Blood in Urine? *Potentially upsetting*

Hello,

Our beautiful Teddy had to be PTS today and I’m trying to make sense of it all. I’m thinking that someone may have some answers as the situation was brand new for me...

Teddy was a rescue so I don’t know his exact age - we recently celebrated his “5th” birthday but that’s is a guesstimation.

He wasn’t neutered when we took him in, but we had this done as soon as we could.

We don’t know where he came from but I *strongly* suspect he comes from the “Rabbit Man” in Walthamstow, London (an eccentric man who has a large male bunny with him when he’s out and about, and usually a trolley full of baby buns). The reason why I believe this is that he looked like the big bunny and bunny babies (red-eyed albino) and we collected him in Walthamstow.

His care had been less than exemplary, and he didn’t eat hay when he moved in with us. He also had separation anxiety, and would become unwell when my OH worked night shifts (I have mentioned this on the Forum before).

He liked food and disliked exercise and he was borderline too heavy. We recently bonded him with a lively young girl, and he’s been getting more exercise following her around <3

He was a house bun with access to bedroom, kitchen and living room, all bunny-proofed areas. Also, on good-weather days he had access to a walled outside yard (no predators).

Apart from his regular bouts of tummy ache when OH was on night shift, he was doing very well (or do I would have said until today).

He had 6 SS pellets for breakfast, 6 SS pellets for dinner, unlimited hay (several varieties but no alfalfa) and regular helpings of fresh herbs, and greens (not so keen on fruit), and “sprinkling” on his hay (dried herbs). Also, we change trays twice a day and he’d be sat waiting, ready to get stuck in. His water bowl was changed twice daily and he was a good drinker, He had a bunny biscuit in the morning and also one in the evening (this is OH’s routine to check they come running).

So, all in all I would say a happy bun. He was due his vaccinations this month - we get a letter to remind us and it has not yet arrived.

Yesterday day and evening, he seemed his usual self - playing, eating, toileting.

He didn’t take his biscuit last night, which is highly unusual. We hadn’t heard any tummy rumbles, which is usually the case when he doesn’t take his treat. We have a small amount of gripe water, expecting the rumbles to start as soon as we’d gone to sleep. We gave him tummy a gentle rub (this usually helps) and he didn’t move away, so we assumed it was helping.

There was a small amount of tooth grinding in the early hours of the morning. This is usually what happens when he had tummy discomfort so whilst it’s worrying, it follows his usual pattern for wind/tummy ache.

He didn’t take his treat in the morning - which is when I started to feel alarmed.

He didn’t touch his breakfast - which is highly unusual.

Due to current climate, I didn’t have his favourite greens at home so went to near-by shop to buy parsley, beetroot-leaves and kale.

He didn’t want any.

I was getting ready to call my boss when I heard a weird, draggy noise so went to investigate. It sounded like he wasn’t hopping but slipping around (he’s normally good on the floor).

I picked him up and saw what I believe to be blood on one back paw. This shocked me and I thought he must have hurt himself somehow.

I cleaned him up with hibiscrub and he didn’t want me touching his paw. I looked for broken skin but couldn’t see any. I put him back on his blanked and went around looking for something he might have cut himself on.

I didn’t find anything sharp, but I found what I believe was blood and urine in a corner in the bedroom - and almost fainted. I picked him up but didn’t see any blood around his bum area. I touched the area a bit, looking under the fur but didn’t see any bloody spots.

I called the Vet and was asked to come in. I picked him up again just to see, and he was very limp in my arms - I still didn’t see blood around his bum.

He was barely breathing when we got to the Vet (I think the car ride was very difficult for him) and once there he cried, so he was taken straight in.

The Vet came and got me (I couldn’t go in at first due to virus protocol) and said that the kindest thing would be PTS. When I saw Teddy, I thought he was already dead; he was laying lifeless in a towel. Then I saw a little move, and the Vet said Teddy was taking the occasional breath, but...

I asked about what was happening and the Vet said they think he’d gotten an infection that spread through his blood really quickly,

I asked if I could stay with him and the Vet said no - he wouldn’t be able to inject into a vein and would have to inject directly into the heart, and I couldn’t be part of that.

I was so shocked and in full-flow tears, I said goodbye to my beautiful boy and left the room until the Vet said I could come back in (which wasn’t any easier).

I wasn’t thinking clearly and whilst I had the mind to request a cremation and ashes back, I didn’t think to ask questions about what might have happened...

Have you heard of this before? Or experienced it?

I hope I did the right thing for my boy and I have been using the same Vet clinic for almost a decade so I want to trust them and am think that they wouldn’t suggest PTS if there was a possibility of safe recovery...but I’m so confused - my mind is whirring and I don’t know... I’m second-guessing myself and the clinic.

