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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Paranoia of bunny dying!

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    • Brittany
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        Why am I doing this to myself???? 

        This is a long post but I have had this weighing on my chest for months and I have been debating whether to post this or not but I cant take it anymore- 

        I have had Matilda for about 10 months now and honestly when I got her I really had no knowledge of how to take care of a rabbit, let alone all the “what if’s” when it came to their medical well being. I have owned dogs my whole life and I am a pro at taking care of them-  Everyone comes to me with any doggie issues, so I assumed (which I never should have) that a rabbit would be a walk in the park for me. I am a huge animal lover . Well ………. I hope I don’t sound horrible when I say this but I am speaking from my heart…….

        I NEVER in a million years would of imagined that having a rabbit was this much work, emotionally on me. When I first brought her home I checked this website religiously searching for answers and tips. But as I navigated around this site I started seeing posts on bunnies dying out of nowhere, head tilt, GI, and too name a few more.. It freaked me out!! and 10 months later it still does. 

        I have never lost a pet that I wasn’t prepared to lose. Our dogs were put down because of cancer or old age. My worse fear is walking into her room and finding her gone- It almost makes me want to cry and vomit at the same time.

        It has gotten so bad that I make my fiance go in her room first thing in the morning or when we are coming home to tell me if she is alive! I am beyond paranoid and to top it all off I am a NURSE!!! so death is nothing new to me, I see patients pass all the time around me, I have worked in a morgue, I have been at the most horrific car accidents, things people should never see in their life time and that does not phase me at all!!  BUT I am so deathly afraid of walking in on my rabbit dead.

        I really hope ya’ll don’t think of me as some crazy person or heartless. I am anything but that! I have been told by alot of people that I am one of the biggest animal lovers they will ever meet- People not so much LOL – I almost cashed in my wedding money to fly to China to save the dogs and cats from the Yulin hell hole they call a festival- I am that passionate about every animal. My 3 dogs and now Matilda are my babies- I would go above and beyond for all 4 of them!! If my fiance ever gave me a choice between him or the 4 animals- I would choose my 4 furbabies without blinking an eye LOL

        However, I just can’t help but keep reading some peoples post on their rabbits death or illness or googling. If that ever were to happen with me I want to be prepared but I know I will never be prepared to just have her pass without any warning. I want to be educated as much as I can, now that I made the commitment to Matilda. I will never give up on her and its my fault I didnt research owning a rabbit before buying her..

        I hope someone reading this understands me. 


      • Bam
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          I certainly do understand you. The tales of bunnies dying suddenly and unexpectedly always phases me. I too half expect that I’ll find my bunnies dead when I come home and if they don’t come running to me when I call them (which in particular Bam seldom does because he tends to sleep hard under his coffea table), I become upset and search for them until they appear.

          Keep in mind that most posts you’ll read on any forums are about problems, people who don’t have any problems with their pets most often don’t join a forum just to say “Hey my bunny is doing great.” I myself joined the BB forums because of a problem with Bam and then I just lingered on, and when I had other problems with him I posted and asked for advice and the responses I got were great.

          Bunnies are fragile, but most of all I think they’re very good at hiding illness/ailments. I have a dog too and she comes to me for help if there’s sth wrong – dogs are hard-wired that way, they depend and rely on their humans. We have a very long history together, dogs and humans. Whereas bunnies and people (sadly) have not had that long a history of cooperation and mutuality.

          I have been very very worried about my bunnies and I still am, but I do find it’s gotten better with time. I’ve had Bam now for 3,5 + years and Yohio for 2 +. What you have to do is try and not to focus on all bad things that may happen, yet still prepare yourself by reading lots so you can recognize any signs of distress in the rabbit early.

          That you are a nurse is just so great of course, in case anything happens you have lots of skills and knowledge that your bunny will benefit from greatly, but as I know you know as a nurse, not even nurses or doctors are cool-headed experts when their own family members are ill or at risk of illness. It’s just not really possible to see things altogeather clearly when you love someone very much. And you can’t like ask the little fur-ball stuff =/

          For the practical bit of handling bunny-worries: I’ve done a lot of mindfulness-practice. I find it helps when I start to worry, I can sort of interrupt myself more easily.


