Lop Eared Rabbit - Seizure

Question
Hi Dana,

I am wondering if you can help my friend and I come to a conclusion about what happened to her rabbit. It is a lop eared rabbit, about 3-4 years old. Tonight we noticed that the rabbit was acting a bit strange as it was not walking properly. So we picked it up and were comforting it for a little while as his heart was beating really fast. There also seemed to be a wet subtance coming out of his nose. We decide to check the internet quickly to see if there was anything we could find. As she was holding him, he suddenly made a weird noise. So she quickly put him near his cage and he went into a corner and layed his head flat on the ground. THen all of a sudden he started running to the other end while making really loud noises, and then fell to his side where we believe he had a seizure and then unfortunately died. Is there any explanation you may have for us?? She said that he had seemed fine and actually had noticed that he had become more social with the family the past little while. We were wondering if the fact that her kitten sometimes played witht he rabbit may have added any stress... although it seemed to be fine between the two when they interacted. THank you.

Answer
Dear Sara,

I am sorry about the loss of the bunny.

The only way to know for sure what causes a death like this is via necropsy/post mortem exam by an experienced rabbit vet:

www.rabbit.org/vets

If the kitten accidentally scratched or bit the rabbit, he could have contracted a fatal Pasteurella systemic infection, which can kill within 24-48 hours of an animal being scratched or injured by a cat, which has a mouth full of very dangerous bacteria.

If his nose was running, he may have had a fever and/or upper respiratory infection.  Please see:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sickbun.html

and

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/sneezing.html

for more clues as to what might have happened.  The seizure was not the cause of death:  it is almost always what happens when a rabbit is in his death throes.

I am sorry about the loss.

Dana