Premature death of our Netherland Dwarf

[Snipercheeta]

:cry1





Dear friends,

Our 1 year old Netherland Dwarf rabbit was founddead in his run this afternoon and apart from the shock and grief, weare trying to establish cause of death. He was left in therun around 11-noon (much longer previously) in the enclosed backgarden, and was completely healthy this morning. He wasdiscovered lying on his side. There are no external wounds orblood marks, and his fur seems okay. (Thought his back was partiallydamp/wet). Surely no fox would be in a garden at thistime.

Could it have been heart attack/stoke - are ND's known for this?

Is it worth getting an x-ray or autopsy - how muchdo they cost and would a vet perform it if asked?

Many thanks if you can guide us.

 

[Snuggys Mom]

I'm so sorry for your loss. :bigtears:

If you keep other rabbits, I would definitely have a necropsy done todetermine the cause of death. I'm not sure what the costwould be. I would call your vet and ask.

 

[Snipercheeta]

Many thanks Laura. He was our onlyrabbit, sadly, loved and nurtured since a baby. I just reallywant to know HOW he died. So healthy at 10.05am and dead atnoon...

 

[bunnydude]

I am very sorry for your loss:angelandbunny:


A necropsy would be worthwhile. It might bring some closure to you andyour family. It sounds to me like he may have died of shock; perhapssome sort of predator.

 

[BACI]

urplepansy: inkpansy:

I am sorry for your loss.

Unforturnately, yes ND are known for Heart attacks and brokenspines due to their hyper nature. Our first rabbit was a NetherlandDwarf that was running and playing in the apartment looked fine and myroommate put him in his cage and when I came home from work thatevening( a hr or so later) and he was barely alive. By the time we gotto the vet he said that happens with that breed often.

You said it's back was wet...sounds like a predator.
edited:typed at the same time as bunnydude, sorry

 

[naturestee]

bunnydude wrote:

A necropsy would be worthwhile. It might bring some closureto you and your family. It sounds to me like he may have died of shock;perhaps some sort of predator.

Yes, a necropsy would be the only way to know how your rabbitdied. Most vets that treat rabbits should be able to do this,or they could refer you to someone who does. Unfortunately,heart attacks are common causes of death in many rabbits.Some are because of defects in the heart, others are caused by stress.

Are you in the UK? Foxes there seem to be like our coyoteshere. They're getting less afraid of people and are morebrave about raiding backyards in broad daylight.

Binky free, little guy.urplepansy:

Have you ever heard of the Rainbow Bridge?
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11726&forum_id=1&jump_to=191784#p191784

 

[Mikoli]

I'm oh so sorry for your loss. :rip

My best friend's rabbits died just like that. They were outside, two ofthem, and when my friend came out to feed them, they were just dead ontheir backs, with no wounds. She thought it was a mosquitoe bite, but Ididn't know they could die of shock so easily.

:cry2

 

[Snipercheeta]

Thank you very much for your comments.Having reviewed them all I took our beloved rabbit to the vet thismorning. I have requested a necropsy and this will occurtomorrow or Wednesday. Till then the little fellow is in'storage' at the vet's. Thanks again for your advice and ifyou are interested I shall let you know the results.

Rob, Hertfordshire, UK

 

[stopwarownarabbit]

I'm sorry for your loss.

Sharing the necropsy results will bring attention to what ever hiscondition was, andmay save lives. Thanks in advance for yourwillingness to share the info.

 

[KatyG]

I'm really sorry to hear that. It isso horrible not to have any warning like that. I hope thatyou find out what happened and that it helps you to deal withthis.

 

[ilovetegocalderon]

Have you heard back from the vet yet?

 

[Snipercheeta]

We are picking up the little chap tomorrow andburying him here in the garden. The vet did say that bloodwas found between the lung and chest wall, though some marks on hisliver were also a concern. The vet took some samples and sentthem to the laboratory. We are told that the results will bereturned tomorrow, when I shall update you. Thank you foryour support and sympathy at this sad time for us.

Rob

 

[LuvaBun]

I am so sorry for your loss. Thanks for keepingus updated on what is happening with the necropsy. Sounds like it wassomething very sudden that you couldn't have prevented. Poor little guywill be at rainbow Bridge, waiting for you

Jan

 

[Pet_Bunny]

I am sorry Snipercheeta.

Thank-you for keeping us updated on theresults, as I have a ND that is almost 2years old. I also let my bunny run outside in theback yard, and to have any informationthat might cause a bunny tosuddenly passaway is valuable.
Blinky Free Little One. ink iris:

 

[cheryl]

awww im sorry ,at least with the necroscpy beingdone you will be able to put your mind at rest,but it just doesnt makeit any easier for you losing your sweet bunny so quick



cheryl

 

[Snipercheeta]

Dear all,

We had the results back from the vet....they have indicated that,whilst not conclusive, it appears the most likely cause of death washeart attack brought on by sudden trauma. Therefore apredator seems the most plausible scenario. The vets werevery reverent and provided him back in a cardboard coffin forburial. The whole cost was only £41 so I would recommend it for anyothers in a similar situation, justto reassure yourself thatall has beendone that can be. Whilst I am unclearon how a predator could have gained access to the garden, I think thatwe now need to accept the opinion and move on.Wearelooking to getting a new rabbit soon, andwhilst no-one could replace James (I know, the kids chose the name) thehutch looks too lonely and we do immensly miss thecleaning/feeding/stroking regime. The RSPCA mentioned somehomeless rabbits (which must be homed in twos) and I have added asecond storey, a staircase,and increased the run area. Theyare coming to inspect the hutch/run shortly, so I hope that the endingmay be a happy one for all involved. It just leaves me toagain thank you all for your practical advice in painful circumstances,and I may give you an update on the pair of rabbits recommended by theshelter groups shortly!

Thanks

Rob

 

[jordiwes]

Thank you for letting us know the result. I'msure you miss James a lot but I am so happy to hear that you might berescuing a couple of bunnies in need of a home.

Please keep us updated.

:hug:

 

[naturestee]

Thank you so much for sharing the results. It never ceases to amaze me how strong and yet how fragile our rabbits are.

I know that the UK RSPCA's do have lots of rabbits, as do rabbitrescues. I hope you can find somebuns that matchyou. If you want to do a little more looking, many UK rabbitrescues post in the rabbit listings here:

http://www.rabbitrehome.org.uk/

Best of luck!