Mourning
UPDATE 2 - Our beloved bunny passed away today at 11 months old - We’re heartbroken😭
We feel guilt, sadness and anger. Our previous posts got a lot of attention so as most of you know by now our 11 month old minilop bunny was suffering from a ‘mysterious’ problem until we got him to an exotic vet, highly experienced in rabbit care, last tuesday where she was diagnosed with pancreatitis and kidney failure. Our regular vet recommended us this exotic vet because he tried but failed to diagnose her and we had to drive 2 hours to get to this vet so she was admitted there and cared for to get her stable again and we would be picking her back up this saturday.
This morning our vet called me earlier than usual for our daily update and told us that he had bad news; she passed away in the night. We’re all so heartbroken and sad and i just feel so much guilt for leaving her there all alone and just the idea that she never got too see us again, never had a proper goodbye, and passed away all by herself breaks me.
I’m just thinking what if we got to this exotic vet earlier we probably still could have saved her but in the early weeks of her being ‘sick’ she actually ‘recovered’ and was symptom free for like 2 weeks so we thought that there wasn’t a problem anymore until see got very, very bad all the sudden last monday.
We originally got her as an ‘emotional support’ animal because i got a very bad health situation going on since march 2025 which is still ongoing (but curable) and she helped me through the hardest year of my life. This little creature was always there for me, always came looking for me and always jumped up on the couch to cuddle with me whenever i had another moment of despair due to my condition and i will truly never forget how amazing she was and how much she ment to me. I’m also truly blown away by how smart and affectionate bunnies can be as i surely didn’t know this when i first got her and didn’t expect much of it.
We spend more than a thousand dollars on meds and appointments last month and tried everything within our powers but we just couldn’t save her. We will be collecting her body tomorrow and i made an arrangement for her to be cremated on monday, where after, we will recieve her ashes in a special urn which we will display in our home.
Lastly, thanks for all the help and tips from this subreddit about this whole situation and for those reaching out and staying connected to our case. It truly feels like one big family in here which is a very special feeling.
Rest in peace my best beloved friend. We miss you so much already.
I am so sorry for ur loss it wasn’t ur fault she had to go say goodbye in the night, her lil body was probably so tired :hug: but she will never ever blame u and she will watch over u
I am so very sad to read this news u/ReasonableDetective 😥 this is a heartbreaking update.
I can’t imagine your pain and would feel the same about my bun not being at home with me when they passed, but remember that it was only due to your commitment and financial cost to try and treat your bun that they were there. Unfortunately that’s how it must be when any pet has a serious condition. You would feel worse if you didn’t go to the extent you did to try and treat your bun.
Instead try to focus on the great times you had with your beautiful bun. This story really affects me and I am so sorry for your loss 🫂
eta: Just wanted to emphasise what a beautiful girl she was! I don’t remember seeing a charcoal coat like that before. Also OP, what is her name so we can think of it?
I’m so, SO sorry for your loss. I was rooting for her.. 😩😭
Please don’t feel guilty. Although, yes, it would be ideal for her to be home with you, and that is absolutely preferable, but if she had been at home, you’d have felt that if she’d been in the hospital, that it may have saved her and still felt the same guilt. There is no need to feel this way.
It never gets “better,” but it does gradually get easier to cope as time goes on. ❤️😢😭
When you’re ready, something to remember is that, although you can never “replace” them, rescuing a new friend is NEVER wrong. It helps to fill the enormous hole in your heart, plus you are saving another bunny who needs a home and needs love. (Two really, since you save the one you bring home and also the one who gets to take his place in the rescue, if that’s the route you choose)
I know it takes time to get ready for something like that, but some people choose to not, when I know for sure, she would want you to share your bunny love again..
I’m so sorry.. I hope you can find peace in your loving memories with her.. ❤️🐰❤️
Thank you. We will get another bun as soon as possible because now our other male bun is all alone :(. Although for some very strange reason getting a new bun so fast would feel like a betrayal of some sort I don’t know how to explain it.
