rabbit

[Dog-eared]

I found a dead rabbit in the garden. It wasn't quite fully grown and there was not a mark on it. No broken ribs,coat looking good, no swollen eyes.
What would cause it to die ?

[bustergirl]

did it have loads of fur if not then it could of died of the cold or maybe it lost its mum and couldnt get food on its own

[unicorn]

Was there any sign of blood around the nose or bottom? Vhd is a silent and immediate killer. They don't always haemmorage with it though as there seem to be different strains of it.

[Sarah]

I was thinking VHD as well. It is often called the silent killer. Pet rabbits should be vaccinated against it, but wildies stand no chance should they catch it.

[unicorn]

The only way to know for sure would be to have the liver examined or have a full post mortem done.

[Dog-eared]

Too late for a post mortem - it was bin day today !
It looked quite big enough to survive and there was no blood.
Must've been the virus though.

Thanks for the info, folks.

[unicorn]

could you pm me your area? also could you let me know if you see any more, it is an unusual virus as it can present no outwards symptoms and they just drop dead, so it is possible if it is VHD that you may see more.