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Forum DIET & CARE Warning disturbing content: Sudden Rabbit Death

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    • Randomxfox
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        This post contains disturbing details about a rabbit’s sad demise. Please do not read if you feel this might upset you. Title edited by Bam and this warning also added by bam.

        So last Sunday, 09-03-17, our rabbit was making a lot of russeling noises in his set-up and I went to look at him and he was lying on his side, unable to move and breathing heavily. My boyfriend picked him up and he was completely limp and gasping for air. My boyfriend held him on his back but more upright and he started calming down and regaining motor control. We set him on the counter and he stood up on his own but was panting or atleast I assume he was because he had his mouth open and was breathing hard (I’ve never actually seen a rabbit pant so.) We drove him 30 minutes away to the only 24 hour emergency clinic that would see rabbits and he was fine and calm the whole time but never stopped panting. When we got there they took him back and we waited hours but only because they had a lot of emergency cases that day. Eventually the doctor took us into a room and talked to us and she said that originally she thought he was doing pretty good. They assigned someone to watch him the entire time and he was moving and hopping around like normal but still panting. When they took his temperature though the stress of it caused him to have a nose bleed. After that she was afraid to take any blood or perform any x-rays for fear of stressing him out so bad he would die. She gave us some options, one of which was euthanasia but we had to figure out what was wrong with him so we picked the option to take him to a rabbit specialist. Sadly though the only one open on a holiday weekend was 2 hours away and would cost around $3000 but we were still ready and willing to do everything we could. So they gave him back to us and maybe a minute after we left the parking lot he started loosing motor control and coughed up a ton of blood and yelled in fear and or pain and then passed away. We drove back and they gave us a burial box and a form for the autopsy lab that is also 2 hours away. Sadly though they didn’t open until Tuesday so we had to keep him in the fridge until then. It’ll take a while for them to run all the tests they have to. The doctor at the lab already opened him up and said everything looked normal except for a lot of “red liquid” (I’m not sure why she didn’t say blood) in his lungs, sinuses, and throat. But as of now that is all we really know. I wanted to ask though if anyone else has had something like this happen before while I wait for more information from the lab. This is so important to me and my boyfriend because this bunny was one of 6 bunnies in an acident litter. He was only 8 months old. Also this litter was the second accident litter (the mother was pregnant with litter #2 while nursing litter #1.) The entire first litter died and half of them died almost the exact same was as this one, except they died immediately after losing motor control assumably because they weren’t even a month old and their little hearts couldn’t take the shock. We don’t want the other 5 babies to die the same way screaming and scared. All the vets I talked to about the 1st litter couldn’t tell me anything so hopefully the lab work will tell us something. If anyone has went through something similar and or has any thoughts or ideas I would love to hear them.

        Please and thank you.
        Also the rabbit that passed was named Love btw. We named him that early on but he quickly grew to be the embodiment of the word because he loved everyone no matter what species and or gender. He greatly enjoyed laying with my dog, grooming her stuffed animal, and being generally spoiled rotten but utterly sweet. He died too young and we’ll miss him so so very much.


      • Bam
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          I’m very sorry you lost your rabbit in this dreadful way. If you are in Europe (probably not because you mention dollars), New Zealand or Australia, my first guess would be RVHD. There are two forms (at least) of this virus and it kills rabbits very quickly. Coughing up blood sounds typical of this disease.

          However, if you are in the affected countries, I think your vet would have told you that RVHD is a likely suspect, because the awareness of these diseases have been greatly raised these past few years and there are vaccines available.


        • Randomxfox
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            The emergency clinic we took him to wasn’t a full fledged exotics specialist. Thats why they suggested we take him 2 hours away to the only specialist open on a holiday weekend. I asked about the possibility of E. Cuniculi and the vet hardly even knew what it was and I always assumed that that was a well known rabbit thing. I’m not upset they didn’t know more because I know they did all they could but I do wish they would have actually been specialists.
            I just googled RVHD though because I’ve never heard of it and its a little scary to think about since, yes I’m in the U.S. and there’s no vaccine here from what I read so the two times a breakout occurred here all the rabbits were, according to the article, “eradicated.” But they’re purely inside rabbits and I do feel like the mother would have died a long time ago if it was that. Her and her mate are super healthy and have been since I got them. But I will admit I dont know anything about their background because I found them on the side of the road a little over a year ago.


          • Mikey
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              Is it possible mom and dad bun are carriers that cause this problem? If its happened with a full litter and now with this bun, I would assume either the parents are carrying a sickness, parasite, and/or gene that is killing the babies. I would take the parents in to be tested for everything possible, and obviously do not allow them to breed any more. Take the current babies in to be tested if mom bun’s, dad bun’s, or Love’s tests come up with anything.

              Im so sorry for your losses. It sounds like youve done all you could possibly do in the moment


            • Randomxfox
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                Sorry for taking a bit to respond! I’m a college student and I was pretty busy this week with classes.
                Ya me and my boyfriend were wondering if it could be from the parents. I got the dad neutered like a week after the 1st litter was born so no worries on the breeding part. And the boys just got neutered this last Wednesday ?. I had gotten their appointments 2 weeks in advance so Love was still alive and I wrote introduction notes to put on everyone’s carrier and when I read Love’s note it defiantly made me tear up for like the rest of the day. It’s honestly been hard on the heart because we cant help but keep thinking he shouldn’t be dead in protest like he’ll come back if we think it enough. And it doesn’t help that we keep wondering if we did things differently maybe he would still be here.
                The animals I’ve gotten with my boyfriend are sort of his first animals, he had animals in the past but they were never considered his and he never got super close. They were always his sister’s or parent’s. And having Love die, especially the same way as the first litter and specifically the same way as the one he picked from the first litter, has made him very aware of our animals mortality and he’s been really worried about everyone. Like we’ve been taking care of the boys closely since their surgery and every time they move loudly we check on them immediately. We have 2 cats and a dog as well and he’s been extra clingy with them too saying how it would be terrible if they died.
                Anyways though do you think if it was from the parents they would show signs? Because they’ve been healthy since I got them. Except for a few days after I got them the father got a sinus infection but with meds from the vet it cleared up very fast. I just hope its not something that will be insainly expensive. Since there’s 8 in total it will get pricey. Well do whatever is needed though! But it’ll defiantly get pricey and set us back.


              • Mikey
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                  I dont think there is anything you could have done differently that could have saved him. Sadly, baby bunnies can die very easily and if they get sick, its very hard to save them in time. Its part of being a prey animal

                  Im sorry your boyfriend is going through this. Its good that he is, though. Everyone experiences family, friend, or animal/pet deaths in their lives and has to learn how to cope with it themselves. Death is a natural part of life. Its great that to help him cope, hes been giving extra love and attention to all of your other animals. Its very sweet and Im sure the animals love helping him cheer up

                  If the parents were carriers of something that caused this, they wouldnt show signs of it. It would also mean likely 3/4ths of their offspring will either have this and die from it, or are carriers of it to pass onto their offspring as well. Definitely see what the vet has to say after theyre done testing Love’s body.


                • Randomxfox
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                    Thank you so much ?! That is so helpful to know, I had no idea the parents wouldn’t show signs. If it is something like that then it makes so much more since why the parents have always been happy and healthy. Maybe that’s why they were abandoned ? I’ve always wondered why someone would let two extremely sweet and docile rabbits go. I just hope if it’s genetic that the rest are carriers or it’s something treatable.


                  • Randomxfox
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                  Forum DIET & CARE Warning disturbing content: Sudden Rabbit Death