# Lost My Little Hoppy Hoppy :(



## ahri22 (Jan 28, 2007)

Hi, my name is Fiona and I&#39;m new here. I actually just wrote a long post and then lost it, so I&#39;ll start again...I found this forum while looking for somewhere with people who could share my pain at my bunny&#39;s death...so many people don&#39;t understand.

Yesterday my beloved bunny, Little Hoppy Hoppy died. Technically he wasn&#39;t "my" bunny as we got him for my son on his 6th birthday last year (my son named him!). But regardless of ownership, I loved him more than I could have imagined!! Sadly we&#39;d only had him 6 months when he died, and he was about a year old when we got him, so he was far, far too young to die.

He died of gastrointestinal stasis. I only noticed a problem on Friday night when I went to get him to put in his cage for the night. Normally he&#39;d lead us on a merry chase, but this time I could just pick him up (he knew when bed time was and resisted it!!). At first, I was relieved I hadn&#39;t had to chase him. But then I went into the laundry where the kitty litter and food is. I noticed that he&#39;d done no droppings that I could see, and he didn&#39;t seem to have eaten much food. When I thought about it, I realized he&#39;d been quite placid all day since we&#39;d brought him inside, and I hadn&#39;t seen him trying to escape from the living area to the bedrooms (which he&#39;d always try to do, the instant he noticed the open door).

I looked up his symptoms online and realized he probably had GI stasis. Knowing how serious it could be, I hardly slept for worrying about him, and was up early to check that he was alright. I managed to tempt him with a bit of fresh grass, but that was it. I got him into the vet as soon as I could (about 10.00) and sure enough, the vet confirmed that he had GI Stasis. He was given a few injections (one to get his intestines moving again, one for pain and a vitamin) and I was given some medication to give him three times a day, and told to give him some hay. I think, in retrospect, that I should have asked the vet to do an X ray to see if there was a blockage, but I just didn&#39;t think about it. The vet didn&#39;t seem too concerned that he&#39;d pull through, so I was reassured that he&#39;d recover.

He hid next to the freezer all day (one of his favourite places to hide), and I managed to get him to nibble a couple of pieces of hay. After giving him his medicine, I also gave him an extra couple of syringes of water, which I repeated later. The vet hadn&#39;t mentioned water, but I figured it was really important to keep him hydrated. Anyway, I put him back down after his last water, then I gave my kids their bath and came back to check him. 

When I didn&#39;t find him next to the freezer I thought he might have been feeling better. Sadly, that wasn&#39;t the case. I found him lying behind a bag on the floor. At first, I thought it was okay as it was a position he often lay in, but his eyes had a glazed look, and when I picked him up he was floppy. He&#39;d obviously died only minutes before! I was so sad I hadn&#39;t been there to hold him when he passed 

Here are a couple of pictures of my gorgeous guy.


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## ahri22 (Jan 28, 2007)

I could only figure out how to post one picture, so here&#39;s another


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## cheryl (Jan 28, 2007)

Ohh i am so so sorry!

I really feel for you losing your bunny that way,it&#39;s just awful,but i can relate to your story because i nearly lost my Cassidy through GI Stasis,i didn&#39;t know much about it back then,i will never forget the pain in his eyes,his body started to go really cold and so i had to rush him to the vet,even he wasn&#39;t very optomistic about Cassidy surviving,but Cassidy is here and doing fine,i also had another bunny Chocolate Bunny who went through the same thing,but hers was because of her teeth.

These little guys can go down hill pretty quick

After that incident of nearly two years ago,i watch the bunnies everyday to make sure that they are eating and drinking ok,i&#39;m so scared to go through it again.

I&#39;m really sorry your first post had to be a sad one 

Goodbye little Hoppy Hoppy

cheryl


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## Pipp (Jan 28, 2007)

Oh Fiona, this is so sad.  I&#39;m in tears readling this. :bigtears:

It sounds like you did everything for him. He may have had an unlying condition that was hard to detect, it&#39;s so hard to know. 

He was a gorgeous boy.I read your post mentioningGinger, too. It just really doesn&#39;t seem fair. 

