Bloody rabbits!

It does seem at the moment like we are overwhelmed with bunny problems......and today is going to be one of those difficult days as we have to have another put to sleep.

Last Thursday we took a call from a woman who said she was a student who couldn't afford vet bills and her rabbit hadn't eaten for two days and was really under weight. The fact the rabbit was still alive was, frankly, a miracle. Bunnies can rarely live that long without eating and to say he was emaciated was an understatement. He was just skeletal; yet his condition had gone on unnoticed by the owner, despite Humphrey the bunny being kept as a house rabbit. The lad was seriously ill and was hospitalised and given all the care he needed, but after running x-rays, doing a dental for him so he could eat again and keeping him comfy over the weekend on fluids and pain relief etc, it transpired yesterday that he had advanced kidney failure.

This poor bunny will have suffered for some weeks in this condition, and guess what, he was only a year old! So, today, is another sad day because we've had to put another animal to sleep due to a frustrating lack of human care. The only comfort I take today is that we made Humphrey's last 5 days comfy and made sure he was well cared for. I am truly indebted to all the staff at our specialist rabbit vets, and sorry that I have to ask them to euthanize another gorgeous fluff.

And if that bunny wasn't enough, the babies we admitted last week aren't too good either. Catherine and I going to assess them this morning and take the ones in need to the vets but it looks like at least one has neurological problems, most likely as a result of e.cuniculi. We will give the lad a chance with panacur and anti-biotics, just on the off chance of a recovery, but otherwise we will be having to look at the kindest option for him too, cos let's face it, we can't rehome our healthy rabbits, how on earth are we going to rehome this one - but even if we could, to be honest, I don't believe it's fair to allow an animal to live in a compromised state like this...but I guess that is a matter of debate, and, certainly a very different matter when the animal is owned, god only knows I've had enough e.cuniculi affected rabbits in my life time, which makes it all the more harder, again, to make this decision.

So, the last thing I haven't told you about is Princess, the mountain goat, living in my bathroom. Naturally she isn't really a goat, she's a rabbit - yes, another bloody rabbit. She came in last Friday as a stray from one of the Animal Collection Officers. She is the prettiest thing you have ever seen but talk about a live wire. She is into everything, all the time, wakes me up with attempts to break free, and she just doesn't sit still, ever.

Princess was so named because she and four others were found stray in the gardens of houses along the very busy Princess Parkway. Apparently two others were caught but the other two have since disappeared. When we examined Princess (get the name, now?) she had big mammaries! So, we whipped her to the vets for examination and both the rabbit specialist said she was heavily pregnant and due to drop anytime - so, she came home to me to have her babies in peace and quite.

Well, someone needs to tell her that she's pregnant cos she sure hasn't noticed! She is climbing and jumping, and up on every surface she can find including the window sill! I'm now beginning to wonder whether in fact she had not long had the babies when she was caught. If she hasn't dropped by the end of the week then I'm going to get an ultrasound done, cos she is such a love that if she isn't up the duff she could be at the rabbit boarding place looking for a new home, or trying to escape!