rabbits death?? what could it be

sharon4adam · 26 January 2013 at 2:27PM

my beautiful 3 and a half year old dwarf rabbit passed away this morning and if i list what happened i wander if anyone would be able to help.

he was a confident happy chap but he did mess his hole cage up rather than go in one place. last night i went out and was shocked his hutch was open. it must of not clipprd back in properly when i fed them. he was hunched up with his eyes half shut. he never lets me lift him but let me pick him up.

i took him in and hugged him in a towel. i phoned the vet and explained hed lost use of his legs was covered in muck matted on his feet etc and he barely had his eyes open. he told me to keep him warm and comfy but he said he wouldnt last the night.

his heart rate dropped he stayed on his side and other than breathe and stretch ouy he did nothing. woulnt take water. at 10.30am he let out three squeals like cat meow and his front legs were moving like he was walking fast. he shook and a huge load of air came out his lungs and his hole body relaxed and he was gone.

my boy was loved very much and i wandered if anyone new what he may of died from

Frugalista · 26 January 2013 at 2:31PM

sharon4adam wrote: »

i phoned the vet and explained hed lost use of his legs was covered in muck matted on his feet etc and he barely had his eyes open. he told me to keep him warm and comfy but he said he wouldnt last the night.

Did the vet not say what he suspected it was? I would phone him back and ask.

UKTigerlily · 26 January 2013 at 2:33PM

So sorry to hear of your rabbits death, I had one die many years back with similar symptoms so would be interested if anyone has any ideas

sharon4adam · 26 January 2013 at 2:37PM

vet said maybee he hurt back or maybee it was internal. i just cant get over how he went from a happy energetic condfident fella too paralysed legs and a low heart beat. im so upset. ive found hes not been keeping as clean latley but other than that hes ok

martinthebandit · 26 January 2013 at 2:37PM

Probably just old age, IIRC average life expectancy of a rabbit is 5 years, and dwarf breeds tend to have a shorter life than average.

3 and a half is a bit early maybe, but not by much.

purple.sarah · 26 January 2013 at 2:38PM

Sorry for your loss. We had 2 rabbits die in a similar way (apart from the paralysis), the vet said it was some kind of virus and there was nothing we could have done. It was contagious so if you have any other rabbits keep an eye on them and don't put another rabbit in the same cage. IME rabbits can be quite fragile and prone to digestive problems, when a rabbit develops diarrhea it is often seriously ill.

sharon4adam · 26 January 2013 at 2:42PM

yeah did the vet say what the virus is picked up from. im not sure if hes ben.sitting in his poo as hes never learnt to go in one place. my other rabbit lives in the hutch above and hes such a clean animal.

hethmar · 26 January 2013 at 2:55PM

Poor little soul, sounds awful.

Tiglath · 26 January 2013 at 3:09PM

Sorry about your bun. We had something similar happen to our rabbit when I was a child, and the vet said the paralysis was probably caused by being scared by a fox and that her internal organs went after that as she went into shock. If your cage was open, it's possible he was scared by a fox, if not actually attacked.