I lost a rabbit today

[skysthelimit]

I lost my 13 week old buck early this morning.
He presented very few signs, since he was always in a corner, that was not a red flag. There was still food in the feeder, but that was not a red flag. What queued me in was that there was still water in the dish. That was odd. I pulled he out and he didn't try to run from me, and I turned him over and he had diarrhea. He had plenty of hay to eat.

His stomach felt bloated, I am familiar with bloat in dogs, I gave gas pills, removed feed and gave hay. I brought him in, gave a probiotic and tried to syringe some fluids. Of course not all this happened at one time. But he went down hill fast, and was dead 48 from when I recognized the problem till death. I felt is abdomen, and I could feel he guts, they were hard, filled with poop and felt bunched together, like mesentric (looking for spelling) torsion. I won't be able to open him till Weds., afternoon. I'm upset mostly because I couldn't save him, and because he was the rabbit I decided to "co own" with my neices (3 and 4 year olds).

 

[MamaSheepdog]

mesentric (looking for spelling) torsion.

Close- you just dropped an "e": mesenteric.

Sorry to hear about this- it sounds like you did all you could. It will be interesting to see if you can find the cause. Keep us posted. Severe impaction can sometimes be inferred by very loose, watery diarrhea, since anything more solid can't get through. It is usually accompanied by vomiting in animals that have that ability. (You probably know that from your dog experience, but others might not.)

Hopefully your little nieces will not be sad for very long if they can pick a new baby bunny to co-own with you.

 

[Secuono]

I fed my rabbit mixed weeds and grasses when she got diarrhea, had it 2 or 3 times and eventually grew out of w/e was making her sick. She still hates hay, hates oats. Only eats pellets and grasses.

 

[skysthelimit]

I fed my rabbit mixed weeds and grasses when she got diarrhea, had it 2 or 3 times and eventually grew out of w/e was making her sick. She still hates hay, hates oats. Only eats pellets and grasses.

It's Feb in Ohio, I sue wish I had some grasses. What every grasses did grow here the dogs and chickens made light work of that. Someone suggest oak leave, I have almost no trees on the property, a small plum tree and a peach tree, no useful leaves on the ground.<br /><br />__________ Tue Feb 21, 2012 4:32 pm __________<br /><br />

I fed my rabbit mixed weeds and grasses when she got diarrhea, had it 2 or 3 times and eventually grew out of w/e was making her sick. She still hates hay, hates oats. Only eats pellets and grasses.

It's Feb in Ohio, I sure wish I had some grasses. What every grasses did grow here the dogs and chickens made light work of that. Someone suggest oak leave, I have almost no trees on the property, a small plum tree and a peach tree, no useful leaves on the ground.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I read somewhere that oak leaves were on the poisonous or unsafe list, but if one blows into a cage, the bunnies scarf it right down.

 

[opie7441]

I'm sorry to hear of your bunny loss.

 

[skysthelimit]

It's especially hard because chin rexes are hard to find here, and the breeder just culled the dam, so she can get new blood. He was such a good specimen, with a really high arch and depth, meaty shoulders and hips. Unshowable because he had no nose markings, but I was hoping he would be a great stud.

 

[ollitos]

I'm so sorry you weren't able to save him. We've lost calves that we've tried to save from bloat. It's hard when you're doing everything you can and it isn't enough.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I'm sorry to hear that he was such a special bunny- death always seems so unjust when it happens to one of your favorites.

Sky, has she sold any of the line to other breeders so you could possibly buy a sibling or 1/2 brother?

 

[skysthelimit]

I'm sorry to hear that he was such a special bunny- death always seems so unjust when it happens to one of your favorites.

Sky, has she sold any of the line to other breeders so you could possibly buy a sibling or 1/2 brother?

They've all been sold or culled already.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Oh. That is very hard.

I hope another very special rabbit is on its way to you to fill that empty space, and it doesn't waste any time getting there.

 

[caroline]

sorry about your bunny. It's always frustrating
when you think you SHOULD be able to DO SOMETHING
to make things work out the way YOU want them to.

I'm slowly learning that life works the way it does and
it's my job to find out why that's a good thing.
No other choice if I want to have peace.

 

[ladysown]

totally bites when you lose 'em to gut issues....

I call it natural culling of the herd....but doesn't change that it totally bites.

 

[skysthelimit]

totally bites when you lose 'em to gut issues....

I call it natural culling of the herd....but doesn't change that it totally bites.

That's what I thought. The breeder blames it on the feed, and that might have been the trigger. But he was always a quiet, shy bunny, who never came to the front of the cage to get petted, he preferred to hide at the back, never really moved around. All of my other bunnies are social to the point of demanding food and attention.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

he was always a quiet, shy bunny, who never came to the front of the cage to get petted, he preferred to hide at the back, never really moved around.

I have a couple that are like that, and I don't like it. Especially if they don't have good appetites- it just doesn't seem "normal".

 

[skysthelimit]

he was always a quiet, shy bunny, who never came to the front of the cage to get petted, he preferred to hide at the back, never really moved around.

I have a couple that are like that, and I don't like it. Especially if they don't have good appetites- it just doesn't seem "normal".

and that was the problem. He had a good appetite, but not enough movement to get that gut going and it stalled.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

not enough movement to get that gut going and it stalled.

I knew it felt wrong for a reason. Maybe those are the rabbits that need extra time in an exercise run. The ones I have are probably going to be culled, but for a rabbit with outstanding qualities the extra effort might be worth it, especially if it has a permanent effect on their behavior.

 

[skysthelimit]

not enough movement to get that gut going and it stalled.

I knew it felt wrong for a reason. Maybe those are the rabbits that need extra time in an exercise run. The ones I have are probably going to be culled, but for a rabbit with outstanding qualities the extra effort might be worth it, especially if it has a permanent effect on their behavior.

I am certainly going to try it, if I ever get one like that again.

 

[currituckbun]

So sorry to hear. ((((hugs))))

 

[skysthelimit]

Thanks everyone. I have not figured out what to do with him yet, bury him or feed him. If I bury him, there is no where that the dogs probably won't dig him up anyway.