Sudden death of young rabbit, need answers! :(

[KelseyAnne44]

Hi everyone!  I had two buns, my oldest, PeeWee Hareman, a male, and a younger girl, Tinkerbell.  PeeWee is just over a year old, is neutered, and very happy and healthy.  I rescued Tinkerbell a little over a month ago after an acquaintance took her from a friend of theirs without being prepared for the work involved in taking care of a young rabbit.  I tried to ask where she came from (Pet store? Adoption?) and how old she was but the acquaintance could not say.  She looked very very young, too young in my opinion, and was dangerously thin.  I safely introduced her to PeeWee and they became best buds.  This morning I awoke to find she had passed away in the night.  She was fine last night.  I never bathed her, except for occasionally dabbing their feet with lukewarm water if they got too dirty, fed her well, watched her eat, monitored her bowel movements.  It just seemed that no matter how much I fed her, she couldn’t gain weight.  She ate a good balanced diet, lots of hay, some pellets, and the occasional treat.  I separated the two when they ate so that I could make sure Tink got enough to eat.  I don’t understand what went wrong.  I’m looking for answers.  Is it possible she was separated from her mother too early and that is why she passed?  Could I have made some mistake?  I’m also hoping for advice on how to take care of PeeWee.  He is pretty sad.  I let him mourn and spend time with the body before taking her to the vet to be cremated, and he is eating and drinking, but hate to see him so distraught.  Just looking for some answers.  Thank you!

[Sarita]

Oh I”m so sorry for your loss – at least she had a happy life in her short time with you.

I know you are looking for answers and just like you we can only speculate. If it’s been less than 24 hours then possibly the vet could do a necropsy to see if he/she can discover anything. If it’s been over 24 hours then it’s too late for that.

I sincerely do not believe however that you made any mistake.

I hope PeeWee is okay too and that he isn’t too sad. Just keep each other company during this hard time.

[tobyluv]

I’m sorry for the loss of your Tinkerbell. It was wonderful that you rescued her and gave her a good life for the time that she was with you.

It is possible that she was taken from her mother too early, and it’s possible that she wasn’t properly cared for before you got her. She could have had internal parasites or any of a number of conditions that could have caused the skinniness and could have led to her death. Since you had her cremated, there was no opportunity to have a necropsy performed on her. It sounds like you did everything right, so don’t feel guilty about anything. It’s likely that her care or lack thereof before you got her, or the fact that she might have come from some bunny mill or someplace with bad conditions, are what ultimately caused her death.

Try to spend extra time with PeeWee and you can help each other get over the loss of Tinkerbell. There are many rabbits in rescues and shelters. If you think that PeeWee would love to have another companion, you can consider adopting again some time in the future.

[LongEaredLions]

I am so sorry. Like the others said, it sounds like she had a wonderful life with you. ((((Binky Free Tinkerbell))))
It sounds like you did everything right, unfortunately this does happen. Bunnies are very fragile animals and they hide things very well, they just are like that. It is not your fault at all. You did the best for her and I am sure she is very grateful!
Spend extra time with Pee-Wee. It should be good for both of you.
(((((Hugs)))))

[Beka27]

I’m so sorry to hear about this… 🙁

(((Binky free Tinkerbell…)))

[KelseyAnne44]

Thank you all for your support! It puts me at ease hearing from some fellow bunny parents! I really appreciate it!!

[MK]

I’m so sorry for your loss. Yes, it could have been many things. Among what was said, because she wasn’t gaining weight although eating a good diet, makes me think that maybe she had a tumor that was taking a lot of the nutrition, but that is just a guess.

[Bam]

I’m sorry for your loss. A tumor could be the reason behind her failure to thrive, or she could have had a congenital kidney problem or something else that didn’t allow her to put on weight and be healthy. It absolutely sounds like something you had nothing to do with. Instead you seem to have made her life really great, giving her a bunny friend and good food and love.

Sometimes pets are born with disorders that we can’t fix. I had a friend who got a beautiful, intelligent, lovely puppy that were born with dysfunctional kidneys, he barely grew and he only became a year old even though he got all kinds of medications and were on a very strict diet and intensely loved and cared for.

I think your other bunny needs you extra now, I think he’ll get over his loss quicker and better if you give him extra nose-rubs and extra general physical contact and attention.

[LittlePuffyTail]

I’m so very sorry for the loss of your Tinkerbell.

I agree with Bam. Make sure to give Pee Wee lots of extra love and attention.

((((Binky Free Tinkerbell)))))

[Lita]

We lost a tiny baby bun in a similar manner, she was fine then suddenly gone. We had her for a week but she didnt seem to grown even a bit, and she was half the size of her siblings. I don’t know much about conditions but I’ve heard heart problems can effect an animals weight. We had a kitten with an enlarged heart and she couldnt gain any weight. Best wishes to you and PeeWee. It is never easy.

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