My Pet Died.

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My rabbit died on the way home from the vet clinic. The vet took his x-ray and said the condition wasn't so bad but when I did research, I learned that his condition was very serious.

When I asked the vet why she wasn't forthcoming about my rabbit's condition, she said that she wasn't used to talking to people with autism.

I would have asked for euthanasia if I knew he was suffering. Instead I had to drive home and hear him die in his carrier.

When I told her, she said, "Oh sorry, but we did talk of possibilities". The only possibility she talked about BEFORE the x-rays, was me leaving my rabbit there overnight with no supervision but when she took the x-ray, she said his condition wasn't so bad.

I told them that I didn't want a refund. I just wanted answers. I didn't care about the money I spent on special food and medication. I just wanted to know why the option of euthanasia wasn't brought up during the visit? I am not the vet. I can't determine the seriousness of my pet's condition. I just wanted to help him and now I am in agony. I'm having panic attacks. I see my rabbit and he looks scared. I think he was suffering.

I am glad that he didn't continue to suffer but why put him through all those procedures just for him to die a painful death? I think they gave him pain medication before I left the clinic, so that is something.

I don't think the vet was transparent with me. She said something like, "well, you never know" when I was trying to get clarification on my rabbit's condition. But that was before the x-ray and after, she just sent me home.

I am still suffering. I wanted to help my rabbit. There are few people who see rabbits. I took a cab across town to this clinic with hope in my heart. I was scared. I wanted to do the right thing. I feel I let my rabbit down. He depended on me. I depended on the vet to tell me my options. I left feeling hopeful. I got a drive back from the clinic, holding my rabbit in his cage on my lap. I heard movement in the cage and my rabbit died.

The vet left a message on my phone when I told the clinic about his death, "Sorry but we talked about possibilities".

I am SO sorry your very beloved pet rabbit died.

The vet really should have been more forthcoming with you while you were at the clinic. It is obvious from your post that your rabbit had a good life with you. You DID do the best you could and the pain medication the vet gave your rabbit probably prevented any suffering as it was dying. When animals and people die it is often noisy in ways that sound like they are in pain, but often they are not in pain. The noise is just the body reacting to the process of dying.

I get SO frustrated whenever I have to deal with neurotypical people! I usually make a list of what I want to discuss with them, and even when I ask pointed questions I cannot always get a straight answer.

I think your rabbits' death was more traumatic for you, than for the rabbit, and that you can blame on the vet.

Hope you find it in your heart to get another pet someday. You seem very kind and caring and there are many animals that would love to have someone like you to care for them.

You didn't let your beloved rabbit down. You loved him and provided for his emotional, veterinary and physical needs as well as anyone could have done. I am sorry for your loss. It is very painful to lose a beloved pet and adjust to life going on without them. Obviously you loved him a lot and animals always know that. I do understand how you feel about this and what happened at the vet's - I had a similar experience earlier this month, and we do tend to blame ourselves for things that were completely beyond our control at the time. Hugs.

Thank you for your comments. It helped.

Im so sorry about your rabbit.

It's always sad when you lose something special, particularly a pet. I'm sure the pain medication will have relieved his suffering.

I hope you have people you can rely on for support in the coming days.

We're sorry about the death of your rabbit.



Sweet Pea hugs

I'm really sorry he died. I know you did the best you or anyone could do for him. I'm still blaming myself for death of a pet I know I had no control over but I don't thing about it as much anymore or feel as bad about it so it does get better. The vet really should of been more upfront with you about his condition but they probably didn't want to put you in a difficult position of making the choice to have him put down but they really should of.

I'm sorry your rabbit died. I can understand the guilt, and how that's going to stay for a while, but from what I read you're not to blame, and seem a very caring pet owner.

I am sorry

You did your best with the information that you had, and that's all you could do at that point in the past.
I understand the regret and the need to prevent such things from happening again.

Please may I suggest trying to channel your energy into doing the most positive that you can do for another animal who needs a caring person right now. Believe me there are so many others that are old, or require special care, and/or otherwise do not have a real home with a loving human.
For what you cannot do for your beloved pet that has passed, you can change the world for one that is still alive.

If your rabbit could talk to you right now, what would it suggest for you to do?

