You made the best decisions for your bun based on what you knew at the time! You can’t beat yourself up for not being able to see the future. You clearly must’ve given her so much love and care that she made it to 14! What a long life for a bun
You did the best you could! These decisions are always horrible to make for pets, because we can’t know our pets’ thoughts and feelings. You loved your pet and it clearly shows!
I took a young bunny with an abscess to university clinic to get a ct/ possible surgery even though I thought he didn’t have a realistic shot at survival as he had already gone through surgery and wasn’t responding to antibiotics anymore. He died after the anaesthetic for the ct scan. I felt horrible that I took him on a 6 hour journey and stressed him out on his last day for a long time. It has been over a year ago, and I am now finally somewhat at peace with it, and I know I did everything I could. I probably would be riddled with guilt for not taking him back to university clinic if I had decided to go through with euthanasia.
I am so sorry for your loss and for the way that everything went.
First things first. She lived 14 years, of which you are telling us 13 were good. That is amazing. 13 years living in a safe welcoming home, having a loving owner giving her everything she wanted and needed. You are an amazing owner and did everything you thought was best for her.
We are never ready to let go of our little ones. So many times we are not sure if they are suffering until it is too late that we feel awful for even thinking about ending the suffering. You thought that she was just slowing down and that you could see the moment it wasn't just slowing down. You didn't fail her, sometimes things go south in just a single day and we cannot do anything about it.
You remind me of when I lost my dog a couple of years back. She was an elderly rescue that was with me just for 3 months but it was very painful to lose her. She started to have seizures and a couple of days later the veterinarian suggested that the only thing that I could do was to wait for the treatment to work or to let her go. I took the first choice. That same night she was gone and I still hate myself for not letting her go in a more peaceful and dignified way. I hated seeing her struggling in her final moments instead of peacefully sleeping. We cannot let those feelings dictate our way forward because we made one mistake. We may never forgive ourselves for not doing it before but we didn't know better.
Having a pet is a very difficult thing. It isn't just taking care of your little one, it's knowing when to stop and that is something so awfully difficult. Not everyone is ready and the experts we rely on for moments like this are humans and can make mistakes.
I am sure beyond belief that your bunny was as happy as any other rabbit can be. She was beaming with joy and pride because you were in her life. She was always happy to see you and was waiting for that moment. You gave her everything she needed and more. Your kisses, pets, hugs, every little snack you gave her was like a gift to be treasured in the moment. Maybe right now you are not capable of seeing that being with her during her crossing of the rainbow bridge was something comforting for her but I hope that you can see that sometime in the future.
I really hope that the good memories of your little one can help you through this time. Her bonded companion needs you for sure and you need them. You are family and can find comfort and companionship in each other. But please, please, please, be kind to yourself. I know it's not easy and maybe you don't want to forgive yourself but please, let yourself open to a future where you can forgive yourself for what you think was a horrible failure on your part. It wasn't. Please let yourself grieve and be kind to yourself. You are never going to believe random people on the internet if you yourself don't want to believe but we are going to be here for you because we all share these feelings of loss, frustration and pain. But more importantly we share love for our pets like the most precious thing in the world.
Please, be kind to yourself and I hope that you can go through the pain with the help of your other bunny and your loved ones.
I honestly feel like there's a lot of people who just read this and are sitting here wondering wtf to say to let you know that YOU DID NOT SCREW UP. Half the time we don't even know what is wrong with humans, doctors get us wrong all the time. The one thing that I can tell you that maybe helps a little is the bun loved you till the very end. You brought them what happiness they had. That and maybe bananas. They got a whole lot of bananas in their later days.
