My healthy young bunny died suddenly. Was an infection the cause?

I'm so sorry you lost your bunny. Please accept my condolences. Unfortunately, seemingly sudden death can happen in rabbits but without a post-mortem examination (necropsy) then the best we can do is guess at the possibilities. Now, I don't have his entire history so some of these things may not relate to him but typically this is the list we go by: 1. heatstroke 2. heart attack (can happen from underlying disease or a severe fright) 3. viral or bacterial disease 4. toxin ingestion 5. underlying kidney or liver problem 6. GI stasis (the GI tract stop moving) 7. heavy intestinal parasites burden 8. cancer 9. old age (could he be older than you thought) I didn't see that your vet did anything wrong or prescribed any incorrect medications. Again, I am so sorry for your loss. Please take care.

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. When rabbits get sick they usually go downhill very quickly. Intestinal infection ( or dysbiosis) is a common occurrence . This usually causes a sudden loss of appetite and lethargy. Rabbits usually pass away very quickly when this happens. Of course other possibilities exist as well such as a bleeding tumor, or kidney failure. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

I am very sorry to hear about the sudden death of your rabbits. Unfortunately, without a true post-mortem examination, making a positive determination of cause of death will be impossible. In general, some causes of sudden death in seemingly health rabbits would include cardiac abnormalities, poisoning, and ingestion of a foreign objection resulting in choking or bleeding. Since you recently moved them to another pen and multiple bunnies died, my suspicion is that a toxin could be involved. I would inspect the area thoroughly for any unusual plants or objects. I would also be curious to know if the pen could have been accessed by other wildlife, potentially even something venomous or poisonous. Once again I am very sorry. I hope this helps a little bit.

I am so sorry that your rabbit died. Without actually examining the rabbit it is difficult to know the cause of death but he might have had an infection or tumor that caused death. If you want to get another rabbit then you should disinfect anything the rabbit came in contact with in case it was an infectious disease. Once again, so sorry.

Hello, I am very sorry to hear about your rabbit. Rabbits are predisposed to bacterial upper respiratory infections. One of the more common causes is a bacteria called Pasturella, leading to an infection called "Snuffles". If left untreated this bacteria can lead to pneumonia. Rabbits are very sensitive animals and when they become ill they are often predisposed to developing GI problems such as GI stasis. To prevent secondary problems from developing I would recommend having your rabbit evaluated by a veterinarian so that they can perform an examination and evaluate the nasal discharge. Hope this helps, good luck!

I'm very sorry for your loss, unfortunately these are general signs of a dying agonal rabbit but this does not give me any clues regarding the possible cause of death. if it happened to more than one rabbit though it's very likely to be infectious and you need to bring the rest to your vet in order to be checked and treated if needed.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your Rosie. I am so sorry to hear of her passing. Obviously, I cannot tell you for certain what happened, but she could have had uterine cancer that spread to her lungs. This could account for the discharge you saw as well as her difficulty breathing. I just typically see it in rabbits over 3 years of age. She may have also experienced a severe respiratory tract infection. Monitor your male rabbit closely or consider having him checked out by a veterinarian to e sure that he is healthy. I am so sorry for your loss.