DazyDaizee
Well-Known Member
I lost my 2.5 year old bunny on 9/23/09 after over a week long battle with GI issues. We still don't know what caused his problems. It has been a terrible year for us. We have several pets and have lost at least one almost every month. Though it still isn't easy, we can cope with the loss of a pet who is elderly, who has lived a long, happy life. We expected to lose some pets this year due to their old age, and those with chronic medical conditions. We did not expect to lose Wallace.
On my one day off I found Wally under a chair in the living room soaked in urine and diarrhea, sudden onset, he'd been fine the night before. That night we took him to an emergency vet. He was hospitalized for 3 days. When he was finally sent home he seemed better for a day, then a little worse. Back to the vet. Another medication and fluids were added. He would seem better in the morning, then get worse at night. There didn't seem to be any real change overall, until he took a drastic turn for the worse. He went to his regular vet through an emergency appointment the next morning and died after a few hours of hospitalization.
Wally came to us six months ago as a "special needs" foster bunny with a head tilt. I'd worked with the rabbit rescue prior, but the passing of my 8 year old Angora prompted me to get involved again, to help another rabbit. Wally was my third foster, and I knew the day I met him that I wouldn't be able to give him up. My dutch, Toot, (after some major resistance, having just lost her bunny companion) bonded extremely well with Wally.
Wally was the epitome of innocence. He was a genuinely sweet rabbit who enjoyed every aspect of his life. He learned fast and conquered obstacles like slippery floors and staircases in a timely and dignified manner. He learned his name quickly and would come to us when we called him. He made a huge impact on visitors, even those who weren't big fans of rabbits or animals in general. Everyone who met him commented on how sweet and special he was. There was an ongoing joke about Wally's similarities with Detective Goran of CSI for his classic perpendicular stance. It was impossible to look at that rabbit without smiling.
Wally had terrible luck. He was born at the rabbit rescue after his mother (and several others) were rescued from terrible conditions. He lived at the rescue for 2 years. During that time he contracted an illness that caused his head tilt. He was treated but the head tilt remained. He then developed an abscess from one of the injectable treatments used. He underwent surgery to remove the abscess while I was fostering him. After the surgery, I officially adopted him. Toot did not make the bonding process easy, but once the hard part was over, he was happy to have a loyal rabbit companion.
We gave Wally the best life we could while we had him, but 6 months was much too short a time for such a sweet rabbit. I feel incredibly guilty that I couldn't save him. I know that I tried to make the best decisions possible regarding his care, but for me that isn't enough and I will always ask "what if...". He deserved so much more time than he was given and deserved to have a loving family far sooner. It's impossible to accept that a rabbit as sweet and loving as Wally was given such a difficult life and not nearly enough time to enjoy the good parts of it.
We all miss Wally and I don't think I'll ever be able to accept the fact that we lost him at such a young age. I can only hope that Toot will be able to cope and live a long, happy life with a new companion in the future. She's already lost two rabbit friends this year; her grief is very apparent and we can easily relate to how broken-hearted she is.
We love you, Wallace <3
On my one day off I found Wally under a chair in the living room soaked in urine and diarrhea, sudden onset, he'd been fine the night before. That night we took him to an emergency vet. He was hospitalized for 3 days. When he was finally sent home he seemed better for a day, then a little worse. Back to the vet. Another medication and fluids were added. He would seem better in the morning, then get worse at night. There didn't seem to be any real change overall, until he took a drastic turn for the worse. He went to his regular vet through an emergency appointment the next morning and died after a few hours of hospitalization.
Wally came to us six months ago as a "special needs" foster bunny with a head tilt. I'd worked with the rabbit rescue prior, but the passing of my 8 year old Angora prompted me to get involved again, to help another rabbit. Wally was my third foster, and I knew the day I met him that I wouldn't be able to give him up. My dutch, Toot, (after some major resistance, having just lost her bunny companion) bonded extremely well with Wally.
Wally was the epitome of innocence. He was a genuinely sweet rabbit who enjoyed every aspect of his life. He learned fast and conquered obstacles like slippery floors and staircases in a timely and dignified manner. He learned his name quickly and would come to us when we called him. He made a huge impact on visitors, even those who weren't big fans of rabbits or animals in general. Everyone who met him commented on how sweet and special he was. There was an ongoing joke about Wally's similarities with Detective Goran of CSI for his classic perpendicular stance. It was impossible to look at that rabbit without smiling.
Wally had terrible luck. He was born at the rabbit rescue after his mother (and several others) were rescued from terrible conditions. He lived at the rescue for 2 years. During that time he contracted an illness that caused his head tilt. He was treated but the head tilt remained. He then developed an abscess from one of the injectable treatments used. He underwent surgery to remove the abscess while I was fostering him. After the surgery, I officially adopted him. Toot did not make the bonding process easy, but once the hard part was over, he was happy to have a loyal rabbit companion.
We gave Wally the best life we could while we had him, but 6 months was much too short a time for such a sweet rabbit. I feel incredibly guilty that I couldn't save him. I know that I tried to make the best decisions possible regarding his care, but for me that isn't enough and I will always ask "what if...". He deserved so much more time than he was given and deserved to have a loving family far sooner. It's impossible to accept that a rabbit as sweet and loving as Wally was given such a difficult life and not nearly enough time to enjoy the good parts of it.
We all miss Wally and I don't think I'll ever be able to accept the fact that we lost him at such a young age. I can only hope that Toot will be able to cope and live a long, happy life with a new companion in the future. She's already lost two rabbit friends this year; her grief is very apparent and we can easily relate to how broken-hearted she is.
We love you, Wallace <3
ink iris:I'm sorry for your loss 
