Feeling Empty

[DanaLynn]

We were continually taking our rabbit to the vet and the vet was constantly saying she has allergies. As she got worse, the local pet store said one day while clipping her nails that she was having a false pregnancy. We went back to the vet who said she didn’t have mites because her skin wasn’t scabby, she was losing her fur from a false pregnancy, she needed to be spayed and they felt a lump. We went to a second vet who also said not mites, false pregnancy, needs to be spayed. We went to a third vet who said not mites, false pregnancy, needs to be spayed. We went back to the second vet for the spaying only because it was cheapest. While she was under they called us and said they tested for mites and turns out she does have mites. Not sure why they decided to test now. They asked if we wanted to continue with the spaying. We said yes because she was swollen, hairless and there was still that lump. And when we asked if it was ok to have surgery and treat for mites at the same time, they said yes. After surgery they said they removed 3 lumps. We came home and did a mite treatment. Two days later she seemed to be slowly getting back to herself. I never imagined anything was wrong. On the fourth day she was breathing funny, not eating or drinking. On the way to the vet she went into cardiac arrest and passed away.

And here’s what went wrong…

All this time it probably was the onset of mites and not allergies. Our original vet diagnosed her wrong. Then because she was having a false pregnancy two other vets diagnosed her wrong.

I have three rabbits. This rabbit would love to be friends with the other two but the other two are not friendly with other bunnies. Because of that we keep all three in separate cages and let them out one at time. Whenever spaying was mentioned to us we just brushed it off as the rabbits are never around each other therefore there will be no babies. Our original vet failed to express all the other importances of spaying to us.

So yes giving a mite treatment after surgery probably is not a harmful thing, although what the second vet failed to consider is that going through a recovery of a surgery while having the side affects of mites such as severe itching and gnawing probably was not a very good thing for a little creature who is so frail, easily stressed and in pain.

And we believed and trusted the pros because that’s what their expertise is.

I have no idea what the exact cause of this was. I’m having a hard time justifying that I didn’t somehow have a cause in this. We had her for only 3 years. I don’t know how long the people before us had her so age is unknown. But what if I had gotten her spayed while she was healthy when we first got her? Or what if it was the combo of the surgery and the mites and we could’ve stopped the surgery and treated the mites first? She was my little girl. I never saw a rabbit like her. She was half puppy I swear. She followed me around the house and pounced around at my feet and jumped up on the couch and sat in my lap. If the attention was not on her at all times she was so jealous. She was so funny. She was just personality plus. And I’m beating myself up trying to find justification to this.

[LBJ10]

I’m sorry for your loss. She sounds like she was a sweet bun.

I was reading your story and I have to ask, what was the mite treatment? How old was she? And what were the lumps the vet’s removed during the spay?

[Bam]

I’m so very sorry for your loss.

Please don’t beat yourself up about this. You can’t know if the lumps were cancerous and had spread further through her system and if that was what made her so weak that she didn’t pull through. She could have had metastases in her lungs. Few people are aware of the high risk of uterine cancer in unspayed does. We know about it here so we always recommend spaying, because most people just don’t know. 

You had the best intentions. You loved her and she loved you.

[DanaLynn]

We’re not sure how old she was. We had her 3 years. I’m not sure how long the people before us had her or where they got her from. That’s one reason I’m so upset because I can’t justify she had a good long life. I almost want to track down the lady we got her from to see how long she had her but what if she said not long, then I’d feel worse.

I’m not sure the name of the mite medicine but it’s a topical solution that was once every two weeks for three treatments.

Not sure about the lump. Same as humans, when the first vet felt she had a lump, they said it could be something or it could be nothing. When the vet said they removed three lumps during surgery I thought good then there’s a good chance they got it. We didn’t have the lumps tested. I don’t think we were even offered to or should they have just done it? I don’t know. I think I was just satisfied with getting them out. But finding out what the lumps were, was that something else the vet did wrong I wonder?

[DanaLynn]

This was my little princess. This was Stephanie.

[cinnybun2015]

I am so sorry for what you have been through. I could not see the picture, but it seems like Stephanie was a wonderful, sweet bunny. Like bam said, please don’t beat yourself up. You did what you could do, and it is perfectly normal to feel empty and dull inside after you lose someone that you love. I was numb for a while after my bun passed away. Take care of yourself.

[Sr. Melangell]

I can understand how you feel, but it isn’t your fault, don’t blame yourself, maybe you can find it in your heart to adopt another friend.
I am sorry for your loss, it is never easy when we loose a friend.

[LBJ10]

The reason I asked about the mite treatment is because Revolution is very safe and I doubt it contributed. I agree with Bam, don’t beat yourself up. It sounds like she may have had uterine cancer that had spread to other areas. It is very common for it to spread to the lungs. The lumps they removed were probably only part of it and they probably developed later.

[DanaLynn]

It is Revolution, I just looked. I just think maybe after the pain medicine wore off, she probably still wanted to itch and gnaw on her skin but was so uncomfortable from the surgery that maybe it was just adding to the stress of everything, which kills me because I think I should’ve treated the mites first and then had the surgery. I also agree that she probably had cancer/lumps all over but I’m beating myself up over maybe if I had just had the surgery earlier….

 

[DanaLynn]

What happened once we found out Stephanie had mites, the vet said that we have to treat all the rabbits even if they don’t have mites because they could be hosts. My Fefe bunny is a bit smaller then Stephanie so they prescribed the same dosage for Fefe that they did Stephanie without seeing Fefe. My third bunny Teenie is a femish. They had us bring Teenie in so they could see her size to see the right amount of dosage. Teenie was tested while she was there and does not have mites. We see a small dandruff like spot on Fefe so even though Stephanie is gone we definitely want to finish the mite treatment.

We definitely want to adopt as soon as the mite treatment is done and as soon as we’re ready of course.

My thing now is Teenie, who isn’t spayed either. She is definitely 3 years old and I think I know now that getting her spayed has to happen. It’s a horrible thing to think but just the thought that I’m going to do something good ahead of time and spay one when I didn’t even think before it was too late to spay the other is killing me. And then comes the problem of the vet. I don’t know who we can trust now.

[Bam]

Stephanie was gorgeous. And so is Teenie.
As others have said, Revolution is very safe and you should treat all buns in the house-hold even if they’re not showing symptoms, they often carry a small amount of mites unsymptomatically and if you don’t treat all, you can get mites going around in circles from one bun to another, so to speak.

I don’t know if your vet was wrong not to get the lumps tested. If the cancer had spread, there would’ve been nothing more to do but palliative care. What they perhaps could’ve done would’ve been an x-ray of the lungs, if they’d seen metastases there, there would’ve been no point in going ahead with the spay. But the recommended action to take in cases like Stephanie’s is to do an emergency spay.

It’s understandable that you’re feeling uncertain about your vet at this point, though. Having your bunny spayed is scary as it is. But from what you’ve told us about the vet, imo there’s nothing that points to that they did anything wrong.

[Love4Bunny]

I’m so sorry Stephanie passed away. Just reading your story made me think of how these little creatures come into our world’s and turn them upside down, and we end up loving them so much. We don’t know everything, but we try to do the best with what we know when it comes to our rabbits, and that includes the unexpected.

My state has a local House Rabbit Society recommended [rabbit] vet list. I wonder if the state you’re in has one also. I Yelped my current vet before I saw her, and she had great reviews. Knowing how meticulous the local HRS is in my state, I was relieved to find that she is also the go-to vet for all their rescue rabbits. I don’t know if you went that route, but I would try for someone reputable in the rabbit community.

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