Bonding.

Fudge had a check up a couple of days ago and his progress was so marked that he has been signed off from the vets, unless there are any further problems arise! What a little star, he's come through so much. You can tell he's so much better in his demeanour, curious as ever, but has a grumpy edge whenever you get too close. He's very much the independent guy!

So now on with reintroductions. I have chanced my arm allowing them all in the same room all at once and there have been many chase scenes rein-acted throughout my living room. Fudge is quick and small, however Flo is edgy,  larger and shall we say relentless. She also seems to get upset easily and fairly often, as in more than once a day. Finding her with a mouthful of fluff at the end of one of these episodes is a frequent occurrence and not so good for Fudges hide I feel!

Tumble on the other hand seems to be good at the mock charges, in fact when staring Fudge down he need only flicker a whisker before Fudge bolts. 

Females tend to be more territorial than males, therefore I'm trying the two by two method and trying to bond the two males, Tumble with Fudge whilst Flo is out of the room. The only problem with this is that Flo, yes you've guessed it gets upset being kept out of the loop. When approached yesterday after a period alone she didn't know whether to growl or chunter (rabbits grind the teeth when they're content). 

What can I say, I get more entertainment from these guys than I ever would from a soap opera!

Happy Christmas

Well Fudge has had the last of his sutres out and Rieke the vet is really pleased with his progress, though surprised at the way he constantly bounces back. The homeopathy is being continued, but other than that, the meds have been discontinued apart from the viscotears - to keep his eyes lubricated. He is still sporting some sort of mohawk, but it just makes him look all the cuter really!

Stockings have just been distributed and presents torn into. Straight through to the good stuff, there are crumbs everywhere. We are cautiously all in the same room, keeping an eye out for signs of aggression and friction. Only one chase, so, so far so good!

So from us to all of you out there, we hope Mr Clause was good to you. We wish you peace and love now and throughout the year. Time to kick back and enjoy the festivities!

Merry Christmas,

Sarah
Tumble, Flo and Fudge ;) xxx

Flo getting festive.

 Tumble....one too many??

 Fudge chilling with the lights low.

Get Well Soon!

Fudge has been home since the Friday 7th. It was bascally an overnight stop to ensure he came round from the anaesthetic ok and was eating and pooping properly. It's vital that rabbits continue to do both, which is the reason why they are not nil by mouth pre op.
Sent away with a surprisingly calm bunny and a bag full of meds. Antibiotics, painkillers, zantac, viscotears for his dry eye and a packet full of subcutaneous injections. The thought of this may scare the bejeebers out of some, but I am fairly comfortable with the idea having received many medically myself, I would sit and study the whole procedure. I've also administered adrenalin shots and other intramuscular stuff under instruction.

So far, so good! He barely flinches when I administer the shot, in fact he's more likely to disagree with the oral syringe meds that I have to give him!

I'm keeping his ear clean and keeping an eye on the colour and temperature of the area. I've been advised that Belladonna is good for taking the heat and inflammation down and I will be running out to grab a fresh supply of Arnica in the morning, (the trusty standby!). Colloidal silver has been a very handy addition to the first aid kit and I have been using it to keep his sutres clean and to aid healing.

At the moment he seems to be sat quite contently having some time out under the Christmas tree! Fudge pre op.

Fudge's Check-up.

What a week!

The Christmas tree is up and it has evidently provided additional enrichment for Flo and Tumble. I ended up shuffling the chocolate decorations a little higher up the tree after finding Flo standing on her hind legs nosing one. She would have had them all off given half a chance.

Another trip to the vets for a check up with Fudge. He seemed like he was doing great, all reflexes firing correctly, eye healing not perfectly but well enough. He was eating and doing the rest of the things that healthy rabbits should do and then bang! A seemingly normal check up turned into another monstrous affair.

A lump was found to the front of Fudges ear, about the size of a pea. The vet suspected either an abscess which rabbits are notorious for, or a tumour. Either way, they needed to see what it was quickly and have it taken out. From there either a culture of the bacteria or a histology would be performed on the tissue samples.  It could have been put off till next week, but why wait another week when things may only get more severe. If it was an abscess they grow rather quickly and if a tumour, well you suspect cancer you don't walk to the Dr's, you run, slow growing or not!

Despite having promised him before we left the house that it was only going to be a short visit and we'd be back home soon, I had to leave him there. Heart breaking and worrying, he's already been through such a lot. An added stress was the ever increasing bill. I'd do anything for these little guys and I can't wait till I've finished my training in holistic animal care so that when I bring them home knowing that something is up, I can do more.

Well upon opening Fudge up, they discovered the abscess, they also discovered that it was draining into his  left ear canal. In order to ensure all infection was removed, they said that they would have to also remove his ear canal. He was out for the count anyway and they knew what they were doing and they were confident that it would work. Like seeing a child suffer, you will always feel bad for their plight, but I also know what an amazing little fighter my little man is. He's made of stern stuff!

He was kept in overnight, after a call from the hospital to say that the operation had been a success. They were syringe feeding him and he was comfortable. By morning he was rejecting the syringe feed and helping himself to the hay and whatever else was on offer. If there is one thing that Fudge can do, it is eat! He will literally try anything, though I try to discourage his from Indian take away ;).

