Dutch rabbit sudden death

Question
I found our 4 year old bunny dead today in his cage.  He has been acting just fine, eating well (hay and pellets), drinking lots of water.  I found bloody discharge in his litter box and his blanket in hiws cage was covered with the same in big spots.  Any idea of what may have caused this.  Thank you.

Answer
Dear Susan,

I am very sorry about this terrible, sudden loss.

Without a post mortem exam, there is no way to know for sure why your bunny died.  But if there was hemorrhaging from multiple orifices, I would fear VHD (Viral Hemorrhagic Disease) if you are in the UK, Eurasia, or Australia.  There are vaccines against this deadly viral disease, but once a rabbit has contracted the virus it is fatal, with no treatment.

You can find a good rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

if it is not too late for a necropsy.  Be sure to warn the vet about the circumstances of the death so that appropriate decontamination procedures can be undertaken. The VHD virus is extremely hardy, and can live on inanimate objects for a very long time and still remain contagious.  If your bunny did have VHD, it might be too dangerous to bring any other rabbits into the house until it has been completely decontaminated.  Your vet may be able to help with instructions on how to do this.

If you are NOT in an area where VHD is endemic, then another possibility is a pulmonary embolism, which can kill very suddenly and without warning.  But again, a necropsy would be the only thing that could tell you for sure whether this was the cause of death.

I am very sorry.

Sincerely,

Dana