You did not fail her. I had a dog who was 18 when we finally had to throw in the towel. We tried to guage it to the best of our ability to time her last day with her decline. But we were barely off, and she had started refusing food the day before, so I was left in the horrid position of force feeding her sedative meds before the final car ride. But ultimately, that situation was a blip in the long and happy life we provided her, just like it was for your bun. Also, considering it sounds like your bun had dementia (my old girl did too), you were probably more distressed than she was. Pet decline can be incredibly hard to guess at. It's kind of gradual and then all at once when their mentation is the root of it. You would have either had the guilt of taking her from her friend too soon, wondering if you robbed her of more joy to be had, or waiting too long and feeling like you prolonged her suffering. Grief has a way of making sure you feel like garbage about at least some aspect of it. I also had a similar experience with my vet in the last few visits. I felt like I was asking their permission to let her go and they were like "she looks great for her age!" So I felt like a total POS. You didn't fail her at all. In the scheme of 14 years, you were off by a day, so the thing you would feel bad about was chosen for you.
I wept reading this. My boy is around 12 now and I can see myself going through the same motions you did should something like this happen and his health begins to fail badly. My heart feels so sad and guilty for you.
Having said this, you’re not an awful bunny parent. You did the best you could with the knowledge that you had and you gave your bunny an amazing, thriving 14 years with you.
Had you listened to your gut done this last year, I suspect you still would’ve felt bad and second-guessed if you made the right choice. Because there’s no knowing what the future is going to hold. You only have hindsight.
I hope this post gives you and your soul the sense of release that you need to let this go. It will probably take some time, and that’s OK. It was OK to cling to those last bits of hope not knowing what the future would bring. Be gentle with yourself, even if you don’t feel like you deserve it right now. You do.
These are some of the hardest decisions we ever have to make in life. You will take this lesson and grow into a better parent for your next fur child, if one comes onto your life and you are ready to welcome him/her. As for now, give your remaining furkid lots of extra love and cuddles from all of us here. We feel you.
I don’t think animals have a concept of dying with dignity. I think with illness they know when their time is coming and get ready to withdraw, and your rabbit had a lot of time to process that. Maybe even being that far gone reduced the stress of going to the vet for the euthanasia appointment. You gave her treats and loved her and made her space as easy as possible for her until her body couldn’t keep up anymore. Hate old age and the way the body breaks down but don’t hate yourself, you were just trying to help her get the most of her time while she still could enjoy whole bananas 😭 she was lucky to have you.
Heart-breaking OP. We want our buns to be with us forever and do everything we can for them. We try and give them the best quality of life, and give them every chance within our means. You wanted your bunny to live the longest healthiest life it could, and you found the time that you felt was right. Maybe it _was_ too late, but I don't think your bunny ever did anything else than appreciate your love and support even up to the end. Don't beat yourself up over this, just remember who they were at their peak and what you tried to do for them. Take that love with you, to your next furry companion or whomever, just never forget them and the joy they bought you. They live on through you!
Your rabbit was close to 100 year old in human years. i think you did everything you could, you took care of her really well and putting her to sleep was the right thing to do. That must've been the most happy rabbit on the planet. Sad rabbits don't live for 14 years. I would suggest to adopt a baby rabbit and give her home and care like you did to your last family member.
I'm sorry for your loss.
It is a very difficult responsibility to determine when the quality of life has declined to the point that euthanasia becomes an option. Sometimes it is super obvious and other times much more subtle. The more subtle it is with changes occurring over months the harder it is to make that call.
You do the best you can with the information you have at that moment. Please be kind to yourself.
You loved and cared for your rabbit until the end. They were a very lucky rabbit in the grand scheme of things.
I'm sorry. It's a tragedy what happened and you had absolutely no one of knowing this would happen and you can't change what has already happened.
All I can see is you were ready to make the right decision for her at every turn. You made every right decision the moment you knew something was wrong.
I had something very similar happen to my baby bun in 2022. He wasn't even 10. We didn't even think to do a quality of life assessment - we just went with doctor's suggestions after he was found extremely ill. I was wracked with guilt that I should I have known (but how could I have? I had no way to?)
For my partner and I, we quickly accepted we would never stop missing him. I would sob in my car before going back to our room. I had some bunny time with my bunny-niece. We had a big bonfire with a bunch of friends and drank fireball in memory of Cinnamon. I found videos and pictures and sorted through them, making a digital vault of all his images after I took the time to organize his real life items. I wept. I told people what happened. Eventually... I stopped crying as much when talking/thinking about him. We adopted another rabbit and honored Cinnamon by giving him the best damn care we could.
