Is this possible?

[Susanne]

Hi, so my rabbit passed away yesterday 🙁  He had high liver toxin levels and couldn’t confirm but said it was likely liver lobe torsion (or something else with similar prognosis like cancer but with the levels they saw 90% of time it’s torsion). I could have had surgery to explore/ try and fix but didn’t seem worth the risk so had him euthanized.

I can’t help but wonder, probably guilt but if this is possible I’d also like to know: could I have poisoned him? They did say toxins could also cause the same bloodwork results. So I sprayed for ants the afternoon prior, I hope it’s just coincidence but so strange I can’t shake it. The symptoms I read for poisoning are exactly what he had plus the timeline is right.  It was the strong insect killer. I sprayed on a totally different floor of the house, then wiped off the floor and threw away a paper towel. I’m pretty sure I washed my hands well after… but what if I forgot and went down and pet him? What if I got some on my clothes and transferred it to him? I am sure I visited the rabbits also that afternoon, (don’t remember if it was after the spraying and before a shower though) and it wouldn’t be a stretch that he would have been the only rabbit of my 4 that would have come out for pets in the afternoon, but I don’t remember those little details of the day. Could a small amount of the spray on my hands or clothes, transferred to his fur then ingested (as unlikely as that is) be enough to poison him and make him really sick?

[Bam]

I’m very sorry you lost your bun.

What were his symptoms when you first realised he was unwell? Did he have seizures or other neuro signs? What poison was in the insect killer? In some ant poison there’s fipronil, which could cause seizures in a bun.

Liver lobe torsion would cause through the roof liver values. It seems unlikely that a tiny bit of insect killer residue on your hands couldve caused acute liver intox. Insecticides for private use indoors are typically not crazy strong, only professional exterminators have access to the really strong stuff.

I’m sorry this coincided, it’s quite bad enough to lose a bun. I dont think you caused this.

[Susanne]

Thanks Bam 🙁 It’s awful, and you’re right, I read the bottle and talked to another vet tech friend and it’s just a coincidence. It’s hard not knowing a cause when he seemed fine right before and wasn’t very old.

All of your listed symptoms check out. His toxin levels were very high, stopped eating, not moving, etc. At first thought GI stasis until it didn’t get better and we did bloodwork. The vet had said they would see the same if there was a toxin, not necessarily the insect stuff so I could have misinterpreted that.

They said they surgery only had 50% chance 🙁

[LBJ10]

I’m so sorry to hear this and I’m sorry for your loss. I do agree that it was likely a coincidence.

[Susanne]

Thanks both. That makes me feel a little better, though still such a bummer. Just had got him bonded too.

[DanaNM]

I’m so sorry Susanne, was this Snoopy? You worked so hard with his bond 🙁

I agree with the others that it sounds like a bad coincidence. My understanding about most of those poisons is that once they are dry there is very little risk of things transferring (I had my house sprayed for ants last year and was worried as well), so I doubt you exposed him to anything (plus your other buns are fine). Liver lobe torsion does often present like stasis at first so that all makes sense with the timeline.

Again I’m so sorry for your loss.

 

. . . 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.  

[Susanne]

Thank you. Yes, it was Snoopy 🙁 After first trying for so long for the trio, then getting Pancake and working so hard on them 🙁 It’s so sad. I’m pretty much devastated. You’re all right, it was coincidence and I was feeling guilty like I did something wrong, especially since this is my second one that passed after being only 3-4 years old. But it just happens. It did look like it could be stasis, and at first I didn’t get the tests hoping the stasis treatment would have worked (kept him at ER for comfort while waiting), but I could tell after a while it seemed worse so got the tests and the liver values were bad. I was shocked, but couldn’t put him through the surgery. I did two 3 hour round trips so I could bring up Ruby and Pancake to say goodbye. I hope he appreciated some last cuddles with Ruby 🙁

[DanaNM]

🙁

It’s so awful when you have a string of losses like that. I had that happen several years ago (lost Bunston, then had a very very sick foster who I didn’t adopt, then suddenly lost Moose at age 2 after only having him for 6 months or so), and it’s very hard to not blame yourself, but things just happen sometimes with rabbits.

I’m sure he did really appreciate his cuddles with Ruby and all of the work you did with him to find him a companion.

. . . 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.  

[Susanne]

It’s really hard getting attached to these sweeties then dealing with medical issues/ losing them unexpectedly. I’m sorry for your experiences and losses as well.

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