Treasure Valley's Amethyst AKA Bob AKA Dr. House was found dead the morning of July 9th. We have no idea what happened to him. We last saw him happy at around midnight when I fed them. The next morning he was stiff and looked like he'd been gone for quite sometime. He had eaten the apple treat from the night before, but he didn't touch his food or water. (the other rabbits got apples so there was nothing wrong with the fruit)
Common causes we have ruled out:
Heat Stoke - He died between 12 am - 9am it didn't get hotter than 60 degrees overnight
Wool Block - Normal poops and a good appetite indicate likely not a gut problem
Worms - Although he hadn't been wormed, he was of healthy weight and condition. Upon inspection, there were no worms in the feces either.
Enteritis - At least he had no outside signs of any tummy problems
Respiratory Problem - Clear lungs, no weepy eye, snot, or matted paws
It's possible he could have choked when he took a bite of pellets or had a heart attack (maybe he was startled by a the noise of a predator even though our barn is safe) maybe a spider bite. He might have picked something up in Ellensburg. Or maybe there was a symptom I just didn't catch.
Amethyst was my best shaded and my best homegrown buck. He was born in November out of Veyla and Sgt. Pepper. He had two junior legs. We hoped to grand him at his first senior show the day after he died. It's been very saddening to see such a promising, nationals bound rabbit go. Especially with no warning at all.
He will be dearly missed...
Beloved Amethyst
November 2010 - July 2010
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