My Baby Bun Suddenly Passed Away

[tinybun]

1 week ago I became a proud new bun mommy to a Netherland Dwarf and today I feel heartbroken at the loss of her. When I woke up this morning, the first thing I did was go to check on her, only to find her sprawled out laying on her side. At first I thought she wasn't even breathing but upon looking closer, I could see she was still breathing mainly through her mouth. When I picked her up she was so limp and looked like she was struggling to breath. Freaking out, I held her and tried to give her tiny drops of water because I was worried about dehydration. As I held her, Ifrantically called all around to a bunch of vets. Almost none were open since it was a Sunday. One emergency care place told me they don't treat bunnies, and referred me to an exotic pet vet. I called them and while I was on the phone with them and held my bunny in my arms, she gasped her last breath of air. The previous day she was completely fine, eating, pooing, and peeing and coming to greet me at the door of her cage whenever I walked by to spend time with her. Since she is still a baby, I noticed during the week that she would mostly sleep, but then get up eat and poo and pee, and then eventually go back to rest or sleep. Also, being a first time bunny owner, I also had no idea what to look for with regards to if this schedule was normal and in reading things on the internet it seemed that it was from what others described. The last time I had checked on her was around midnight and she seemed normal - tired and about to sleep.

I will describe her week with me just in case anything is relevant in figuring out what might have happened. When I got her, I was told was 6.5 weeks old Netherland Dwarf. The first day I brought her home I didn't see her poo a lot but she did eat and drink and pee. I attributed that to stress and change of environment. The next day she seemed to be eating more and pooing and peeing ok. Her pee for the first 2.5 days smelled quite bad and was a darker color overall. By the 3rd day her pee was just about colorless and hardly any, if any smell (is this normal?). In regards to her food, when I purchased her, the seller sold me a small bag of pellets and told me to feed her hay as well and no fresh veggies or anything until she is 6 months old. In her food bowl I put some of the pellets the owner said she was feeding her as well as timothy hay and she had ceramic crock for water. After a couple of days, I tended to notice that she really liked the hay and wasn't really eating any of the pellets.

After she passed, I went to look at videos of other netherland dwarf buns and noticed that mine seemed like she was smaller in size for her age than the owner stated. In fact when I compared videos ofnetherland dwarfbuns that were stated to be 6 weeks old, they definitely look bigger and older than my bun. I have a horrible feeling my bun was less than 6 weeks and also probably never should have been sold before 8 weeks. Could this be why she didn't survive? Or is it possible she was the stated age but just the runt of the litter?

Please help with what you think might have happened, I'm so worried I did something wrong to contribute to her death. I absolutely adored my bunny and am terriblysad and want to be better educated for when I get another bun.

 

[tinybun]

One more detail I forgot to add, she was an indoor bunny and I had never taken her outside. She also did not appear to have any issues with a wet nose or eyes and she did not haveany kind of diarrhea.

 

[Pipp]

Oh no, so sorry.

The need for a lot of sleep sounds like she could have been too young.

She sounded like she was dehydrated at first (concentrated, strong smelling pee) but I assume it cleared up. Although the very clear, odorless pee could signal kidney issues, it also could be that part was fairly normal.

Could she have overheated?

If she was too young, she may have been even more susceptible to heat, she could have had developmental problems, her heart could have just given out. Or not enough of an immune system to fight off sn infection or just about anything else.

Do you have photos of her?

Sorry you lost her.


sas :sad:

 

[tinybun]

Thanks for your reply. I don't think overheating was a possibility since the room I had her cage in was not very hot nor very cold. It's right off of my kitchen where I spend a lot of time and would peak in on her many many times a day to make sure she had enough food and water. I do have photos, but I'll have to look up how to post pics here.

Is it so that buns should not be weaned from their mother before 6-8 weeks? Like I said, I really have no idea if she was 6.5 weeks like the seller said, but to me after doing a lot of searching and what not, it seems either her age was misrepresented and she was younger, or she might have been the runt of the litter.

I also wanted to add that every time if we picked her up and she was on her back, she would fall asleep most of the time and on occassion just look comfy. Is this normal? I read somewhere that many bunnies do this?

Edited to add photo - this was the day we brought her home.

 

[jcottonl02]

I am so sorry tinybun :cry2

It really does sound like it could be a number of different things, none of which you would have contributed to.

She could well have been too young, but having never owned a netherland dwarf, I am not sure I could tell from that pic how young she looked.
My dwarf rabbit now (well....'dwarf'), is now almost half a stone in weight (He is 3 years old), and when I got him, he would fit in the palm of my hand, and weighed less than 500grams. He was the smallest thing I had ever seen, but I was assured he was 8 weeks old, but he did seem incredibly small- maybe we just aren't used to seeing such small bunnies? He is the only baby bunny I have ever seen, because I rescued Benji when he was about 6 months old (now almost 4 years old).