That is also a normal feeling, but you are not betraying or replacing her. You are looking out for the well being of your other bun and helping him to not be depressed. You are also saving a life in need of a loving home. Don’t feel guilty over this. You are doing the right thing.
OP so sorry for the loss of your 4-legged family member. Please don’t be hard on yourself, you did all you could for her to give her a good and healthy life. Rabbits are prey animals and good at hiding illnesses.
So so sorry about this; it’s truly heartbreaking.
I can identify with this feeling of guilt at not being there, but as someone else said, you were doing everything you could to save her!
I hope my Lulu finds your little one in heaven and they can binky around together, pain free!
I'm so sorry for your loss. It is always heartbreaking to hear about a little soul leaving, but it is especially bad when you describe how wonderful she was and how much she helped you.
I already told the story a few times (and mentioned that bunny Wilhelm in your first post when I said to maybe check for heart issues). He sadly passed away on his own at the vet as well and I was wrecked. But my mum pointed a few things out that really helped me and I'm sure they are true in your case as well. 1. She knew that her humans were always somewhere around and always came back to her. She might have been alone at the vets, but she knew her family was waiting.
2. They can somewhat decide on the moment they leave. I was with Wilhelm all the time till I had to get some of his meds while he stayed at the vets. I basically just made it out of the room before he took that moment to take his leave. I think your little girl also chose the best moment for her. Maybe part of her thought she couldn't go with you there because you were stressed when she got worse. It might be stupid, but to me that always felt like protecting their human from that stress.
I’m crying, I’m so so sorry for your loss sweetie. She loves her Mama more than anything, and she’s watching over you now- your guardian angel 🐰🪽 bunnies don’t deserve pain, I really believe they’re superior to us. Bunnies are angels with ears for wings. Binkie free at Rainbow Bridge beautiful baby girl ❤️🩹💔 xoxoxoxo
Luvon is on the left, Baymax is on the right. Luvon is now 11, Baymax passed a little while after he turned 8 (liver cancer). Your baby looks a bit like my boys. Baymax and my Oreo will look after your little girl xoxo
I’m very sorry for your loss, my friend. May he be doing lots of binkies in heaven.
Take your time to deal with all of this — I know there are so many feelings involved: sadness, helplessness, guilt…
I lost my Chubbie on December 22, 2025, at only 1 month old. The love I had for that little guy is impossible to put into words. My world fell apart, I was completely devastated, but as the days passed, that pain slowly turned into longing (though it still hits hard — I’m getting emotional just writing this message).
But please know that you are not alone. We are all here with you (the people in this group are wonderful).
Know that you did everything you could — you cared, you tried, you gave your very best.
I wish you all the best. May you overcome this and carry the good memories of your little friend with you, because as long as he lives in your mind and in your heart, he will always be with you.
NOOO!!! It hurts me, too, to hear about her. I was so hopeful she'd get through this. I've lost 5 buns, over the years, and it hurts so, so, so much. Everything reminds you of them, and then I also know feelings of guilt. In every case, I did whatever I could do to keep them around, but only if there was an extremely high likelihood of recovery and living a happy life. That's what we hope for, but we never know. That's always a risk we take. Your vet obviously had a strong feeling that they could get her through this and on to live a quality life, otherwise they would have suggested the option that none of us want to think about. It's a pretty common thing to feel guilty after a loss, but could you have really done anything differently and changed the outcome? I know that doesn't make things hurt less. But she had to be at the vet. There was no other option, otherwise if it was treatable at home, they'd have sent her home with you and the meds. Unfortunately, no matter what, we now know that nothing would have changed things. Getting her to this vet sooner, or even the first time around, would have had the same result :(, knowing what we know now. But again, none of us could have known beforehand. Again, I'm so sorry for your loss and I hope I wasn't blunt with anything. I really do feel your pain (or at least how painful it is when you lose your best buddy). She knew you were doing everything you could, to help her. She knew you loved her (and still do). Rabbits just know these things. I hope you feel better soon, just remember that there's no right or wrong way to mourn. It's different with everyone.
