Reply To: Did I mess up? How do you deal with the guilt?

[Bam]

It wasnt your fault and I think she was in such a bad way that the fluids wouldnt have made a difference at that point in time. But it was the right call, feeding her more CC is counter-indicated when there’s a blockage. I think they clinic ought to have given her pain meds/a prescription for pain meds, but I’m definitely not a vet so this is just my personal opinion. Rabbits are as a species highly sensitive to pain.

I’m sorry you didnt get to be with her when she passed. She was probably not aware, but being there could’ve helped you process your loss.

I’m very sorry this happened. You did what you could and your instincts were sound. She probably would’ve needed in patient care with a slow IV fluid drip plus a good deal of pain killers and the outcome would still have been very uncertain. Surgery to remove a blockagev is sometimes performed, but full anesthesia in a very weak old-,ish bun is very risky.

ETA: i find there is always guilt. It doesnt necessarily mean guilt is warranted. It’s simply means we loved this little being who was in our care and who we wanted to protect. When we couldn’t, we feel guilty. That type of guilt fades with time, when we realise that we did what we possibly could. But there will always and invariably be a period of grief that we can’t (and really shouldn’t try to) escape from. It’s a process.