        • Brittany
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            Thank you for responding so quickly and easing my mind. You are absolutely right! Humans and bunnies do not have that long of a history and I think that what makes me so scared and nervous. It’s the unknown and not a lot of people see rabbits as a household pet and I also noticing all these pet stores sell rabbits and all their everyday essentials but yet no nothing about them. It took me over a month to just find a vet and a 24 hour emergency vet in case something were to happen that will see rabbits- at that location is almost 2 hours away.
            This is why this website has been a blessing to me and has made me re-think of rehoming Matilda. I would be so disappointed in myself if I would of just given up on her because of my impluse purchase.

            When you say that they are very good at hiding their illness/aliments, from your experience or knowledge are their any other warning signs that you might have seen that hasn’t been touched on, on this site?
            I am glad I did read other peoples posts and experiences, as much as it sucks to hear, but I do feel a little better about being more prepared.


          • ElleBee
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              Hi!
              I hear you! I am always worried about my little Casper Girl, and for the same reasons- what if, what if, what if. I can tell you though, you really just take things as they come. My bun has a couple of bouts of GI and it was really about responding quickly and being a good pet mommy- which it sounds like you are!
              Is there anything going on that is making you worried about your bun? Or is everything seemingly normal?
              I know, for me, going to the vet to have a routine checkup and bloodwork done, helps put some of those underlying worries to rest.


            • Brittany
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                Hi!!

                Well Matilda was just spayed last Thursday and the first 2 days she was so out of it- which I know was normal but I started googling and reading peoples posts. For some reason seeing her under the weather really put it in perspective. Yet, I have been feeling like this since I got her over 10 months ago.
                Your bun had a couple of bouts of GI? Is it that common and recurring?


              • ElleBee
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                  Oh yes, being spayed will do that! I would be out of it for a couple of days too
                  It took Casper about 3-4 days to start acting somewhat normal, and about 2 weeks before she had pep in her step.

                  I think that Casper has her first bout of GI because, while Hay was readily available to her, it wasn’t available to her where she wanted it- they are picky that way. I didn’t make any changes to her diet after the first bout and when the second bout hit a few weeks later, I treated her again with meds as given by the vet, and did an overhaul of the way she eats- fresher timothy hay and all over the place so she can eat whenever and where ever (her highness gets the munchies, you know..), gradually switched her over to a high fiber pellet (higher in fiber, anyways). And now, well, now I am obsessed with her, ahem, droppings.
                  The first time she had GI for about 3 days prior to her showing obvious symptoms (obvious discomfort, lethargy), her droppings were really small. I didn’t think much about it (duh, me…), and now they are the right size and are “dispensed” regularly… I think some buns probably have regular sort of episodes of GI, depending on their biology (just like how some human have IBS), but there are things you can do to help it along- it just requires regular sort of vet visits.

                  I am still, after a year and half, learning so much about my bun, and I do get that pit of doom feeling sometimes entering her room- who know what mysterious bunny situation is hiding around the corner. I just take it as caring about my bun and loving the time I have with her, If something serious happens, I will know I have done all I can do for her and life here was pretty darn comfy


                • LBJ10
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                    I agree with Bam. What you see on the forum is not the norm. People post because they are experiencing a problem. Not too many will post to say how well their bunny is doing. The result is a misrepresentation of what bunny ownership is like. Just by looking at the topics on this forum, it would suggest that this is something that everyone experiences. Yes, bunnies can get sick and sometimes they die suddenly from an unknown cause. But this isn’t true most of the time. There are many, many bunnies out there that live long, healthy lives. Hopefully that helps put your mind at ease.

                    And if you do experience problem with your bunny, you know where to find us.


                  • Dee
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                      I don’t post much, but oh can I relate to this! I’m a huge worrier and somewhat obsessive, so I’ve always been terrified of losing my bunnies. Even the thought of them getting old and slowing down or being uncomfortable scared me. My first rabbit, BunBun, chose us as his family in May of 2008, and we adopted his wife, Nelli, in August of 2008. We had to let BunBun go to the Bridge recently (be put to sleep) due to a painful infiltrative lipoma and masses in his chest. This was terribly sad but not a sudden death and not caused by anything we could have prevented.

