutch would be a very bad idea imo.

You can clean it, but you have to use a certain disinfectant, this link has all the info. https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/owners/frequently-asked-questions/FAQRHD

It might not have been RHD2, but as he wasn't vaccinated it's a possibility. If you get a new rabbit please vaccinate for both, it's a shame not all vets are suggesting it

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hi

I'm sorry you lost your bunny

as mentioned by Gracie, there are two vaccines now needed. nobivac which covers RHD1/Myxi, and filivac which covers RHD1/2 if I'm not mistaken. RHD2 is a newer strain of the virus RHD1, although it has been around for a couple of years now. they need both and RHD2 is rampant at the moment, any rabbit that isn't vaccinated will die.

its a very swift a fast killer, often kills before any symptoms. its as if a perfectly healthy bunny suddenly died. not eating is one of the symptoms, if they even show any. many die without showing any signs of ill health. sadly it does seem to have a very high mortality rate and I do not yet think a rabbit who has caught RHD2 has survived.

unfortunately it sounds as if you're vet wasn't very rabbit savvy leading to the death of your rabbit. lethargy and not willing to eat is a serious cause for concern and should have been taking seriously. bloods taken & so fourth and they shouldn't have been sent home without medication, or not sent home at all and kept in for the night.

I would suggest that you file a complaint and do not use them for any rabbits in the future.

however there is no way to know of what your rabbit died of without a post mortem.

I wouldn't use the hutch again while you are unsure of what the issue was. if it was RHD2 even with plenty of disinfecting the disease can live on and could infect other rabbits. its best to burn or break it out dump the entire thing and not sell it to somebody else as that could cause the death of another rabbit. at the moment with how the disease is, its not recommended to purchase any second hand items be it hutches or houses as many people lie about why they are selling, and you have no idea if the rabbit was vaccinated or not even fi they say it was.

if in the future you decide to get another rabbit, I would suggest you check out the RWAF's listed rabbit savvy vets. if there is none in your area, feel free to ask on the forum with your general location and somebody may be able to advise
https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-care-advice/rabbit-friendly-vets/rabbit-friendly-vet-list/

here is some info on RHD2, along with the link Gracie gave above..
https://www.companioncare.co.uk/fin...ll-vet-surgery/rhd2-is-your-rabbit-protected/
https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-health/vaccinations/

jonwilde6 said:

Hi just joined the forum and after some advice please.
Our 11 month old mini lop passed away last night and he went down hill very quickly.
He's always been a very active and fun house rabbit and kept his hutch indoors since we got him.
He stopped eating on Friday but was still active but yesterday he went very lethargic so we took him the vet who checked him over and found nothing untoward.
Last night he was very quiet and wouldn't come out of his hutch or entertain any food or water.
I heard some nose coming from his hutch so went to see if he was ok but he was on his side and sort of fitting and gasping with his mouth open and within a minute he had sadly passed away.
We don't have any other pets and he had the freedom of the back garden every day.
Can anyone advise what would cause such a sudden decline and for him to pass away ?
Thanks
Jon


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Welcome to the Forum Jon and I am so sorry to hear you lost your bunny

It's impossible to say what took him without a post mortem.

He sounds like a splendid character who got all he could out of life.

binkyCodie said:

hi

I'm sorry you lost your bunny

as mentioned by Gracie, there are two vaccines now needed. nobivac which covers RHD1/Myxi, and filivac which covers RHD1/2 if I'm not mistaken. RHD2 is a newer strain of the virus RHD1, although it has been around for a couple of years now. they need both and RHD2 is rampant at the moment, any rabbit that isn't vaccinated will die.

its a very swift a fast killer, often kills before any symptoms. its as if a perfectly healthy bunny suddenly died. not eating is one of the symptoms, if they even show any. many die without showing any signs of ill health. sadly it does seem to have a very high mortality rate and I do not yet think a rabbit who has caught RHD2 has survived.

unfortunately it sounds as if you're vet wasn't very rabbit savvy leading to the death of your rabbit. lethargy and not willing to eat is a serious cause for concern and should have been taking seriously. bloods taken & so fourth and they shouldn't have been sent home without medication, or not sent home at all and kept in for the night.

I would suggest that you file a complaint and do not use them for any rabbits in the future.

however there is no way to know of what your rabbit died of without a post mortem.

I wouldn't use the hutch again while you are unsure of what the issue was. if it was RHD2 even with plenty of disinfecting the disease can live on and could infect other rabbits. its best to burn or break it out dump the entire thing and not sell it to somebody else as that could cause the death of another rabbit. at the moment with how the disease is, its not recommended to purchase any second hand items be it hutches or houses as many people lie about why they are selling, and you have no idea if the rabbit was vaccinated or not even fi they say it was.

if in the future you decide to get another rabbit, I would suggest you check out the RWAF's listed rabbit savvy vets. if there is none in your area, feel free to ask on the forum with your general location and somebody may be able to advise
https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-care-advice/rabbit-friendly-vets/rabbit-friendly-vet-list/

here is some info on RHD2, along with the link Gracie gave above..
https://www.companioncare.co.uk/fin...ll-vet-surgery/rhd2-is-your-rabbit-protected/
https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-health/vaccinations/

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Interestingly enough RHD2 had a rather better mortality rate than RHD1, see link:

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/owners/frequently-asked-questions/FAQRHD


Taken from the above link:
RHDV2 is a variant of RHD. The virus has changed so it has a lower mortality rate. Figures suggests it is between 5-70% so if 100 rabbits met the disease it is possible that only 5 would die and 95 would survive although some of these may be left with some liver damage. RHD doesn’t affect baby rabbits or hares but RHDV2 can affect them.

