My diary of what happened through August/September 2006 when our rabbit Oscar died.
Friday 25th August 2006
We had a busy day with many visitors which stressed them out. They both left squishy poo’s all over the cage. They were massive, like flat pancakes and they stunk really badly. They ended up both having their bums washed in hot soapy water in the sink because they were caked in it. And that’s when we noticed his “dinkle” was very swollen and he didn’t seem to be weeing. We tried to keep the place as quite and relaxed as possible and watch them both closely, especially Oscar.
Saturday 26th
Bif had started eating but Oscar still was not. We found none of his poo’s in the litter tray and my mum took him to the vets. The vet gave him a jab for gut mobility and an antibiotic jab because he was showing signs of cystitis (his swollen dinkle). We were never told how bad he really was or that he needed a gut mobility jab everyday. We only found this out afterwards with my mum researching on the net. Our first rabbit had gut stasis multiple times, so we knew how to treat him. We didn’t have any Rabbit Recovery so we mashed up some Science Selective pellets in water. It has the same ingredients it’s just in pellet form. And later on he was bombing around like his happy usual self.
Sunday 27th
Oscar seemed ill again so we syringed him some more of the mashed up pellets. But he wouldn’t swallow and it all went down his front. We didn’t think much of this we just thought he was being bloody minded. This is because he had had a few dentals before and did the same after those as well.
I took him to bed for a cuddle later on that day and he loved it, he was purring, exploring my bed, playing under the quilt etc and playing around being Oscar. Once I had taken him back downstairs he went for a hug with Bif and my mum and I decided that we were going to take him to the vets the next day if he wasn’t any better.
That night around midnight / 1am I got up needing the loo and decided to go check on Oscar afterwards. I found him lying down very lethargic and weak. So my mum and I gave him more mashed pellets and some Lectade which helps to re-hydrate and he took both which was great. Oscar started to lean to one side, but we didn’t think it was a bad thing because he usually did this when he was tired. After all this I placed him on his cushion in the cage, said goodnight and my mum and I went to bed exhausted at around 3am.
Monday 28th
I was awoken at around 7:30am to my mum coming up the stairs screaming “he’s dead, he’s dead, oh no … Nikki he’s dead!” I went down stairs to find Bif hiding around 2 feet under a table panicking. When I looked in the cage Oscar had kind of slipped down the back of his cushion so all I could really see was him stretched out with his back feet the most visible. I touched him and he was luke warm and was in full rigger.
I covered him with a towel so we didn’t keep seeing his body out of the corner of our eyes when trying to sort things out. I got my mum to ring the vets so we could take his body there ready to be picked up by the cremation people. I know this may sound unfeeling an so soon only after just finding out but this is how I usually am, the calm collective person, who seems to know what to next while everyone else is panicking. I phoned my Nan to tell her what had happened, she was very close with him, and he was what kept her going after my Grandad died in March. She agreed also that she should stay with Bif while we took Oscar’s body to the vets.
They say that the bunny widow or widower must spend some time with the body to grasp the situation. We couldn’t be sure where Bif was when Oscar died and if she had been near him at all. So we put her in the cage with his body. He was still covered with the towel and she jumped right on him not knowing he was there. I reached in the cage and removed the towel and Bif sniffed him and then hugged him. She couldn’t understand why he wasn’t responding. Then she must have figured it out because she backed away from him slowly and jumped out of the cage and wouldn’t go near him. I covered him again and shut the cage door.
I wrapped Oscar in the towel and placed him in the pet carrier, it was strange to me that although he was so stiff from the rigger mortis his fur was still moving against my skin, so soft and fluffy, it was such a contrast. His eyes were almost closed so I’m hoping this meant that he went as peacefully as possible.
As we got to the taxi, we realized it was the same guy who drove us to the vets the other week when my mum cut one of Oscar’s claws to short and it started to bleed. I remember him saying “oh no … you haven’t cut off another one of his claws?” We wished it was something like that.
We never saw the vet just spoke to the receptionist/nurse and she took Oscars body away. The taxi driver who we asked to wait for us didn’t charge us for the return. He said that he had to come back our way anyway, it was really kind of him and saved us like £10.
The rest of the day was quiet and strange and all though we were hungry I couldn’t get past the first few bites and my mum couldn’t eat anything at all, neither could my Nan. And we were all more concerned for Bif, he was everything to her. Because Bif was a rescue bunny and had never been humanized she couldn’t trust humans very much and couldn’t live alone (without other bunnies).
The next several days ...
Bif began eating less and seemed very depressed, she was now pinning for Oscar. And because she only ever trusted him because he was another rabbit she was all on her own, she needed a rabbit shoulder to cry on. Even my uncle who had only met her a few times said she looked like she was ready to give up. After a lot of searching on the net and advice seeking we were told to get another rabbit for her. But sooner rather than later otherwise we could loose her as well. But Oscar had just died, we couldn’t face excepting another bunny into our lives, but watching Bif go deeper and deeper into depression we decided it wasn’t about us or how we felt. It was about Bif and keeping her alive and what was in her best interest.
We ended up with Bertie, a year and a half old neutered male French lop who was white with red eyes. We put them both in a cage in the kitchen and they both snuggled up to each other and began to wash each other. When he washed her face it was like he was washing away her pain, she looked so calm and comfortable and you could feel the peace coming from her. She was not alone anymore, she had another bunny to talk to and share her grief with. This was fine because Bertie had lost his bunny wife about 5 months previously.
Bonding started off well but after a while Bif started off all the humping and nipping.
They were separated to stop it all. And we realized it wasn’t going to be as easy as we thought with bonding them. But Bif started eating again and wasn’t laying there waiting to die anymore. And that was the most important thing, bonding could wait.
Wednesday 6th September 2006 after some interesting bonding sessions they both went outside for a run around in the garden. There was some fighting and fur flying but also some washing in each others company and napping near each other as well.
Friday 8th Bif went down hill again not eating properly and with Oscar’s death on our minds we took her to the vet fearing the worst. He said she had gut stasis, from her stopping eating when Oscar died and staring again when Bertie turned up. She was given a gut mobility jab and sent home having to come in the next day for another jab. He also said she may need a dental. We kept her in her cage and Friday, Saturday and Sunday we spent medicating her with Colic drops, Bio Lapis and Rabbit Recovery.
Bif started eating and pooing again but she would grunt and growl when we stroked her cheeks and she could not eat her food properly. She preferred eating her spring greens as it was easier for her to eat.
She didn’t have her dental until the next Friday, by then we had got her gut working and she was less weak. So then she had more of a chance of surviving the anesthetic. It turned out one spur was rubbing on her tongue causing an ulcer on it; she must have been in a lot pf pain.
We are now working on getting her better, by doing everything we can. Keeping a calm environment with no visitors except my Nan and keeping her hydrated and fed.
Medicine Used
Infacol Colic Drops - A liquid dropper which helps your bunny fart.
Bio-Lapis - A powder which can be added to water or food and contains Probiotics, Prebiotics, Enzymes, Electrolytes and Vitamins.
Lectade - A powder to be added to water for re-hydration.
Science Recovery - A liquid feed which re-hydrates and provides the necessary nutrients.
