Help! What happened to my bunny?

[Kirstenlouise19]

Hi, I fed my bunny Sebby like normal when suddenly he started what looked like gagging and what sounded like sneezing. Not even seconds later green fluid started pouring out from either his nose or mouth and he was still gagging and trying to breathe. I was trying to figure out what was wrong when he started to slow down. I was about to call the vet when it picked up again and he started collapsing, getting up, then collapsing again and he was very obviously scared and banging up against the Xpen. Next thing I know he collapses one last time and dies. This all happened in minutes. I have absolutely no idea what happened. He was acting perfectly normal all day. He got excited for his food like normal. He has a cagemate, Button who is fine. It was the most horrifying thing I’ve ever wittnessed and it happened so fast. He was mine and my husbands first pet and we are absolutely heartbroken. Does anyone know what could have happened? It almost looked like choking but I don’t know. Any help would be apreciated, thank you.

[Bam]

I’m so very sorry this happened to your bunny. I think he could’ve choked on a pellet. We have had a few very similar tragic stories about choking accidents here before. The green fluid is typical.

This can happen when a bun is a very greedy eater, the bun actually inhales their pellets. Greedy buns shouldn’t get pellets in a bowl but rather have them served scattered on the cage floor. This piece of info is of no help to your little Sebby now of course, but maybe it’s something Button could benefit from. You can switch to pellets of a larger size, it’s small pellets that can be inhaled.

This is incredibly sad. I hope Button will be ok. Bunnies grieve too. He will need more attention from his humans for a while now.

This was a freak accident and not a thing the majority of bun owners know can even happen.

[Mikey]

He choked on his food. I am so sorry for your loss. I know how terrifying it feels in the moment and how scary it looks. I am so sorry you had to go through that (((((binky free little bun)))))

Focus on little Button for a while. Button is going to need some extra loving to get through this, and the extra cuddles are likely to help you too.

[Levilovescelery]

I’m so sorry i’d be traumatized if that happened to Levi…I wish you didn’t have to go through that…i’m sure his buddy button could use some treats and love though.Buttons would probably be a great help emotionally as you grieve and i’m sure he or she would be comforted by you too.

[Levilovescelery]

if you ever need to talk about it or need anything else you can talk to me if you like.I’ve never had a pet I was very close to die but I have been through a lot so I can understand in other ways and i’m here to listen

[MountainBuns]

Oh, my! Im so sorry for your loss. I would hate to have to see that. Binky free (((Sebby))). It sounds like he did choke. Hopefully his bunny friend is fine.

[Kirstenlouise19]

Thank you so much for the response. My internet has been down so I couldn’t check it until now. I feel so guilty for about what happened to him. I never even knew that rabbits could choke. Button is a shy bun so Sebby really boosted her confidence. The first two days were really rough but she seems to be doing okay now. I’ll defiantly be scattering her pellets for now on, though she doesn’t get as excited as Sebby did for pellets. She had a huge set back in her confidence so it’s just been a struggle building that again. We were considering adopting another bunny but we don’t feel ready and the rescues and shelters don’t have any other confident bunnies right now.

[Kirstenlouise19]

Thank you for replying. It was the most terrifying thing I have every seen. We’ve been spending a lot of extra time with Button but she’s quite shy so it consists of me sitting on the floor near her for hours, but hopefully her confidence will come back in time. Thank you again for your response, it’s really appreciated.

[Kirstenlouise19]

Thank you. I truly hope that no one else has to see their bunny go through that. Button is doing better now and is very spoiled. Oddly enough our cat seemed to noticed he was gone and hung out around the Xpen all day. Button’s a shy bunny so I think he was keeping her company.

[Kirstenlouise19]

Thank you. Button is doing a little better now.

[jerseygirl]

Im so sorry for your loss. Binky Free Sebby! 
It would be an awful thing to see and so very fast. Ive lost 2 of my bunnies very quickly in front of me and you are left feeling so helpless.  The important thing to try stay focused on now is how loved & cherished Sebby was throught his life as your rabbit.  It can be hard to move past that moment when they left us, but I promise, with time, you start to remember all the happier times. 

Im looking after a friends rabbit at the moment, and he has had 2 choking episodes.   He’s managed to clear the pellet but it is frightening to see and leaves me wary whenever I give them the pellet. I hover around to make certain all is okay. I can imagine you may feel nervous for Button now too. I encourage all rabbit owners to read this. It may help us identify when something is amiss and explains how to do a “bunny heimlich” manoeuver.  http://www.vgr1.com/choking/  Just be aware there are some stories from other owners included, so skip over those if you’re feeling it’s too soon to read them. 

Ive always wondered if it would be worth having something nearby with the rabbit supplies, that we could wrap a rabbit in  to secure them if ever having to do this manoeuver. 

Posted By Kirstenlouise19 on 3/21/2018 9:54 PM

Thank you so much for the response. My internet has been down so I couldn’t check it until now. I feel so guilty for about what happened to him. I never even knew that rabbits could choke. Button is a shy bun so Sebby really boosted her confidence. The first two days were really rough but she seems to be doing okay now. I’ll defiantly be scattering her pellets for now on, though she doesn’t get as excited as Sebby did for pellets. She had a huge set back in her confidence so it’s just been a struggle building that again. We were considering adopting another bunny but we don’t feel ready and the rescues and shelters don’t have any other confident bunnies right now.

Its lovely that you are considering adopting. Could you look further afield for a rabbit that might suit Button? There is a group (Ive completely forgotten the name  ) of volunteers that transport rabbits across the country between Rescues and to new owners if an out of state adoption is approved. Of course, this means adoption without bunny dates. 

[jerseygirl]

The Bunderground Railroad !

I’d been googling ” bunny railroad” and “the bunny underground” without success. A search of the forums finally gave me the name I was looking for. 

[Mikey]

Definitely read through the link Jerseygirl posted. That technique is what saved my Badger when he was choking. It is not something many people know about or even think about until the time comes or its too late. I am so, so sorry for your loss

It is great that you are considering adoption, even if it is off in the future. I think right now spending time with Button and rebonding with her to help boost her confidence first will help. It will also allow everyone time to grieve.

[Nutmeg]

Posted By jerseygirl on 3/21/2018 10:55 PM

 I encourage all rabbit owners to read this. It may help us identify when something is amiss and explains how to do a “bunny heimlich” manoeuver.  http://www.vgr1.com/choking/  Just be aware there are some stories from other owners included, so skip over those if you’re feeling it’s too soon to read them. 

@ Jerseygirl – that link you provided doesn’t work. Do you happen to have another one? 
My female bunny started to inhale her Kale and started to gag and I almost had a heart attack – that’s when I found out that bunny’s can’t throw up (hair balls for example) and I realized that it could have killed her.

@Kirsten – I am SOOooo sorry for your loss! As my comment above clearly shows I didn’t know rabbits could choke either until it happened to my girl only a few days ago. Sadly sometimes we don’t find out about things until it happens. I hope you don’t blame yourself as the “what if” game can just be horrible.
When we had to put our senior girl down last month (it was also sudden and she was also our very first pet) I did not think I would be ready for another anytime soon. My hubby actually surprised me a week and a half later with new fur babies – I just came home and they were there. It has actually helped me heal faster. Not that I mean to say “go out and get a bunny right now”, but just wanted you to know that I didn’t think I was ready either. 

[Nutmeg]

@Jerseygirl – Update, I found the link.. it was missing the “s” on https ….. https://www.vgr1.com/choking/

[LittlePuffyTail]

I’m so very sorry for your loss.

[Author]

Messages