Loki

[MoxieMeadows]

I know I don’t post here often anymore, but I couldn’t think of anyone else who would understand the pain it is to lose a rabbit.

Loki was such a goofball; so sweet and charismatic. He was so loved. He would have been 4 this spring. He was a surprise “gift” from my sister and her friend, and he grew to be such a large part of my life. He truly was my baby boy. I’ll never be able to look at kale without thinking about how it was his favorite food.

TW; it does talk about his passing in this next paragraph:

he was acting fine; I’ve been home sick the last couple days and he has been fine. I went to feed him and Finnegan and the hamsters dinner. I had just switched them to oxbow pellets, which are smaller in size than the pellets they were eating before. Loki very excitedly starts eating and then all of the sudden starts making a choking noise. I looked in his mouth and patted his back and didn’t see anything, and didn’t know what to do. He was drooling and dry heaving and making choking noises and I was patting on his back to try and dislodge the pellets if he was choking. He was still getting some oxygen, so I hoped he would hang on to the vets. My partner drove us as quickly as he could, but The closest emergency vets that sees rabbits is almost two hours away from my house, and he didn’t make it there.

when I got to the vets I was hysterical and couldn’t even talk on the phone (we are still doing curbside service because of COVID). Caleb explained the situation and asked someone to at least come out with a stethoscope to confirm he had passed. I am so thankful for those vets, they were so much more caring than they had to be. They were so busy and short staffed and could have told us he had already passed so to just go home. But they ran out and took him and brought him inside. A few moments later they came out to inform that he was gone, and I was hysterical. They asked me what I wanted to do and I said I wanted him cremated. They then found me a room to sit in there with him and say goodbye, even though they were busy. I was completely hysterical and they were trying to be so comforting and gave me all the time I needed. They then sent me home and told me to take a break and not worry about payment for the night and would call me.

Loki is going to be so missed; my heart is broken…I keep thinking over and over again, about what I should have done differently…fed him his salad first so he wasn’t so excited? Not switched to oxbow? Waited to give them dinner? Been able to do something differently to dislodge it? I’m so devastated .

[Wick & Fable]

I’m so sorry to hear about Loki’s passing. Binky free Loki~ you had a wonderful, caring owner supporting you.

Choking on pellets is a rare occurrence, and also one we cannot predict will happen. Rabbits who are very excited to eat things, like humans, can eat very quickly and that can cause a choking risk— typically it is fine, as all rabbits are excited for treats and yummy food, but unfortunately some run into issues of choking, even as just a one-time occurrence.

There is a ‘Heimlick maneuver” for rabbits, and you can find information about it here: http://www.vgr1.com/choking/
It is not an intuitive maneuver as you’re asked to swing with a good bit of force– it’s not something rabbit owners are usually privy to because choking is not common, so please know you did what you could have, which is attempt to dislodge the cause of the choke and bring your rabbit into the vet. I’m glad to read that the veterinary staff were so supportive to you during such a difficult time.

Binky free Loki.

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.

[Bam]

I’m very sorry you lost him.

My Bam choked on a pellet once, luckily he made it with “just” aspiration pneumonia as a consequence. It happens so fast. Buns are greedy eaters.

He was a beautiful boy and you gave him a life full of love. I think he is with Moxie in bunny Heaven now.

Binky free, sweet Loki ❤

[LBJ10]

This is so sad. I’m sorry to hear about Loki. 🙁

[DanaNM]

I am so sorry for your loss, this is so heartbreaking. 🙁 A friend at the rescue had one of her bunnies choke on a piece of lettuce, but they didn’t even find that out until autopsy. Unfortunately these things happen, just like in humans.

If you’re concerned about preventing in the future, I know some members scatter feed their bunnies to slow them down with pellets. But please don’t read that as anything you could have done differently, because most bunnies eat their pellets out of a bowl just fine. We feed Oxbow pellets out of bowl at the rescue and I don’t think we’ve ever had a bunny choke on them. So please don’t feel guilty at all, even the bunny “Heimlick” is hard to do correctly and there’s a risk of spine injury even when done correctly. Some things are just really bad luck. 🙁

Again I’m so sorry. (((Binky free Loki))) <3

. . . 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.  

[MoxieMeadows]

Thank you all for the kind words; they mean a lot.

@DanaNM I feed/fed both of my bunnies by scattering it on the floor since they are/were both greedy eaters…it was definitely sudden and tragic. I know it’s hard to prevent, but there is always that shred of guilt because we wish we could do something different!

[DanaNM]

That’s so hard, you were already doing the only thing I’m aware of to prevent it!

Again I’m so sorry. 🙁

. . . 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.  

[MoxieMeadows]

Those photos were before I started scattering his food

[Bam]

My Bam too choked on a pellet on the floor. There are never any guarantees. But I think all of us pet owners get that terrible feeling that maybe if we’d done this or that differently, the bad thing that happened wouldnt have happened.

Loki was lucky to have you for his mom. All your pets won the hoomin-lottery with you 💗

[jerseygirl]

My heart goes out to you Moxie. I’m sorry you experienced that. 🙁

as others mentioned, it’s one of those horrible, unfortunate accidents. Loki was well loved, as is Finnegan and all your fur babies in your care and the ones already passed on.

Binky Free, Loki x

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

What a nightmare situation, this is awful! I’m so sorry for your loss 🙁

Binky free sweet Loki…

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