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Bunny illness

22 11:15:20

Question
We have rabbits and let them have the run of the yard. At first they seem to thrive. Then for about half of them, they quit eating and within three days they die. We brought "Jack" in last night, he could barely lift his head. We put him in a cage but in the morning he had died. This is not the first time that it has happened like this.

Answer
Dear Larry,

Could someone have poisoned your rabbits?  Was pesticide sprayed nearby?  Could a new, toxic plant have been introduced?  For so many to die all at once and so close together, it sounds more like a toxic event than an illness, as few rabbit diseases are highly contagious.

Without more symptoms and information, I cannot even begin to guess at anything else.  But I would urge you to have a post mortem exam done by a good rabbit vet:

www.rabbit.org/vets

including histopathology and, if possible, toxicology testing of various tissues.  Only this will reveal the cause of death.

If it is hot where you are, then heat stroke is a very real possibility.  Anything hotter than 80 Farenheit, and the rabbits will die a horrible death from the heat if they cannot find refuge in the shade in a cool spot.  Rabbits must NEVER be in direct sunlight, even in cool weather, if they cannot get into a shady spot on their own.

I hope this helps.

Dana