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Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Rabbit died

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    • Binkers
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        I got a 9 week old holland lop from a reputable breeder. We had him for 2 weeks. He was very healthy. His diet was hay that was provided to me by the breeder and pellets. We were transitioning him from the breeders food to “our food” so the breeder told us to mix and gave us a schedule for ‘weening” him. Then all of a sudden…. diarrhea ! I have had two other house rabbits in the past and NEVER had diarrhea. I know this can be fatal in rabbits so i called her immediately and she instructed me to bring him to her so she could take care of him. Unfortunately he died 2 days later. My daughter is heart broken and i feel terrible for the little guy. 

        The breeder is telling me that this sometimes happens. Has anyone had this experience? The other rabbits i had were a Dutch and a Mini Rex. Is this something specific to Holland Lops? I’m at a loss. And advice would be welcome.


      • Q8bunny
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          I’m sorry this happened, Binkers.
          The thing is, with buns – and especially with baby buns – it’s so hard to tell exactly what went wrong. It could simply have been a pre-existing illness (buns are so good at hiding symptoms).

          (((Binky free, baby bunny.)))


        • LBJ10
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            I’m so sorry for your loss. I’m sure it was a shock for you.

            Considering his age, it was probably coccidia. It could have been bacterial too. It’s hard to know without you taking a sample to the vet. Incubation for coccidia is relatively long. But, they can also be infected without symptoms and then stress can cause an onset of symptoms. This is because stress can cause a dip in the immune system.


          • Bam
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              I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s very sad. As LBJ says, this could’ve been coccidia or f ex bacterial enteritis. These infections (coccidia is a common parasite) affect very young rabbits particularly badly, and they are very often fatal. There is inevitably stress when a bunny moves to a new home, it’s not undue stress, just the fact that they come to someplace new and unknown.


            • Binkers
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                How,would he have caught coccidia? I know it’s a parasite. Could he have been carrying it this long? I want to make sure this never happens again. Is there anything I could have done to have infected him? Is this a reflection on the breeder? (I have never used this particular breeder but she comes highly recommended. ) do you recommend taking the next bunny to a vet upon adopting him to have it checked? Thanks for responding. I’m so upset over this and want to make sure it never happens again.


              • Bam
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                  Coccidia is in the environment, it likes soil. It can come in on forage, esp if there has been birds pooping in the area (and wild birds will poop in any area, of course). It’s highly contagious and affects the very young worst. I quote from Medirabbit: “Although the disease occurs essentially in intensively managed animals, especially younger ones, it appears also in well cared for rabbits.” 

                  Coccidosis

                  I highly doubt it was something you did. It is of course always wise to have a new bunny checked by a vet. A routine health-check would not detect a dormant infection, but you could voice your concerns. A vet might prescribe meds as a precaution, but most anti-parasitics are not suitable for use in very young bunnies. 

                  If you take a bunny in at first signs of diarrhea, the bunny can often, but not always, be saved. Young bunnies dehydrate quickly, so it’s a big emergency.

                  (Keep in mind diarrhea is not to be confused with sticky poop – diarrhea is watery or mucosy and the bunny does not produce any normal stools, sticky poop is just sticky and mushy and smelly and, above all, there is normal poop as well. Diarrhea is life-threatening, sticky poop is not an emergency).

                  Obviously you’ll need to clean your poor dead bunny’s area carefully before getting another bunny. There is a bunny-safe disinfectant called Virkon that kills virtually every nasty that can be of concern. It’s sold where you buy supplies for horses and it’s avaialable in small satchets suitable for when you don’t have like a whole stable to clean. 

                  Other than that, hay and pellets the first 12 weeks, then slow intro of veggies is the best for a young bunny’s tummy. It needs to develop a diverse and sturdy GI microbiota, and that is primarily achieved by eating good quality grassy hay.