                      What I found is that the longer I lived with my bunnies, the more in tune to their health and well-being I became. Besides researching and learning, the best thing we can do for our rabbits, IMO, is to pay attention to their habits and behavior. For my rabbit Nelli, not coming out when we call her is normal – for BunBun, it meant something was wrong. If Nelli doesn’t gobble down banana right away, she has a belly ache, whereas Bun preferred watermelon or apple, so refusing more than a couple bits of banana was not a biggie. When I hear Nelli getting up and laying down again repeatedly in her box, I check her because that’s what she does when she has gas (something that has happened maybe 4 times in her whole life!). When Bun widened his eyes before he peed, his bladder sludge was acting up. Just examples of the kinds of little stuff you’ll pick up on after a while. I know as a nurse, you are great at using critical thinking and assessment skills ? so you will do fine.

                      The fear that something will happen never really goes away, at least not for me. But the fear of missing something critical will probably ease up some. Its hard, I have sometimes thought that after Nelli has passed on, hopefully not for a long time, I will give up on having rabbits, because I love them so much that it crushes me to lose them. But then I think of the joy they bring, and I realise that for me at least, it’s worth it.

                      The fact that you think this carefully about your rabbit shows how wonderful a rabbit parent you are. All any of us can do is get to know our bunnies as well as we can and enjoy every day with them. And Bam makes a very good point- people often post on forums because there is a problem, so the majority of rabbits that live long healthy lives are the ones we DON’T hear about! I can tell you about my lady bun Nelli, who is almost 7.5 years old and has never needed a vet visit other than checkups. She has had gas a few times and a belly ache from secretly eating a corner of a rug, and that’s it. So it’s possible- I hope I didn’t just jinx myself! Oh, one tip- check rugs under furniture to be sure your bunnies aren’t snacking on them ?!


                    • Bam
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                        Just to clarify about the hiding illness-thing: Bunnies are prey animals so they will for the longest while try to conceal any injury or illness, because that would make them susceptible to predators. Predators go for the weakest individuals. Recently a member here told us about how their rabbit managed to hide a broken thigh bone for a long time.

                        But in many other cases, there may be signs that people tend to over-look. A bunny not eating his food is one of those things. If your dog doesn’t eat his food you more or less just shrug it off and think he’ll eat when he gets hungry – and that’s ok, with a dog, if it’s acting otherwise quite normally, for at least the first 24 hs. But with a rabbit, 24 hours of not eating may very well be fatal.

                        So it’s about attuning yourself to your bunny’s needs and habits, and for this you need time and vigilance.

                        You seem like an excellent bunny-mama.


                      • Sarita
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                          Try not to live in fear of this and enjoy your time with her. Yes, she will die one day and we certainly don’t know when or how…but if you do encounter an illness with her we will be here to help you. And honestly she may never (hopefully) experience any illnesses.

                          And so many of those posts where people’s rabbits suddenly die and they don’t know why and want answers (and we really don’t either) are just coming to us for comfort so that’s why they post…it’s part of the grieving.

                          But it is true, you are going to be reading about people posting illnesses and their rabbits dying suddenly because it’s just that kind of forum but if you look in the Lounge section you’ll see many happy posts about rabbits too and cute pictures.


                        • Flopsie
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                            I can certainly understand what you are going though. When I first got my bunny and was looking on the forums, I made a remark how it seemed like so many bunnies died so suddenly, it baffled me. however, now I try not to think about it, there are some factors that make it seem that way

                            1. this is a forum where people share and therefore, there is more exposure that what the norm would be
                            2. people generally share positive things but more “emergency” or troubling posts are highlighted as it is a resource so people will post more things asking for help
                            3. bunnies are good at hiding injuries or problems for survival reasons so while it may be a “sudden” thing for us, they might have been suffering or dealing with the issue a while

                            these 3 and possibly more factors skew our views on how often they are getting sick or pass away.

                            hope that makes some sense


                          • Bam
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                              I used to spend a lot of time on a dog forum years ago – (not a nice place, people were so rude and nasty to each other for very little reason so I quit my membership there for good). Anyway, new people on the forum were always like Goodness how the canine species must’ve deteriorated in later years, what a miserable state the dogs in our country have come to be in – they have allergies, eczemas, phobias, aggression issues, they take for ever to get housebroken, they have skeletal problems and digestive trouble and epilepsy and all kinds of weird stuff like dermodicosis that you never heard of dogs having in the good (and presumably much better) olden days.