We had a delivery from Hay Experts and one from P@H, and I have thought that maybe I should throw it all away in case it’s infected? OH is worrying that he’s brought something home (he’s still required to work), or maybe his vaccination have “run out” before time..?

If there was blood in his pee, should I not see blood stains around his bum?

In my mind I thought they would check his temperature and give him fluids and antibiotics - I thought it was some sort of bladder/kidney issue.

The fact that he’s gone is just... I can’t understand what happened and I want to be sure I did the right thing... I was in such a state seeing him like that I didn’t think to ask for a second opinion...

So sorry for the long post and thank you for reading to the end...

xx

I don’t have any experience of this exact situation but I really think you did the best you could for him. I am sure anyone would have done the same. Sadly it seems he went downhill very fast, and I’m sure he couldn’t recover so you did the kindest thing for him.

Sending lots of hugs xx

I don't have any answers for you I'm afraid However, I can identify very much with how you are feeling as I, too, would want to understand what had happened, especially as it was so sudden. From what you have described though I do think that there was nothing that you or the vet could have done and so sadly the decision you made, in my view, was the kindest and most loving one for Teddy.

It sounds as though the vet considered that an infection was the most likely cause. I can understand you not asking too much at the time, but I also think that the vet would not mind if you telephoned and discussed his thoughts with you. I think it's what I would do.

Sending you massive hugs and once again I'm very sorry

My vet has always been clear that I can phone up and ask questions, and in your situation I would. I would have done exactly as you did too, it's so hard when they go so quickly :S You absolutely did the kindest thing at the best time.

Thank you all xx

I think I will contact them to ask xx

So very sorry, sleep tight Teddy xx

I can't help particularly with the blood in urine query but hope I can reassure you a little with the PTS decision.

In December 2018 I did the evening feed of the bunnies at about 10.00 pm and Dusty, 15 months old, wasn't quite right. It was weird. She did the pellet dance with her companion and even went over to the pellets. It would have been easy to not realise there was anything amiss. I realised she wasn't actually eating the pellets though seemed to want to.

I rang the OOH vet (not my regular vets) and gave a vague description. The vet gave even vaguer answers. I could tell the vet was clueless about rabbits. She didn't ask the right questions and I wasn't really sure what I was looking for. It was a cold night so I brought Dusty and Ruben inside to keep a closer eye on them. This was complicated by the fact I was staying with my parents (Dad was end of life, Mum dementia and needed supervising).

I tried to syringe feed Dusty as the vet suggested but I realised she was unable to swallow - it was as if she wanted the food but couldn't take it. I was between a rock and a hard place. The vet had made me an appointment for 8.30 am (which I had no intention of keeping, I intended to see my own vet if not using OOH service). In theory I could have taken Dusty to OOH but it was 20 mile round trip and Mum was wandering about and at risk. I felt as the vet was not giving off the right vibe I would be better taking Dusty to my rabbit vet first thing in the morning.

I checked on her every couple of hours during the night and at 4.00 am it was obvious she was really unwell but not distressed. At 6.00 am she was breathing quickly but not distressed and a bit 'out of it'. I still felt my own vet would be more use if she survived long enough. At about 6.30 she had died.

I looked her over and realised there was a bit of tangly fur under her face, her jaw was to one side. I had all sorts of awful thoughts about how she had died because she had needed a dental etc. She had a postmortem and it turns out she had a salivary gland abscess - they are very fast growing and can go from 0 - fatal in less than 24 hours - as would appear to have been the case with Dusty. The actual cause of death was sepsis. The PM was actually massively reassuring for me because I thought I'd missed something and I was tearing myself apart that I could have missed something so major but it was actually something that just killed her in a matter of hours.
(until then bursting with health).

So, from what I've read, I would think the vet had seen enough cases of animals that had gone past the point where they could recover to even try. It's not surprising that you didn't question it given all the current circumstances and I really don't think you could have changed anything by doing so. It's a hell of a shock but it really does sound like something similar to what Dusty was taken with - something like sepsis that even if you had found it sooner it would be nigh impossible to reverse as it's so powerful.

I hope you can find some answers that make this easier for you.

Thank you for sharing xx

Sepsis did enter my mind xx

Beau Belle said:

I think I will contact them to ask xx

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I think having a chat with the Vet would be of some help. He/she may not be able to say exactly why Teddy passed so quickly, but he/she may be able to talk you through the possibilities . I really am so sorry that you have lost him

Sometimes sadly rabbits die very quickly with no prior symptoms. In a way it is better for them in that they don't suffer for long but for us it is hard to accept. Ted had a very loving happy life and there was nothing you could have done to prevent his swift passing.

So sorry for your loss...