Health Question. My rabbit just passed away : (

My 6 year old doe mini lop recently passed away : (
I woke up one morning and found her having a hard time breathing,losing her balance, and excessive liquid coming out of her mouth. Shealso had been having ocular discharge before that. Before I could takeher to the emergency animal hospital, she already died. This confusesme because the morning before she died, she acted prettynormal.She's always been taken good care of--litter's alwaysclean, clean water, plenty food, situated in a large roofed patio areain the backyard and away from any contacts from otheranimals.I have no idea what happened to her and I was hopingsomeone can help me understand.

Sounds like heat stroke? I'm not sure where you're located so I'm just going to throw that option out there.

I think Shuu might be right. Is it hot where youare? It is not surprising that she was fine earlier, rabbits can turnsouth very quickly.

I live in San Jose, CA. Our weather right nowaverages at low 40s F to high 60s F. Her cage is not exposed to directwind, chill, or rain.

Hmmm... then heatstroke is probably not likely.Maybe it was something bacterial like pasturella. I have no idea howmuch they cost, but a necropsy might be the only thing that willdetermine the cause of death for sure.

BunnyVal wrote:

She also had been having ocular discharge before that.

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How long before she died did this start? What did it looklike- thin clear fluid or milky sticky stuff? Unfortunately,eye and respiratory infections are fairly common in rabbits.What looks like "just a cold" to us is often fatal withouttreatment. Sometimes rabbits can live for a long time withit, but their condition keeps getting worse if they are not treated.

There are other options- it could have been a facial abcess, or a problem caused by overgrown or misshapen teeth or tooth roots.

On the other hand, if the discharge didn't start happening until thatday, there are a whole host of other causes. Seizure, stroke,and heart attack, to name a few.

You might want to have a vet rule out myxomatosis, as that is apossibility on the west coast. If it was myxi, do not getanother rabbit until everything has been sterilized and have treatedfor fleas, which carry it.

I hope this helps, and I'm sorry for your loss.