Dear Leah – advice needed

[Blackavar3]

We lost our beloved house bunny Leah on Sunday. She went from being (seemingly) perfectly healthy to gone within 24 hours. Her only symptoms were being ‘not quite herself’ behaviourally and not as interested in food as normal, and later on an audible breathing problem. We took her to the vet promptly, who gave her some injections, and us a syringe/liquid feed to hand feed her. She died a few hours later. She was only 3.

We just do not understand what happened and are looking for support/answers. The vet suggested it may have been an underlying heart defect that just manifested itself (and subsequently caused respiratory failure) or was brought on by stress (we moved house about a week before it happened), although she was such a lively happy little rabbit and was never bothered by such things as stress (she once had a face-off with a large dog). I thoroughly bunny-proofed their enclosure before they moved in and have checked it again and can find no hazards. Our other (equally beloved) house rabbit Clarissa, who shares the same space, food, water etc is physically absolutely fine. They both settled very well in our new house. Can anyone suggest what could have happened?

Clarissa is grieving for Leah, but is starting to pick up a bit. Is it too early to get another rescue rabbit for Clarissa? Any advice gratefully welcome. Apologies if this isn’t the right forum for this, but I’m a bit new to online forums.

[Sarita]

I’m so sorry. I will light a candle for Leah to help her cross the Rainbow Bridge where she will be whole again.

I hear this many times from rabbit owners and it has happened to me as well. Even with a necropsy sometimes even the vet cannot tell – in fact many times, they cannot, they are still may only be guessing based on what they discover. The only thing that you can do is speculate but really I think it’s best not too. It’s obvious you took good care of her and did everything right to take good care of her but honestly sometimes these things just happen and it’s beyond anyone’s control (yours, the vets, etc…)

I don’t think it’s too early to get Clarrisa a friend, she’s obviously grieving and the sooner you get her a friend the better.

[rabbitsmba]

I’m so sorry to hear about Leah – how devastating to lose her so suddenly…

Rabbits are prey animals. Because of this, they hide any and all symptoms of illness until it is almost too late to help them. It is not unusual for a rabbit to go from seemingly completely healthy to gone in less than 24 hours. Unfortunately it happens a lot.

It may have been a heart condition. The only way to diagnose a heart condition is in a necropsy. There are no tests a vet can do while the rabbit still alive to check for it and there are no symptoms. Leah may have had a heart condition.

It may have been a gas episode that quickly lead to G.I. stasis and then death. Again, a necropsy might give you those answers.

Or it may have been something else. I am not a vet, just speaking from experience.

But the main point is that you did everything you could for Leah. I am so sorry you lost her. Was Clarrisa bonded to her? When a bonded mate dies, it is really important that they have “time” with the body of their friend. It helps their grieving process. It might be too late for that, but always good to know in the future. Give her oodles of hugs and attantion to help her through things – it’ll be good for you too. And it might not be too early for a new mate for her – sometimes the scent of a new bunny perks them up. If you think you are able to and Clarrisa looks like she needs a new friend, go for it.

Thoughts and prayers sent your way….

[Beka27]

Binky Free Sweet Leah! hugs to you…

i’m so sorry. that is heartbreaking. i will ditto what Sarita and rabbitsmba said… knowing the answer will not necessarily make her death any easier and focusing on that rather than on your remaining bunny might just work to delay your healing process. it could have been any number of things. i also lost a bunny suddenly… it’s just one of the possibilities when you open your home and your heart to such fragile creatures.

it’s wonderful that you’re already considering a new adopted friend for Clarissa. i think only you will know when the time is right. please keep us updated…

[RabbitPam]

My condolences on your loss of Leah. That’s very sad, and it sounds like it was just that she had a problem that couldn’t be detected. My cat had kidney failure that I later learned was common to his breed, but he was so huge (14 lbs) that it never showed until it was too late.

I don’t like the stress idea, since that sort of puts it on you. Obviously she was well adjusted, happy, and adaptable. If you are concerned for Clarissa’s health, maybe get fresh vegetables and fruits for her in case something Leah ate gave her a problem. Highly doubtful, by the way.

You and Clarissa can comfort one another in your grief. Perhaps taking her on a date at the shelter will show you how she feels around new bunnies, before you bring someone home. Give yourself time, too. I am missing Spockie terribly this week and it just came out of nowhere after 9 months. Your love for Leah simply taught you how to love others – a new bunny will be lucky to have you both.

[Blackavar3]

Guys,

Thanks for all your help and advice here. The general consensus seems to be that a) there was nothing we could have really done for poor Leah and b) that it isn’t too early to get Clarissa another friend. As I said, she seems to be coming round a bit now, we left Leah with her for a while once she passed away to try and help her understand what happened.

I have sussed out a local bunny rescue centre and will be taking a trip there in the next few days…I’ll let you know how it goes.

My deepest sympathies to anyone who has ever lost a bunny, or any other pet for that matter.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I’m so sorry for your loss {{ Binky free Leah }}

They can go very quickly. You did everything you could. *HUGS*

In my experience with a grieving partner, she more readily accepted a friend then she would have since she was grieving (I had tried bonding the her and the friend before with limited success, when she lost her friend she readily accepted him). I’ve also heard of rabbits who will reject a new friend as they are grieving. If you can handle it timewise and emotionally, try to do a date at a shelter to see how she’d accept a new friend.

[osprey]

Binky Free, Leah. So many bunnies meeting the Black Rabbit this week. Clarissa will be out of sorts for a while missing her friend. She’ll need you to be extra attentive to her needs, and to make sure that she is eating and recovering well. I think a friend for her is a great idea. Leah will send you and Clarissa to a lonely bunny somewhere who needs a home and will help ease your pain.

[skunklionshow]

I’m so sorry for your loss.  You seem to be doing a fantastic job focusing your energy/love on Clarissa.  We wish you all the best and look forward to hearing about Clarissa’s dating.

[BinkyBunny]

I am so sorry for your loss. She sounded loved and cared for. And sometimes these things just happen even when everything is done right. You gave her a wonderful life.

Keep us updated on how Clarissa’s dating goes. Some bunnies need time if they don’t realize for sure that their partner is coming back, but since she seems to have grieved and then is coming out of it, it may be that she was aware, and now she’s ready.

[MooBunnay]

I am sorry to hear about Leah, I hope that soon you will find a nice new friend for Clarissa, let us know how it goes with finding her a companion. I agree with the other members – bunnies do such a good job of hiding illnesses that it is very difficult to detect them early, and it sounds like you are a very attentive and caring parent, so she must have been hiding her illness very well.

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