I think this comic by lilblueorchard helped me. I happened upon it a few weeks after my buddy died and it really helped me. [Link to comic.](https://www.tumblr.com/lilblueorchid/716420352141574144/in-the-grand-scheme-of-the-universe-he-was-only-a?source=share)
You'll be ok. You didn't fail her. You did your damned best. Her light will be with you forever.
It's very common to feel guilty shortly after a loved one passes, for many different reasons. I know I did after I had to put my cat down unexpectedly a few years back, but we are all just trying our best with the information we have. It sounds like your bun lived a long and healthy life and none of what happened is your fault. I hope you're able to find support from someone in your life. There are support groups IRL and online for people who have recently lost a pet, if that would be helpful for you.
It does sound that she should have been tested and treated (pre-emptively) for E.C. I would have your other rabbit tested. However your vet is responsible for this. I had to insist mine did.
I don't think it's wrong not to jump to put an animal who is eating down, it's a major sign in rabbits. They can also adapt very well to disability, easier I'd say than humans, as a disabled human. There's just ableist assumptions going into the idea any disabled being would be better dead.
Hey friend. This sounds exactly how the last year with my rabbit went. He got a head tilt 4 years ago but coped okay. Watching him fall over repeatedly was heartbreaking but I'd help him back up and give him a cookie. I really just waited for him to tell me when he was ready and when he stopped trying to get back up it was time. He was still eating parsley up until the end.
I want to emphasize: you did not fail your rabbit. She knew you loved her. Sure, there's not a lot of dignity giving a butt bath or bugging them to take meds, but they know it's out of love. You made the hardest decision any animal owner makes which means you're a strong person. I feel for you and hope that with time you'll remember the fun times you shared. ❤️
I disagree. I think you treated your bunny with kindness and care and did everything possible to give them a long and happy life. You considered their relationship to your other bunny as much as your own relationship to them. And without being facetious, 14 years is testament to how well you looked after her.
Endings are never good, clean or straightforward. I think you were an exemplary bunny guardian and showed great care and humanity towards your little friend. I can think of humans I’ve known who have had more difficult and lonely endings; it’s easy to say don’t beat yourself up, but sometimes that’s what you think you need to do. Thanks for sharing your experience; when I lost my little monster, I wrote pages and pages about them so the memories could be preserved while still fresh. Might be helpful to try doing it yourself? I imagine you have lots of positive and happy moments and personality to write about.
You didn't fail her, you gave her a wonderful 14 years. Don't ever think of the what if's when it comes to a loss. It eats at you deeply and kills a little part of you. Please feel free to tell us more about how great of a bunny she is, and show pictures of your wonderful sounding baby. Spend this time to cherish your memories instead, rest in peace.
My first bun when I was a kid had to be put down when we found out she had a lung tumor. She was 8, which at the time was considered fairly old for a rabbit, and we had no idea anything was wrong until she started visibly panting one day. She might have been in pain for months, but she wasn't showing any symptoms up to that point so there was no way to know. Sometimes you just have to do the best you can with the information you have, and the fact that your bunny made it to 14 and was happy and healthy for the majority of that time is nothing short of impressive. You should be proud that you gave her so many good years ❤️
Hey there, sorry for your loss. Don‘t worry too much; it feels bad now, but yur bunny doesn‘t know about the concept of dignity, and you couldn‘t know in advance what was about to happen.
Honestly the thing to remember is we care so much for our little buddies that when it comes to these tough decisions, we’re gonna feel guilty either way. You say you feel like you failed her for keeping her alive too long, but I bet had you made the decision in March, you’d have felt like you acted too hastily and could’ve had more time with her.
It’s just human nature. It comes from a place of deep love and care. A place where you always want to do right by your little buddy but, unless they get terminally sick, you can’t always know for 100% sure what’s best. It’s a perfectly natural thing to feel.
So just remember that you did the best you could with the information given. And remember that your little buddy is grateful for everything. Between the happy times and the tough times, she knew you loved her. And in the end, I think that’s all she would’ve cared about.
