Rabbit Shock?

Question
QUESTION: Hi Dana,

Last night I came home around 8:45pm to find 2 giant cats had scaled my 6ft
privacy fence and were in my backyard. I have 5 rabbits, 3 of which were in a
fenced off area, 1 was in a hutch and 1 rabbit (Romeo) was roaming free. I
immediately chased the cats away and began calling for Romeo. He usually
comes when called, but not this time. I found him by the back fence. He was
stiff and rigid, spread out on his side, his eyes were rolling around in his head
but he was breathing. I immediately got in touch with my vet and he agreed
to meet me at the Clinic. During the 25 minutes car ride I noticed that
Romeo's eyes had stopped rolling around, he was moving his front legs,
making some grunting noises, but his back legs were still stiff and rigid. Also,
when I put my hand on his chest it seemed to be vibrating. The vet checked
Romeo over and couldn't find any broken bones or marks on him. He
administered some fluids and cortizone and said he wanted to keep him
overnight. I called this morning at 7:45am and Romeo was still alive but by
the time I arrived at the Clinic at 8:30am, Romeo had died. Are the symptoms
I am describing typical of shock? Do you think tending to him at home would
have made any difference? Do rabbits sometimes survive attacks but succumb
to shock so many hours later? Can a rabbit literally be scared stiff, do they
consciously play dead as a defense mechanism? I'm having a hard time
understanding if there was anything else that should have been done for him?
Romeo was a truly unique rabbit who often tried to protect me by biting
anyone that came near. He was a faithful companion and I believe that
because of his galant actions he was able to protect the other rabbits from
being attacked. I just wish his life had not been taken in the process.

ANSWER: Dear Lindsey,

I am so sorry and saddened to hear about the death of poor, brave Romeo.  What a terrible thing to have happened.  Please accept my condolences.

The signs you describe are, indeed, consistent with shock.  When a rabbit is extremely stressed by fear, the heart rate increases tremendously.  Because (unlike most other mammals) the heart *size* does not increase, this can cause sudden cardiac arrest.  Stress hormones also have lasting effects, and the vet was trying to reduce their effect with the steroids.

Romeo wasn't consciously playing dead.  He was in shock from the presence of the cats, and such scenarios are not all that uncommon, unfortuately.  Many predators can easily climb over a 6 foot fence and kill rabbits this way without even touching them.

The vet did everything possible under the circumstances.  There is no way to know if Romeo would have survived if he had stayed home and just been placed in a quiet spot where you could stroke and comfort him.  Sometimes that alone can make the bunny recover.  But if he was flat on his side, he was in very bad shape.

I am so sorry about this terrible loss.  I wish there was something I could say to change what happened.  But Romeo will always live in your heart.

Take care,

Dana

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dear Dana,

It's hard to know what might have been. I feel rather bombarded by the
"What ifs," in my head. I really appreciate your quick response and feel better
knowing that the Vet was doing everything he could have done. I think what
hurts the most is knowing that Romeo lived through the night and I wasn't
there to comfort him. Have you ever known a rabbit to come out of this
shock? How common is it to live for several hours and then succumb? Do you
think the cortizone and fluids kept him going but wasn't ultimately enough to
fight the hormones brought on by the shock? Thanks you so much for your
time, your kind words have definitely made a difference. I am glad that I was
able to share this experience and hope it helps someone else to hear the
"Tale of Brave Romeo."

ANSWER: Dear Lindsey,

I have known of rabbits to recover from shock, and still others who have died an hour or a day later.  It's really hard to know why some come back, and others don't.  It might be an individual genetic difference, or the level of shock and trauma suffered.  There's just no way to know for sure.

It's possible the cortisone helped stabilize him for a while, but his systems just were shutting down and they weren't enough to save him.  Again, there's no easy way to know this after the fact.

I'm glad I was able to help a little, though I know how bad it feels to constantly run things over in your head and think, "If only I had..."

But you can't.  What's past is past, and Romeo's journey has taken another turn.  All we can do is the best we can to make their lives happy, and you did that.  Freak accidents are not predictable, but now that you know about the cat problem, we both know this will never happen again.

So please try not to torture yourself.  I know that's easier said than done, because I do it myself.  But treasure the memories Romeo gave you, and love his companions even more, since all of you honor him by sharing the love he can't--at least in the flesh.

Take care,
Dana


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dear Dana,

It's been a week since Romeo died and I just wanted to tell you how much I
appreciate your response to my question. This website is not only a
wonderful resource of information but also an online support group. Reading
other peoples' stories about their much loved bunnies has been very
comforting. I especially related to Autumn's loss from "death of my rabbit" on
9/26. You are a kind & caring person, who has obviously helped numerous
people through unfortunate situations. Thank you so much for helping me
through mine! Also, I wondered if you received the pictures I sent?

Take Care,
Lindsey


Answer
Dear Lindsey,

I'm glad you've been able to find some comfort in reading that you're not alone.  Thank you for your kind comments.

I'm sorry to say that I don't think I received the pictures.  I use Pine as my email program, and my spam notification comes only once a month--which is the only time I can check.  If the images were really big, the email might have gotten spam-boxed.  Try again?

Take care,

Dana