My two rabbits just died and I can't figure out what happened.

[Kardinalkalamity]

I have two bunnies.
One is a 10 year old grumpy man named Lapin.
The other, Lumen, is a lady around 6 with a chronic respiratory issue.
I came home tonight to find both dead. The only signs that anything could have been coming is that the older male sneezed a few times earlier in the week but he stopped after a day or so.
And now they're both dead and I'm completely crushed. They were both in good health, Lumen had been doing so much better since she got medication for her issues too...
Lumen was dead in her cage with no outward signs.
Lapin was laid down between our two couches and had some runny stuff around his nose and mouth when I found him...
I don't know what the **** to do, this is awful and I can't make sense of what happened.
They were fine and in good shape and excited in the morning...
If any of you have any idea what could have happened, I'd really like your input...

 

[Charlotteandbetty]

I’m so so sorry for your loss- you must be heartbroken. It’s hard to say for sure but I would imagine it is a case of RHD or RHD2. A quick google reveals there has been a recent outbreak in Quebec. RHD2 is airbourne, making it spread super easily. Both kill very quickly with often no symptoms, although the nose discharge you described if a sign.

There are vaccines available against both diseases, if you chose to adopt bunnies again in the future. In the circumstances, I’d get rid all your equiptment and buy fresh to avaoid the risk of this happening again.

Once again, I’m so sorry for your loss xx

 

[Kardinalkalamity]

Thank you so much. That's pretty much what I found when I searched. Apparently though the vaccine only started being given in Canada last year so there was no way my kids had it . I'm pretty devastated, I've just been crying non stop.

 

[JBun]

If there is any chance it could be RHD, especially if there are any signs of bleeding from the mouth, nose, or anus, you should contact your vet immediately.

There are other possibilities such as if you just opened a new bag of food, there have been cases of bad feed causing deaths. Also if it's possible they could have somehow been exposed to a toxin or ingested one somehow. There are a few other possible causes such as e. cuniculi and pathogenic bacteria, but usually these won't cause a sudden death like this in multiple rabbits.

 

[Dennis Cappotto]

Hello, Sorry to hear about your bunnies. I just posted a post called "The loss of a very dear friend" in this section. I know how you feel. Read my post.