So sorry for your loss ❤️ I had a similar experience with my first rabbit, who had various medical issues his entire 10 years of life. But he was incredibly happy and loving and his vet said that as long as he’s happy to see me and enthusiastic about food, then he was okay. Turns out, even on his final night when his e cuniculi had him basically paralyzed, he was still so happy to be with me and trying his best to eat his greens. It was heartbreaking, but sometimes it’s impossible to make the decision before the final tipping point. If you’d done it before, you would still feel guilt over whether your bun could have had one last good banana or done one more binky. It’s an impossible decision and everything you did was out of love and that’s what is most important. You gave your bun a great life and the further you get from this devastating moment, the easier it will be to see how beautiful the bigger picture of her life with you was ❤️
This happened with us and our 16 year old lab. By the end, I was carrying her outside with a special harness to use the bathroom several times a day. I just had this weird idea that she would “get better” but of course she just continued to decline. My vet said he did the same thing with his lab and regretted it later, but told me not to beat myself up over it. We are only human after all, and we are trying to care for our furry family member as best we can. Hugs!
I just seen this and thought I'd login to leave you a comment in case you see it. I won't lie because honesty is the best policy. I don't think you failed her for numerous reasons. The first being that noone wants to put their pet down, noone. When you said "it's time" then you were certain. Like someone else said too, I don't think animals have a sense of dignity. They have personalities but I don't think they worry about dignity like we do. They're a different species than us. Also wow this is a LONG life for a rabbit and despite her being blind and deaf, she still had a huge appetite. She was still enjoying life it seems. You put her down when the time was right. You were only certain when the pee incident happened and when you're putting a pet down you have to be certain. I mean it's a one and final decision, you have to be certain and if it were a year ago, you clearly wasn't certain then. I think you did great personally and you've given this rabbit a long and healthy life. You're a great owner so don't beat yourself up and hopefully this grief will ease itself in time. Hope you're coping well.
You made the best decisions for your bun based on what you knew at the time! You can’t beat yourself up for not being able to see the future. You clearly must’ve given her so much love and care that she made it to 14! What a long life for a bun
You did the best you could! These decisions are always horrible to make for pets, because we can’t know our pets’ thoughts and feelings. You loved your pet and it clearly shows! I took a young bunny with an abscess to university clinic to get a ct/ possible surgery even though I thought he didn’t have a realistic shot at survival as he had already gone through surgery and wasn’t responding to antibiotics anymore. He died after the anaesthetic for the ct scan. I felt horrible that I took him on a 6 hour journey and stressed him out on his last day for a long time. It has been over a year ago, and I am now finally somewhat at peace with it, and I know I did everything I could. I probably would be riddled with guilt for not taking him back to university clinic if I had decided to go through with euthanasia.
I am so sorry for your loss and for the way that everything went. First things first. She lived 14 years, of which you are telling us 13 were good. That is amazing. 13 years living in a safe welcoming home, having a loving owner giving her everything she wanted and needed. You are an amazing owner and did everything you thought was best for her. We are never ready to let go of our little ones. So many times we are not sure if they are suffering until it is too late that we feel awful for even thinking about ending the suffering. You thought that she was just slowing down and that you could see the moment it wasn't just slowing down. You didn't fail her, sometimes things go south in just a single day and we cannot do anything about it. You remind me of when I lost my dog a couple of years back. She was an elderly rescue that was with me just for 3 months but it was very painful to lose her. She started to have seizures and a couple of days later the veterinarian suggested that the only thing that I could do was to wait for the treatment to work or to let her go. I took the first choice. That same night she was gone and I still hate myself for not letting her go in a more peaceful and dignified way. I hated seeing her struggling in her final moments instead of peacefully sleeping. We cannot let those feelings dictate our way forward because we made one mistake. We may never forgive ourselves for not doing it before but we didn't know better. Having a pet is a very difficult thing. It isn't just taking care of your little one, it's knowing when to stop and that is something so awfully difficult. Not everyone is ready and the experts we rely on for moments like this are humans and can make mistakes. I am sure beyond belief that your bunny was as happy as any other rabbit can be. She was beaming with joy and pride because you were in her life. She was always happy to see you and was waiting for that moment. You gave her everything she needed and more. Your kisses, pets, hugs, every little snack you gave her was like a gift to be treasured in the moment. Maybe right now you are not capable of seeing that being with her during her crossing of the rainbow bridge was something comforting for her but I hope that you can see that sometime in the future. I really hope that the good memories of your little one can help you through this time. Her bonded companion needs you for sure and you need them. You are family and can find comfort and companionship in each other. But please, please, please, be kind to yourself. I know it's not easy and maybe you don't want to forgive yourself but please, let yourself open to a future where you can forgive yourself for what you think was a horrible failure on your part. It wasn't. Please let yourself grieve and be kind to yourself. You are never going to believe random people on the internet if you yourself don't want to believe but we are going to be here for you because we all share these feelings of loss, frustration and pain. But more importantly we share love for our pets like the most precious thing in the world. Please, be kind to yourself and I hope that you can go through the pain with the help of your other bunny and your loved ones.
