Very Sudden Death in Healthy Bunny

[Melanie]

Hi everyone,

I’m new to Binky Bunny and I am so sad that the death of my beloved bunny is what brought me here.

My little princess
Grape passed away very suddenly on Sunday with no signs or symptoms of illness.
Grape wasn’t even a year and a half yet, I got her when she was 3 months. She
was the love of my life, from the moment I met her I knew we were meant for each
other which may sound silly. We bonded so quickly and I know she loved me as much as I loved her, she
was more then just my pet. I’ve always been really diligent when it comes to
her diet and exercise. I watched her like a hawk. I got her timothy hay from
her vet because they would get bales in and she never really liked the bagged
stuff from pet stores. I gave her fresh clean veggies every day. She was a
really brave and resilient little bun, she would come with me when I went on
trips to visit my parents, she even came on a road trip with me and my ex
boyfriend. She was not easily frightened.

 The night before she passed, she was acting
perfectly fine…eating, drinking and pooping normally. Following me around and
being her normal energetic cuddly self. I have videos that I took that night of
her that just break my heart now because there were no signs at all. I left that
night around 10pm to meet friends for drinks, I kept her in her little room
with her litter box, food and water and some toys as I normally do (she doesn’t
have a cage, just her own little area). I ended up staying out that night at a
friends house and came home around 10am to find my sweet baby had left me. I
rushed in all excited to see her, slowly opened the door because she normally
hears me coming and sits RIGHT behind the door. But instead of her happy self
hopping towards me I was greeted by her lifeless body. My heart is shattered, I’m
so full of anxiety and guilt. I can’t stop replaying everything in my head and
thinking that maybe if I didn’t go out that night, she would still be here with
me.

I have no idea what
could have caused this, I cared for her like she was my own child. I did notice
she wasn’t eating as much hay as normal….she normally devoured it but lately I often
would take handfuls of old hay and throw it out…I thought maybe she was just
tired of it? Or it wasn’t a good batch? She was also chewing on cardboard way more then normal. I don’t know. I don’t know what I could have done. When I found
her body, she was on her side completely stretched out, her head cocked all the
way back almost against her spine. No blood but her poor little lips were blue.

I am so destroyed
right now, I haven’t been back to my apartment because it just feels way too
empty. I took her to get cremated and didn’t even think of a necropsy. I was
just completely broken and didn’t know what to do.

[Aaron]

My deepest condolences go out to you. She could have had something called GI Stasis if she didn’t eat her hay, but I am no vet. Binky free Grape.

[Aaron]

Wait, you said her head was cocked back? Was her head tilted to the side before you left?

[sarahthegemini]

I don’t mean to be rude but if you noticed that she hadn’t been eating much hay lately, you should have tried to get to the bottom of it. If she was just tired of of it or it was a bad batch, you could have tried different hay. Its very important that rabbits eat plenty of hay and any decrease in consumption should be taken seriously. I’m not saying this to be cruel, but to make you aware in case you get a rabbit in the future. 

I’m sorry for your loss, binky free little Grape.

[Melanie]

I just thought she kept peeing on it or something so wouldn’t want it because I would replace it with fresh hay and then she would go straight to her litter box and eat it for awhile and seem fine..I don’t know how to explain it, like she was eating often but I always felt there was more left then normal. Don’t make me feel worse about this, I already have enough guilt. I know what to look for when it comes to what she’s eating/drinking and her bathroom habits trust me.

[Melanie]

Nope, no signs of head tilt…

[Bam]

I’m very sorry for your loss. Lying all stretched out with her head cocked back could mean a sudden heart attack. I’ve experienced that in an animal that later was necropsied and found to have had a heart attack. It’s very, very sad, but in a young animal like she was, it’d most likely be a congenital heart issue and it’s not sth you could’ve prevented. It is however quite common for rabbits to seize as they are dying, and most rabbits are never necropsied.

Not eating enough can lead to GI stasis, which means the intestinal motility stops, as Aaron and Sarah suggest. It can start really slow and then escalate rapidly. You generally see complete inappetence, uncomfortable shifting of position or belly-pressing and cold ears and then lethargy before the bunny passes though. None of that fits with how you describe Grape’s last evening.

Refusing hay and chewing cardboard a lot can be signs of dental disease (molar spurs). Molar spurs are points that form on a bunny’s back teeth. They make it painful to eat certain foods and the rabbit might try to relieve the discomfort by chewing lots of cardboard.

All in all it’s not possible to say what took her. We can only guess, and that is sadly so very often the case with rabbits. I’m glad you loved her so much. It sounds like she had a good and happy life.

Binky free, little Grape.

[Melanie]

Thank you so much Bam. Part of me is convinced it was a sudden heart attack. She was eating lots of fresh veggies so I don’t think it was GI Stasis but maybe with the decreased amount of hay it took a toll on her, even if it was just a slight change. I didn’t even think about something to do with her teeth. The poor baby she deserved so many more years. I hope this feeling of guilt goes away so I can properly mourn her.

Knowing that it happened within 10 hours destroys me but also makes me feel the tiniest bit better that she wasn’t suffering for too long. I really appreciate the answer xx

[tobyluv]

I’m very sorry about the loss of your sweet Grape.

[Paige]

I’m very sorry, some just go so quickly.
But she was obviously very loved by you and taken care of really well. I’m sure she is happy binkying over the rainbow bridge with thoughts of you.

[jerseygirl]

Melanie, I am so very sorry for you loss. That must have been heart wrenching.
Do you have any photos of your baby to share? It can help sometimes…

***Binky Free Princess Grape*** She sounds like a lucky bunny to have a human who loved her so much.

[emmajane90]

You poor thing I am so sorry for your loss x

[Melanie]

my little princess

[Melanie]

i’m not sure if this is working but this is a photo of her ☺

[Melanie]

my heart is so broken. she deserved so much better then this

[Vienna Blue in France]

Oh Melanie, such a sad story and I agree I don’t think I would have done any differently to you.

Grape looks absolutely lovely and how lucky to have been loved so much in her young life !
As bam has listed, I don’t believe you could have done anything to prevent this and you shouldn’t beat yourself up about it.
Bunnies can go so quickly. Sometimes we can guess why, but most times we just don’t understand why.

In time, lets hope you can open your heart and home to another fluffball.

((( Binky free Young Grape ))) (PS She thanks you Melanie, for her great life, however short).

[jerseygirl]

So beautiful ! What a gorgeous bun. <3

[Bam]

What an adorable little beauty!

[Boston's Mama]

I wouldn’t have done differently either. A slight decrease in hay recently ( which you probably are only noticing in hindsight ) but having seen her eating hay – still eating her veges and toileting normal and acting her normal self – I wouldn’t think gi stasis based on that personally ( I am not a vet though ) I agree with the others above in regards to could be a heart attack … it is hard to know though. But – I wouldn’t have rushed to a vet personally either with that description.

I’m sorry this happened to you and Grape

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

I’m so sorry this happened to you, it must have been horrible It’s often hard to find out what caused it. Rabbits are such frail creatures by nature, and heart attacks are common. Reading your story I think there wasn’t anything you could have done.

[Abel]

Posted By Melanie on 3/15/2017 3:07 PM
my heart is so broken. she deserved so much better then this

I’m so sorry for your loss. Such a beautiful gorgeous thing, and that’s how she’ll always remain in your heart. I truly hope and pray the best for you.

[Author]

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