Death of my bunny.

Question
A month ago, upon a wellness check, I discovered my 3-1/2 year old rabbit had misaligned molar roots and absesses.  My rabbit vet did surgery to remove 5 molars on lower left and two on upper right.  First I got a call of what was done in surgery, then 1/2 hour later the Dr. called me to say he passed away!  I asked how long surgey was; one to one and 1/2 hours! (this seems awfully long) and he died 20 minutes after he came out of surgery.  When I went to see the Dr. I asked if it was a reaction to the anethesia, she said or he could of had a heart (problem).  I am devestated over his death! I was never informed of the risks, or given any prep information -I took away food and water after midnight, not knowing that rabbits can eat up to surgery, but did bring a salad with me for him the morning of surgery.  He was healthy otherwise, and I have learned that rabbits don't do well under anethesia.  I should have never made such a quick decision on the surgery, (the vet said not to wait - she showed me his x-rays) and I did not ask many questions that come to mind now - maybe he would have lived with some discomfort, maybe he could have had the absesses drained and gone on antibiotics.  He never displayed and discomfort, and seemed happy.  Would this problem have eventually festered into something more major and he would have needed the surgery anyway?  I asked if he was still under the effects of the anathesia when he died, and she said yes, so I hope that is true and he just died peacefully.  She tried to ressitate him to no avail. This was my son's rabbit, but I took care of him and loved him.  Our first rabbit 8 years ago died a sudden death too at age 4 - something with the liver.  I don't know if I can bear to ever get another bunny.
Thank you for listening..I'll always miss and love my lovely little bunny.

Answer
Dear Jane,

I am very sorry about the loss of your treasured friend.  

Without knowing the whole story and seeing your bunny's condition, I really cannot begin to second-guess the vet.  If your bunny's infection was chronic (and it might have been if it was really necessary to remove five molars), then his major organs (liver, kidneys, lungs) might have been compromised and not as able to help him withstand the stress of surgery.  Blood work in advance might have revealed this, but I am sorry it is now too late for that.

I am sorry you had to learn the hard way that surgery always has its risks.  I don't know if your bunny was in such bad shape that the vet thought the only way to save him was to have immediate surgery...but I find it hard to imagine a scenario like that.  If anything, I would hope a very compromised bunny with an infection like this would be put on antibiotics *first* and allowed to let medical treatment do some advance work.  Sometimes, this can make surgery unnecessary.

I'm not going to guess why this vet rushed you into surgery.  I do know we have a few vets here in southern Florida who tend to do this, and not for very nice reasons.  But I don't know if your vet had motivations like that.

I am so sorry that this happened.  Hindsight is always 20:20, and you were taking the advice of someone who is a professional in this area.  You were doing the right thing with the information you had available to you at the time.  So please do not blame yourself.  This was not your fault.  It might not have been preventable.  At this point, there is just no way to know.

I am sorry.  I know there is no pain quite like this, and I truly feel with you.  You are not alone.

take care,

Dana