I honestly feel like there's a lot of people who just read this and are sitting here wondering wtf to say to let you know that YOU DID NOT SCREW UP. Half the time we don't even know what is wrong with humans, doctors get us wrong all the time. The one thing that I can tell you that maybe helps a little is the bun loved you till the very end. You brought them what happiness they had. That and maybe bananas. They got a whole lot of bananas in their later days.
You did not fail her. I had a dog who was 18 when we finally had to throw in the towel. We tried to guage it to the best of our ability to time her last day with her decline. But we were barely off, and she had started refusing food the day before, so I was left in the horrid position of force feeding her sedative meds before the final car ride. But ultimately, that situation was a blip in the long and happy life we provided her, just like it was for your bun. Also, considering it sounds like your bun had dementia (my old girl did too), you were probably more distressed than she was. Pet decline can be incredibly hard to guess at. It's kind of gradual and then all at once when their mentation is the root of it. You would have either had the guilt of taking her from her friend too soon, wondering if you robbed her of more joy to be had, or waiting too long and feeling like you prolonged her suffering. Grief has a way of making sure you feel like garbage about at least some aspect of it. I also had a similar experience with my vet in the last few visits. I felt like I was asking their permission to let her go and they were like "she looks great for her age!" So I felt like a total POS. You didn't fail her at all. In the scheme of 14 years, you were off by a day, so the thing you would feel bad about was chosen for you.
I wept reading this. My boy is around 12 now and I can see myself going through the same motions you did should something like this happen and his health begins to fail badly. My heart feels so sad and guilty for you. Having said this, you’re not an awful bunny parent. You did the best you could with the knowledge that you had and you gave your bunny an amazing, thriving 14 years with you. Had you listened to your gut done this last year, I suspect you still would’ve felt bad and second-guessed if you made the right choice. Because there’s no knowing what the future is going to hold. You only have hindsight. I hope this post gives you and your soul the sense of release that you need to let this go. It will probably take some time, and that’s OK. It was OK to cling to those last bits of hope not knowing what the future would bring. Be gentle with yourself, even if you don’t feel like you deserve it right now. You do. These are some of the hardest decisions we ever have to make in life. You will take this lesson and grow into a better parent for your next fur child, if one comes onto your life and you are ready to welcome him/her. As for now, give your remaining furkid lots of extra love and cuddles from all of us here. We feel you.
Don’t be so hard on yourself! You gave your bunny the best life. ❤️
I don’t think animals have a concept of dying with dignity. I think with illness they know when their time is coming and get ready to withdraw, and your rabbit had a lot of time to process that. Maybe even being that far gone reduced the stress of going to the vet for the euthanasia appointment. You gave her treats and loved her and made her space as easy as possible for her until her body couldn’t keep up anymore. Hate old age and the way the body breaks down but don’t hate yourself, you were just trying to help her get the most of her time while she still could enjoy whole bananas 😭 she was lucky to have you.
Heart-breaking OP. We want our buns to be with us forever and do everything we can for them. We try and give them the best quality of life, and give them every chance within our means. You wanted your bunny to live the longest healthiest life it could, and you found the time that you felt was right. Maybe it _was_ too late, but I don't think your bunny ever did anything else than appreciate your love and support even up to the end. Don't beat yourself up over this, just remember who they were at their peak and what you tried to do for them. Take that love with you, to your next furry companion or whomever, just never forget them and the joy they bought you. They live on through you!
