Elliott has joined honeybunny over the rainbow bridge

[HoneybunAndElliott]

yesterday I posted about how my beautiful honeybunny passed away on 25th Jan, aged 9 and a half. no obvious cause we just found him in the morning. Needless to say I have not stopped crying since and am wracked with immense guilt that I wasn’t there to help him as I’d been isolating in my bedroom due to having covid so as not to pass it to the family.

Elliott was okay the day it happened, I thought a couple of times that he may be looking for honey but he was eating drinking and even binkying and jumping on the sofa a lot which he rarely does these days.

yesterday he was a little funny, he had a gassy tummy a couple of weeks ago bordering on stasis, was incredibly bloated and had to go on a drip. he’s never had gut issues in his life. he had medicine (infacol wasn’t doing the trick for him like it usually would for honey if he on occasion got uncomfortable) nd bounced back to full health.

 

back to yesterday, he seemed a little uncomfortable but didn’t feel very bloated. he let us stroke and comfort him and still ran round a little bit and came to sit in the lounge. he ate some hay and nuggets and was pooping so we thought perhaps he was realising honey wasn’t there.

 

I sat with him til about 1am just comforting him and he lay in his litter. he doesnt love being picked up he prefers just to sit next to you and have rubs so that is what I did. I left our little toy bunny that looks sooo like honeybunny near him as he likes to groom it and snuggle. I woke up in the night and checked he was okay. this morning he went strange, he was laying very flat like I haven’t seen before and watching his sides go in and out as if he was breathing very fast. he then perked up and moved about and did a wee, but would only eat 1 nugget. we rang the vets right away and they advised to bring him down.

she checked all his vitals, temp etc and everything was fine. his tummy was making noises in a good way showing movement but his poops were quite small. his breathing, the vet said, was okay. the vet suggested we keep him there for a few hours and he go on a drip as he hadn’t had a drink in so long and was clearly not himself.

 

before we went my mother had a the feeling we should keep him at home incase it turned serious as to not stress him out further (he’s a very intelligent bunny with the sharpest awareness I’ve ever seen), but I said we should take him as if it is like a couple of weeks previously he would do well on the drip. he’s very very difficult to syringe feed and puts up a magnificent fight so we thought if they could just get him some pain relief and make him comfy then we could bring him home and take over in the evening.

 

the vets rang us a couple hours later and said he didn’t make it. before we left they didn’t seem that concerned about his condition nor did they say there was anything particular wrong, maybe stasis. when we went to pick him up the vet/nurse said he hadn’t been in pain and there was people around as I asked if he was alone. I get the impression he was alone though she kind of skirted over the question and said the staff are around but not with them constantly, this breaks my heart that he couldve been alone as I know he’d have been terrified in there. they said his body and everything were in perfect health, very good for his age and more like a 4 year old bun. they said he had medicine and ate a bit of carrot. I’m not sure I believe this to be honest as I know what he’s like, and the way he way refusing food, he won’t even eat on the way home from the vets and sits and has a cute little sulk for about an hour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

we brought him home and took him out of the towel they gave, his tummy and feet were all wet and upon giving him a cuddle I noticed there was blood in the grooves of his nostrils. honeybunny did not have this symptom. the vet didn’t mention it either.

 

I cant believe I have lost my 2 little pet soul mates within 2 weeks. I keep thinking could it be covid, me and my partner stayed away when we tested positive and didn’t go in the bunnies room or the lounge, but before we tested positive presumably we’d have been carrying it. I asked the vet and she said no but seemed as if she didn’t know basically. the buns didn’t go outside in a long time. they didn’t have vaccines as when they were younger honeybunny had a terrible reaction to his vaccines and his whole genital area swelled up like a balloon and he couldn’t pee for days, Elliott wasn’t well from it either so we chatted with the vets who reported the quite severe reaction to the manufacturers, they replied saying it was rare and best not to give it to him again. we decided because they are indoors we won’t risk that as he was very very ill from not being able to pass urine.

I just don’t understand what has happened. the only thing I can think is that when Elliott went to the vets on 9th jan when his tummy was bad did he pick something up there and then it took a couple weeks to take hold, but I don’t even know if that’s possible with rabbit viruses.

they both had the sneezes a couple of months back but had antibiotics for this and have been doing fantastically well.

upon writing this I am in shock, I have been absolutely beside myself at losing honeybunny and for Elliott to go just 2 days later it hurts so very much.

they were the most gorgeous wonderful bunnies with such different personalities and have been my little best friends for nearly a decade. aside from honeybunny having some issues earlier in his life they’ve had fantastic health and never had to even have a dental.

