HELP!! Bunny straining to pee 1 month post spay...

[BrownieDaisyandJasmine<3]

I made her last moments even more painful by trying to get her fluids. Shes probably feeling very hurt wherever she is right now, I could also have taken her to the vet 12 hours away much sooner when she showed the first symptom. But I didnt thinking it was a minor issue. I wish I could just tell her how sorry I am.

 

[Peaches and Cream]

Shes gone. Her beautiful brown eyes wont look at me anymore.

 

[overhear]

I made her last moments even more painful by trying to get her fluids. Shes probably feeling very hurt wherever she is right now, I could also have taken her to the vet 12 hours away much sooner when she showed the first symptom. But I didnt thinking it was a minor issue. I wish I could just tell her how sorry I am.

Try to be gentle with yourself. You loved her and did your utmost with the information you had at the time. As mere mortals all we can do is do our best.

 

[rabbit_friend]

I made her last moments even more painful by trying to get her fluids. Shes probably feeling very hurt wherever she is right now, I could also have taken her to the vet 12 hours away much sooner when she showed the first symptom. But I didnt thinking it was a minor issue. I wish I could just tell her how sorry I am.

I just now stumbled on this thread, and I am so sorry for what you went through. I know how devastating it is to try to help a bunny and then not be able to, or feel like we’ve even harmed them. But I certainly wouldn’t worry about the fluids — I have given fluids many, many times and it has ALWAYS made the bunny feel better (as long as the fluids are warm). They know when you are trying to help them.

I think through the month of eating just hay and no greens or pellets (not really enough to recover from a spay), she probably got dehydrated and had some constipation as well as sludge buildup in her bladder, causing her urinary symptoms. Dry, hard fecal pellets and sludge can both keep urine from voiding well. The vet telling you just to increase water intake was the right idea, but wasn’t enough — he should have given subq fluids and showed you how to continue that at home at the very least, especially since he saw the sediment buildup. Then giving you oral amoxicillin very definitely shows he wasn’t rabbit-savvy. So most likely the injectible antibiotic wasn’t the right thing to give and was what sent her downhill. I have had rabbits react very badly to that type of antibiotic and no longer use it.

Your decision to spay her was in her best interest, and you went above and beyond taking her so far away to get it done. I don’t think you should feel at all bad about that! I very much doubt that the spay went wrong, or I think you would have seen worse symptoms much sooner. It is common to feel some adhesions and scar tissue after a spay, without them causing any lasting problems (unless the local vet palpated her so hard that it burst something loose!).

I hope you can try to focus on all the great times you spent together, and the good home you gave her — all those play times in the park sound so wonderful! With a good vet so far away, there’s really nothing more you could have done. I am sure she is very grateful to you for everything, and not at all feeling hurt.

And you CAN tell her you’re sorry, or even write her a letter saying what you are sorry for and how much you miss her. It helps. I took a very dear bunny last year to a vet I didn’t know but who had treated many, many rabbits, and was very recommended. Despite that, it was a very bad experience for my bunny (and for me) and I had to put her to sleep. I tell my bunny almost every day how sorry I am that I took her to him. And I have 30 years experience with bunnies. So be kind and gentle with yourself, give yourself credit for being such a good bunny mom to her, and thank her for all that she has brought and taught you .

 

[BrownieDaisyandJasmine<3]

I just now stumbled on this thread, and I am so sorry for what you went through. I know how devastating it is to try to help a bunny and then not be able to, or feel like we’ve even harmed them. But I certainly wouldn’t worry about the fluids — I have given fluids many, many times and it has ALWAYS made the bunny feel better (as long as the fluids are warm). They know when you are trying to help them.

I think through the month of eating just hay and no greens or pellets (not really enough to recover from a spay), she probably got dehydrated and had some constipation as well as sludge buildup in her bladder, causing her urinary symptoms. Dry, hard fecal pellets and sludge can both keep urine from voiding well. The vet telling you just to increase water intake was the right idea, but wasn’t enough — he should have given subq fluids and showed you how to continue that at home at the very least, especially since he saw the sediment buildup. Then giving you oral amoxicillin very definitely shows he wasn’t rabbit-savvy. So most likely the injectible antibiotic wasn’t the right thing to give and was what sent her downhill. I have had rabbits react very badly to that type of antibiotic and no longer use it.

Your decision to spay her was in her best interest, and you went above and beyond taking her so far away to get it done. I don’t think you should feel at all bad about that! I very much doubt that the spay went wrong, or I think you would have seen worse symptoms much sooner. It is common to feel some adhesions and scar tissue after a spay, without them causing any lasting problems (unless the local vet palpated her so hard that it burst something loose!).

I hope you can try to focus on all the great times you spent together, and the good home you gave her — all those play times in the park sound so wonderful! With a good vet so far away, there’s really nothing more you could have done. I am sure she is very grateful to you for everything, and not at all feeling hurt.

And you CAN tell her you’re sorry, or even write her a letter saying what you are sorry for and how much you miss her. It helps. I took a very dear bunny last year to a vet I didn’t know but who had treated many, many rabbits, and was very recommended. Despite that, it was a very bad experience for my bunny (and for me) and I had to put her to sleep. I tell my bunny almost every day how sorry I am that I took her to him. And I have 30 years experience with bunnies. So be kind and gentle with yourself, give yourself credit for being such a good bunny mom to her, and thank her for all that she has brought and taught you .

Thank you for all your kind words. Im sorry for your loss as well. You seem like a very kind person.

I just miss her so much it physically hurts. She surely did teach me a lot more than any person/school/lesson ever did. She chose me at a I time I wouldnt choose myself and let me know how much she loved me every single day. The first time she ever flopped was a week after we met and on my lap. I regret not taking a picture of it cause I thought something was wrong. She was the most beautiful soul ever.

 

[Mom to Minx]

Thank you for all your kind words. Im sorry for your loss as well. You seem like a very kind person.

I just miss her so much it physically hurts. She surely did teach me a lot more than any person/school/lesson ever did. She chose me at a I time I wouldnt choose myself and let me know how much she loved me every single day. The first time she ever flopped was a week after we met and on my lap. I regret not taking a picture of it cause I thought something was wrong. She was the most beautiful soul ever.

I have no words to help but I feel your pain.

 

[rabbit_friend]

Thank you for all your kind words. Im sorry for your loss as well. You seem like a very kind person.

I just miss her so much it physically hurts. She surely did teach me a lot more than any person/school/lesson ever did. She chose me at a I time I wouldnt choose myself and let me know how much she loved me every single day. The first time she ever flopped was a week after we met and on my lap. I regret not taking a picture of it cause I thought something was wrong. She was the most beautiful soul ever.

Having a bunny flop on your lap is indeed special! I have learned along the way to take lots of pictures and videos, because you never know what will happen. I have lost several heartbuns along the way and still mourn them. I console myself by thinking that I would have had to deal with the loss anyway at some point, and it just came along sooner than expected. I will always have more than one bunny though, not only because they’re social animals, but because then if one goes, the focus on caring for and consoling the remaining one(s) somehow lessens the grief. And whenever I think I will never love another bunny as much as the one I’ve lost, along comes another beautiful soul and proves me wrong. Perhaps you will meet another one too some day.