Grieving bunny

[Slush]

Hi, been a while since I have posted here and I don’t really know where to start…

So I had the one bunny, Slush, but he was lonely so we got him a friend, Misty.

On Monday morning, Misty was fine, but Monday night she wasn’t and we had to get her into the emergency vet. She was docile and unresponsive, barely moving.

Before we called the vet I picked her up to examine her for any physical abnornalities, there was nothing. As soon as we got her to the vet she almost fainted in my arms, she went limp and her head just went under her body. The vet examined her and said she was cold and had no vidion, there was no obvious signs of what was wrong.

He was going to set up a drip for her to run tests to try to find out but while we were waiting she started seizuring.

She was a very poorly little girl and we decided to set her free.

Taking my remaining rabbit for a check up the next day we discovered misty hadn’t had one of the vaccinations and we are now wondering if this is what took my little girls life.

Slush has had a blood test and we are awaiting results, because of the strain of vhd2 I have been advised against getting a new friend for him but he is confused and pining, barely eating hay.
I am trying to spend as much time with him as I can but it is difficult between work and grieving myself as I am trying to be strong for him but I am not feeling very strong.

The last thing I want to do is get him a friend and risk her being infected by slush if he is carrying, or risk getting a friend and she is already infected/becomes infected in her first few weeks of being with us.

How can I help slush? I feel so helples. The plan was to get him a friend asap but it jsut doesn’t seem like that’s an option right now

Thanks in advance for any information or advisr

[DanaNM]

I’m so sorry for your loss

There have been a lot of sudden deaths lately, it’s so so scary. You are not alone in mourning your little one.

Has Slush been vaccinated?

Does he live outside? In the meantime, he would benefit from extra time with you, so if he’s outside, it would be good if you could bring him in.

Even if he doesn’t want pets, spending extra floor time with him will help. He might also like a stuffy to snuggle with, just be sure he doesn’t chew it. I used a rabbit toy meant for a dog as a comfort for my Bertha when one of her mates passed. I made it snuggle up to her and “groom” her, and she would groom it back.

Is it possible for you to bring home an already vaccinated bun for him? Even if they can’t be bonded right away, he will likely be happy to have a neighbor.

Do keep an eye on his eating and pooping. Depression can cause stasis, so keep a close eye on him. Offer him his favorite veggies as much as possible to keep him moving.

Hugs to you and nose rubs to Slush, again I’m so sorry <3

(((Binky free Misty)))

. . . 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.  

[Slush]

Thank you so much for that information..I am spending as much time with him as I can, I’m sleeping after work and up between 10 and midnight to bond with him. Unfortunately instill have to go to work

We have been looking at adopting a bun but nowhere seems to have any locally and those that do arnt parting with them because of the illness spread…

I am so concerned that even if he is cleared from his blood tests about bringing home another one in case she contracts it somehow even as a vaccinated bun ..can’t go through this again it’s been a nightmare for us all

I just don’t know what to do for him, I am fortunate that he is bonded to me already so being with him does put him back to his normal self if not a bit more frustrated and confused.

I think he thinks misty is hiding and he keeps going into running manics and sniffing everything alot , we are trying to clean and get rid of anything that was hers or might smell of her but I think he can just always smell her

May have to move

[Slush]

Although it’s advised not to do this I was thinking maybe a guinea pig just for furry companionship in a cage by him? I know it’s not the same but I am at my wit’s end trying to think of a solution

[DanaNM]

Was he able to spend time with her body after she passed? That usually helps a lot (and prevents them searching all over for them).

Some bunnies do like piggie companions, and they can often have play time together. Not all bunnies get along with piggies though, so be prepared for that.

It’s good that he is bonded to you, just keep pushing him to eat as much as possible and move around while you’re home. It sounds like you are doing the best you can do at this point. I’m going to ask the other forum leaders about the effectiveness of the vaccine. I’m in the US and it’s not available, so I’m not too familiar with it.

. . . 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.  

[Slush]

No we didn’t bring her home, there are a lot of cats in our neighborhood and there is nowhere safe to really put her, we didn’t think about this alleviating confusion with slush.

I’ve had some extensive conversations and researched as much as I can as soon as questions have come up.

I am in the process of cleaning the room Slush is in now and throwing out anything to do with the other bun. We are due his blood test results tomorrow but I have found out he could be a carrier so I need to ask that question. If all is well and he isn’t a carrier and is clear of the strain we will be getting a friend for him in a brand new cage ..we will keep them separated for an extensive amount of time to be on the safe side

The room he is in Is carpeted, do you know of any cleaning solution I can put down that I could just vac up safe for pets..I am worried a simple sweep and hoover won’t be enough

[Bam]

The most commonly used vaccine against RVHD2, filavac, gives a 90% protection against the disease. There are always individuals that dont respond to a vaccine so their bodies don’t make the antibodies theyre supposed to in response to the vaccine. There’s no way of knowing if an individual has made antibodies without antibody testing.

If you get another rabbit you should clean everything and treat with Virkon S. It’s a powerful bunny-safe antiseptic powder you mix with water to an odorless pink liquid. It kills the RVHD2 virus. You spray it on all hard surfaces after cleaning (it doesn’t penetrate dirt), then you let it dry. It doesn’t stain, although I haven’t used it on wallpaper so I can’t say anything about that. I have sprayed it on carpets though, the carpets should be vacuumed thoroughly first. It’s available in small sachets enough for a few liters, you obviously dont need more than that (it’s also available in buckets for use in horse stables).

All fabrics should be washed in 60 degrees.

If you do this, you will have minimized the risk for a new bunny.

[Slush]

Thank we

We are currently cleaning out the room I will be taking everything out if the room, the walls are painted, we are even getting new cages. We are getting a new one for him as soon as that room is cleaned. I will be leaving it in the front room until the old one is out and I will be cleaning the new one with sterilisation tablets I know about before use

Any foods/treats are all bagged up in a box out of the way so should be safe but I will get them for use only and leave them where they are so I think the only thing left is floor cleaning ..

I will look into the stuff you said thank you so much I am finally feeling a little hopeful for my buck

[Author]

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