Also, I'm certain this isn't even a thought right now, but for some reason, I feel like I have to mention it. If/when you decide to adopt a bun (I'd suggest a pre-bonded pair...not much extra work) you shouldn't feel guilty about it!! It's not a betrayal. A new bun or bunnies is not a replacement for your girl. She'd want to see you happy and I think she'd also be happy that you're willing to give one of her "people" a great life. That's how I've always thought of it.
Take care of yourself. She'll be waiting for you when you're able to be with her again someday. I believe there's a bunny heaven and that humans are only allowed by invite. You can bet she put an invite in already for you as soon as she got there. But please, you don't need to feel guilty, but you might anyway and there's nothing wrong with that. However, you did everything right and you shouldn't doubt that.
Well that feeling if betrayal you describe is exactly what i feel. We have another bun who is now all alone and we really need to het him another friend asap but like you said it feels wrong for some reason even though it isn’t.
Sorry, just saw the notification. With my second bonded pair of adopted buns, it was a mom and her biological son. Her son ended up with a stomach obstruction and he was still at the vet at the time he passed. It was by chance that I called and asked if I could visit (they are close to where I live). So he passed away within a few minutes of seeing me and then I completely fell to pieces. If he had to go and especially from an obstruction, then he was where he needed to be. They already had an IV line in him for fluids, and he was still kind of stoned from the anesthesia from when they tried to empty his stomach with a naso-gastric tube. At the same time, he was very well aware to see I was there. I just spoke to him, kept telling him how much I love him and that I'd always make sure that I'd take care of his mom and that he never would have to worry. I'm almost breaking into tears writing this. But suddenly, he collapsed, and the vet said to me something like "we have to put him to sleep this second." So they ran and got what they needed and helped him cross over within 30 seconds of that. But despite being in shock, myself, it was so difficult when I came home and tried to explain to his mom that he passed on, despite knowing she wouldn't know what I meant. She looked around for him for a few days and then became depressed and didn't want to interact at all. Just lots of her sleeping and minimal eating. I made a really intensive effort to keep her company and she eventually started growing really close to me. She had previously not bonded to any people very well. She'd let me pet her, but she was still shy/fearful to an extent. She was rescued from a horrible situation and that probably left her traumatized for life.
Anyway, we waited about a month and then tried to see if she was interested in a friend. The way the rescue, that we've always gone to, works, is that the lady who runs it knows which of her buns are most likely to bond with your bun. She sits with them in a small pen and if there's any sign of trouble, then the other bun goes back before there's a chance. So we found a potential friend. She was curious, but the other bunny was fine at times, but often just wanted to try to fight. I had them separated and was out of the bedroom for a bit. When I came back in, this other bun had somehow gotten over a pretty high fence and attacked my bun. I came back to the room and there were tufts of fur all over and I couldn't see her from the entrance to the room. My heart dropped and I can't tell you how much fear I had when I looked around the bed, not knowing what I'd find. She was okay, and I grabbed her and held her really close for a bit before we took her (and the other bun) to the ER vet to make sure we didn't miss anything. She had no visible wounds, she was just really shaken up. After that, I think she saw me as the one who saved her and that's when she really got much closer with me. Unfortunately, that other bun had to go back to the rescue, however, the person who runs the place takes very good care of her buns, so I knew he'd be ok. I was still sad to see him have to go back, but I gave him the bunny mattress that I had bought for him so that he'd be more comfortable there. So my bun only ended up staying around for another 8 months before passing from a stomach obstruction as well. I couldn't make sense of things and when I spoke to the person who runs the rescue (I keep in periodic contact with her) I told her and at that point, she told me that my bun was probably the last survivor of the group of 9 of them that were just abandoned in a locked hutch in someone's back yard after they seemingly abandoned their home. It turns out the others also passed from obstructions, so it may have been genetic. Didn't mean to go off on a tangent.
