Worst feeling ever

[MilkBunny]

Greetings… my rabbit died a few hours ago… why I’m writing here is hopefully to get some information, since the vets in my country seem to suck when it comes to animals like rabbits… Two days ago, evening she sort of stopped eating, her tummy seemed bloated, she wasn’t pooping much nor being active.. since I only came home to that the evening, all the vet places were closed, but I found some numbers to call some vets and they told me to massage her stomach and give her some pineapple juice and bring her to the vet tomorrow.. I did that and it seemed to have helped her, she pooped a few times, ate a bit of hay and seemed more active. She was even better in the morning, but still not eating much hay and I took her to the vet anyway… he said stuff about her tummy being bloated and how the reason could be this or that and gave me some things that I was supposted to give into her mouth to swallow (it was in like some sort of injection packaging) and he gave it to her there, showing me how to do it and such… I took her home and she was almost as normal that afternoon, very active, wanted to eat cabbage, but not much hay, drank some water, pooped- her poops were different sizes, but close to normal.. her tummy also felt way better… then that evening I was supposed to give her that medication-thing (there were two different things he prescribed) and after a while it made her tummy growl a little bit, she still seemed fine, but not as she was maybe 2 hours ago.. I put her in her cage and went to sleep… around 2 a.m. I hear noise from the cage- which she often does make, so I usually cover her cage with something and then she doesn’t disturb me at night… she made noise two- three times, so I get up, turn on the light to go get something to cover the cage, I approach the cage- and she’s laying down like she’s dead, I’m shocked but I notice she’s alive, I take her out of the cage and she tries to walk, but falls over all the time, crawls, she seems like she really wants to be active, but is unable to and she starts to eat cabbage and she just takes a bite of it for a second and stops, calm like she’s about to fall asleep… then she tries to be active again, but immediately calms down, unable to, at one point she lays down and starts twitching right- left and I can see that she’s dying and I touched her tummy- it seemed sort of like gelatine, watery, weird… her poops were also soft… I wanted to call the vet, but vets here really don’t know much about rabbits, as they told me themselves, and the guy that does know (the one I took him to today) he’s not available 24/7 and I don’t have his number anyway… anyway, it was the most horrible thing to watch, unable to do anything, she was dying and after a while- she was gone… I definitely plan on going to that vet and describing what happened to see what he has to say, because I’m so confused and traumatized… she was only 2 months and 3 weeks old and a breed “hycole”… Do some of you have an idea what happened to her? Thanks.

[meridiian]

Hello. Other rabbit experts here might be able to help you based on the information you provided but I just wanted to tell you I’m really sorry you lost your bunny. An awful experience for you… and RIP little bunny. xx

[meridiian]

Apologies. Duplicate message.

[Muchelle]

It can be she was victim of a bad bout of GI stasis. It can happen that the gas build up inside the intestines from the digested food not passing causes some kind of toxic reaction and if really bad it’s just a matter of sitting and waiting for the bun to expel it. Many buns are sensitive to vegetables of the cabbage family, that causes an increased production of gas inside them, so if she ate it often, it can be she had a bad reaction to that.

So sorry it had to go that way, don’t feel guilty cause you did all you could for her. If the vet confirms it was a gas/stasis problems we can give you plenty of information about how to get the bun through it during a crisis and hopefully help you when you’ll want to get another bun

[Bam]

I’m very sorry that you lost your bunny. Seeing that she was so very young, her death could have been due to some condition or weakness she was born with. I’m very sorry that your efforts at saving her were in vain. You did try your best though.

GI stasis is when the intestines stop moving. Gas builds up, the bunny loses its appetite. It can be due to stress or a blockage. There are other things that can go wrong inside a bunny, f ex with the liver or kidneys. It’s not possible to say what killed your bunny without a necropsy, and even then it’s not certain cause of death can be determined.

[MilkBunny]

Posted By meridiian on 5/26/2017 7:34 AM

Hello. Other rabbit experts here might be able to help you based on the information you provided but I just wanted to tell you I’m really sorry you lost your bunny. An awful experience for you… and RIP little bunny. xx

Thanks I guess, I appreciate it

[MilkBunny]

Posted By Muchelle on 5/26/2017 10:57 AM

It can be she was victim of a bad bout of GI stasis. It can happen that the gas build up inside the intestines from the digested food not passing causes some kind of toxic reaction and if really bad it’s just a matter of sitting and waiting for the bun to expel it. Many buns are sensitive to vegetables of the cabbage family, that causes an increased production of gas inside them, so if she ate it often, it can be she had a bad reaction to that.

So sorry it had to go that way, don’t feel guilty cause you did all you could for her. If the vet confirms it was a gas/stasis problems we can give you plenty of information about how to get the bun through it during a crisis and hopefully help you when you’ll want to get another bun

I did google a lot and read about the GI and this and that… and I didn’t feed her much cabbage, maybe 2-3 leaves a day? I know their diet is hay, like, 80%, so I was mostly feeding her that… btw, how are they with kale? I did give her a half of kale leaf recently for the first time… Thanks for your reply though, I don’t think I’ll be able to get a new pet ever, last pet I had were fish, like, 10 years ago, coz I know I’m really sensitive when I get attached like that and they die… but who knows… 

[MilkBunny]

Posted By bam on 5/26/2017 12:08 PM

I’m very sorry that you lost your bunny. Seeing that she was so very young, her death could have been due to some condition or weakness she was born with. I’m very sorry that your efforts at saving her were in vain. You did try your best though.

