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my hound dog has always been sensitive. Recently he found a baby bunny. After a day of playing cat/mouse with him he did nip at the bunny and some fur was ripped off. We saved the bunny and let it lose elsewhere. Now the dog is a mess. I think he is upset about where the bunny is and misses him. He has never been violent and we have a cat that he spends hours with daily, sitting and wanting to play with him but NEVER hurts the cat. He wont leave my side, wont eat.
Updated On July 14th, 2020
Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 1 year and 6 months old | 35 lbs
Answered By Dr. Elizabeth 118
Veterinarian
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Poor Hawkeye! This is one of those situations where if he could only talk! Dogs do mourn losses but this should only last a couple days. If he is acting sick beyond 48 hours, I recommend to have him examined to make sure there is not a medical cause which may be making him act this way. At home, things you can do which help with mourning including increasing the daily exercise, add in an additional training session, stick to your normal routine and create a new association around the area where the bunny was. When he goes out to smell the area, play ball with him. This can help him to not focus on the missing rabbit. That is very good that he is wonderful with the cat. Do know that dogs are situational and the bunny is a new situation. I'm very impressed he didn't initial hurt the bunny but I am not surprised the behavior escalated. Bunny are a prey species, especially for hunting dogs. I would recommend extreme caution in future situations. I hope this helps and that Hawkeye gets back to normal quickly. Please feel free to post any additional questions.
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