Anaesthetic or peri-operative deaths in rabbits

In comparison with dogs and cats, rabbits have a higher risk of death during anaesthesia or in the post-operative period, but the cause of death is seldom established. The aim of this study is to learn more about the causes of death during or after anaesthesia. Veterinary practitioners are invited to submit case histories and results of their post-mortem examination, using a standard, basic protocol described on this website. Owners can collect the body at the end of the procedure. A standard range of tissues need to be collected during the post-mortem examination and submitted for examination at Abbey Veterinary Services by histopathologists with experience in diseases of pet rabbits. Frances and Nigel Harcourt-Brown will pay the laboratory fees for histopathology but not the cost of the post-mortem examination.