RIP beautiful baby Cleo

[Bunnyguy101]

Hi I’m writing this to try and help with my grief and any information and help would be gladly appreciated.
I have a male dwarf lop called Theo he is 1.5 now, 3 months ago we got a call about a girl lop who was 3 months old then. Me and my fiancé went to see her and we fell in love instantly she was so cute and energetic.

We brought her home and Theo and Cleo got on well they both had very relaxed temperaments and enjoyed to cuddle, on the 18th of December we got Cleo spayed and she bounced back well she was eating, drinking, running and loving being here with us and Theo, even thought she was younger she was a lot more greedy than the other and would eat all of her food quickly and then start and on the kale and hay.

Around a week or week and a half ago she started to get a runny nose (Theo had the same issue after his operation and we went to the vets and got medicine and now he’s living with a snotty nose and it doesn’t bother him) I monitored Cleo but she was still being greedy and running around everywhere.

On New Year’s Day we notice that she had improper formed feces and they where sticking to her fur, me and my fiancé thought she would be fine as she was still eating.

I woke up yesterday went to feed them and Cleo always runs out for food first she wasn’t around so I fed Theo and I found Cleo hiding in their cardboard castle, I let her eat as much as she wanted in there and then she came out for some Kale, she didn’t eat a lot and then I notice there was a wet patch on her chin (I saw it on Sunday night but thought she just had drink).

I went to clean her and noticed there was more poo on her stomach and also greed around her chin and mouth. I rushed her to the vets and got and appointment, the vet said Cleo had lost a lot of weight this came to a shock as she was greedy then he said she is very sick and needs to stay in for two days.

He went to give her some antibiotics and a food solution and she had a heart attack and passed away in front of me, the vet said that she probly had pneumonia and her heart was very weak.

He said that I couldn’t of done anything else as rabbits are very good at hiding there sickness, but I still blame myself for not bringing her in sooner, I spoke to him again today and he said that it happens with some abbots as soon as the pastornella reaches the lungs there is very little you can do.

She was so young and even tho she was only with us 3 months she made a huge impact to our lives, now Theo is on his own again e was happy as a lone bunny as he is a house rabbit he sleeps next to me and relaxes next to me, since it was such a short a time I don’t know what impact it will have on him also I am very reluctant to get a second bunny again.

Does anyone have any advice

[Gordo and Janice]

Well I’m new here.  First of, sorry for your loss.  I know the frustration with probablys and maybes and no definitive answers.  That seems to be a constant underlying current with bunny ownership.  Our little girl passed on 12/29/17.  Still not sure why and how things changed all of a sudden with her.  Still a lot of pain and mourning here.

I would watch Theo and see how he does.  Sounds like he will be fine.  If he is then I would wait for a bit about what to do with another bunny until you’ve been able to process this loss of baby Cleo.  I think it’s better not to make big decisions until everyone is emotionally calmed down.

We have already gone through the stages of, “Never again!  Too painful!  Hurts too much!” to “Do you want to go look at bunnies?!?”

That’s a little bit of an exaggeration but not much.  Give it a little time.  

There are many here with more experience that I hope will be able to help you with more direct advice.

Just wanted to say sorry for your loss. 

(((Binky free baby Cleo))) 

[Bunnyguy101]

Hi thank you for replying, it’s hard to not blame yourself. I do feel sorry your loss out of all the pets I have owned and different species bunnys are the most fragile and worrisome.

I agree I’m extremely reluctant to get another bunny but even thought I spend every moment I can with him while I am home, I still go to work come home then go to the gym and I know he is on his own for awhile it doesn’t seem to affect him but it might be in his little bunny head.

Was yours a solitary bun?

People have the opinion a rabbit is just a rabbit people have already said are you going to get another, they are a member of your family and so difficult to replace.

[Gordo and Janice]

Yes she was a solitary bunny.  Over 7 years as such.  And it was just Janice and me.  No kids.

So we hope she lived a fulfilled life.  She had free reign of the house (that is until the last month or so when she began having problems – which was hard in itself – because now not only was she not doing or feeling well, we felt like we were punishing her by keeping her in her cage, like adding insult to injury)

I work from home so there was almost always a presence.  I knew she was here, she knew I was here.  We had interaction throughout the day.  She would nap from about noon to 5:00 or 6:00 at first then as she got older that gradually increased to from about 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.  But she would get up when I went into the kitchen just to get a walnut snack then run back to her napping area.

I was also aware of where she was at when I would walk through the house.  I always looked for her.  And I’m sure with her super bionic ears and the way they followed me even with her eyes closed, she knew exactly where I was in the house.

Again there seem to be some very knowledgeable people here so I hope they chime in with sage advice.

Since Theo is alone most of the day with you at work, maybe another companion would be good for him.  Or maybe not.  Maybe he is fine with just you and him and he’s used to the situation.  That’s where we need some expert advice.

Like I said, I was always home, so she could and would come get me when she wanted interaction.

And we don’t know if we will get another one or not.  Impossible to replace Icey.  Hard to go through this heartache again.  But who knows what the future holds.

I am both empathetic and sympathetic to your loss.

[Luna]

I’m sorry for the loss of your bun. She sounds like she had a cute spunky personality . It’s good that you and Theo are keeping each other company through this hard time. Don’t blame yourself – you gave her medical care and love, and as your vet already pointed out, buns hide their illnesses very well. I don’t know a lot about pasteurella, but if your vet did confirm she had it, it is contagious and Theo should be checked out to make sure he is ok.

