Rabbit Died During Treatment

[LB]

I just returned from the vet with my sick rabbit – his teeth were misaligned and overgrown and he had an abscess from a tooth that had grown through his jaw,  and he was malnourished; I really had no idea he was in such bad shape. I keep him with two other rabbits and feed them all together – every day they get lettuce, carrots with the tops still on, hay, just a handful of pellets and fresh water.  I had had the rabbit for nine months, and he was an adult neutered rabbit when I purchased him. 

The vet thought the misaligned teeth may have been caused by a pellet-only diet, which made sense since he didn’t seem familiar with the lettuce, etc. when I first gave it to him. The vet prescribed antibiotics, a painkiller, and Critical Care fed in a syringe. The idea was that if his strength could be built up, he could have dental work. I followed the instructions to the letter, and gave the rabbit two antibiotics, the painkiller, and then the Critical Care — and he just quietly died in my arms – I wasn’t even aware of it until I went to put him in the cage and his body was limp. To say I feel terrible is an understatement – I am absolutely heartbroken and don’t understand what went wrong.Perhaps some of the experts here can help me make sense of this, so I am better prepared to deal with critical situations in the future? 

[Deleted User]

It must’ve been very hard to lose him like that

[tronbunny]

I am so very sorry for your loss!
Bunnies are quite good at hiding illness and disease. Your bun may have had dental disease so advanced that even intensive treatment may not have cured him.
All we can do is rely on our instincts and veterinary advice. Sometimes we get lucky and a very savvy vet can help. Other times, the most conscientious pet parent and expert vet cannot prevent our loss.
I hope your heart can heal knowing that you provided the best love and care you could.

[Bam]

I’m very sorry your rabbit died. My guess is the infection got the better of him. I’m glad he went quietly. He must’ve been very weak. The vet understood that he wasnt fit to undergo surgery, and did what could be done to try and save him. You didn’t kill him by giving the meds and Critical Care.

Rabbits hide illness until they can’t anymore, and that makes it difficult for us owners. Especially if you have more than one rabbit housed together, because then it’s much less obvious if one rabbit stops eating or pooping.

It’s natural to feel terrible when a pet dies, but as soon as you knew something was wrong, you took him to the vet. You didn’t mean for this to happen.

[12345ABCDE]

How awful But take comfort in the knowledge that he died in the arms of someone (you) who loved him. He wasn’t alone when he passed. Binky on little one xxx

[LB]

Thank you all so much for your kind words…please give your bunnies an extra cuddle for me; they are such precious creatures.

[Author]

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