# How did she die?



## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

My friend has just lost her pet rabbit, she checked her every day but due to ill health she didn't actually pick her up for two days and then yesterday she found her dead and her bum had loads of maggots on it and the skin was all raw and open, she is distraught and can't belive this could have happened so quickly. So can someone answer a couple of questions for her 
1. What killed her?
2. Did she suffer?

Oh just to add she normally lived indoors but with the weather being so hot she had been outdoors for a couple of weeks.


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## Rachh (Jun 24, 2009)

flystrike springs to my mind but ill wait for others opinions


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

Thanks Rachh, just looked fly strike up and it certainly sounds like that was what happened, poor little girl what a horrible way to go.


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## frags (Feb 5, 2009)

yes hun it sounds like fly strike, it is a horrible way for a bun to go and im sorry to have to say she would have suffered but maybe you shouldnt tell your friend this as im sure she is already very upset.
fly strike is every buns owners worst enemy.

R.I.P little bunny run free x


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## Cavalierlover123 (May 27, 2009)

Aw poor bunny!!


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## scosha37 (Feb 24, 2008)

Horrible thing Fly strike...


R.I.P little bunny xx


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## toddy (Jan 24, 2009)

Yes flystrike can kill very quickly and it is important to teach your friend about it incase she has or gets another rabbit.
It is a terrible thing and the poor rabbit would ahve been in a terrible state .
I truly am sorry but in the kindest way possible explain what happened to your friend to educate her for another time.
Sleep well little bun xx


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

toddy said:


> Yes flystrike can kill very quickly and it is important to teach your friend about it incase she has or gets another rabbit.
> It is a terrible thing and the poor rabbit would ahve been in a terrible state .
> I truly am sorry but in the kindest way possible explain what happened to your friend to educate her for another time.
> Sleep well little bun xx


She is so upset and said she can never replace her but her daughter is trying to talk her into having a couple of guinea pigs, can they get fly strike? I have told her what would have happened but I lied and said she wouldn't have suffered:blushing:, I don't think she could have coped if I had told her the truth as she is still very poorly herself, but if the guinea pigs (if they get them) can get it I will need to tell her how to avoid it.


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## colliemerles (Nov 2, 2007)

aww poor little bunny, R I P, i dont know if guinea pigs can get it,  i have only known of rabbits to get it,


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## Nonnie (Apr 15, 2009)

All animals can get fly strike.


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## Missymoo (May 19, 2009)

Oh the poor bunny!!


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

Aww I'm so sorry to hear about your friends bunny.:sad: 
I've had guinea pigs and rabbits for years and been very lucky because I've never encountered flystrike at all. I think she should be okay with piggies as long as she keeps an eye on them or maybe has them indoors.


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

flystrike occurs when a bunny isnt being handled and check at least twice a day in these warmer conditions, in order to be able to handle a rabbit, you have to spend a lot! of time with it to get it to trust you, in addition you have be fit and capable yourself. 

Guinea pigs although much smaller and easier to handle can and will still bite and kick if they are not slowly trained to like human company and trust you, training a young guinea pig takes a lot of time and commitment, I would say at least a good hour every day, plus cleaning and feeding. Getting older rescue guinea pigs will probably still need the same commitments as they will be nervous. 

I would advise your friend to wait until she is fully recovered, buy some good books and read as much as possible online (because the books are all outdated). Consider the daily commitment, the costs of vet bills and vaccinations, and the commitment to the pets life 5 - 10 years. (particularly if her health could get worse). If buying for a child, it is still the adults resposibility (why children cant buy pets) the adult must train the child to care for the pets correctly, and regularly check they are doing everything right, also children usually get bored of pets within a month.


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## hazyreality (Jan 11, 2009)

yeh, guinea pigs can get fly strike, as someone said, any animal can get it. Luckily I have never had a rabbit or guinea with it but we did have a cat when I was younger that had it, the vet said she could have eaten food with fly poo on it.

*Heidi*


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## rebenda (Jan 1, 2009)

yea all animals can get fly strike she needs to make sure she checks the animals a few times a day making sure they are clean and hutch and bedding is clean, it happens really fast so regular checking shud be done, poss u a fly strike spray


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

Thanks everyone for your answers, I will pass on the info if she gets some guinea pigs.


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## Pampered pets (Jun 20, 2009)

I agree sadly, if she is so ill and her bunny died from fly strike as good as her intentions are it dosnt sound like she is fit and well enough to look after animals.

What if she got very ill again and coudlnt check the animal again? id hate to think of another animal dying in agony.

Im sure she is lovely but maybe she should wait a while.


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## crofty (May 2, 2008)

Pampered pets said:


> I agree sadly, if she is so ill and her bunny died from fly strike as good as her intentions are it dosnt sound like she is fit and well enough to look after animals.
> 
> What if she got very ill again and coudlnt check the animal again? id hate to think of another animal dying in agony.
> 
> Im sure she is lovely but maybe she should wait a while.


