Looking for answers

[Gingerbread's mom]

Hi, I know that no one can know for sure, but I am hoping maybe someone has ideas as to what could have happened to my bun, a 7 year old holland lop. He was fine last Thursday, his normal playful self, eating fine. Friday he started with what sounded like stuffed up nose and by late afternoon he was making a whistling noise every time he breathed. I took him to the emergency vet (NC State) and they told me he probably had a respiratory infection due to a tooth root abscess and needed a CT scan on Monday. He was still eating regularly and alert. They gave him and antibiotic shot and we left with penicillin and meloxicam to give him once a day. The next day (Saturday) his breathing was still strained but he was alert, hoping around and still eating. He didn’t want any hay but ate some fruit and a mashed up banana. I also gave him some critical care which he wasn’t fond of. By Saturday night i felt like he really wasn’t interested in eating anymore. I gave him his second shot of penicillin. By Sunday morning it was obvious he was losing energy. His breathing was more strained and he would only eat a small amount of critical care from a syringe. I took him again to a vet hospital. They put him on oxygen for about an hour and told us the same thing, that he needed a scan to see what was going on. I left with an additional medicine to help prevent Ileus. He just declined Sunday night with continued strained breathing and as the night went on I could tell he was no longer able to hop. He became very floppy and weak. I held him against my chest for almost the whole night. He passed around 4 am.

I know it won’t change anything but I have so much guilt thinking there was something I missed or could have done differently. What could have taken him so quickly? Can a respiratory infection cause this on its own? Could it have been cancer that spread quickly? Would just really appreciate any insight from those who have seen similar issues. Thank you-

[LBJ10]

What kind of penicillin was it? Were you giving him shots at home?

To answer your question, a sinus infection typically does not act this quickly. That’s why I said a tumor made more sense in your other thread.

[Bunny House]

Were you able to have a necropsy, that’s the only way to know what happened.

[Gingerbread's mom]

LBJ10, yes that’s kind of what I was feeling too. That maybe he had tumor that just finally hit his lungs. It didn’t make sense that an URI would kill him so quickly. He had two injections of penicillin. And no I have not done a necropsy. I know it wont bring him back, I just feel so guilty like I should have seen something for him to go so quickly. One of my cats had cancer years ago and it literally went in to his brain over night and he died the following morning. So I do believe it happen that quickly, just wanted to see what other issues I may have overlooked. Thank you.

[LBJ10]

The problem with bunnies is that they often don’t show that they are sick until they are really, really sick. So I don’t think it was your fault. If it was a tumor, it’s likely that he appeared just fine until he suddenly wasn’t. That would definitely explain why he deteriorated so fast. I’m sorry you had to go through that. Don’t blame yourself though. I’m sure you would have done more if you could.

[Gingerbread's mom]

LBJ10 – Thank you, I appreciate that… it’s kind of what I needed to hear. And yes I would absolutely have done more had I known. Thanks-

[lynnl]

OMG, so sorry for your loss.. Not sure what happened, but certainly not your fault. Bunnies are so fragile, and as someone else stated, by the time they show us that they are feeling sick, they are really really very sick.

[DanaNM]

I’m so sorry for your loss

Your bun’s set of symptoms sounds very similar to what happened with my bun Moose, who had a history of dental abscess. We never got any answers, but it was a rapid decline over two days that involved strained raspy breathing in the last 12 hours (it started out looking like he just needed a dental trim). We did a necropsy and the vet couldn’t find anything (no masses, blockages, or fluid where it wasn’t supposed to be). Our vet was just as shocked as we were…. The consensus with everyone I spoke to was that it was something very serious and likely untreatable. I suspect he may have had bone cancer that affected his teeth, or a congenital issue.

I still felt incredibly guilty though. It’s often impossible to know what happened, and so easy to second guess every decision you make. But please don’t! It sounds like you did everything you could and this certainly wasn’t your fault.

(((Binky free little bun)))

. . . 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.  

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