I've been wondering about this for quitesometime. A lady I met online lost her house rabbit a fewweeks ago, right around the same time Lenci died. Before shetook her bunny to the vet, her husband told her that if she took therabbit to the vet it would die. I'm not sure how he came upwith this idea, but now I wonder. Is it coincidence that bothmy Angel and Lenci died in the car on the way back from the vet'soffice? What are your thoughts?
Veterinary Trips - A Killer?
- Thread starter Lissa
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CorkysMom
Well-Known Member
Corky came close more than once...but I knoww/out having gone to the vet he'd have died for sure. My vetis a godsend!
Zee
Well-Known Member
Corky's living Guardian Angel.
:star: For Dr. Mark !!!!
PuterGeekGirl wrote:
:star: For Dr. Mark !!!!
PuterGeekGirl wrote:
CorkysMom
Well-Known Member
Zee wrote:
Yep, between the 2 of us we worked our @$$es off to save that lil guy!
Yep, between the 2 of us we worked our @$$es off to save that lil guy!onnie
Well-Known Member
I hate taking my rabbit's to the vets'theyallway's look terrified'and the dog's barking does'nt help much'you cansee they are stressed out by it'they don't move and breath heavily andtrying to take them out of their carriers is so sad.Stress is a killerin rabbit's so it allways worries me'but when they need veterinary careyou have no choice.:?
m.e.
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I think that when a rabbit is sick, it'sdefenses are low anyway. Add to that the stress of a car ride and beinghandled by strangers, and a weak rabbit may just succumb to stress,their illness, or both.
I don't think that it necesarilly means the vet had anything todo with it, though a less-than-savvy vet could possibly make thingsworse.
Honestly, if my rabbits were ill enough torequire a visit tothe vet, I'd risk the stress rather than not doing anything at all.
(((Lissa)))
I don't think that it necesarilly means the vet had anything todo with it, though a less-than-savvy vet could possibly make thingsworse.
Honestly, if my rabbits were ill enough torequire a visit tothe vet, I'd risk the stress rather than not doing anything at all.
(((Lissa)))
dootsmom
Well-Known Member
In the last 5 years, I have lost 3 buns. Lumpy& Snowy were taken to my Vet to be gently put to sleep....thiswas not an easy task for me, with either of them. Buttonspassed, in the night, with no indication of illness.
My neighbors rabbit died in my Vets office as she was beingexamined.....Pecan had become very lethergic. I don't know iftaking her to the Vets sooner would have helped. Her littleheart was damaged.
I took another neighbors rabbit to my Vet....that died the nextday. I noticed that her front teeth had grown, full circleand were then growing into her upper jaw. She was noteating. Her teeth were cut.....and I took her back to herhouse. She died from septic shock (not sure if this iscorrect)? I have always felt that if I had kept her here fora few days, this wouldn't have happened as I would have kept my eye onher. Guilt, has reared its ugly head.
Unfortunately, Buns cannot tell us when they don't feel well.By the time most of us realize that our Bun is sick, it is usually toolate to do anything about it. That is why we have to watchthem "like hawks". We have to notice everything that is goingon with them....not just their Binky's and cute antics!
It is up to us to ensure their good health. It is up to us to notice if they are eating & drinking normally,
if their poops are not right,
that their eyes are clear & bright,
their teeth straight,
their noses clear,
their breathing is normal,
how they are holding their body (tight ball or stretched out, etc.),
if their fur suddenly becomes course,
or lumps & bumps under their skin,
if there is abnormal scratching........and more.
There are so many things that have to be checked daily & weekly. I give mine
the "once over" weekly......skin ears, teeth. Eyes, noses, ears, stance, and poops are done daily.
There are times when a Bun does die at the Vets office or, justafterwards. Stress can also be a big factor here.However, ultimately, it is how well we know our Bun that we can avoidthe Vet visit that came, too late.
My neighbors rabbit died in my Vets office as she was beingexamined.....Pecan had become very lethergic. I don't know iftaking her to the Vets sooner would have helped. Her littleheart was damaged.
I took another neighbors rabbit to my Vet....that died the nextday. I noticed that her front teeth had grown, full circleand were then growing into her upper jaw. She was noteating. Her teeth were cut.....and I took her back to herhouse. She died from septic shock (not sure if this iscorrect)? I have always felt that if I had kept her here fora few days, this wouldn't have happened as I would have kept my eye onher. Guilt, has reared its ugly head.
Unfortunately, Buns cannot tell us when they don't feel well.By the time most of us realize that our Bun is sick, it is usually toolate to do anything about it. That is why we have to watchthem "like hawks". We have to notice everything that is goingon with them....not just their Binky's and cute antics!
It is up to us to ensure their good health. It is up to us to notice if they are eating & drinking normally,
if their poops are not right,
that their eyes are clear & bright,
their teeth straight,
their noses clear,
their breathing is normal,
how they are holding their body (tight ball or stretched out, etc.),
if their fur suddenly becomes course,
or lumps & bumps under their skin,
if there is abnormal scratching........and more.