I spent much time researching the perfect diet and accommodation over the years.

 

 

I am devastated. I dont know what’s caused this but when honey passed I knew it wasn’t just old age. I dont see 9 as old for a bunny, just older. if I could have had them vaccinated I would have but they both had reactions and every vet I’ve spoken to over the years has advised not to as it seemed dangerous to GIVE them the vaccine due to their awful reactions which resulted in them both being hospitalised.

it’s got to be something contagious. I don’t know if elliotts nose bleeding is a sign of a haemorrhage or rhd. does anybody know of any viruses that take a couple weeks to materialise? we take so many precautions we always take our shoes off, wash our hands, don’t allow other animals in the house, do all their care nails etc at home and have fly guards though there’s none here this season anyway its too cold.

 

I and the vet do not think Elliott died of stasis, his gut was moving and he pooped at home and whilst he was there.

 

his death was far too sudden for that, and far too coincidental.

 

it doesn’t make any difference to know what caused this I know, but I am distraught and desperately searching for answers. we didn’t get a post mortem as the vet said they often come back inconclusive anyway and we didn’t want to disturb him anymore than he already had been. I cuddled him for a long time at home in his blanket and took in his every little detail as I don’t want to ever forget his tiny face.

 

I will never ever forget you Elliott or honeybunny, you got me through some of the most traumatic times in my life and I had you from age 20 to 29 so a whole very nearly decade of you living with me. I cant believe either of you are gone and I will cry for you for a long time. my chest and heart hurt and i wish i could turn back time and know what this was and prevent it as i truly b elieve we wouldve had a couple more years together. my sweet babies I’m so sorryxxxx

[edited by DanaNM to remove extra spaces]

[DanaNM]

OMG I’m so sorry, how awful 🙁

This really sounds like RHDV should be suspected with the sequence of events and timing. It causes internal hemorrhage so blood around the nose is one of the only signs, aside from sudden death. It is so incredibly contagious and can be tracked in on shoes, feed, etc. Are you located in an outbreak area or near one?

 

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[HoneybunAndElliott]

thank you for the link ill have a look at that.

I feel like it was definitely something viral. it is coincidental that he’d gone to the vets 2 weeks prior too. I’ve been reading and this second type of rhdv can take 1-2 weeks. I know the vets are supposed to take precautions but im doubtful they are perfect at this as I’m sure sometimes the vet nurses must move quickly from one patient to the next. I feel very unhappy with the care he received there and the lack of answers, she was very vague when she came out and faltered massively when i asked if he was in pain or alone. they left his cannula in and ear bandaged up so when we got him home i cleaned him up myself as he was such a proud pristine bun i knew he’d hate it being left on. we are going to ring them today and ask if they’ve had any cases of rhvd, though I doubt they’d say even if they had? also, who knows how many cases there are when things like this happen and they don’t even suggest it as a theory. im so grateful for your suggestions and advice as ive learned far more from this website than i ever knew. it’s so sad and I just hope and pray no other buns go in until its properly sterilised.

thank you, I know there’s no definite answer but I do think it was something contagious as they were just such happy and healthy buns. I guess rhvd or covid as we had it in the household, though nothing I read indicates that the researchers think covid affects pets even if they can be carriers and we did isolate away. such limited knowledge though. I wish we’d pushed it more with the vaccines and perhaps tried again a few years later, if it was rhvd. I think we just went along with the vets who were very vague, not knowing if wed do more harm than good to let them have it again, and naively thought they’d be safe at home. the guilt and sadness over this potentially being a cause is just too awful to bare.

sorry my messages are so long winded im just in complete shock and writing it out helps. I thought I’d write this for anybody who may experience similar situations coming across this board as we have just lived in a happy bubble with our healthy buns and didn’t realise the severity and that they can catch it indoors even if your very careful, and I’d hate for anybody to go through the same. also if you get covid stay well away from your pets if you can – research is so limited particularly for buns from what I am reading.

 

[HoneybunAndElliott]

I’ve tried to look it up but I can’t see anything listed since 2019, not sure if I’m looking in the right place though. I live in solihull, UK. is there a specific site that maps cases? we asked the vet and they just said probably something viral but we don’t know and gave us no indication whatsoever.

I wonder if he got it from the vets, but I’m not sure it can take that long. we’re so careful with not wearing shoes, washing hands etc. perhaps it was the hay. regardless I just feel absolutely dreadful.