I hope you don&#39;t give up on bunnies. The pain of losing them is so awful, but the joy of having them is so worth it even when their time is so short. And you do sound like an awesome bunny slave, somebunny out there probably really needs you. 

Please keep in touch, and again, so sorry for your loss. 

:rip:Hoppy Hoppy, you were a much-lovedlittle bunny. 



sas ink iris:


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## ahri22 (Jan 28, 2007)

Thank you so much for your kind words. He was such a great little guy! It was awful how fast the illness hit him. Cheryl, I&#39;m glad your Cassidy survived the illness. My vet seemed very optimistic about Little Hoppy, especially as he responded well to the pain killer (he just leapt up into my arms and snuggled, then tried to climb over my back!). I really thought he&#39;d pull through after that! However, back at home he just hunched up again...

It is hard to say what makes one animal pull through while another succumbs. I imagine he must have had a severe blockage that just caused him too much pain. It&#39;s hard to believe when he was so happy just two days earlier!

I have had a hard time with bunnies! When we got Little Hoppy Hoppy we got another bunny as well. She was a very pretty girl bunny (my son gave her some ridiculously long name like "Little Big Cute Flopsy Hopsy" or something!). Sadly, we&#39;d had her only a week when our dog got in the house while she was inside. The dog chased her and caught her on the leg. I was outside at the time, and I heard the most awful screaming noise! I got the dog off her and picked her up, she was still alive, but just barely. She died in my arms minutes later. 

I had tried to keep the dog away from the bunnies, even though I never imagined he&#39;d hurt a bunny (he&#39;d played with Mushu when he was a kitten, and had been very gentle). Somehow, though, the bunny died.

Years earlier I had three bunies succumb to Myxo. After the first died, I had the other two at the vet. One died the next day, and the other held on a week (we really thought he&#39;d pull through after that time, but found him dead one day).

Of course, there was also my Ginger, who died having anaesthetic. 

I know that we&#39;ll get bunnies again some day, but I&#39;m not sure when. Bunnies are very special creatures and I know I want another bunny in my life 

Little Hoppy was such a funny critter. I think he thought he was a cat!! He was forever chasing our cats around the house!! (Three of our cats were terrified of him, but Mushu our youngest cat, was his best friend). The two of them would play together and sleep next to each other. 

Thank you again for your kindness
Fiona


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## naturestee (Jan 28, 2007)

I&#39;m so sorry. Binky free, Little Hoppy Hoppy.

ink iris:

It sounds like you&#39;ve had really bad luck with rabbits, but you sound like you&#39;re a very good rabbit mom. I hope you get another bun when you&#39;ve healed from this loss.:hug2:


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## missyscove (Jan 28, 2007)

I&#39;m so sorry. I can tell that you really did care for little Hopsy. ink iris:


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## alleigh826 (Jan 28, 2007)

I am so sorry for your loss. He was beautiful!


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## Haley (Jan 29, 2007)

He was such a beautiful boy. Im so sorry for your many losses.

I agree, bunnies are such wonderful but fragile little creatures. I hope you will consider bringing another one into your life. There are so many bunnies in shelters who need someone like you (and your son) to love them.

Hugs and prayers to you and your family. Rest in peace little Hoppy


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## pumpkinandwhiskersmom (Jan 29, 2007)

I&#39;m so sorry for your loss...binky free little Hoppy!


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## Greta (Jan 29, 2007)

Oh Fiona, I&#39;m so sorry... Binkie free little one. :rainbow:ink iris:


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## ahri22 (Jan 29, 2007)

Thank you again, everyone, for your kind words and understanding. 

It is getting easier to live with his passing now, but I still tear up when I think about him or see his picture! 

He&#39;s been buried under a beautiful tree (which isn&#39;t really a tree yet, as it&#39;s still small), and I&#39;m able to go out there and see his tree and remember him! (I can see it from my bedroom so I say hello in the morning and goodnight at night! Many people would probably think I&#39;m nuts 

I hope one day to be able to participate in this forum as a bunny owner again, and share everything about my new bunnies, but I&#39;m not ready yet. 

