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Death that shouldnt have happened

22 11:22:59

Question
Thanks Dana for your quick response.  You have ultimately confirmed what we had thought and as such will now take action.  We will be requesting all of our animals notes, lodging a formal complaint and reporting this veterinary surgery to the Rabbits Welfare Association in the hope we can save another family the pain we have gone through.  We are also going to see where we stand with regard to the law.  However, we have buried our Hob to put him to rest so this will depend on what this involves as we will not disturb him.

Thanks again.

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Followup To
Question -
Dear Dana

My partner found our pet rabbit, Hob, dead this morning in his hutch.  This was the last thing we were expecting to happen as he was on the mend.

On Thursday, Hob went to the vets for the day for a routine clipping and rasping of some teeth at the rear of his mouth which they had to use General Anaesthetic for.   They gave him an antibiotic by injection as well as a long lasting painkiller.  We were told that he would be groggy for a long while but if he wasn't eating by Saturday, to return him for an examination.

On Saturday we returned him to the surgery as he had not started to eat again and was very still groggy and grinding his teeth, although he was drinking (even though I had to initiate this) and passing some stool.  He was given a vitamin injection and some Lectate to add to his water.  At this visit, we were informed that there had been a problem in surgery.  When they were rasping one of his teeth, they caught an artery in his mouth and they estimated that he lost about one third of his total blood in his body!  We were very annoyed that we had not been informed of this when we picked Hob up from the vet on Thursday as we would have left him to recover a bit more and I certainly wouldn't have picked him up.  However, after visit and injections, he brightened up in the evening and was showing much improvement on Sunday and even eat a peanut.

On Monday, he was back to the hunched position, grinding his teeth, falling asleep everywhere, very quiet and not taking any food.  When drinking, he'd put his head into the bowl leaving his face wet so that I had to dry it as the Lectate solution was leaving his fur sticky.  We took him again immediately to the vet.  He gave him a pain killer and some more vitamins.  We informed him of all of the above and that he had only passed 3 pellets that day but said that he looked bright eyed (which he did even with the above)and as long as he was taking water, just let him rest because it would take a few weeks for the red blood cells to recover.  He also explained that a clot should have formed by this stage although he couldn't take a look as Hob screetched and recoiled when he tried.  We returned home and placed him in his hutch and left him quiet for the evening.  We went in at about 9 to give fresh lectate solution and food and he seemed quiet but no different to how he had done for the rest of the day.  So we left him for the night.

We went in this morning to find him on his side, dead.  He had been kicking as he died as his bedding was all over his feet and across the hutch but nothing under his feet.  He also had something on the inside of his eye but he had absolutely nothing else showing.  

We went to the vets to ask for some kind of explanation but the response we received is that he couldn't give an explanation without a Post Mortem as he didn't have enough knowledge to give an answer adhoc.  We didn't want our little bunny to be subjected to this so have been trying to find some kind of answers on the internet when we came across your site.  Can you offer any sort of answers?

Hob was perfectly fine before the operation although he'd had a small problem with his stool being smelly and sticking to his fur about a month before.  This had been rectified so cannot see that this is connected.  He has been vaccinated yearly against VHD and M since we had him 5 years ago and was due to have a booster in June.  

Sorry but we are devasted and would like some kind of reason why we won't be feeding Hob tonight.

Lydia
Answer -
Dear Lydia,

Your post made me feel sick and horribly sorry for this terrible tragedy that has befallen your family.  I am so sorry.

I'm not sure how experienced the vets you saw are with rabbits, but the fact that they even knew that molar spurs can cause GI slowdown (and hence, runny stool and gas) suggests that they had at least *some* knowledge.  But if what you describe is accurate, then what they did was inexcusable.

Anyone can make an error in surgery.  It's not pleasant, but it does happen.  But they should have *TOLD* you about it *IMMEDIATELY* so that you could be more on the alert for problems.  And if they really did say that he had lost 1/3 of his blood (I'm not sure how on earth they would estimate this, but I'll take your/their word for it), then there is NO WAY that bunny should have left the hospital.  At least he should have been under constant veterinary surveillance, and at best, the recipient of a transfusion.

Can you imagine a human patient being sucked dry of 1/3 of his/her blood?  And then the hospital allowing him/her to go home?  Of course not!  And the fact that your vets did this to your bunny is utterly shocking.  That they didn't even tell you about it until he started to become ill is even worse.

I'm not sure if you have any action in the UK you can take against malpractice in veterinary offices, but I would contact the Rabbit Welfare Association and at least let them know what happened to you and your bunny, and which vets were responsible.  Their web site is here:

http://www.houserabbit.co.uk/

There is so much wrong with what you were subjected to that I cannot even begin to recount.  The minute Hob showed signs of inappetence, he should have been treated much more seriously than he was.  He should have received intestinal motilty agents, subQ fluid therapy (to at least replace lost fluids and electrolytes, if not the blood cells, which would gradually have been replaced over about a month), and other measures to save his life.  It just sounds to me (from your description, anyway) that these vets were not taking Hob and his ailment seriously at all.  

It's disgusting to me that the vet suggested a post mortem exam (for which he would undoubtedly have charged you), because *believe me* he would not tell you if he found anything for which he could have been blamed.  It would be better if you could take Hob to a completely different vet for a necropsy--someone with no vested interest in finding nothing wrong.  Of course no one can know for sure what the cause of death was without a necropsy.  But the course of events strongly suggests malfeasance on the part of the attending vets.  

Blood loss of that magnitude can cause a host of other problems, not least of which is an inability to maintain body temperature, a loss of immune response, lethargy, inability to oxygenate tissues properly...the list goes on.

The pain of the injury itself could have elicited ileus, which  might have contributed to Hob's demise.  It's hard to say, and a necropsy might not even give all the answers.  It's probably too late to test his blood for hematocrit (and indication of anemia), etc.  

I am so sorry about this terrible event.  I would never go back to those vets, and I would certainly make every effort to relate your story to the rabbit people in the UK so they will exercise due caution in ever recommending those vets to anyone.

I hope there is some stronger action you can take, but because I am not familiar with the laws about this in the UK, I can't be of much help.  I hope the RWA can be.

I hope this helps a little.  Please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana  

Answer
Dear Lydia,

I wish you success.  I cannot imagine how much pain you have been through, and understand your not wanting to disturb poor Hob again.  Through your efforts, his death--though unnecessary--might still have some meaning, if it can save many other rabbits from a similar fate.

Good luck, and blessings to you.

Dana