rabbitgirl
Well-Known Member
I just want to thank everyone for their help inthe months since I've joined, and wanted to share my experience of theforum. Some of you have heardparts of this already....
Everyone has been more than helpful, and I appreciate a place where Ican get new ideas--since one is always learning new things withbunnies, and someone on the board is sure to have gone through the samething. Just when you think you've seen everything, a new weird problemor behavior pops up! hehe
I joined the board a few months ago, when planning to breed one of mybunnies. I've been raising rabbits for a long time, but have onlyraised a few litters (mine are rescues, purchased, etc.) and wanted a"backup crew" with advice in case of trouble!
My dream was to have Bunbun's son, as I loved him so much and he wasgetting older (8.5 yrs). He was healthy as a horse, so I planned on himbeing around awhile yet. Unfortunately, he picked up fleas andparasites from the fleas. I took him to the vet, who literally badgeredme into using a topical liquid flea treatment, Revolution, saying itwas safe.Later I found out that he hadn't tried it on rabbitsbefore.
Bunbun ended up with massive chemical burns on his shoulder where itwas applied. A four inch roughly circular patch on his back was a rawred wound--lost hair and skin. And the fleas still weren't gone!
That's when I switched to natural remedies, in desperation forsomething safe to use. Meleleuca oil kept the wound clean and it lookedbetter within a day.Tea Tree oilalso, along with aflea comb, finally routed the pesky little fleas.Olive oilwas the next step, to keep his skin from drying. Through all this, heslowly began to lose weight and move slower, but his back was healing.
He and I bonded even more each day, as I sat in the sun combing him.His orange eyelashes would droop and pretty soon he'd be out like alight, sleeping in the sun.
When he was free of fleas, we bred him to a large neurotic andneglected borrowed Palomino doe. Chasing her in the run, he thought allhis dreams had come true! I still have a picture in my mind of himlying in the run, his front leg over his mate's shoulder, licking herhead.
Unfortunately, after that he began to go downhill very suddenly. Hiscoat began to get dull, he ate less, began to wheeze and got thinner. Iwas utterly frantic, since I couldn't figure out what was wrong. All ofthis happened within the space of a week. Then I discovered a largelump on the side of his neck. The next day, I found a lump on the topof his head. He was obviously having a hard time breathing and moving.
I was on the forum asking questions at this time, and Iknowmy descriptions of what was wrong were incoherent at times. I wasfrantic and numb with panic and grief.My boy wassick and I didn't know what to do. I was doing the best I could, andwas really struggling with guilt about doing that flea treatment.Thevets in town knew little or nothing about rabbits (as I found out whenBunbun had fleas!)
Iremember being so frustrated when Carolynrebukedme for supposedly disregarding someone's adviceandinaccurately describing symptoms,and told me tojust get him to the vet like I'd been advised. It's impossible, I know,for those of you on the forum to see the whole picture from ourposts--not being there in person!But I was numb andexhausted, and definitely not coherent by that time--much too tired toexplain. (To those who offered advice in spite of that--manythanks!)All day long I'd been calling vet after vet, actingon that same advice, trying to find someone who wouldn't make theproblem worse. I found no one. He was in really bad shape, and Icouldn't stand to put him through more. I didn't think he'd survive thecar ride to the vet, I knew he wouldn't make it through surgery at hisage even if he'd been healthy, and the vets said they'd have to do abiopsy to see if it was cancer. I couldn't imagine putting him throughall that in his condition, only to have him die anyway after still morepain.
So I made a tough decision. It was time to let go.He didn'tdeserve any more pain. I cried until I couldn't cry any more, my headburied in his fur, listening to his labored breathing--and saidgoodbye. In grief and frustration, I signed off the forum. I had madethe best choice I could, knowing that some wouldn't agree with it,thinking there was more I should have done. But I watched him and knewit was right. There was no more I could--or should--do.
He died peacefully at home.
I rejoined the forum, and really appreciated all the love and supportin the aftermath of Bunbun's death. A few days later, his mate gavebirth to nine healthy baby Bunbuns, one of which was Bubby. Youall saw pics of them growing up, and today Bub is a healthy, loving,energetic 9 wk old boy. And when he looks over his shoulder out ofthose peculiar droopy Palomino eyes under long orange lashes, I see hisdad--young and healthy again, always ready for a game....
So now I'm rejoicing in every cranky teenager mood andeveryfloppy ear and every bunny kiss and nip and poop on thefloor and binky, because I have my boy back again in his little son.
As I said, I've learned a lot through the forum. And I've learned thatsometimes one needs to take all the advice given, consider it, and makethe best decision one can, even if it means going against what othersthink sometimes. No one's perfect, myself certainly included!But we all do our best for our babies.