I still feel a little bad because we moved house in November, and our new house didn&#39;t have a secure enough yard for Little Hoppy to play in. I wish I&#39;d taken the time earlier to make it secure for him, because he loved going outside in the garden!! Before I get a new bun, I&#39;ll make sure he or she has a really nice outdoor space to play safely in! I also want to create a "funner" hutch for my new bunnies. Little Hoppy spent several hours inside every day, but only had a small hutch outside for sleeping in (it was outside in summer and inside in winter) and I&#39;d like to have a hutch that is fun for bunnies when they&#39;re inside it!! 

I think I&#39;m still feeling guilty about his death, and keep thinking about ways I could have made his life more enjoyable, and feel that I fell short!! I try and reassure myself knowing that another owner could have bought him and put him in a hutch where he stayed all the time, and never got the chance to come out and play with his people...but I still feel I could have done things better for him! There were always things that I was "going to do" but never got around to doing...it always seemed as if I&#39;d have time to do them somewhere down the track, but that time just didn&#39;t come. 

Thanks again everyone
Fiona


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## Bassetluv (Jan 30, 2007)

(((Fiona)))

I&#39;m so sorry to hear of your loss. Hoppy was indeed, a very beautiful bunny. Unfortunately, rabbits can go downhill extremely quickly once they become ill, oftentimes tooquickly for us to even be able to do anything to save them. I can understand your guilt, as I&#39;ve been there so many times in the past - thinking, &#39;If only I&#39;d...&#39; or &#39;Why didn&#39;t I...&#39; But of course people who love their pets tend to do this to themselves, as the pain of losing the animal is just so severe...in truth, what you did for your bunny was provide him with a safe home filled with love. I believe it was simply his time to go...as it was for the beloved pets I&#39;ve lost in the past, as it was with all of the beloved pets you&#39;ve lost in the past. When they go, our hearts are filled with pain,yet there is also another part that is filled...they leave their gift of unconditional love with us. And I do believe that when one leaves, they are clearing the way for another furry creature who desperately needs the same amount of love in their life.

Bless you for sharing your love and life with Hoppy Hoppy, and bless him for coming into yours and doing the same.

Binky free, little guy...


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## shye (Jan 30, 2007)

I am so sorry for your loss. My heart goes out to you.:bigtears:

<WBR><WBR><WBR><WBR><WBR><WBR><WBR> Shye:sosad


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## RunRabbitRun (Jan 31, 2007)

I&#39;m so sorry for your loss.


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## JadeIcing (Jan 31, 2007)

I am so sorry.


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## ahri22 (Feb 2, 2007)

Well, it has been one week today...I still miss my little guy so much it physically hurts!

Yesterday, I was at my kids&#39; school, when someone brought in their pet bunny. I wanted to cry just looking at it!!

Anyway, thank you everyone for thinking of me and my little guy 

Fiona


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## NZminilops (Feb 2, 2007)

What a lovely and sad story about Hoppy Hoppy and your other rabbits. You have given him a beautiful tribute and I believe he would have known just how much you cared for him

:rose:

My thoughts are with you, I too am hurting from the recent loss of a rabbit called Dodge. She was amazingly special and it hurts when I think about her not being here now.

It really hurts doesn&#39;t it? Those tears just force themselves out :cry4:.


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## LuvaBun (Feb 4, 2007)

Oh Fiona, I'm just seeing this now, and I am sosorry about Hoppy Hoppy. GI stasis is such an awful thing - it can comeon so quickly.

All of us here know how easy it is to love a bunny, and share yourpain. Hopefully, in time, you will be able to welcome another littlefur baby into your home!

Jan


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## bunnee mom (Feb 10, 2007)

I'm so sorry you lost your bunny. Such a sad story. :tears2:

It really makes you realize how delicate a rabbit's digestive systemis. We almost lost our little Ellie last month due to a vet'smis-diagnosis, but thankfully a vet at the Emergency Animal Hospitalknew enough about rabbits to treat Ellie correctly and saved her life.


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