                              Still all vet clinics and insurance companies that keep meticulous statistics tell us dogs in our country live longer, healthier lives than ever before. Vet medicine has improved greatly, knowledge among owners too, species specific nutrition has become huge. And yet you see all these terrible problems on forums!

                              And that’s how it is, people post on forums when they encounter problems. As long as there’s no problems with a pet, most owners are happy to just post cute pics on Facebook and Insta. (Nothing wrong with that, that’s great too, but not of much actual help when you’ve a bunny in need.)


                            • HereComesTheBun
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                                Oh my goodness, I can relate with this SO much. I’m very glad you made this post, because it reassures me that I’m normal! I was actually also debating whether or not to make a post of my own along the same lines. In my case, I already struggle with anxiety, and I’ve only had my Hugo for a couple of months. Actually, I’m out-of-town at the moment, and though I miss him to death, I think it’s been a positive experience. A good friend of mine is watching him right now, and I’ve been reminding myself that she would contact me if anything was wrong. I’ve also been challenging myself not to check in every minute, because I do trust her and I know that I asked her to look after Hugo for a reason.

                                It’s a double edged sword, I think, because while I’m very grateful I’ve done so much research, it’s so hard knowing that so many things can go wrong so quickly. Like you, I’m an experienced dog owner, but the only animal death that came out-of-the-blue for me was my guinea pig’s, and I was eight at the time. Hugo is also the first pet I’ve had as an adult (I’m twenty-one), and having this much responsibility is a little terrifying.

                                I talk to Hugo a lot, which has helped. Every night before bed, I tell him how much I love him and how grateful I am that he’s in my life. I’m not religious, but I also send him warm vibes each night. While I used to be more anxious when I was around him and constantly analyzed the things he was doing, being around him is now an incredibly calming experience. He takes me out of my head, and he’s incredible support for my anxiety. It’s harder not being around him. I also sometimes question if I’m being a good enough owner.

                                Like Dee, who, of course, is a much more experienced rabbit owner than I am (as are you!), it’s been very helpful getting to know him. One of the things that terrified me when I first got him was the fact that I wouldn’t know him well enough to know if something was wrong. Though Hugo and I are still learning about each other, I feel more comfortable about my ability to detect if something’s off. I’ve also gotten into the habit of feeding him as soon as I wake up, and that’s been helpful. On the upside, being well-informed has helped me with picking out his vet, which is, of course, extremely important.

                                Also Bam, thanks for your reminder that most people post here when there’s a problem. I spend time looking at rabbit photos here and on Instagram, and seeing other happy, healthy rabbits has helped, too.


                              • Sarita
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                                  I’m going to be honest that dealing with a sick rabbit is really more difficult than dealing with the death….just my opinion. You are more helpless most times when they are ill. Death is sad but it’s final and whatever pain there was, it’s gone for your rabbit – not for you unfortunately but for your rabbit.


                                • Stickerbunny
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                                    If it makes you feel better – my two I have had for years and short of spay/neuter and a few URIs (which was just sneezing / runny nose, no illness), they’ve not needed any medical care. They had gas a few times, but belly rubs and a little simethicone fixed that. So, it’s not like all bunnies just randomly die or are sickly. Powder is who-knows-how-old (7? 8? our best guess) and as healthy as ever.


                                  • JackRabbit
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                                      I kindof wonder if most new bunny parents go through this. I have spent more on vet visits for my bunnies in two years than my dog needed in 12 — not always because the bunnies were sick, but because I was afraid one or the other might be! My bunnies do seem to need to be seen by the vet more than most, but its been for things like Moshi stuffing his face in a bunch of hay with his eyes wide open, and Marlee did have a UTI.
                                      I’ve learned what is normal for each of my bunnies and I think that’s the most important thing in getting beyond the fear that any day they could be gone. That and becoming intimately knowleable about bunny poop!


