I am in shock! (possible brain lesion?)

[Heather M]

I am in shock so bear with me

On Wed am our bun did not want to go outside like she usually does. It was hot here so we figured maybe that was why.  late that night we noticed she was wobbly so in the am I took her to the exotic vet.  He said she likely had either an inner ear infection or a brain lesion.  He said if it was an ear infection it would take weeks or months to heal but we could try to treat for that first to see if there was any improvement and go from there. So we were shocked when 2 days later she was totally back to normal, hopping around the yard and not wobbly at all. She had ‘vertigo’ and always fell to the left. But had been fine the last 3 days. I continued giving her the Baytril and Probiotic as directed.

Today, she spent the day outside running around the yard as usual (grass and all plants totally untreated and no poisons/toxins whatsoever and fence is bunnyproofed).  We leave the back door open so she can come in and out as she pleases. We were putting the kids to bed, and seriously 5min  had gone by and I saw her laying by her cage where she hadnt been 5m before.  I knew something was off and touched her and she had died  

We are totally shocked.  We have only had her since Nov, we got her from someone who didnt care about her at all and she lived in the basement and NEVER got taken out so we dont have much history on her. She was only 4. She had come so far these past months, she was a lot tamer and went from being totally agoraphobic to loving the outdoors and freedom. She wasnt the friendliest  but we loved her anyway. She had a lot of potential and the kids are devastated!  She showed no signs of anything wrong with her, per the vet (physically besides the vertigo).  She was using her litter box fine and eating and drinking and maintaining her weight.  My last bun died at 12.5yrs, so I KNEW why he died. But would love any ideas you might have….is this common for buns that have brain lesions? Buns dont die from inner ear infections, do they? My kids want to know WHY, because she was sick then fine all day then suddenly died.

Thanks for listening if you got this far!

Heather (and Oreo the Dutch rabbit)

[LongEaredLions]

I don’t know much about sudden death in bunnies, could it have been a stroke or seizure?
((((((Binky free little one))))))) and ((((((vibes))))) to you and your family.

[Heather M]

thank you! I dont know much about sudden death either….my husband and kids were out in the yard playing and she was frolicking out there with them and was totally fine. then she walked in the house about 1hr after they came in, laid down and died. i am going to call the vet tomorrow, we were going to go back for a recheck and I was so happy she was doing so much better. It could have been anything…..I think she came in to get in her cage (an XL dog cage with levels) but the door was shut so she laid next to it and just….died. She wasnt laying in an odd way either, just like she always does.

thank you for your kind words

Heather

[jerseygirl]

I’m sorry for your family’s loss. That would certainly have been unexpected since she seemed to be recovering quickly.

Your vet might be able to give you some more possibilities of why she died. However, without necroscopy, you cannot know for certain.

I agree, it seems something like stroke. Say hypothetically, she had a blot clot that caused some disruption but then seemingly resolved. Then later caused a fatal blockage. Perhaps the improvement you saw after baytril was coincidence.

Regarding lesions, hopefully your vet can elaborate. I’m only aware of lesions from Encephalitozonosis Cuniculi (E.C.) which is common in rabbits. I don’t recall those causing sudden death though.

I know this must be a distressing time for your family. Take heart in that she had a quick peaceful passing. Doing what she loved right up to when she left for the Bridge. You certainly didn’t get enough time with her but gave her the life she deserved. That’s what’s important.

***Binky Free Oreo***

[CheriB603]

So sorry for your loss.
I can’t imagine finding my baby girl like that. Hugs to your kids.

[Sarita]

I’m sorry for your loss.

As Jersey stated, it’s just impossible to know – a necropsy MIGHT show something and it might not and most vets when they do a necropsy do not look at the brain unless they have the right kind of instrument….I have not always gotten a definitive answer with a necropsy so just be aware of this.

It’s always difficult to explain death to children and even if you did have a proper answer it may not help them to understand but I know it’s more difficult for everyone when you don’t know.

[Heather M]

Thank you everyone!

I do agree that the meds were probably coincidence. The vet had even said they wouldnt work for weeks, or even months. So I didnt think it would start working in a couple days. Though i was hopeful she was getting better, I just didnt think it was solving the issue since it was too soon. I get vertigo every 9-10 months and the cause is unknown so I was hopeful it was nothing serious and just one of those things.

In a strange twist of fate a casual friend here in town is going through some changes (divorce, eviction, job loss) and posted on Facebook then on Freecycle that she had a free bunny. I told her we would take him, no questions asked! I was concerned someone would take him for snake food or something I think replacing Oreo asap will be helpful for us all.

Thank you all again for your kind words!

Heather

[LongEaredLions]

Yay! I am glad you found Oreo such a worthy successor, I am sure she would be proud! May the new fluffbutt help you forget your grief, while forever remembering Oreo! and don’t forget to post pics when the bunny comes!

[Beka27]

I am so sorry to hear about your bunny, how sad, especially when you thought she was doing so much better… :o(

I’m wondering if there wasn’t something in the yard that you may not have noticed that she ate. Passing away so suddenly like this isn’t common with head tilt/ear infections/EC… Or as the others said, something else entirely unrelated…?

Either way, I am so sorry for your loss…

Binky free Oreo…

[Heather M]

Beka27, your pic reminds me of my bun growing up, he was an english mix but looked very similar! He lived 12.5 yrs. He was super tame with a great personality!