It was a shock to see him the next day, the left ear is entirely stitched up and he has been shaved around his head, but all things considered he's quite lively. He's still eating, we just have to make sure no gut stasis sets in.

I'm looking into natural ways I can keep his immune system boosted and keep any infections at bay. Colloidal silver is an amazing antibacterial which can be gargled and swabbed etc. People can use this too for bacterial infections, in particular of the upper respiratory tract and treating wounds. It aids healing wonderfully, though watch out for excessive ingestion of this or you may turn slightly grey, (gravis).

I qualified several years ago in aromatherapy and am currently making a transition into animal aromatherapy and animal care, where there are also a wealth of hydrosols and base oils that can be helpful in recuperation alongside conventional veterinary medicine. (Please always seek professional advice!) My friend is a qualified animal homeopathist who works alongside a veterinarian practicing western and complimentary medicine. I have experienced numerous times how effective complimentary commodities are with animals and I will be returning to them as much as I can.

Introducing......

I'm a bunny girl through and through! And no I don't mean I reside with Hugh Heffner, I don't think I could cope!

I mean I just love being around them. I have three rabbits, Tumble often nicknamed King Tumble, my first born and ruler of the kingdom. You can often find him perched on the arm of the chair, high enough up for him to survey his Kingdom. I knew when I saw him that he was meant to be part of my life, I just couldn't have walked away from him that day!

Then there is Flo, (or Florence) , nickname Princess Flo. She came ready named at the age of 4 or 5 months from a rather snotty lady who couldn't dedicate enough time to looking after her. She had one ear that flopped and another that stood proudly to attention. I used to joke she was a big Mama as she had a certain look and attitude. She was also bigger than Tumble despite the age gap of just under 1 year. Things were a little unsettled at first, but the two bonded well and I watch them now playing the song "Me and My Shadow" through and through in my head. I think if they were humans, they'd wear matching jumpers or something ;) despite having completely different personalities!

Finally came Fudge, just under a year after Flo, another rescue case.Really needed to stop there, despite thinking Fudge (or Fudgey Fudge, as I can't think of anything else), should have a girlfriend! This was to be his third home and I was adamant his forever home! Again another strikingly different personality. Quite nervous, but made several attempts to take over as Alpha male. Probably made things hard for himself as it took several months for him to be properly accepted. The other two would chase and nip him. He had torn ears and all sorts, it was heart breaking! Eventually though it did cease, but then one day not so long ago I found him in a collapsed heap. He was like a wrung out dish rag. On arriving at the veterinary hospital, their faces dropped and I was assured that he was very sick. I think I know my own bunny and I think I knew that! They pointed at a very bleak future, but gave options as to what they could do for now. X-ray, blood tests, ct scans. They got as far as the x-ray and then decided to refer him to the neurologist who diagnosed a stroke. He'd had several milder episodes, which the vets just put down to soft tissue injuries from spats with the other two, but it all started to make sense from there!

I don't give up easily and it seems I have a kindred spirit in Fudge as neither does he. Despite suggesting several times about how unfair it would be to put him through life any further, he still had a twinkle in his eye and an urge to prove everyone wrong. Fudge spent 2.5 days in hospital being re-hydrated on a drip and given painkillers, antibiotics and zantac to keep his gut motility normal. He had round the clock care from some wonderful nurses, who doted on him. He also had intervention from a holistic vet and an animal homeopathist, a little aromatherapy and a bit of physio and massage from myself. He made such a turn around that he was allowed home by Wednesday lunchtime, (he was taken in on Monday morning, with no reflexes and no ability to move). The vets at the hospital were baffled and kept saying,

 "We are so happy he has pulled around, but we just can't explain it, it's just not your usual case!".

So he came home and the other two rejected him, (as they would do in the wild). About a week and a half later, they got to Fudge quicker than I, which resulted in a torn ear and a nasty infected bite to the eye and several more trips to the vets. They have been separated ever since. Poor Fudge you can see he just wants to get on, but the other two are just too tempestuous at the moment. So back to square one :(. Hopefully in time things will settle again and we can resume happy families.

So until my next lagomorph instalment, here is a picture of Fudge. Not the greatest, but have you any idea how fidgety a rabbit is??

Bunny's Blog Too!

The title may scare you a little. It may imply to you a field day of fluffy cuteness and I can't deny that they are very cute, however there is a whole lot more to these animals than meets the eye.

They are highly sociable and intelligent animals and as I found out they learn relatively quickly. You put them in the garden and leave them there and you do both yourself and the rabbit a huge disservice. There's a whole bundle of character to be discovered.

They are both endearing and entertaining, some like to snuggle and others would sooner run for the door. If you are after a pet for a child, you may want to think again. They don't like their ears pulled and they are fidgets. Loud noises can be unnerving and amongst all this they can be quite expensive to keep.

Weekly hay, fresh greens/grasses, bedding, housing and that's before you even make it to the vets. The vaccinations against VHD and myxi, dental care and nail trimming. Albeit some you can learn yourself and with care, nail trimming can be done at home. Also giving bugs optimum nutrition will keep the immune system strong, however there are always exceptions.

Anyway, welcome to Lagomorph Wonderland where I own no rabbits, because well they own me, all three of them! There's a bit of friction at times and it can be like having children, (I think :s) but I love them to bits and I think they're pretty cool with me! :)