                                    • emm_renn
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                                        Brittany-  It’s okay to worry.  When I was younger, I had rabbits but didn’t know the proper care and many of them died at not even a year old   I felt so horrible and thought I was the worst animal owner ever.  But I still loved rabbits and over time, I did extensive research, thought it over numerous times if I was mature enough and financially ready for a rabbit.  I bought my rabbit last year and I couldn’t be happier!  It sounds like you are looking out for your bun and you are doing everything right.  Just make sure you have a rabbit savvy vet that you trust and you can call in with questions.  You just need to be confident in yourself .  Monitoring poop/pee and eating habits will help you spot illnesses in the early stages.  Spend lots of time with your bun and really get to know him or her so if something seems off you can take proactive steps of getting him or her to the vet.


                                      • BelarusianBunny
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                                          Hi there, 

                                          If you want to meet the Queen Worrywart, that’s me.  My bunny, or any of my animals, could look at me different and off I got into a tizzy “OMG, something is wrong!” fit.  However, I’ve had rabbits for well, a long time, and I’ve really never got involved with looking for information on illnesses.  You know why?  Like the others have said about this forum, for the most part, my bunnies were great and healthy.  No concerns and they lived to ripe old ages.

                                          There are things in life that happen that are random and we have no control over.  Some rabbits simply pass from things we could have never predicted but I do not think this is the norm.  However, if we pay attention to our rabbits each day and make notice of even the smallest changes, we can detect illness sooner rather than later.  As well, great rabbit husbandry and care goes a long way in keeping our bunny children healthy and happy.  So, yes, you will worry because you love your rabbit but the key is to rationalize our fears and anxieties.  Like Sarita said, we don’t know what will happen to those we love so make the most out of the time we do have with them.

                                          So, remember, we can’t predict the future but normalcy teaches us that most rabbits will be there to greet us when the sun rises each morning!  Take care!


                                        • Beka27
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                                            I worry that if you constantly live in fear, you’re going to miss out on the good stuff… We are all going to go sometime, so embrace the time you have with your bun (and everyone in your life!) and live life to the fullest!

                                            I feel that buns are much hardier than people think bc you hear the bad experiences more than the good ones. It’s true that they do hide illness well as part of their prey survival mechanism, but more often than not, with proper care they do live long healthy lives.

                                            I lost my male rabbit unexpectedly 2 years ago. He was fine in the evening, the next morning he was gone. It was just his time, and while I still miss him everyday, life goes on. He was an adopted bunny and his age when I got him was only an estimate, so I don’t know exactly how old he was, but I do know that we shared 5 wonderful years together and for that I am thankful.


                                          • lorree
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                                              Oh I’m glad I’m not the only one.
                                              I worry about my rabbit Boonie so much mainly bcos I read early on that rabbits can die from fear. And now I feel like I’ve screwed things up cos I didn’t want to scare her so much that I avoided anything that could scare her. Now I’m having trouble with holding her and worried about vet needs and she is 3 and not yet desexed and I’m so scared I’ve left that too long


                                            • FluffyBunny
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                                                Just passing through, and thought I’d add to what has been said…I have had my male bunny for 6 1/2 years now. I’ve had my female for close to 5 years. I’ve dealt with scary gas episodes, GI stasis, infections, etc., and the bunnies have come through it fine. Besides the fact that my female is going blind, they are both extremely healthy and active. The thing about bunnies is that they’re very resilient. Volunteering at a rabbit shelter, I’ve seen bunnies with 90 degree tilted heads, missing limbs, or organ failure who kept living and still had nice bunny lives. Sudden death happens, but it’s really not common…and honestly, in my opinion, you’ll probably learn how to instinctively tell that your bunny is sick before it gets bad. They do hide illness and decline pretty fast, but probably 9 out of 10 times, there’s a lot you can do to prevent death. They are just little prey animals, but they’re a lot tougher than people give them credit for. Caring for your bunny right, giving them a good diet, and always watching for any odd behavior goes a long way.


                                              • Brittany
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                                                  THANK YOU EVERYONE for your advice and caring words!

                                                  Matilda is great and I am slowly starting to ease up a bit.
                                                  And this site is soooooo helpful and I am glad there are people that feel the same way I do.

                                                  xoxo

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                                              Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Paranoia of bunny dying!