Lost my lionhead doe

[Marinea]

I am so sad this morning. My beautiful Natasha is gone.

I went out last night to feed and check on them, and noticed she was a bit "standoffish". I picked her up and checked her over and she seemed fine. Put her back in her cage, and she hopped around some. This morning when I went out, she was lying dead on her side in the back of her cage.

There have been no recent changes in diet- they are on pellets, fresh hay, garden treats, the usual. There have been no changes to their cages. I can't do a necropsy...I just couldn't handle that. Boris is fine...hopping around, eating, coming up to me for scratches. She was about six months old, and perfectly fine and healthy appearing until yesterday.

I know there isn't much to go on, but anything I should look for or do? I would hate for Boris to suffer the same fate.

Oh, and one more question, which will probably sound ridiculous...will Boris get lonely not having a bun in the cage next to him? I don't plan on getting more buns until spring when we build our new set up.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Could have been wool block...or any myriad of other things. You really have no way of knowing without a necropsy.

 

[Peach]

Sorry about the loss of your Lion Head It's hard to loose them at a young age.

 

[ZRabbits]

So sorry to hear about your loss. Really hard to tell what happened. Was she pooping normally? Wool in their poop or odd shape ooop will show you there is something going on.

My only advise with Boris is if he becomes "standoffish" that could be a sign something is wrong. I think that was Natasha's sign that something was happening even if she was hopping around a bit. That's my sign with my rabbits that something is going on.

And I don't believe Boris will be lonely by himself until you get a new doe in the Spring.

Karen

 

[Marinea]

Thank you for the well wishes. Boris is doing fine today. I will keep a close watch on him for a bit.

I tried to do a necropsy, I really did, but just could not bring myself to do it. This is my first loss, and it really got to me. I had a stern talk with myself, and have agreed that if I intend to get into rabbits this spring, this is something that, sadly, goes with the territory.

Hubby was wonderful about the whole thing. He mentioned that if we can find some extra money in the budget this week, we can go and get a cage and turn Boris into an inside bunny.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Thank you for the well wishes. Boris is doing fine today. I will keep a close watch on him for a bit.

I tried to do a necropsy, I really did, but just could not bring myself to do it. This is my first loss, and it really got to me. I had a stern talk with myself, and have agreed that if I intend to get into rabbits this spring, this is something that, sadly, goes with the territory.

Hubby was wonderful about the whole thing. He mentioned that if we can find some extra money in the budget this week, we can go and get a cage and turn Boris into an inside bunny.

It is very hard to do, I had to do this for a rabbit that I absolutely adored. She was so sick I had to put her down...then I went and bawled my eyes out. It will get better, just hang in there. {{hugs}} And you have a wonderful, understanding hubby there! He is a keeper!

 

[skysthelimit]

I buried the first one I had die here as well, I could not bring myself to do the deed. But with other deaths, I was so upset that I had to know what was going on inside, so that's what prompts me to do the necropsy.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I'm sorry you lost Natasha.

One of my two original bucks died shortly after I bought him, and I didn't do a necropsy either. At that point I hadn't even butchered a rabbit so I wouldn't have known what to look for anyway. I hadn't yet found RabbitTalk, so I wouldn't have been able to ask about it either.

Necropsies are a very valuable tool, but you have to get past the feeling that you are desecrating the body of a beloved pet to be able to do it. If and when you are ready, the RT community will be here for you to help evaluate your findings and offer support. :encourage:

I am sure Boris will be fine as long as you give him a little extra lovin'.

Your hubby is a sweetheart, too. Give that guy a carrot!

 

[Miss M]

I am so sorry!

It says a lot about you as a bunny owner, though, that you recognized something wasn't normal, and you checked her over. Rabbits are very good at hiding problems, so all you can do is know your bunnies, look them over, and pay attention to whether they are eating, drinking, and eliminating normally. You did what you could.

Your hubby is a sweetheart, too. Give that guy a carrot!

And raisins! :razz:

 

[ZRabbits]

I would have a hard time doing a necropsy as well, but being on Rabbit Talk I have found that it is a valuable tool. I have learned a lot with the threads that have been posted. And the RT Community is very supportive and helpful.

You hubby sounds like a Gem! Having such great support will be valuable as well. Hope you find it in your budget to bring Boris inside. He'll be a great teacher. I've learned so much by having mine inside. They all have taught me so much.

Again my condolences on your loss of your Sweet Natasha.

Karen