I'm grateful for ALL of you! Thanks for all your advice and I'm continuing to enjoy the forum.
Rose
Everyone has been more than helpful, and I appreciate a place where Ican get new ideas--since one is always learning new things withbunnies, and someone on the board is sure to have gone through the samething. Just when you think you've seen everything, a new weird problemor behavior pops up! hehe
I joined the board a few months ago, when planning to breed one of mybunnies. I've been raising rabbits for a long time, but have onlyraised a few litters (mine are rescues, purchased, etc.) and wanted a"backup crew" with advice in case of trouble!
My dream was to have Bunbun's son, as I loved him so much and he wasgetting older (8.5 yrs). He was healthy as a horse, so I planned on himbeing around awhile yet. Unfortunately, he picked up fleas andparasites from the fleas. I took him to the vet, who literally badgeredme into using a topical liquid flea treatment, Revolution, saying itwas safe.Later I found out that he hadn't tried it on rabbitsbefore.
Bunbun ended up with massive chemical burns on his shoulder where itwas applied. A four inch roughly circular patch on his back was a rawred wound--lost hair and skin. And the fleas still weren't gone!
That's when I switched to natural remedies, in desperation forsomething safe to use. Meleleuca oil kept the wound clean and it lookedbetter within a day.Tea Tree oilalso, along with aflea comb, finally routed the pesky little fleas.Olive oilwas the next step, to keep his skin from drying. Through all this, heslowly began to lose weight and move slower, but his back was healing.
He and I bonded even more each day, as I sat in the sun combing him.His orange eyelashes would droop and pretty soon he'd be out like alight, sleeping in the sun.
When he was free of fleas, we bred him to a large neurotic andneglected borrowed Palomino doe. Chasing her in the run, he thought allhis dreams had come true! I still have a picture in my mind of himlying in the run, his front leg over his mate's shoulder, licking herhead.
Unfortunately, after that he began to go downhill very suddenly. Hiscoat began to get dull, he ate less, began to wheeze and got thinner. Iwas utterly frantic, since I couldn't figure out what was wrong. All ofthis happened within the space of a week. Then I discovered a largelump on the side of his neck. The next day, I found a lump on the topof his head. He was obviously having a hard time breathing and moving.
I was on the forum asking questions at this time, and Iknowmy descriptions of what was wrong were incoherent at times. I wasfrantic and numb with panic and grief.My boy wassick and I didn't know what to do. I was doing the best I could, andwas really struggling with guilt about doing that flea treatment.Thevets in town knew little or nothing about rabbits (as I found out whenBunbun had fleas!)
Iremember being so frustrated when Carolynrebukedme for supposedly disregarding someone's adviceandinaccurately describing symptoms,and told me tojust get him to the vet like I'd been advised. It's impossible, I know,for those of you on the forum to see the whole picture from ourposts--not being there in person!
But I was numb andexhausted, and definitely not coherent by that time--much too tired toexplain. (To those who offered advice in spite of that--manythanks!)All day long I'd been calling vet after vet, actingon that same advice, trying to find someone who wouldn't make theproblem worse. I found no one. He was in really bad shape, and Icouldn't stand to put him through more. I didn't think he'd survive thecar ride to the vet, I knew he wouldn't make it through surgery at hisage even if he'd been healthy, and the vets said they'd have to do abiopsy to see if it was cancer. I couldn't imagine putting him throughall that in his condition, only to have him die anyway after still morepain.So I made a tough decision. It was time to let go.He didn'tdeserve any more pain. I cried until I couldn't cry any more, my headburied in his fur, listening to his labored breathing--and saidgoodbye. In grief and frustration, I signed off the forum. I had madethe best choice I could, knowing that some wouldn't agree with it,thinking there was more I should have done. But I watched him and knewit was right. There was no more I could--or should--do.
He died peacefully at home.
I rejoined the forum, and really appreciated all the love and supportin the aftermath of Bunbun's death. A few days later, his mate gavebirth to nine healthy baby Bunbuns, one of which was Bubby. Youall saw pics of them growing up, and today Bub is a healthy, loving,energetic 9 wk old boy. And when he looks over his shoulder out ofthose peculiar droopy Palomino eyes under long orange lashes, I see hisdad--young and healthy again, always ready for a game....
So now I'm rejoicing in every cranky teenager mood andeveryfloppy ear and every bunny kiss and nip and poop on thefloor and binky, because I have my boy back again in his little son.
As I said, I've learned a lot through the forum. And I've learned thatsometimes one needs to take all the advice given, consider it, and makethe best decision one can, even if it means going against what othersthink sometimes. No one's perfect, myself certainly included!
But we all do our best for our babies.I'm grateful for ALL of you! Thanks for all your advice and I'm continuing to enjoy the forum.
Rose
