My daughters rabbits sudden death

Question
We had a floppy eared rabbit for about 3 1/2 years. It was an indoor rabbit, but quickly outgrew it's cage. We moved it outside this spring now that we have room in our yard for him. He had runny eyes, I called the vet and he said it was very common and not to worry. He's been basically healthy since except that. He hasn't stopped or slowed down eating but I noticed he was loosing some weight this week. I was watching him and thought it might be from the heat. We fed him last night and my daughter swears he was a live this morning, but when she got home from school he was gone. He was a mess too, if I hadn't seen he was a live and hadn't fed him I would have thought he'd been dead for days. His fur was all matted on his belly and back feet. It looked like he might have peed himself. I couldn't get a good look because my daughter was hysterical. What do you think may have caused this?

Answer
Dear Trish,

I am very sorry about this terrible loss.  This is one main reason we never recommend that a rabbit be kept outdoors.  You just can't monitor their health well enough if they are outside and not able to show a normal range of behaviors that change when they are sick.  

I know this comes too late, but please see:

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

If it is more than 80 Farenheit where you are, then death by heat stroke is a very strong possibility.  Rabbits cannot withstand high summer temperatures, and must be indoors where it's cool at all times.  I hear of too many rabbits dying this way during the summer.

Sadly, without a necropsy there is absolutely no way to know for sure why he died.  It could be any of dozens of things that only a post-mortem exam with tissue histopathology would reveal.

I am sorry about your loss.

Dana