This is Stella. Stella was purchased from a Pets at Home store on Thursday last week after being spotted sitting in a corner of her pen. She was between 8 and 10 weeks old. Stella was put in a pet carrier and brought to the till. As the customer was waiting, a Pets at Home employee knocked the carrier off the counter and Stella fell onto the ground. She wasn't checked. The customer was told to keep an eye on Stella and to bring her back if she noticed diarrhoea, which apparently happened before.

The day after arriving at her new home Stella went downhill and was rushed to the emergency vet during the night. It seemed her gut was shutting down. Stella was treated and brought back home where she was monitored. The next day there was no improvement and Stella was back at the vets. She was immediately put on a drip, given more antibiotics, gut stimulants and syringe fed regularly They kept her in for two days but despite all efforts to save her, Stella passed away at the vets on Monday. 

Pets at Home quickly refunded the customer her £600 of vet bills and gave her another bunny. Stella was replaced, like a faulty product, a broken item. She was only a baby. Just another victim of the pet trade. 

Many baby rabbits for sale in pet shops are already ill. They often have health issues when they arrive from being kept in poor conditions at the breeders. (usually respiratory and gut problems such as pasteurella and coccidiosis). 

Stella was already fragile and then suffered from a shock but it wasn't taken seriously.

RIP Stella. You will not be forgotten. 

Shared with permission from Stella's owner who did her best for her during the four days that she had her.

Please retweet Stella's heartbreaking story to Pets at Home and ask them to stop selling rabbits: https://twitter.com/BaBBACampaign/status/1158889795189391361

A letter to their CEO is being drafted. 

Thank you.

Isabelle Rineau
@BabbaCampaign
https://www.facebook.com/BabbaCampaign