I have been considering something in the yard….we have lived here 9yrs and have never used a weed spray or fertilizer or any treatment on the back grass, and before we started letting her out we looked up the plants etc out there to be sure they were bun-friendly.  we only use ‘green’ cleaners in the house and have since we moved here. But what is non toxic for us might be toxic for them…..and i def dont want this to happen again!

Thank you all for the kind words and brainstorming with me!!

Heather

[Annabel93]

I’m new to bunnies so I have no advice but that sounds awful Like was said before, at least she died right after doing what she loved most, so hopefully you can take comfort in that. It sounds like rescuing a bunny from potentially becoming snake food is a really nice idea to help you and your family make a positive out of your sad loss. I’d love to see pictures of Oreo at her best if you have any

[Bam]

How terribly sad! I’m so happy you saved her from her life in the basement. At least she got 10 months of good rabbit life with you.

I don’t know about bunnies and blodclots, but in people, it’s not uncommon that a small blodcloth preceeds a bigger, very serious or fatal one. The first one dissolves, then a few days later comes the next, big blow. That’s why f ex a TIA is such an observandum in a person. This is of course sth that most often happen to old people and your bunny wasn’t old.

So sorry for your loss.

[jerseygirl]

I get vertigo every 9-10 months and the cause is unknown so I was hopeful it was nothing serious and just one of those things.

I hope you don’t mind my addressing this. It’s just that the topic has come up with other members before.
Have you ever been tested for allergies? Particularly for mold?

On the bunny front, did you end up bringing a new rabbit home?

[Heather M]

I hope you don’t mind my addressing this. It’s just that the topic has come up with other members before.
Have you ever been tested for allergies? Particularly for mold?

I dont mind at all! I have no idea why I get it so any input is appreciated! it isnt daily, it is just that I get it like once a year (and have had it all different months of the year) and it stays 1-2 days but is very severe when it is here. I have not been allergy tested but have wondered if allergies or something have made the fluid in my ears change and cause the vertigo? It has happened in all seasons, and all different months of the year. but it could be something inside? When I saw an ENT he said everything was fine earwise (but it wasnt during an acute stage).

We are hopefully picking up “Twitch” this weekend.

Thank you again for all your support and ideas everyone!!

[Bam]

You could have BPPV, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, perhaps. Have you tried the Epley maneuvre? It is harmless and easy, you can do it on your own but if you have so to help you, that’s even better. If you google it you’ll find various instruction-videos on YouTube on how to do it.

BPPV is quite common and as it says, benign.

[Heather M]

Thank you for the info Bam! I havent done Epley but have done some exercises that involve similar movements….they make me feel terrible at the time but do seem to help. I also take a homeopathic remedy and if I sleep, do the exercises and take the remedy sometimes by the end of the day I am ok. Every dr I have seen about it just says ‘inner ear infection’ but really, have had 6 inner ear infections in 5 years? the ENT only offered some pretty heavy duty drugs to help with the nausea which I declined. I do hope it is BPPV. After hearing the vet say Oreos vertigo could be caused by a brain lesion, I really started to worry about what causes MY vertigo I will try Epley next time….I had seen it before but never tried it. but I should!

Thank you all again for the support and info!

[LittlePuffyTail]

I just want to offer my condolences on the loss of your bunny. Losing a bunny friend is so very heartbreaking, under any circumstances. ((Hugs))

(((((Binky Free Sweet One)))))

[Tessie]

I’m so sorry for your loss, the fact that it happened so quickly must make it harder.
At least you know you saved her from a miserable life and gave her a loving home

[Heather M]

So I got the new bun this am!! He is super friendly and sweet, a gray and white dutch. However, I believe him to have splayed front legs I asked the owner and she said he had always been like that and preferred walking on carpet. He is only 1. He seems ok most of the time but definitely has some splaying of the front legs. Only a vet can confirm I guess. Oreos cage was an XL dog crate with different levels with indoor/outdoor carpeting, but I think this little guy is going to need a 1 level cage for sure! I am keeping him in the cage she gave me for a few days so he can adjust. It is one of those plastic bottomed ones that is rectangle and she used Timothy hay on the bottom. he doesnt use a litter box either but seems to be going in one corner so hopefully that is an easy fix! Meanwhile I am reading through old posts for ideas for cage modification for splayed leg buns! He seems to have been a well loved guy at the old house (unlike Oreo, who didnt even have a name) and she just couldnt keep him anymore due to circumstances. It was their first rabbit, and I honestly dont think that she thought anything was wrong with his arms because he had always been like that. but having had rabbits before I knew right away (though we never had the splaying issue). Thank you again everyone for your kind words and rabbit AND human health info!!

Heather

[LongEaredLions]

Woo hoo for new bunnies! We do need pics tho…..hehe

[Beka27]

Since you’ve brought the new bunny home, go ahead and start a new thread in a different section. You can start one in the intro section with your introduction/pictures of the new guy, or in any of the other sections if you have questions about him.

[Beka27]

Nevermind… just saw that you have started a new thread in the Q&A section…

https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/126759/afnp/344431/Default.aspx

So, discussion of the new bunny can resume over there…

[Author]

Messages