Beware of red dye

[Annarose]

WARNING: SLIGHTLY GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION

I work at a veterinary office and I had a wonderful little black and white lionhead named Lady Hoppington. She was a little under a year old and she was the most playful and curious bunny I’ve ever met and tomorrow I’m going into work to pick up her ashes. During the night, she decided to eat a bed that I had bought for her from Petsmart. It was a red bed with strawberries printed on it and I’ve had it for months without any problem. During the night a week ago, she decided to eat it. I rushed her into work thinking she had a blockage from the foam because she wasn’t eating, pooping, and she was dehydrated. She was on fluids for 5 days and she finally started to look better. She was eating, hopping around, and being her old, feisty self. But she still wasn’t peeing or pooping. Her last day, she wouldn’t move and was acting like she was the first day she was at the hospital. Blood began to come from her butt. At this point, we decided to put her down st 12:00 pm 5.16.16. We did an autopsy on her (because I couldn’t live not knowing why this happened) and it showed that her kidneys had failed and caused her cecum to shut down and hemorrhage, filling her intestines with blood. After many tests and bloodwork, it was determined that the red40 dye in the bed is what caused her kidneys to shut down.

So to any and all rabbit owners out there: be careful what you give your rabbits. The things you think may be harmless can turn out to be the exact opposite.

[Gina.Jenny]

So sad. Binky free Lady Hoppington

[Q8bunny]

That’s so awful, Annarose.
Thank you for warning us, and I’m so sorry that it’s knowledge gained through the loss of your bunny.

((((((Binky free, sweet little lionhead.))))))

[Annarose]

It’s a terrible thing to be going through, especially with this being my first ever rabbit. But I am hoping that I can use this to share with anyone and everyone I can in hopes that this will never happen to anyone else’s little buns.

[Gina.Jenny]

Have you let PetSmart know?

[Bam]

I’m so sorry that you lost Lady Hoppington. Thank you so much for warning us! It’s very kind of you to think of other bunnies’ health when you’ve just lost your own darling.

Binky Free, Lady Hoppington.

[Annarose]

I have not called them yet to let them know as I still can’t talk about her without crying. So Im just going to write them a letter instead.

[Gina.Jenny]

Could someone else at the vets do it for you? It would carry more weight if a vet told them, too.

[Annarose]

Yes it definitely would carry more considering I just work in the kennels. I will definitely ask when I go in Monday! Thank you for that idea

[cinnybun2015]

I’m so sorry, Annarose. It’s never easy to lose a rabbit, and especially that suddenly.

(((Binky free, Lady Hoppington))))

[LittlePuffyTail]

I’m so very sorry for your loss.

(((((Binky Free Lady Hoppington)))))

[Sr. Melangell]

Thank you for the warning, but I’m very sorry you found out this way.

[frenchfried]

I know my post is a little late but maybe it can help someone else online looking for info on red 40.

It’s an ingredient in metoclopramide, from the Costco I go to,  that my bunny has been on and off (but more on) since January of this year due to gastro stasis.

I used to have a severe sensitivity to blue food coloring and now I’m super worried about this!!  (There’s an out of pocket blood test for food and other environmental sensitivities I took.).  I appreciate your post!!  I will double check with her vet to see if they have a clean formula or I will get it from a compounding pharmacy.

I’m so sad about little Lady…I know it’s been years since she passed.  My bunny was born the same year as her and I know I don’t have much more time with her if we can’t beat the snuffles.

[Author]

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