You did nothing wrong, you did everything you could do with what you knew. I'm sorry your rabbit died.

I'm very sad to read that your beautiful pet rabbit died. I have a pet rabbit and I have found that most vets (in New Zealand, where I live) really don't seem to know much about treating rabbits. My rabbit got sick and I took him to the vet who didn't know how to help him. So I went home and spent hours on the internet looking for my rabbits symptoms until I worked out what was wrong with him. I took my rabbit back to the vet and told him what was wrong and the treatment my rabbit needed. The vet gave my rabbit the treatment I suggested and my rabbit got better. I was very lucky. However, I should not have had to find out why my rabbit was sick myself, that's what vets train for and what they get paid to do.

So whilst it is very sad that your rabbit died it's not your fault in any way. You took your rabbit to the vet for help and the vet let you and your rabbit down

Take time to grieve for your rabbit. If you get another rabbit in the future try to find a vet who knows how to treat rabbits. There are a few vets in the big cities here in New Zealand who do know how to treat rabbits. My rabbit is 4 years old and I keep thinking I should move to one of these cities so my rabbit has good care in his old age. But I'm not sure what to do about that right now.

I am sorry your little pet died, he had a quick passing and it sounds like you took really good care of him, it seems like the vet didn’t handle the situation thoughtfully, but sometimes even with people doctors can see them in the morning and give them the all clear, only for the person to die later that day.
Try to do some nice things for yourself over the next few days, know that you did all that was in your power to do and when/if you’re ready a rescue animal might be a good idea.

Thank you again for everyone's responses. I got my rabbit's file and the vet wrote in the file that my pet was very sick and may die but she did not tell me. So I bought medication and food and was hopeful. Even in the vet room, I said to my rabbit, in front of the vet and her assistant, that I was glad that my rabbit was going to get better and I wanted him to live another five years and the vet said nothing. She just exchanged glances with the assistant. I spent $600.00 for the visit, buying medicine and food; I was full of hope, only to have my rabbit die on the way home from the clinic. When I told the vet she phoned back and said, "Well, we talked of possibilities". When I wanted to get a second opinion on the condition of my rabbit, she called and said that the reason she didn't suggest euthansia is because when I first brought my rabbit into the clinic, I said that I wanted him to be better. She also said that we had a good talk about the risks regarding my rabbit (which we didn't). She said that medicine is a grey area and that people often use euphemisms (which she didn't). If medicine is a grey area, why did she clearly write that my rabbit was very sick and likely to die, yet she would not give me a straight answer to my face? She said that what happened was just a misunderstanding, a lapse in communication and that she'd never experienced any communication problems with anyone else in her 28 years of practice (so I must be the problem; it must be me and my autism-I just couldn't read between the lines). I shouldn't have expected the vet to tell me straight out that my pet was very sick and about to die. I should have been able to read her facial expressions and ticks instead; I should have listened for nuances; it was all my fault.

My rabbit's suffering was prolonged. It isn't a difficult decision to put an animal down when the alternative is them suffering to live another hour in agony. It was her duty to tell me that my rabbit was seriously ill and she didn't. I feel tricked. I feel mislead. I feel like I did when a repairman took advantage of me and said he 'fixed' my fridge when he didn't. He lied. But a fridge, who cares, it is not the same as a beloved pet. I think she just wanted me to spend as much money as I could; money was the goal, not the care of my rabbit. I think she was aggressive and evasive. I think she behaved unethically. She knew my rabbit was in critical condition yet she sold me medicine and sent me on my way. She talked about discussing risks; that never happened. The vet even wrote in my rabbit's file, "the client feels she was told to give the rabbit certain medicine as soon as she got home"- the vet told me to do that; I didn't feel that she told me.

Even when I first took my rabbit in to see her, I said that I kept my dog away from my rabbit because rabbits and dogs don't mix and she said with a smirk, "Well not in a good way".

I had taken a cab across town to see this 'specialized' pet clinic. I was vulnerable. I trusted her to be be direct and honest. I thought the care of my rabbit would be the first priority, not making money.

My opinions.

How do you defend yourself against someone who behaved unethically towards you and then they justify their actions it by saying that it was simply a "lapse in communication" and "a misunderstanding". What phrases can you say to counter these excuses?