Beware laburnum, bunny died

carthorse

carthorse

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Not completely horsey but some may have these trees near their field.
We have always been aware of how poisonous laburnum is and kept the rabbit run away from the tree but yesterday he was listless and wouldn't eat so we took him to the vet. He didn't know what was wrong but gave him some antibiotics and a wormer and gave us some powder to make up into a drink and syringe in every 2 hours. He seemed to pick up a bit , we kept him in the warm as he felt cold and the vet did say his temperature was low.
Unfortunately he died about 11.30 last night , he just seemed to get weaker all of a sudden.
We then wondered if any laburnum leaves or pods had blown across the garden into his pen.We are not sure but just to be on the safe side I thought I would warn others of the danger.
He was a lovely lop eared rabbit and only about 18 months old. He would come to call and loved to hop around the house.
RIP Coffee
 
Aww RIP Coffee
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Sorry to hear about your little rabbit. We had a laburnam tree in our garden when I was a child and my mother had us so well warned about it I was actually scared to go anywhere near it! I think I thought it was going to attack me! I still don't like them - the seeds are so very deadly. Poor Coffee RIP
 
Was this a dwarf lop? We lost two in this way but our vet actually advised it was a common problem/disease in lop-eared rabbits and they weren't actually quite sure what caused it bu ours both had similar symptoms, just went listless and then eventually died.

I think they have some genetic problem due to too much inbreeding. BUT it could have been laburnum, who knows. Am not quite sure what laburnum is/looks like so unsure whether nwe have any in our garden to be honest!

Hmm, just looks at some pics and no we do not have that tree.

Oh and just to note, we have had 'normal' rabbits before having lops and they live to normal bunny ages!
 
Yes it was a dwarf lop , she bought two and lost the other one this time last year. The vet had no idea what was wrong, they had all the injsctions and are very well looked after. I hope it wasn't the tree as she felt guilty that she put him too near the tree. There were no leaves or anything near the run.
They came from Pets at Home and as I said were so kind and friendly
 
Hmm, then i would say it's more than likely a genetic/inbreeding problem like our vet suggested when ours died. Think it is common in dwarf lops sadly.
 
Really sorry to hear about bunny.

I posted on here last year about the neighbours' laburnum growing just a metre in from the fence with our field. Even though it doesn't overhang the field I am very aware of it shedding in autumn every year and run the electric fence a good was out just in case. Then when all the leaves are down I give the area a good raking.
 
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