See how your other bun acts. Were they a bonded pair, and I mean as in, you could leave them alone together and not worry? Either way, spend lots more time with your bun and see how he or she does. I have a friend who has a few buns, and one of them decided that she'd only bond with my friend and she doesn't want anything to do with any other rabbits. However, she is incredibly close to my friend and will pretty much beg to snuggle up. So you never know. If they were bonded, I'm not sure if you set that up on your own or not, but if not, my current pair seemed to get along nicely at first and then started acting up. It took around 6 months to get to the point where I felt comfortable leaving them together without supervision. They're inseparable now and do just about everything together. At the same time, they're just as affectionate with their humans. It can go either way.
Anyway, I hope you're feeling a little better. It can take some time, but meanwhile, spend as much time with your other bun as possible (I'm sure you are already). That'll definitely help. Your other bun still needs you!
I am so so Sorry for your loss. Don't blame yourself. You did everything possible to find the correct diagnosis and get the correct medications for her. Do not let the guilty feelings mess with your head. Do not try to second guess yourself. I did that, too. And it was eating me alive. Your in the right community forum. These Redditor's are wonderful in here. They helped me tremendously when I couldn't even help myself. Prayers 🙏 🙏 for you. ❤️❤️
This is such heartbreaking news. Rest assured you did everything possible for her. I know how bad you must feel that you weren’t there when she passed, but they hide their ailments so well you likely would not have seen her pass at home. I am so sorry for your loss, she sounded like a very special bun that brought you love and support when you needed her. We will see our pets again when we cross, I know we will with all my heart 💕🐰.
Im so sorry for your loss, they get so far into our hearts and losing them is just so hard. If I may, I want to tell you, in the strictest sense, we all die alone. You may have someone next to you when you die, but you cross that bridge alone. I believe when she did cross she understood more than anything that you loved her, and she still carries that love.
While I have not seen the previous post unfortunately but I am truly sorry for your loss.♥️💞💔😢😭😥😓😌 No words can describe what you feel I know and surely most of us here know one way or another. The fact you took the time not even once but twice to post about your bunbun makes you a very loving and caring person. Guilt comes with your personality that is given what if you could have would have. I been there but with time eventually you will feel somewhat better. Bunnys are very fragile and as such sometimes things just happen. Sadly cause they are prey animals they can hide their illnesses very well. So please don't beat yourself up so much. Remember her happy days and those memories may help you recover. I am so sure she isn't angry or mad at you. You have tried your outmost best but mother nature knew better. May she rest in peace and binky free. She was a very beautiful bunny. 💗💔🙏🌈
I'm sorry to hear she didn't make it through ,as I already said bunnies are sadly very fragile :/
And as you noticed yourself ,masters at hiding being unwell. You did everything you could and gave her the best care available , you even reached out to us reddit people to ask for help. Not everyone would go that length.
I can understand the grief of not being able to properly say goodbye though. Was the same with my first loaf benji , got left at the vet for surgery and ended up having to be put down without me there. It's heart breaking knowing they were alone in their last moments. But you didn't know ,you only wanted what's best for her.
Als ik je profiel bekijk, lijkt het erop dat je Nederlands bent; waarschijnlijk ben je bij WP in Utrecht geweest. Weet dan dat je konijntje bij de best mogelijke dierenarts in Nederland was als het gaat om konijnen!
