What caused my bunny to die?

[michellemichelle]

Hello,

Sadly last night my bunny Fred passed away.

In the morning, I sat on the floor to pet him, but he didn’t run to my like he often does. I put him in my lap, and he seemed a bit lighter and weak, but it didn’t concern me too much (in bind sight it should have). I went to work at 2, and when I went to go to bed around midnight, I found him laying on the floor, limp, unable to sit up. This is when I really noticed his weight loss. He was breathing pretty calm, maybe a bit fast. I knew he could die at any time, so I decided to make him comfortable rather than take him to the emergency vet and stress him out more. He wouldn’t drink any water and was pretty unresponsive. He occasionally would twitch almost like a seizure. He died a little while later.

He would often walk under my feet or sit right by the door and get hit by it when I opened it, usually not too hard, but I know they are more fragile than we realize.

Another thing is the hay I had been feeding my bunnies had water at the bottom (I replaced the hay once I realized this) and was moldy/mildewy (which I found out after he died). I am inclined to believe it was the hay, but my other bunny seems to be doing fine even though she had eaten the same hay.
Based on the symptoms and circumstances, Do you think this was caused by an injury I was unaware of or the hay?
I know only an autopsy will give a definite answer but I thought maybe someone might have an idea.

[Mikey]

Rapid weight loss is often a sign of parasites. It might be worth it to have your second bunny go to the vet for some panacur just in case (((((binky free little bunny!)))))

[Bam]

I’m very sorry your bun died. If the hay was mouldy, he might have not eaten it. If a bunny doesnt eat more or less all the time, its intestines stop moving and by then, the bun has lost its appetite and doesn’t start eating voluntarily again.

But I can’t of course say if that’s what happened to your rabbit. His significant weight loss seems to indicate something that had been going on for some time. Rabbits can get heart- or kidney problems, cancers, parasites they were infected with in the mother’s womb already (I’m thinking of e cuniculi, a microscopic fungus that many rabbits carry but never get ill from, but some do get ill. This parasite is 
sensitive to Panacur that Mikey mentions.) Sudden, unexpected death is sadly not very uncommon among rabbits. 

Binky free ****Fred****  

[Author]

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