sudden death of baby lop

Question
On Sunday we brought home a 6 week old Holland Lop for my 8 year old. We have been taking exquisite care of her and she was happy, friendly, energetic and fun until yesterday afternoon, when she started leaving a trail of (normal) poops behind her, so we put her in her cage. As I put her in, I bumped her head, but checked her and she seemed fine. Moments later, she was acting lethargic, laying her head down and refusing food and water. Honestly she had felt a little light to me as I held her that day, as if she were maybe a little dehydrated. She had been eating and drinking very well, though. She progressed very quickly and her ears got cool and she was less and less interested in us. Within an hour or so we had her at the emergency vet recommended by our house rabbit society, and they put her in a warm and oxygenated kennel and started an IV. At that point her front legs were splayed out in front and she seemed to be having neurological trouble. She reportedly began to perk up and even ate a little hay, but then had a seizure and died. Of course my daughter is crushed, and we're all looking for an explanation.

The vet mentioned e. cuniculi, but from what I've read it's not usually fatal. I want to be sure I didn't hurt the bunny by bonking her head when I put her back in her cage, and that we didn't stress her by handling her too much too early (she was very social and loved to play with us).

We will probably get another bunny soon, and I assume we should really disinfect the cage and stuff.

At any rate, can you hazard a guess as to what happened in order that we can avoid this in the future? She really was a great little bunny.

Thanks,

Beth

Answer
Dear Beth,

A bunny six weeks old is actually too young to be weaned, and the most common cause of death in rabbits like this is intestinal disorders, including infections that cause enteritis.  Please read:

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

It is illegal in most states to sell a mammal younger than 8 weeks, and this is especially true for rabbits, as the article above explains.  Did you see any sign at all of runny stool?  You might not always see this, if the intestinal problem is compounded by ileus (www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html), but it's something to consider.

The fact that she began to act lethargic so shortly after her head was hit does suggest that this might have had something to do with it.  You don't have to hit a baby rabbit very hard to do serious, even life-threatening damage, and this might have been a very tragic accident.

She might have been dehydrated earlier, and maybe the stress of the head injury sort of "tipped her over" the edge.  It's really impossible to say.  But I can say I am very sorry about this tragic event, and I know how devastating it is to you.  

One suggestion I will gently make is that instead of buying a delicate baby from the pet store, why not contact your local rabbit rescue group here:

www.rabbit.org/chapters

and meet some of their adoptable rabbits.  This is the time of year when hundreds of baby "Easter Bunnies" are dumped after the holiday, so you could save a life and find a wonderful family member to share your love while not promoting more breeding by buying from a pet store or breeder.

House Rabbit Society rescued rabbits are already spayed/neutered, have a clean bill of health, and have known personalities, so you won't get any surprises once the rabbit reaches puberty (even the sweetest baby can become a lioness of aggression when that happens--we see it all the time!).

The House Rabbit Society has rescued and rehomed thousands and thousands of needy rabbits, and you get a warm, fuzzy feeling by being part of the solution at this awful time of year for so many rabbits.

Again, I am so very sorry about your loss, and wish things had turned out differently.  But if your little baby's death can help me turn you to the possibility of rescuing a needy, wonderful bunny, then perhaps she will not have died in vain.

I hope this helps.

Take care,

Dana