Bunny Died

Question
Hello, Last night around 5 45 i checked on my bunny because he was laying flat, i said his name and he responded, I get a shower come back out and he is layin on his side, I said his name Butenze and he didnt respond, he was dead. He was 5 years old coming up on 6. He was normal as for poopin, he drank half of his water bottle, and ate some of his food. He weighed 7 lbs, I assume he is a domestic bunny. not a specific kind. (his colors white and black nose and gray feet red eyes) I just want to know did hejust die of old age of was he in pain. He had no blood coming from no where, no fluids coming from no where. and his mouth was closed, with his eyes open when i found him.

Answer
Hi Ashley,

I'm sorry to hear about your bunny boy passing away.

I can't really tell you why he died, only a vet doing an exam might be able to determine a cause of death.

I can do an educated guess however.  5-6 years old is not old nowadays for an indoor house rabbit.  It's generally somewhere halfway depending on overall living conditions and health problems.  

Some indoor bunnies have some trouble adjusting to the change of seasons, and may not drink enough because they feel like they don't need it (but they do).  When they don't drink enough being smaller animals they start dehydrating and it affects them faster than people.  Their stomach needs water because they are constantly processing food, and the body will pull water into the gut but the body starts dehydrating, and then the gut starts dehydrating and shutting down, and they go into shock and die.  It can happen in as little time as a day.

The laying flat position you describe him in is indicative he may have been in shock at that point.  They get to a point where they can't move around well or at all, can't keep balance or even stay upright.

There's nothing pleasant about death, but there are better ways to go than others.  Dying from shock is a better way to go.  It's fairly painless, as you basically drift off into a sleep you don't wake up from.  There are plenty, plenty worse ways to go than dying from shock.

It can be hard to tell sometimes just how bad off a bunny is, or just how serious something is because they tend to mask when they are not feeling good.  I would try not to beat yourself up about it.  Your bunny knew you loved him a lot, and the things and people we love who pass away that we feel guilty about, love you too, and would not want you to keep kicking yourself for it. You still will for awhile, but don't do it forever.

Again, I am sorry for your loss.