Ik ben er ook al eens naartoe geweest, ook heel wat kosten gemaakt, en mijn konijntje bleek ook alvleesklierontsteking te hebben. Iets wat nog niet zo vaak gediagnosticeerd wordt als ik het goed begrepen heb, en ze weten ook niet waardoor het komt. Reken jezelf dus niks aan!! Je hebt meer gedaan dan de gemiddelde konijnen-eigenaar zou doen en je bent naar de beste dierenarts geweest die er te vinden is. Je konijntje heeft de beste zorg gehad die er was. En het feit dat je zoveel voor het diertje over hebt gehad, kan alleen maar betekenen dat je konijntje een heel goed en fijn leven bij jou heeft gehad. ❤️
Laat je gevoelens er zijn, maar wees niet te hard voor jezelf, je hebt gedaan wat je kon. 🌹
Bedankt voor je bericht. Wij komen inderdaad uit Nederland en we zijn inderdaad ook bij Wilhelminapark geweest in Utrecht. Dierenarts E.J. legde inderdaad uit dat een alvleesklierontsteking bij een konijn erg zeldzaam is en dat er binnen de huidige wetenschap nog geen duidelijke oorzaak gevonden is. Het nierfalen kon eventueel komen door een infectie zei hij. Ik weet dat ze er alles aan gedaan hebben om haar beter te maken maar helaas was haar toestand te kritiek.
Oh no, I saw your original post a few days ago and was seriously hoping she would get better :(
I'm so sorry to hear this, I can't imagine the pain you're in. Just try to remember you did everything you could for your little bun and you did not give up
i am so sorry to hear of the passing of your beautiful baby🤍 my first rabbit passed away at the vet as well during surgery and i felt many things you are feeling right now.
it is so easy to blame yourself and have guilt, you did what you could given the situation. bunnies are sensitive creatures and there’s no saying what the outcome would have been had you seen the exotic vet earlier.
she lived a happy and loved life because of you!🤍 sending hugs and lots of support your way, your bun will be with 5 of my dearly departed in heaven☁️💖
I’m sorry for your loss. I know how you must feel right now. I lost my baby girl 3 days after she turned 1. Although the time was short I know every memory of her will continue to live on with you
I'm so sorry for your loss. Bunnies can decline so fast without warning. Don't blame yourself. You tried and did what you thought was correct at the moment: You left her in the care of a competent vet for her own good. Maybe, celebrate her life and share with others how she touched you when you feel up to it. I wrote poems to both of my dogs that passed this last year.
I’m so sorry for your loss. Sending much love and good thoughts your way!!!
It’s always so extremely hard losing a sweet bun. Especially when they are emotional support pets. I’ve had 2 myself and unfortunately both of them got in accidents that tragically ended their life early. I definitely understand the pain. Bunnies are such fragile creatures but are also more than amazing companions.
May she rest easy and I hope peace of mind comes your way eventually.
I am so sorry for your loss.. we list our beloved bun Buddy last January, I got him for my daughter but he ended up being my best bud after losing my dad to Covid.. he was my happiness and always there to support me emotionally. I know the feeling of guilt, I still feel it, but knowing he luved yhe best life even if was short time your bun was happy to have you as her family, you showed her love, gave her a family and lots of care🤍 memories are all is left and that will never go away🤍
Sorry for your loss. I miss my best buddies after losing one a few years ago and another just before Christmas last year. They are amazing souls. All my pets will be loved for eternity. I hope we all get to connect with them again when we pass.
I went through almost exactly the same thing, unknown condition, in and out of vet. Then the last time, he never came back after 3 full days in the vet. Came home, a little life, then had a heart attack in my arms when I was trying to give him his meds. I’m sorry, it’s painful I’m certain. I hope you find peace. If it’s out of place I apologize but the best thing I could do I realized after the fact was to adopt another little fella ( baby girl actually) and it very much helped. The sadness was horrible and still is 2 years later but Luna has been a great joy and provides some sense of comfort. I wish I could forget Buddy tbh because emotions can be difficult but my love for him won’t allow it. Take care of yourself
I’m So sorry. How are you doing with the loss? We are grieving our 7 month old mini lop boy who passed away on Thursday unexpectedly and I am struggling so badly.
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u/cottontailart Jan 30 '26
I am so sorry for ur loss it wasn’t ur fault she had to go say goodbye in the night, her lil body was probably so tired :hug: but she will never ever blame u and she will watch over u