I feel absolutely distraught and so guilty for not having them vaccinated if it was rhd but we were advised not to after the reactions the first time around and every time we’ve spoken about it since they’ve said it’s risky as they have no idea how they’ll react and that it could be thr same again, so we were scared to try it again not wanting to harm them or make them so poorly again and the vets agreed, and now this has happened. God I feel absolutely dreadful I haven’t stopped crying since Tuesday. do you know if they shouldve swabbed him or something, is there a test for rhd? they didn’t do that.

don’t think my photos of Elliott uploaded before so just adding them here as he’s so beautiful 

[DanaNM]

The current new outbreak is in the US, but RHDV has been in the UK for a while.

I’m really sorry, whatever it was. There are certainly other diseases that could be picked up, but the vets should be following good biosecurity to prevent those sorts of things, and the ones that come to mind that cause sudden death are more common in wild rabbits (Tularemia for example).

The RHDV vaccines have been super safe and really well tolerated, but I know some of the earlier versions (years ago) were more prone to reactions, so perhaps your vet was misinformed? Especially with something like RHDV that has a super high mortality rate, it seems odd they would advise against them. It’s really a nightmare virus for rabbits (super contagious, super resistant to cleaning products and extreme temperatures, and super deadly). If it was in fact RHDV, there is very little that can be done once a rabbit gets infected. 🙁

It tends to show symptoms within about 9 days of exposure, often much sooner. I believe to test for RHDV they have to send the body away for testing (at least in the US they do, since it’s so new here).

Most of the info I know about current outbreak locations is for the US, but the UK Rabbit welfare association has some info that might be helpful: https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-health/disease/rabbit-vhd/

I also don’t want to jump to conclusions that it was for sure RHDV!  It still very well could have been old age for Honeybunny, and it’s also possible that Elliot wanted to join her and felt he was ready to go (that does happen a lot in older pets who are bonded, especially dogs… and humans).

Keep in mind he was also quite an old bunny, and they both lived very long happy lives with you. I know that doesn’t make you miss them any less, but a bunny making it to 9 or 10 years old in a loving home is a complete success story, no matter the ultimate cause of death.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[Wick & Fable]

I’m so sorry to hear about this… My heart aches, and to take the time to share your experience, story, and love for your rabbits is an honor for everyone. While no longer with us, they both had a wonderful, caring, and loving owner with them. They are binkying free, with true love under their wings on the other side of the rainbow.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[HoneybunAndElliott]

thank you for your beautifully worded message and for reading their stories, it means a lot x

[GlennTheLionhead]

I’m so sorry for the loss of both of your beautiful bunnies, I have read both of your tributes and it really does sound like you love your buns so much, I have no doubt they both had wonderful lives with you and they lived to a good age.

I am also UK based and as for rhdv unfortunately its nationally widespread here, affecting all areas – probably because the UK is so small.

I don’t know if swabs are routine but I have heard vets usually offer the option to investigate cause of passing usually for a fee but I do not know the process.

Again I’m sorry you’re going through this and the pictures of your bunnies really are so sweet!

Binky free Honeybun and Elliott

[GlennTheLionhead]

Oops sorry for the reposting of information there, must have replied at the same time.

[HoneybunAndElliott]

thank you so much for your lovely message ❤️ x

the vet said they can do a post mortem but they often come back inconclusive with rabbits, we decided not to as it disturbed us thinking of putting his tiny body through that and then still getting no answers potentially 🙁

 

 

[Bam]

Elliot was truly beautiful 💗

I agree with Dana, this sounds very much like RVHD2. If you have Facebook, there is a myxo and RVHD map of the UK where people can report in confirmed and suspected cases of those diseases. I’m not sure how long the incubation period is, when I look it up it says 3 to 9 days, but I think Ive read up to 2 weeks.  This relatively long incubation period is why it spreads so effectively.

You did try to vaccinate them – if your vet adviced you to not keep vaccinating due to the adverse reactions they had, then that was what you had to stick to. You have absolutely nothing to blame yourself for.

I’m very sorry for your losses. To lose two buns in such a short time just isn’t fair.

[HoneybunAndElliott]

thank you he was so perfect and proud❤

I think the same too, I’ll try to find the Facebook group and see if anybody nearby has reported. thanks for suggesting that.

thank you for your kind words and for taking the time to message, it means a lot to me to read these replies x

[BZOO]

Hugs to you and yours.

Beautiful boys!  They were well loved and cared for, the best any critter could get.

I hope someday you’ll be ready for more buns, they’d be lucky to get you!

[HoneybunAndElliott]

thank you so much for your lovely message, its really kind of you to say that and has helped me to read it xx

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