Re rabbits surviving the virus - Santa from RU had a mother and six kits at her rescue when the virus struck, she only lost one kit another was quite poorly and is deemed to have had the virus and survived it. As well as that family of rabbits Santa also had other rabbits on the premises, I'm making a guess at about 15 and there was only one loss. She did however manage to vaccinate very soon after the loss.


I'd also agree with finding another vet if you are thinking of getting more rabbits - any vet that isn't recommending the vaccine at this time quite simply shouldn't be seeing rabbits.

We can't presume that you are dealing with RHD2, but it is better to be as safe as possible if you are thinking about getting more rabbits. It would be sensible to make sure they are fully vaccinated for Myxo, RHD1 and RHD2 before they come home - so maybe look at a rescue centre rather than eg a pet shop. That way they will have the best protection from the start. It is possible to disinfect a hutch, but as your rabbit had the run of the house and garden, there are all the other areas to consider as well - hence the advice to make sure any future rabbits are fully vaccinated before they arrive home, just in case. There are disinfectants which can be used on the hutch and on floors, etc, and used in the washing machine for fabrics. (eg Virkon S tablets or powder - try Amazon).

It is worth reading through all the RHD info from Frances Harcourt-Brown:
https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/owners/frequently-asked-questions/FAQRHD

So sorry for your loss.

Bunny Buddy said:

Interestingly enough RHD2 had a rather better mortality rate than RHD1, see link:

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/owners/frequently-asked-questions/FAQRHD


Taken from the above link:
RHDV2 is a variant of RHD. The virus has changed so it has a lower mortality rate. Figures suggests it is between 5-70% so if 100 rabbits met the disease it is possible that only 5 would die and 95 would survive although some of these may be left with some liver damage. RHD doesn’t affect baby rabbits or hares but RHDV2 can affect them.

Re rabbits surviving the virus - Santa from RU had a mother and six kits at her rescue when the virus struck, she only lost one kit another was quite poorly and is deemed to have had the virus and survived it. As well as that family of rabbits Santa also had other rabbits on the premises, I'm making a guess at about 15 and there was only one loss. She did however manage to vaccinate very soon after the loss.


I'd also agree with finding another vet if you are thinking of getting more rabbits - any vet that isn't recommending the vaccine at this time quite simply shouldn't be seeing rabbits.

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my apologies then I had read other sorts of sourced information that suggested a 90-99% mortality rate, and up until now I haven't heard any rabbit surviving from RHD2. I had heard of Santa having survivors, but I thought those were RHD1 or Myxi survivors and not RHD2, but I'm out of the loop most of the time lol.

even so vaccination is still important and without it the risks of contracting the disease are high, as is mortality. 5-70% is a huge variable and the only protection is vaccination. the vaccine is not fool proof and some vaccinated rabbits have contracted the disease still. but it seems to give them a higher chance of survival, as they're a lot more protected than a rabbit that isn't.

Shimmer said:

We can't presume that you are dealing with RHD2, but it is better to be as safe as possible if you are thinking about getting more rabbits. It would be sensible to make sure they are fully vaccinated for Myxo, RHD1 and RHD2 before they come home - so maybe look at a rescue centre rather than eg a pet shop. That way they will have the best protection from the start. It is possible to disinfect a hutch, but as your rabbit had the run of the house and garden, there are all the other areas to consider as well - hence the advice to make sure any future rabbits are fully vaccinated before they arrive home, just in case. There are disinfectants which can be used on the hutch and on floors, etc, and used in the washing machine for fabrics. (eg Virkon S tablets or powder - try Amazon).

It is worth reading through all the RHD info from Frances Harcourt-Brown:
https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/owners/frequently-asked-questions/FAQRHD

So sorry for your loss.

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This ^^ I was just saying as you don't know, and are potentially thinking of getting a new rabbit, it's better to be safe

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I can’t add to the advise already given, I just wanted to say that I’m so sorry you lost your rabbit

Hi thanks for all the information I'll take it on board and have a read through it all.

The vet we went to was our local vets4pets.


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sadly it would seem for small furries such as rabbits, vets4pets is not the most reliable. on the flip side however, there are a few RWAF rated vets4pets or companion care. many of times though they have only learned about cats/dogs and then apply that general information to rabbits, which simply isn't true. this ill-advise could cause the death of a rabbit, such as taking not eating seriously enough or saying to starve before surgery.

I don't like using them anyhow as there is a far too large overturn of staff, only locums or people coming and going every few months. so it means you don't get a continuation of care or see the same person, so you end up explaining yourself all over again every few months.

its best to see a vet that is an exotics (as rabbits are classed as exotics) or is rabbit savvy, as "general" vets (as much as I hate to say it) don't have enough knowledge on rabbits to really advise correctly in most cases.