Our rabbit died

Question
We woke up one morning and one of our rabbits eyes had swollen shut. We thought the cat may have scratched his eye. (They play alot) We decided to see if it was any better the next day.He was still eating, but not as enthusiastically as usual.Then I realized he just wasn't acting himself and had decided to take him to the vet. However, I never got the chance. He died a couple of hours later. What happened? Can a rabbit die from an infected eye in a matter of two days?

Answer
Hello Crystal

I am so sorry for the loss of your bunny.  Unfortunately without an immediate necropsy there is no way to tell how your bunny died.  Rabbits are pretty hardy when they are healthy but when they get an infection or bacteria they can die within hours.  If your bunny was scratched by the cat it could have inadvertently been infected with pasteurella or bartonella which cats can carry naturally.  

Again I really can't tell you why your bunny died but they indeed can die very quickly and often the cause is undeterminable.  We normally tell people that if a rabbit shows any signs of distress, infection, or acting out of character that they need to be seen by a vet ASAP.  They generally have a 12 hour window depending on the illness, if the infection is severe it could literally be a matter of hours.

I am truly sorry for the loss of your pet

Sincerely,

Pam