Binky free Cleo

[Bunnyguy101]

I’m sue she felt loved and was happy.

I think he was happy when it was just me he followed me around and never left me alone but since we got Cleo he didn’t follow me as much so I think he was happier but I’m not sure I want to go through all the bonding again as we have no neautral territory and Cleo was really laid back.

And since you was home all he time she knew you was always there.

I’m not sure I want to get another as then I don’t know when the cycle will end and he year I had him on his own he never gave me concern on his own.

Even thought I only had Cleo for 3 months she made a massive impact she was such a character

You to it is difficult losing a family member no matter what species I hope you both are okay and get through it all alright

[Vienna Blue in France]

((( Binky free Cleo )))
I would get Theo checked out without fail.
You could think about getting Theo a mate when you feel ready…. 3 months is quite a time to be bonded but animals are different to us and so move on emotionally once they have mourned. If Cleo passed away at the surgery I suppose you didn’t bring her back to the house?
If Theo seems okay then that’s great .

[Bunnyguy101]

Hi Luna

Thanykou for your comments, Theo was checked while we was there and vet had no causes for concern, it always hard losing a loved one, I’ve got him slot more toys and treats to try and keep him occupied .

[Bunnyguy101]

I always take them both to the vets even if only one is being seen, he was on the floor however it seemed like he did know. If Theo will be okay I’m not sure I want another bunny if so not a baby again, but that’s a conversation for a different day.

It was just me and him for a year prior and he was fine then I just don’t know what to do.

[Boymom4]

So sorry to hear about Cleo. What happened to her seems abnormal, so as long as Theo is healthy, I would not be too worried about eventually opening your heart up to another bunny again. There is always the possibility that loving a delicate creature like a rabbit will lead to heartache, but knowing that I provided them with a good life and loving, safe home always made it worth it.
I obviously am not a vet, but I recently had an experience with our doe Olive, that seems somewhat similar to what happened to Cleo, though ours had a different outcome. I’ll tell you Olive’s symptoms and what the vet told me and you can decide for yourself if you feel their symptoms were on course as far as a possible explaination.
We got Olive as an 8 week old from our neighbor. From the beginning she had more of a “touchy stomach” than all of our other bunnies in the past. She and her mate, Nabbit, would eat identically and yet she always was leaving soft cecal poop everywhere, while Nabbit would eat his like he was supposed to. I was always cleaning the cage and a bit frustrated that her stomach was so weak. When she was around 4 1/2 to 5 months old I started to think that maybe she had a parasite so, even though we planned to get her spayed the next month, I took her to the vet and paid the colossal bill to get her checked out.
The results came back as this:
She had virtually no gut flora, a vital part of her health and digestive system. The vet said that she might have never gotten a proper dose of it when she was young (she should have gotten it established from eating cecal droppings left by her mother) and had this been living in a state of decline, even though visibly she was growing like an adolescent rabbit would be expected to grow. To add to the issues, without the gut flora, yeast had grown in her gut until she found her cecals too inedible, which was why they were misformed and she was leaving them instead of eating them.
The vet told me that while she would continue to live for “some months more” in her current state, she was unable to glean the nutrients from her food properly and was basically in a slow starvation. She also said that due to her current health, spaying would only speed the process since she would need a lot of nutrition to heal and she simply was unable to get it.
The vet immediately but her on Nystasin to kill the yeast. Beni-bac to give her some healthy bacteria (even though it was not the same as what she needed from the cecals) and also tasked me with collecting cecals from her healthy mate and force feeding them to her, multiple times a day for a week. (That was awful for all of us)
Within a week her stools began to change and she was eating most of them rather than leaving them. In about two weeks she began to show notable weight gain (she was getting large but had always been a bit bony, rather than sleek) and her energy levels increased significantly.
Well, that is the story…it is not done yet. Because her health was compromised, we still have not gotten her spayed yet and I am always watching her for potential relapse of symptoms. Every now and then, we still have issues with her tummy, so I feel that she may still be a bit low on flora. I am not sure if she will ever be as healthy as her mate.
I am sorry about your loss. I’ve lost many sweet rabbits over the years and the reason for each one is so different and confusing. I hope that if you feel that what happened to Olive is very similar to what took place with Cleo that you won’t allow yourself any guilt over it. Cleo was obviously loved by you, and honestly I would have never figured out any of this with Olive before it was too late, had I not been fed up with cleaning up all the time. The vet would have never known to check anything else.
I will pray that Theo feels better soon.

[Bunnyguy101]

Hi boymum

It’s great that you managed to catch it in time, the situation is different to olive as Cleo poo’s were always fine. She seemed like an extremely healthy active loving rabbit nothing out of the Ordinary until Monday, it came as such a shock to me when the vet said she’s not going to make it and her passing there and then.

It’s amazing that your bun got better that are such fragile creatures that give me so much worry, I went to the pet shop and spent a fortune on treats and toys so hopefully it keeps him busy I also have the week of work so I can keep an eye on him.

It would of been great for a warning sign so I could try and catch it.

Thank you for e messages and support its helping to talk to fellow bunny owners. I’ve had many pets before when living at home with my family but Cleo is my first pet loss when it has been my sole responsibility and I keep thinking I could have done more

[Author]

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