Very young animals need a lot of sleep, and will often fall asleep in your hand. Our puppies (the first few weeks we got them), would actually fall asleep while you held them in the air, so this does imply that your bun was v young.

When I first brought Benji home, his pee was the colour of blood (I was terrified, and took a sample to the vets, but it really was just very very dark orange pee), I guess because of the stress, change in diet, change of environment etc. and possible slight dehydration.

Again, I am so sorry for your loss. She was a gorgeous little bun. Binky free little girl :rainbow:

This is the best place to be (in my opinion) for rabbit info, care and health etc. so if you want to learn more about buns before you bring one into your family, this is a great place to be. But from everything you've said, you seem like you have researched a lot, and already seem quite aware of their diet/illnesses etc. which is great.

Have you thought about contacting the breeder? Just in case it was something contagious, that his other buns could get?

Jen

 

[pamnock]

The bunny only appears to be 2-3 weeks old in the photo. Bunnies can actually be weaned as early as 3 weeks (5-6 is generally recommended). However, the younger the age that the bunny is sold at, the higher the mortality rate due to stress factors. In some states, it is illegal to sell bunnies before 8 weeks of age.

Difficulty in breathing suggests possible pneumonia.

 

[Pipp]

jcottonl02 wrote:

When I first brought Benji home, his pee was the colour of blood (I was terrified, and took a sample to the vets, but it really was just very very dark orange pee), I guess because of the stress, change in diet, change of environment etc. and possible slight dehydration.

Dark orange pee is normal and can just be from a pigment in their food, but when its dark, thick and it smells, that's dehydration.

She does look like a very young rabbit. I'd definitely contact the source and complain -- loudly. I might save another life in the future.


sas :cry2

 

[jcottonl02]

Ah I see- thanks Pipp. In that case it wasn't dehydration.

 

[elrohwen]

She looks far younger than 6.5 weeks old. I would guess she contracted a disease due to stress at being away from mom that young.

I'm very sorry for your loss :-(

 

[tinybun]

Thank you all for your replies. I'm so happy to have found this forum. It has so much great information. While I'm still so sad we lost her and wish we knew the exact reason why, at least I can try to get more information for our next one and be more educated and prepared with what to look for in case something is wrong. I'm also feeling quite upset at the seller. In hindsight, I think $ meant more to them than the actual welfare for the animal. I truly feel that most likely my bun was younger than I was told and probably taken away from her momma way too soon.

 

[elrohwen]

It's very sad that some people are far more interested in the money than the welfare of their animals.

Have you considered looking at a shelter for your next bun?

 

[Nancy McClelland]

we're so sorry for your loss of that darling little bunny. Sometimes things just go that way. We had Bonny for almost 3 years--showed up one day in our front yard. She was fine and frisky when we went out one night, but, when our son came over to feed the bunnies, she was on her side, gone. Nothing out of the normal at all, so, not sure. Don't like it but things just do happen that way sometime no matter how careful and attentive you are.

 

[itoshiixhito]

I'm so sorry for your loss. She was a little cutie

That has actually happened to me too when I was younger. I got a little dutch bunny from a pet store, and she passed away not long after I got her. I really believe that it's because she was separated from her mama too early.

I got my current bunny, Maaya, at 4 weeks old, but thankfully I've never had any health problems with her.

I agree with elrohwen about the shelter idea tho. There's lots of bunnies there that need someone to love them :hearts

 

[tonyshuman]

I'm so sorry. She was a really precious little thing, although definitely too young to be away from mom.

I agree that it sounds like she may have been dehydrated. That may have damaged her kidneys, leading to the clear urine later on, and that probably caused her to pass away. She probably wasn't used to drinking water from a bottle.

In addition, it's really common for young bunnies to have issues with their gastrointestinal tracts, especially if they have been weaned too early. A bunny needs a certain population of bacteria in its GI tract to help digest its food properly. They get these bacteria from being around their mom, which is why although most bunnies can be weaned at 6 weeks, the babies should stay with their mom until 8 weeks. She probably wasn't ready to eat adult food in terms of her gastrointestinal bacteria.

I'm so sorry. There are a lot of people who make money this way, and it's terrible. It's part of why it's against the law in most states to sell bunnies before 8 weeks of age. It sounds like you really had her best interests at heart, and I hope you do get another bunny, hopefully one that's old enough.

Some places are better than others to get rabbits. We have a few members in Texas, which I know is a huge state, but if you post in the regional forum for Texas you might get a better idea of where they are. We have Texas members who are involved both with shelters/rescues and breeding, and they can help you find a good place to get a bunny, where it will be old enough to sell, and if from a shelter, already spayed or neutered.

 

[iluvdutchrabbbits90]

I am sorry for your loss.
I would say she was for sure to young.
She is only a little bigger then my 2 week old lionheads.

 

[tinybun]

tonyshuman wrote:

I'm so sorry. She was a really precious little thing, although definitely too young to be away from mom.