I agree Im sorry but that bunny died of neglect.


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## Pampered pets (Jun 20, 2009)

I've been thinking about the bunny all night, to be blunt i really cant believe anyone would consider rushing out to replace an animal that died by being eaten alive from the inside out and i cant believe anyone would encourage her to potentially repeat the process 

Please tell her to concentrate on herself and getting better.


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

I have been thinking a lot about your posts, for one thing she is not rushing into buying another pet nor is she being "encouraged" to get another pet, she is talking about getting guinea pigs some time in the future, but not to replace her rabbit who was an individual and cannot be replaced. I personally have a good knowledge of pet care and have learned a lot more about pets since I joined the forum but although I had heard of fly strike I did think it happened warmer countries. She checked the rabbit every day but was not well enough to actually pick the rabbit up for two days. When she is ready to get another pet I will make sure she is very well informed about the condition.


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## crofty (May 2, 2008)

You dont need to pick a rabbit up to see it has a dirty bottom if it has enough room to move around or is being put out for regular exercise, for a rabbit to be left long enough to develop flystrike and then die from it before it is discovered is neglect whether you know about it or not. It may well have been too far gone to be rescued and had to have been put down anyway but to be in that misery for the amount of time it would have taken the maggots to actually kill it, Im sorry that absolutely unforgivable in my opinion.

Ive seen 2 rabbits with flystrike and it was the worst thing i have ever seen, the smell and seeing the maggots moving inside it was just hideous. If I could not look after my animals i would have someone come in and do them, but i'd have to be competely immobile for me not to go out and do them.


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

crofty said:


> You dont need to pick a rabbit up to see it has a dirty bottom if it has enough room to move around or is being put out for regular exercise, for a rabbit to be left long enough to develop flystrike and then die from it before it is discovered is neglect whether you know about it or not. It may well have been too far gone to be rescued and had to have been put down anyway but to be in that misery for the amount of time it would have taken the maggots to actually kill it, Im sorry that absolutely unforgivable in my opinion.
> 
> Ive seen 2 rabbits with flystrike and it was the worst thing i have ever seen, the smell and seeing the maggots moving inside it was just hideous. If I could not look after my animals i would have someone come in and do them, but i'd have to be competely immobile for me not to go out and do them.


She (the bunny) had very long fur so I can imagine how the condition could be missed unless she was held, but in your opinion would it take longer than 2 days to cause death by fly strike? As most people on the rabbit section probably don't know me very well can I just say this is a genuine question I am asking as I have no experience of this condition and very little rabbit experience in general, not to create an argument.


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## hazyreality (Jan 11, 2009)

As far as I can tell, flystrike can be very very quick. There was a person on here a couple of weeks ago who found eggs but they hadnt hatched, and she had checked the bun that morning. 2 days is far long enough for them to have hatched and caused serious problems - and with long fur, if she hadnt been well enough to pick them up, i can see how it was missed.
Surely this lady has been through enough, do you not think she feels bad enough with herself. At the end of the day none of us can forsee when we are going to be ill, wouldnt it be great if we could and make arrangements before hand! 
And as for getting another animal, it doesnt seem to me like she is planning on rushing into it, just thinking about what to get if she does opt to get one in the future, and unless its an obvious long term illness I dont see why she shouldnt have a pet.
I could break my arm at work tomorrow, does that mean I shouldnt have animals because I wont be able to pick them up to put them in their runs, therefore checking them over - thats an illness, and that would last longer than 2 days!

Its a tragic loss I agree, but I am also sure that it is one that this lady will not let happen again.

*Heidi*


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## Nonnie (Apr 15, 2009)

thedogsmother said:


> She (the bunny) had very long fur so I can imagine how the condition could be missed unless she was held, but in your opinion would it take longer than 2 days to cause death by fly strike? As most people on the rabbit section probably don't know me very well can I just say this is a genuine question I am asking as I have no experience of this condition and very little rabbit experience in general, not to create an argument.


Any animal can get fly strike in a relatively short space of time. How long it would take to kill them would depend on the location.
Two days seems a short space of time to become so heavily infested that it causes death. Not impossible though.

Ive dealt with rabbits that have have had bad fly strike for 5 days plus, and they have survived.


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## toddy (Jan 24, 2009)

I do agree that there was an element of neglect here and this must be put across to your friend.I know it is difficult for you as it was not your rabbit but as has been pointed out if she was not in a posistion to care for the rabbit then maybe now is not the time to getmore animals.
I too have seen rabbits die from dlystrike and it truly is horrific.Even without being picked up quite often as the maggots eat more and more into the rabbit then they can develop other problems that are easily visible.The rabbit would have been in clear distress which makes me think that not only was she not handling the rabbit but she was not being checked either.
It is a sad case and I feel for you being caught in the middle of it.I know you are trying to spare her feelings but she does need to know that if she cannot look after animals and give them 100% attention then she is committing cruelty and is no better than any other person who mistreats animals whether intentional or not.