GI stasis is when the intestines stop moving. Gas builds up, the bunny loses its appetite. It can be due to stress or a blockage. There are other things that can go wrong inside a bunny, f ex with the liver or kidneys. It’s not possible to say what killed your bunny without a necropsy, and even then it’s not certain cause of death can be determined.

I see.. I’m mostly interested in what was going on when she was dying suddenly like that, like, how her tummy got really soft, watery, like, gelatine- very contrasting to what it felt the day before when it was like bloated or why was she unable to move properly and all.. but yeah, that’s hard to tell here on forums, posted this in case someone experienced something similar and knew more… but still, thank you for your reply!

[vanessa]

But can stasis cause seizure-like behavior???

[Bam]

@Vanessa, it’s very common for rabbits to have convulsions when they are dying. I don’t know if it is in the moments just when their heart is about to stop or why.

[vanessa]

Shame 🙁

[Serenity]

Yes, it does sound a lot to me like GI Stasis, Muchelle, though I’m no expert. I did lots of research on bunny sicknesses, hoping to go to college for it.
I’m very, very sorry for your loss, MilkBunny. Most people don’t understand why people can get so worked up when a bunny is hurting, but I can see you get it. I’ve never lost a bun myself but I have lost some very dear fish (don’t laugh, they were the first pets I ever got and I was very attached to them) and a chick that I had had from the day they hatched. Keeping you in my thoughts!

[MilkBunny]

Posted By Serenity on 5/26/2017 4:31 PM

Yes, it does sound a lot to me like GI Stasis, Muchelle, though I’m no expert. I did lots of research on bunny sicknesses, hoping to go to college for it.
I’m very, very sorry for your loss, MilkBunny. Most people don’t understand why people can get so worked up when a bunny is hurting, but I can see you get it. I’ve never lost a bun myself but I have lost some very dear fish (don’t laugh, they were the first pets I ever got and I was very attached to them) and a chick that I had had from the day they hatched. Keeping you in my thoughts!

Yeah, I can’t explain it, it keeps on replaying in my head, I try to do something to forget about it for a second and randomly remember it and end up crying again, you realize how big part of your life it was, when it goes away… and I feel so sad that she didn’t live long, but I hope she enjoyed her time while she was alive and I’m glad her last day (before it happened at night-close to dawn) she was happy and active (which fooled me into thinking that she’ll be okay, resulting in huge shock when I saw her dying at around 3 a.m.) I know it just takes some time now to get over it.. thank you for your words, all the best!

[DanaNM]

I am so so sorry for your loss ((Binky free little one!)). Excuse my brevity, I’m typing from my phone. My Bunston died suddenly last year at the age of nine, and it was similar to what you experienced, but with no clear trigger (dietary or otherwise), in the space of about 15 hours. I spoke to my vet about it and she said he could have twisted a loop of his intestine. No way to know for sure, but just know you did the right thing by getting her to the vet. I understand the trauma you experienced, I spent the night with Bunston trying to keep him warm, and he perked up at dawn, only to convulse and pass a few minutes later.
Gas and stasis go hand in hand, and it sounds like your bun was experiencing both.
Young bunnies, all bunnies really, are so fragile….I will second what others have said about cabbage. Most recommend no cabbage at all, with limited amounts from the cabbage family. But as in my case, these things can happen with no clear trigger also.
I’m so sorry again, take care of yourself.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[DanaNM]

I am so so sorry for your loss ((Binky free little one!)). Excuse my brevity, I’m typing from my phone. My Bunston died suddenly last year at the age of nine, and it was similar to what you experienced, but with no clear trigger (dietary or otherwise), in the space of about 15 hours. I spoke to my vet about it and she said he could have twisted a loop of his intestine. No way to know for sure, but just know you did the right thing by getting her to the vet. I understand the trauma you experienced, I spent the night with Bunston trying to keep him warm, and he perked up at dawn, only to convulse and pass a few minutes later.
Gas and stasis go hand in hand, and it sounds like your bun was experiencing both.
Young bunnies, all bunnies really, are so fragile….I will second what others have said about cabbage. Most recommend no cabbage at all, with limited amounts from the cabbage family. But as in my case, these things can happen with no clear trigger also.
I’m so sorry again, take care of yourself.

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[MilkBunny]

Posted By DanaNM on 5/26/2017 7:55 PM

I am so so sorry for your loss ((Binky free little one!)). Excuse my brevity, I’m typing from my phone. My Bunston died suddenly last year at the age of nine, and it was similar to what you experienced, but with no clear trigger (dietary or otherwise), in the space of about 15 hours. I spoke to my vet about it and she said he could have twisted a loop of his intestine. No way to know for sure, but just know you did the right thing by getting her to the vet. I understand the trauma you experienced, I spent the night with Bunston trying to keep him warm, and he perked up at dawn, only to convulse and pass a few minutes later.
Gas and stasis go hand in hand, and it sounds like your bun was experiencing both.
Young bunnies, all bunnies really, are so fragile….I will second what others have said about cabbage. Most recommend no cabbage at all, with limited amounts from the cabbage family. But as in my case, these things can happen with no clear trigger also.
I’m so sorry again, take care of yourself.

Oh, sorry to hear, but at least your bunny aged well! And thank you, I really wish I could get another rabbit, but seeing how tricky they are with illnesses and knowing I don’t really have rabbit-savvy vets here (I’m from Bosnia & Herzegovina) and experiencing her death was so horrible, that I don’t think I’ll ever get a pet again…

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