bunny sniffles and wheezing

Question
QUESTION: My poor bunny died last night. He was between 6 and 7 years old. The day before, he was fine and hopping around and eating normally, but he had a slight wheezing once in a while. I dismissed it because my bun drinks from a water bowl and occasionally sticks his nose in a sneezes a few times. The next day, he hadn't touched his food, couldnt really stand very well and seemed to be having a very hard time breething. there was discharge from both his eyes and nose. I tried to comfort him but he died within a few hours.  I'm heatbroken and feel as though it was my fault for lettng him drink out of a bowl, he just had such a hard time with water bottles. It just doesnt seem like the type of death that would occur from old age... so suddenly like that. Can you tell me what happened?

ANSWER: Dear Alison,

I'm so sorry about the terrible and sudden loss of your friend.  If it's any consolation, I don't think there's much chance that he died because he drank water from a bowl.  In fact, that is the safest, most natural way for a rabbit to drink water.

Without a necropsy/post mortem exam including histopathology of major organ tissues (especially lungs, in this case), it is not possible to know for certain why he died.  But everything you have described here is consistent with pneumonia.  If you think you want to have this done for your peace of mind, you can find a good rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

but this must be done as soon as possible after death, with the body kept very cold to prevent deterioration, which would make diagnosis impossible.

Sadly, pneumonia is one of the hardest ailments to detect and treat in rabbits.  Even auscultation (listening with a stethoscope) by an experienced vet sometimes does not reveal any abnormal lung sounds in a rabbit with a lung infection; only chest radiographs are usually definitive in diagnosing this cryptic disease.

Being of a prey species, rabbits tend to hide their signs of illness until they are *very* sick, and in my experience, rabbits (and hares) with pneumonia are the most cryptic of all.  They often show absolutely no sign of illness, and then they suddenly "crash and burn" as your bunny did.  Sometimes the only sign is a very slight, occasional wheeze.  And all of a sudden the bunny is lethargic, feverish, having difficulty breathing (usually with the nose pointed up in the air, to try to open the airways) and close to complete failure.

It is possible to treat a rabbit with acute pneumonia, but it requires nebulization with medicated solutions, oxygen mask/tenting, systemic antibiotics, and constant nursing and care.  Even that often fails if the disease has progressed to really fill the lungs.  It's a touch and go situation.

I know that none of this information will bring your friend back, but I hope it will help you know that it was nothing you did wrong.  And even if his life was too short, he did have a life filled with love and caring from a human who took wonderful care of him for his whole life.  And you gave him the greatest, most difficult gift of all:  being there for him while he crossed over.  He was not alone.  He felt as safe as one can in a situation like that, with you watching over him, and he knew it.

I am very sorry, and I am sending lots of healing vibes.

Take care,

Dana

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

QUESTION: I guess pneumonia is likely based on how you have described it.  In the last few moments he seemed to be in so much pain. It was horrible. I felt so helpless, all I could do was pet him. I do have another rabbit, a New Zealand White, I think she's called. Im concerned that she might "catch" the same thing... What sort of thing could cause pnumonia? Also, she seems so depressed now, she just sits in a corner of her cage and tries to attack any time i try to pet her. It this just normal grieving? Is there anything I could do to help her?  Thank you for your comforting words.

Answer
Dear Alison,

It's rarely an easy process to die, unless a person (human or non) is doped up on intensive painkillers.  I am so sorry you think your bunny might have suffered briefly at the crossing over point, but at least it did not last long.  And this is something that most creatures who die will experience.  It's part of the process, as unhappy and hard to see as it is.  But still, I *know* your bunny knew you were there with him, and it would have been much harder for him without you.

Your other bunny is definitely grieving, and she needs your love and understanding now.  I hope she was able to visit with her deceased friend, to know what happened, but from the sound of things, I believe she knows.  Bonded rabbits form very strong attachments, and even though she is angry now, she does need your love and attention.

It is very unlikely that what your other bunny had was contagious.  In my experience, and that of many other rabbit rescuers, respiratory pathogens just do not readily pass from one rabbit to another, even if they groom and keep very close company.  Your white bunny might carry bacteria in her lungs or other places (we all have potential pathogens on board, kept in check by our immune systems), but not likely from anything she caught from her companion.  

The important thing is to reduce her stress levels now.  Keep her comfortable, quiet, gently attended.  If she is this angry now, and especially if she stops eating, then it might be wise to arrange--sooner, rather than later--some "blind dates" with eligible neutered bachelor rabbits at your local rabbit rescuer's foster home (she'll have to be spayed first, which I'm guessing she is).

You can find a local rescuer here:

www.rabbit.org/chapters

but if there isn't one listed in your area, please write back and I'll try to refer you to someone.  

I hope this doesn't seem as if I'm rushing you into finding another bunny.  I'm not.  I'm just concerned for the mental wellbeing of the grieving bunny who lost her mate, and it can sometimes help to distract her with other bunny visits, even if you don't adopt anyone right away.

I hope this helps.

Dana