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

toddy said:


> I do agree that there was an element of neglect here and this must be put across to your friend.I know it is difficult for you as it was not your rabbit but as has been pointed out if she was not in a posistion to care for the rabbit then maybe now is not the time to getmore animals.
> I too have seen rabbits die from dlystrike and it truly is horrific.Even without being picked up quite often as the maggots eat more and more into the rabbit then they can develop other problems that are easily visible.The rabbit would have been in clear distress which makes me think that not only was she not handling the rabbit but she was not being checked either.
> It is a sad case and I feel for you being caught in the middle of it.I know you are trying to spare her feelings but she does need to know that if she cannot look after animals and give them 100% attention then she is committing cruelty and is no better than any other person who mistreats animals whether intentional or not.


I do feel things could have been done differently but I am sure she felt that the rabbit was being cared for, she really was talking about some time in the future with regard to getting another animal but I do agree that when she is more able to take it in I will have to tell her what really happened to her bunny. Considering what a terrible condition this is I am surprised that it isn't more well known. I have hamsters and mice and last winter I had pnuemonia and although I managed to feed and change their water every day they didn't come out for a play for nearly a week, I consider myself a good pet owner but I could also be guilty of neglect using the same standards.


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## Pampered pets (Jun 20, 2009)

we can all become ill at any time, two years ago i had a serious riding accident that menat i coudlnt move for 8 weeks, someone had to come and look after my animals too, was i just lucky they didnt die?????

Now i have more pets than most and im currently being tested for MS if that diagnosis comes back its potentially debilitating, and i woudlnt be able to care for all my animals, this is one reason why i HATE it when rescues judge people and whinge and whine an animal has been handed over, in some cases its very genuine and could potentially save an animals life if its handed over and rescues are set up with a view to taking on animals but i just hear the negatives to much.

No one is saying this lady should never have a pet again but the way the post was worded it seemed like she was wanting to replace the bunny as soon as, personally if my beloved pet died in any way i woudlnt be thinking about what pet i would get next but thats just me.

If its a short term illness, go ahead get another but if its long term then thats just selfish and is neglect but i dont knwo the situation so she may be feeling betetr very soon but she woudl need to think about provisions for the future if she did become ill again, even for a week.


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## Pampered pets (Jun 20, 2009)

oh and may i say, these are provisions everyone should have in place before an illness/accident sets in just in case, we never know when an accident will happen. I went out riding my horse one day as usual, ended up in casualty all day and eve and couldnt move for 8 weeks so everyone should be prepared for an emergency.

I have to have a plan in place for my ferrets as these are an animal not everyone can/will handle.


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## crofty (May 2, 2008)

I completely agree with pampered pets, it is irrelevant how long it takes for flystrike to kill an animal, i can tell you it is not a quick death as many have explained already, the flys lay eggs on the rabbits fur, they hatch and the maggots go into the anus and eat the rabbit alive from the inside out  animals should be tended to everyday and checked at least twice a day there is no excuse for not doing this, I suffer with chronic fatigue and my animals are done no matter what, my mum has terminal cancer and has horses and dogs, they are never ever neglected.

It is our responsiblity as owners to look after our animals properly and if we cant arranging others too, this would be an rspca issue its incrediably serious and more than impostant than anything else this rabbit died in un-neccessary agony, thats the real tradegy.


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## hazyreality (Jan 11, 2009)

we are all assuming that it was flystrike that killed the rabbit, could it not be that the rabbit died(a sudden death, heart attack or summin) and the flys and therefore maggots seized their chance and then she found her after that? that would take no where near as long in an already dead rabbit. I dont see any reason why we shouldnt believe that she fed the rabbit and checked on it over those 2 days.

*Heidi*


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## Guest (Jul 22, 2009)

With all this talk about flystrike i have just been out in my dressing gown to clean barney's hutch out!!! And given it a good spray with disinfectant etc. There are a few flies that gather on his hutch etc and i do worry about it. 

Unfortunately Barney is not a friendly rabbit and you cannot pick him up so is harder to see if he has anything on him but he is fine in himself and running round the garden as i speak.


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

its quite easy to make rabbits more friendly but time consuming, best bet it to start of with treat stroke or stroke treat to get them more comfortable with you


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## frags (Feb 5, 2009)

i see on a program years ago the best way to get a rabbit friendly is to attach a soft baby brush on a stick and stroke them with that so they wont bite your hand. think it was blue peter lol not sure how effective this method is but it looked like it worked.


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

lolol thats a good one although miffys not a fan of my brush so i use a mit instead for grooming


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