                • Binkers
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                    Thank you Bam. I am not taking any chances and I’m just going to buy a new cage. He was at the breeder within a hour of his first diarrhea episode and within 48 hours he was gone. The breeder said the diarrhea continued for hours and he wouldn’t eat so she had to force feed him food and the medicine he needed. The breeder says that she has kits that will be ready to go home in 3 weeks. I just don’t know if i should go back to her again or find a new breeder. This is my first experience with her as my previous breeder moved away.  


                  • LittlePuffyTail
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                    18092 posts Send Private Message

                      I’m very sorry for your loss.

                      I think I would go with a bunny from someone else. Are there any rabbit rescues in your area. So many buns looking for good homes.


                    • HotCrossBuns
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                      44 posts Send Private Message

                        Binkers, I am so sorry for you loss I have had two baby rabbits in the 13 years I have owned rabbits and cannot imagine if this had happened to one of them. I second LPT on looking for rescue buns in your area if available. This is one good way to ensure you do not go through this horrific event again, plus you can save a rabbit and give him/her a good home!


                      • Binkers
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                          I had originally looked into adopting from a shelter but there are not too many in my area and the ones that had rabbits for adoption were larger breeds and ones with special needs. I have some thinking to do….


                        • LBJ10
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                            To answer your question, it is possible for them to carry it for awhile before symptoms appear. They can be infected and have no symptoms. This can be due to their immune system, the species of Coccidia and how many oocysts were initially ingested. So it’s possible he was infected when you purchased him and either stress or some other factor triggered the onset of symptoms. It’s also possible he was infected later by contaminated food. Either way, you shouldn’t blame yourself in this. It was nothing you did! Even very well cared for bunnies can be infected. They don’t have to live in unsanitary conditions.

                            I agree with the others, it’s best to clean anything really well before bringing a new bunny home just to be safe. I don’t think that the breeder is necessarily a bad breeder, but if there’s the possibility that they have a coccidia outbreak then it probably isn’t a good idea to get another baby from them.


                          • Hazel
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                              I’m so sorry this happened, I don’t think it was anything you did. Sounds like he was already carrying something when you brought him home.

                              Am I understanding this correctly, the breeder tried to treat your bunny at home, rather than take it to the vet? Every experienced rabbit owner knows that a bunny with diarrhea has to be seen by a vet right away. She should have sent you to a vet. The fact that she had you bring him back instead makes me think she was worried about what they might find. It sounds like her reputation was more important to her than your little buns life. I would stay far away from that breeder.

                              As has been said, parasites like coccidia are very common and their presence doesn’t always mean the breeder is bad, but I think the way she handled the situation is a huge red flag.


                            • Binkers
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                                Hazel- thank you for your response. In hindsight I wish I had brought him to the vet. I’m also seriously considering finding a new breeder. The problem is that there are no other breeders locally so I have to look at surrounding states. I have also looked at a few other rescue sites but again they all seem to be larger breeds or have medical issues.
                                ?


                              • MiNinoJack
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                                  Binkers – what state are you in? My local rescues have majority healthy rabbits that need homes. The benefit with getting a rescue is that they will often spay and neuter for you before you get the bunny so you won’t have to go through the recovery like you would with getting a baby from a breeder.

                                  I’m sorry for your loss.


                                • Hazel
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                                    Posted By Binkers on 5/24/2016 6:10 AM

                                    Hazel- thank you for your response. In hindsight I wish I had brought him to the vet. I’m also seriously considering finding a new breeder. The problem is that there are no other breeders locally so I have to look at surrounding states. I have also looked at a few other rescue sites but again they all seem to be larger breeds or have medical issues.
                                    ?

                                    It’s not your fault. You trusted the breeder to give you sound advice, and she failed to do that.

                                    I had the same problem when I was trying to find a bunny to adopt. No breeders near me, and no bunnies in local shelters. It took 2 years to find one. I think if you’re patient and keep looking, the right one will come along.  Big bunnies are great by the way, usually they’re more calm and cuddly (as far as bunnies go) than smaller breeds.

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                                Forum HOUSE RABBIT Q & A Rabbit died