How did my bunny die? :(

Hi everyone.

Bunny info

Name: Jackson
Type: Not sure... black and white, floppy ears.
Diet: Meadow hay and nuggets - very occasional bit of carrot
Age: 18 months so young



My house bunny Jackson died very suddenly yesterday. We fed him hay and nuggets in the morning. He usually runs over to eat his nuggets as he loves them, but he just hopped slowly to them. This concerned us but didn’t worry us enough to consider he might be dying.



We went out between 10am and 1pm, so only three hours. When we returned home we went into the room we keep him in. He usually comes running out to see us. But he was lying flat on his side, stretched out and his head was right back almost touching his spine. My wife was very upset so I had to quickly wrap him in a towel. His body was very stiff. I picked him up to put him in the towel and he didn't go limp at all, it was very strange. does rigor mortis set in this quickly?! His body wasn’t noticeably cold so I don’t think he had been dead for long.



I know it’s difficult only knowing this information, but do you know how he could have died? I’m really worried that we did something wrong or that he suffered. I just feel that it was so sudden, I don’t know if there is anything we could have done.



Thanks in advance.



Stephen

I'm so sorry for your loss. I know there are a couple of things that can onset and kill very swiftly, but someone else will need to give he name, I can't quite recall them. Because it happened so quickly, ita unlikely there would have been much you could have done, even if you had stayed home. My condolences to you both.

So sorry for your loss :rip:

I'm so sorry you lost your beloved Jackson!

it sounds as though the only warning signs were mild lethargy and perhaps decreased appetite that morning. signs like those are generally cause for concern, but by that I mean concern in a "keep an eye on him, he could have an upset tummy or the start of GI stasis" way that would suggest that you needed to closely monitor his food intake and make sure he was pooping, plus possibly try some at-home remedies and schedule a trip to the vet if he wasn't back to normal in 8-12 hours. in other words, 99.9% of the time, the symptoms you noticed do NOT indicate anything life-threatening or that could kill in < 3h.

I'm not saying that was the problem this time - obviously it was something far more significant - my point is simply that, based on those symptoms, there was nothing that would've suggested a different course of action than simply keeping an eye on him. whatever killed him did so very swiftly and gave you no indication that you should've rushed him to the vet ASAP, meaning there really wasn't anything you could possibly have thought to do differently - it's definitely not your fault he passed away. with so swift a death, odds are that if he did suffer, it was very briefly.

hopefully some of our breeders will weigh in on this, as I know someone else had something kill very swiftly with virtually no warning recently... I believe it might've been EC? I really don't remember ><... and keep in mind, the deaths I refer to happened to a very experienced and knowledgeable breeder who's normally very quick to spot the signs of something wrong, and even they weren't able to catch it in time. bunnies are SO adept at hiding sickness that sometimes there's really just nothing you can do

if you still have his body and really want answers, I recommend talking to your vet about the possibility of having a necropsy done to determine what the cause of death was.

binky free, little guy! :rainbow:

Thank you for your kind words, and for suggesting some possibilities of what happened to him. We're just in a bit of shock at the moment! He was such a fun little guy to have around. We actually adopted him from a friend who was unable to keep him, so we had to tell her too which was very difficult. We're hoping she won't blame us for his death so you've helped by giving us some suggestions for how he could have died so suddenly.

Very sorry for your loss. I lost my first bunny suddnely too. He was his normal self the night before he passed. Climbing up my back, being an adorable nuisance, eating and pooping. He had mushy poo now and then which i thought was due to either the treats or too many greens, and since it was not constant issue, just something that happened now and again, i put it down to food, not possible illness. The next morning i found him almost lifeless in his hutch. Took him to the vet but it was too late, they couldn't save him. They did an necropsy but couldn't give an answer as to what had happened as everything looked normal. They said it could have been coccidiosis. So i still don't know what really happened. Sometimes they die suddenly for no apparent reason, or at least not that anyone can see. Very sorry again, it's always very heart breaking to hear.

Here's a picture of the little guy!

I'm so sorry for your loss . He was such a handsome little fellow. Yes, if you still have his body maybe you can take him in for a necropsy.

My heartfelt condolences on your loss of your sweet little bun. A necropsy would be the only way to find out the cause of death, anything else would just be a good guess at best. If it will put your mind at ease it may be a good idea to do a necropsy. As Imbrium said I think you did everything you knew to do to keep him healthy & whatever took him took him rather quickly.

I lost my Shadowfax suddenly also. He was about 15 months old and we had him for around 3 months. Your story sounds similar to how I lost Shadowfax. Late one evening he suddenly lost interest in eating. I brought him to the vet first thing in the morning and the vet and I assumed it was the early warning signs of GI stasis (as Imbrium suggested).
I'll skip all the in-between details.
In short, he passed that evening. It was within 24 hours of the first sign of anything so the vet (and the rescue, and this forum at the time) agreed it couldn't have been GI stasis. Though we did not have a necropsy done, it was assumed that he had some sort of rupture.

Perhaps that is what happened to your precious guy?

So sorry for your loss. Thinking of you and your wife. These little sweethearts are so precious to us. I feel your pain and sorrow.

We lost our little Bonnie almost like that. She was fine when we went out, and, when my son came over 3 hours later to feed everyone, he thought she was sleeping as she was queen of the drop and flop and was only 3 years old. Vet thought she might have had a bad heart. Rest in peace little man.

We are so sorry for your loss, it must be very difficult. Hopefully the good memories will help you through this tough time.
Jackson was very cute, almost looks like our Dilly and him could have been brother and sister.
So sorry
Binky free lil' Jackson

Aww, what a sweet picture, such a handsome fellow.

So sad. Sorry for your loss. Was he fully vaccinated against Myx and VHD? I heard both those can kill very quickly?

I believe VHD would usually show some bleeding from orifices, and is unlikely to be the cause if that wasn't present.

I am so sorry for your loss. He really was an adorable little guy.

My bunny just died in my arms and within 5 minutes was stiff! She too was fine last night, eating treats,running around with the kitten. This morning she was laying in her litter box and was very lethargic and let me pick her up and hold her but would not eat or drink.Called vet and they said give her critical care with a syringe and water but she would not swallow anything. Was holding her and she just started crying in pain and wriggling and died! I have no idea what happened. She was only three but I had her from only weeks old.

Although I do not know what could have taken your little bun's life, I wanted to give you my condolences. Jackson was lucky to have a loving home with you. Try not to feel guilty, as you cannot control death. It comes to us all in time. I know the sorrow of losing a pet and although it is so hard, the pain is just a reflection of the love they brought to you.

Sounds like GI to me if she was in her litter box prob trying to go to the toilet GI is a blockage and its very common in rabbits not your fault at all you tried your best to give her meds just lay her to rest and remember the good times sorry for your loss x