There are so many things that have to be checked daily & weekly. I give mine
the "once over" weekly......skin ears, teeth. Eyes, noses, ears, stance, and poops are done daily.
There are times when a Bun does die at the Vets office or, justafterwards. Stress can also be a big factor here.However, ultimately, it is how well we know our Bun that we can avoidthe Vet visit that came, too late.
It's gotta be stress combined with thesickness. So my question is: If you know you'rerabbit is going to die (I knew Lenci wasn't going to make it), shouldyou not go to the vet and let it die peacefully at home?
pamnock
Well-Known Member
It is not unusual that many rabbits do notsurvive the trip to the vet's office, because in many cases, peoplehave postponed treatment until the rabbit is extremely ill, or they didnot recognize the signs of initial illness.
Also, some rabbits may not show any signs of illness until they are very sick.
Pam
Also, some rabbits may not show any signs of illness until they are very sick.
Pam
KatsMeowTree
Well-Known Member
Well, I've only taken two rabbits to the vetbefore. My one obviously had a broken back and had to be put down (Ididn't want my dad to do it, he was too special to me I guess) theother had Wry Neck. He was my first rabbit and I wasn't sure what to doabout it, I'm sure some of you older members mightrememberbecause I had an extensive Wry Neck post quite some time ago. It endedup the vet gave him an injection which was perfectly fine but then hegave this medicine that is supposedly toxic to rabbits? I'm not surewhat it was.. I think oral amoxil. I don't take them to the vet oftenbecause no vets around here are very rabbit savy.
Kat
Kat
Bassetluv
Well-Known Member
Hi (((Lissa))),
I've never lost a rabbit taking it to - or from - the vet's...at leastnot through any fault of the vet's or through stress. However, rabbitsare such fragile little creatures that there is always some riskinvolved. When I purchased Raph (my Elop I now have) it was a harddecision to make for me, because - even though I found 3 differentbreeders who were willing to ship a rabbit to me via plane - the stressinvolved in shipping a rabbit is very high. But I finally did opt forit, as I had no other means of buying an Elop, and Raph survived thetrip. (His current health problems are another matter altogether.) Andwhen I used to show rabbits eons ago, it was always a risk,transporting them to and from the shows. I did almost lose my bestPolish (and my baby!) at one of them...when we arrived at the show Iwas unloading their cages and saw Fiver flat out on his side, hisbreathing erratic, and his teeth clamped hard around the bars of hiscage...he was in shock. I covered his cage and put it in a quiet place,and thankfully, within about 20 minutes he recovered fully. But...for awhile there it could have gone either way for him.
To take a rabbit to a vet, esp. if it is ill, is risky because ofstress involved...but I believe that in having a sick rabbit, whenone's own methods aren't working at home, or if your own diagnosisisn't absolute, then it is much riskier for the rabbit to not seek aveterinarian's help.
About your question regarding taking a dying rabbit to the vet...Ithink if I knew without one bit of a doubt that my rabbit was going todie, and nothing could be done to intervene, then yes, I would keep mybun at home and keep him or her comfortable until the time came. But itis sometimes hard to know one way or the other, because many times arabbit can recover with treatment, depending upon the illness andseverity.
With one of my animals, Tiger (a cat, not a rabbit), I knew he wasdying. He had been diagnosed with cancer that was inoperable, so my vetasked if I wanted to have him put to sleep, or did I want to take himhome and let him pass on his own. I chose the latter, thinking (alongwith my vet) that Tiger would not live longer another day or two. Iwanted him to be as comfortable as possible, and to pass on his ownwith his buddies around. However, Tiger lived on for another week, andin that time he stopped eating and drinking. He couldn't walk, just layin his bed quietly. It finally reached a point where I had to make adecision...should I leave him to die naturally, or...was he suffering?He had become so thin and frail, and his quality of life was gone, yetstill he clung to life. I finally made the decision and took him backto the vet, where he was put to sleep. (That was the first time Iactually remained with a pet while he was being put down, and I have tosay, his passing was so peaceful...I absolutely don't regret thatdecision.)
So I think with such a question, the most important factor is whetheror not the animal is suffering...if it can be determined that theyaren't, then allowing them to cross over naturally at home would be myfirst choice. But if they are having a difficult time, then having theoption of a vet-assisted crossing is truly a godsend.
Spiced77
Well-Known Member
*Hugs* but Lissa.. if you hadnt taken her, youmay have regretted that even more. when our babies are sick, we takethem to people we hope can help them.. we do what we can.. but rabbitscan be fairly delicate at times
Bunnys_rule63
Well-Known Member
I've never lost a rabbit but i always get soscared when i have to take my bunnies to the vets, they get so stressedin the car on the way there they shake. I hate it even more when i haveto take them to the cattery (or rabbitry??) because it's a longer rideand when we get out the car there are always dogs barking and then ihave to leave them when they are all stressed. I think next time i'm onholiday i'll try and get a bunny sitter. Unfortunatly I have to takethem to the vets for checkups and boosters...grrr