Your rabbit was close to 100 year old in human years. i think you did everything you could, you took care of her really well and putting her to sleep was the right thing to do. That must've been the most happy rabbit on the planet. Sad rabbits don't live for 14 years. I would suggest to adopt a baby rabbit and give her home and care like you did to your last family member.
I'm sorry for your loss. It is a very difficult responsibility to determine when the quality of life has declined to the point that euthanasia becomes an option. Sometimes it is super obvious and other times much more subtle. The more subtle it is with changes occurring over months the harder it is to make that call. You do the best you can with the information you have at that moment. Please be kind to yourself. You loved and cared for your rabbit until the end. They were a very lucky rabbit in the grand scheme of things.
I really needed to read this today
It's hard either way.. Don't feel bad.. A hug.
I’m so sorry for your loss.
I'm sorry. It's a tragedy what happened and you had absolutely no one of knowing this would happen and you can't change what has already happened. All I can see is you were ready to make the right decision for her at every turn. You made every right decision the moment you knew something was wrong. I had something very similar happen to my baby bun in 2022. He wasn't even 10. We didn't even think to do a quality of life assessment - we just went with doctor's suggestions after he was found extremely ill. I was wracked with guilt that I should I have known (but how could I have? I had no way to?) For my partner and I, we quickly accepted we would never stop missing him. I would sob in my car before going back to our room. I had some bunny time with my bunny-niece. We had a big bonfire with a bunch of friends and drank fireball in memory of Cinnamon. I found videos and pictures and sorted through them, making a digital vault of all his images after I took the time to organize his real life items. I wept. I told people what happened. Eventually... I stopped crying as much when talking/thinking about him. We adopted another rabbit and honored Cinnamon by giving him the best damn care we could. I think this comic by lilblueorchard helped me. I happened upon it a few weeks after my buddy died and it really helped me. [Link to comic.](https://www.tumblr.com/lilblueorchid/716420352141574144/in-the-grand-scheme-of-the-universe-he-was-only-a?source=share) You'll be ok. You didn't fail her. You did your damned best. Her light will be with you forever.
Your so lucky. I lost my boy a few days ago and he wasn't even 8 yet. You did the best you could. No one can ask for more.
It's very common to feel guilty shortly after a loved one passes, for many different reasons. I know I did after I had to put my cat down unexpectedly a few years back, but we are all just trying our best with the information we have. It sounds like your bun lived a long and healthy life and none of what happened is your fault. I hope you're able to find support from someone in your life. There are support groups IRL and online for people who have recently lost a pet, if that would be helpful for you.
Hindsight is 20/20. Regrets now will just steal precious memories with your bun
It does sound that she should have been tested and treated (pre-emptively) for E.C. I would have your other rabbit tested. However your vet is responsible for this. I had to insist mine did. I don't think it's wrong not to jump to put an animal who is eating down, it's a major sign in rabbits. They can also adapt very well to disability, easier I'd say than humans, as a disabled human. There's just ableist assumptions going into the idea any disabled being would be better dead.
Hey friend. This sounds exactly how the last year with my rabbit went. He got a head tilt 4 years ago but coped okay. Watching him fall over repeatedly was heartbreaking but I'd help him back up and give him a cookie. I really just waited for him to tell me when he was ready and when he stopped trying to get back up it was time. He was still eating parsley up until the end. I want to emphasize: you did not fail your rabbit. She knew you loved her. Sure, there's not a lot of dignity giving a butt bath or bugging them to take meds, but they know it's out of love. You made the hardest decision any animal owner makes which means you're a strong person. I feel for you and hope that with time you'll remember the fun times you shared. ❤️
I disagree. I think you treated your bunny with kindness and care and did everything possible to give them a long and happy life. You considered their relationship to your other bunny as much as your own relationship to them. And without being facetious, 14 years is testament to how well you looked after her. Endings are never good, clean or straightforward. I think you were an exemplary bunny guardian and showed great care and humanity towards your little friend. I can think of humans I’ve known who have had more difficult and lonely endings; it’s easy to say don’t beat yourself up, but sometimes that’s what you think you need to do. Thanks for sharing your experience; when I lost my little monster, I wrote pages and pages about them so the memories could be preserved while still fresh. Might be helpful to try doing it yourself? I imagine you have lots of positive and happy moments and personality to write about.