I agree that it sounds like she may have been dehydrated. That may have damaged her kidneys, leading to the clear urine later on, and that probably caused her to pass away. She probably wasn't used to drinking water from a bottle.

In addition, it's really common for young bunnies to have issues with their gastrointestinal tracts, especially if they have been weaned too early. A bunny needs a certain population of bacteria in its GI tract to help digest its food properly. They get these bacteria from being around their mom, which is why although most bunnies can be weaned at 6 weeks, the babies should stay with their mom until 8 weeks. She probably wasn't ready to eat adult food in terms of her gastrointestinal bacteria.

I'm so sorry. There are a lot of people who make money this way, and it's terrible. It's part of why it's against the law in most states to sell bunnies before 8 weeks of age. It sounds like you really had her best interests at heart, and I hope you do get another bunny, hopefully one that's old enough.

Some places are better than others to get rabbits. We have a few members in Texas, which I know is a huge state, but if you post in the regional forum for Texas you might get a better idea of where they are. We have Texas members who are involved both with shelters/rescues and breeding, and they can help you find a good place to get a bunny, where it will be old enough to sell, and if from a shelter, already spayed or neutered.

Is clear urine a sign of kidney failure? Should a bunny's urine always have some kind of strong smell? The first 2 days or so, her pee was more yellow colored, it then was more clear or very very slightly tinged color by the 3rd day. She drank water from a ceramic crock and I always made sure it was full. Even if it was only half full I would refill it right away and same for the crock that had her timothy hay. Also, for the most part, I was giving her bottled water in her water crock. Her poos after the first day seemed normal - round balls or slightly ovalish round in shape. She definitely peed and pooed quite a bit, and at times looked like she was really chowing down the hay and water and other times less so but she was eating, drinking and going to the bathroom.

Thank you all for your kind words of supportand helpful opinions and information.

 

[tonyshuman]

It's hard to tell if the light colored urine was from being rehydrated or the kidneys shutting down. Both conditions will make the urine clearish. I was guessing that the dark colored urine was damaging the kidneys, and then the clear meant that they were damaged beyond repair. Also, drinking a lot of water can be a sign of kidney damage.

But then again, Pipp may be right, and the urine wasn't that dark, and she was fine in terms of fluid intake. A bunny's urine should be pretty stinky, not so bad you can smell it across the room, but stinky. Also, orange and red are somewhat normal colors. If it was just yellow, and never brown, she probably wasn't terribly dehydrated.

I am guessing that her kidneys had shut down because if she had simply gotten rehydrated, and her poos were fine, she probably would have made it, at least I can't think of another reason for her to pass away, unless it was some kind of pneumonia like Pam mentioned.

I guess it's really hard to figure out what happened. Heavy breathing can be a symptom of a lot of things, from pain to respiratory infection to organ failure. What we do know is that it was likely due to her being sold at such a young age.

 

[tinybun]

tonyshuman wrote:

It's hard to tell if the light colored urine was from being rehydrated or the kidneys shutting down. Both conditions will make the urine clearish. I was guessing that the dark colored urine was damaging the kidneys, and then the clear meant that they were damaged beyond repair. Also, drinking a lot of water can be a sign of kidney damage.

But then again, Pipp may be right, and the urine wasn't that dark, and she was fine in terms of fluid intake. A bunny's urine should be pretty stinky, not so bad you can smell it across the room, but stinky. Also, orange and red are somewhat normal colors. If it was just yellow, and never brown, she probably wasn't terribly dehydrated.

I am guessing that her kidneys had shut down because if she had simply gotten rehydrated, and her poos were fine, she probably would have made it, at least I can't think of another reason for her to pass away, unless it was some kind of pneumonia like Pam mentioned.

I guess it's really hard to figure out what happened. Heavy breathing can be a symptom of a lot of things, from pain to respiratory infection to organ failure. What we do know is that it was likely due to her being sold at such a young age.

Her urine was a dark yellow for the first couple of days. It definitely did not look thick or brown, but it was very smelly and you could smell it in the room and it got stronger as you came nearer tothe area where her cage was. But, I also did not have the proper litter at that time. Her cage has a litter area with drawer underneath to make cleaning easy, and before I was able to run out to get CareFresh, I used paper towels to absorb her urine in the potty area (when she would choose to use the potty area of course). Since she was so young, she was not litter trained yet. I was very observant about her urine though being a new bun owner and all, andit only changed to clear or only slightly tinged yellow by the 3rd day. And by then I had CareFresh for her litter, so I'm sure that aided in eliminating odors.

Thank you for all of your help & thoughts, this is such a lovely forum andcommunity.

 

[pamnock]

The color of urine as well as the odor can vary widely.

The urine of a rabbit in stasis is very distinct. We currently have 80 rabbits, and I can tell when a rabbit is going into stasis by the odor of the urine. The urine may also be very dark if the rabbit is dehydrated. Large, well formed poos are indicators of good hydration.