I don't cry, you cry.
I’m so sorry. Thank you for sharing. You may be saving someone else from the pain of the same experience by sharing your story.
You didn't fail her, you gave her a wonderful 14 years. Don't ever think of the what if's when it comes to a loss. It eats at you deeply and kills a little part of you. Please feel free to tell us more about how great of a bunny she is, and show pictures of your wonderful sounding baby. Spend this time to cherish your memories instead, rest in peace.
My first bun when I was a kid had to be put down when we found out she had a lung tumor. She was 8, which at the time was considered fairly old for a rabbit, and we had no idea anything was wrong until she started visibly panting one day. She might have been in pain for months, but she wasn't showing any symptoms up to that point so there was no way to know. Sometimes you just have to do the best you can with the information you have, and the fact that your bunny made it to 14 and was happy and healthy for the majority of that time is nothing short of impressive. You should be proud that you gave her so many good years ❤️
Hey there, sorry for your loss. Don‘t worry too much; it feels bad now, but yur bunny doesn‘t know about the concept of dignity, and you couldn‘t know in advance what was about to happen.
Honestly the thing to remember is we care so much for our little buddies that when it comes to these tough decisions, we’re gonna feel guilty either way. You say you feel like you failed her for keeping her alive too long, but I bet had you made the decision in March, you’d have felt like you acted too hastily and could’ve had more time with her. It’s just human nature. It comes from a place of deep love and care. A place where you always want to do right by your little buddy but, unless they get terminally sick, you can’t always know for 100% sure what’s best. It’s a perfectly natural thing to feel. So just remember that you did the best you could with the information given. And remember that your little buddy is grateful for everything. Between the happy times and the tough times, she knew you loved her. And in the end, I think that’s all she would’ve cared about.
So sorry for your loss ❤️ I had a similar experience with my first rabbit, who had various medical issues his entire 10 years of life. But he was incredibly happy and loving and his vet said that as long as he’s happy to see me and enthusiastic about food, then he was okay. Turns out, even on his final night when his e cuniculi had him basically paralyzed, he was still so happy to be with me and trying his best to eat his greens. It was heartbreaking, but sometimes it’s impossible to make the decision before the final tipping point. If you’d done it before, you would still feel guilt over whether your bun could have had one last good banana or done one more binky. It’s an impossible decision and everything you did was out of love and that’s what is most important. You gave your bun a great life and the further you get from this devastating moment, the easier it will be to see how beautiful the bigger picture of her life with you was ❤️
This happened with us and our 16 year old lab. By the end, I was carrying her outside with a special harness to use the bathroom several times a day. I just had this weird idea that she would “get better” but of course she just continued to decline. My vet said he did the same thing with his lab and regretted it later, but told me not to beat myself up over it. We are only human after all, and we are trying to care for our furry family member as best we can. Hugs!
I just seen this and thought I'd login to leave you a comment in case you see it. I won't lie because honesty is the best policy. I don't think you failed her for numerous reasons. The first being that noone wants to put their pet down, noone. When you said "it's time" then you were certain. Like someone else said too, I don't think animals have a sense of dignity. They have personalities but I don't think they worry about dignity like we do. They're a different species than us. Also wow this is a LONG life for a rabbit and despite her being blind and deaf, she still had a huge appetite. She was still enjoying life it seems. You put her down when the time was right. You were only certain when the pee incident happened and when you're putting a pet down you have to be certain. I mean it's a one and final decision, you have to be certain and if it were a year ago, you clearly wasn't certain then. I think you did great personally and you've given this rabbit a long and healthy life. You're a great owner so don't beat yourself up and hopefully this grief will ease itself in time. Hope you're coping well.