Yesterday, which was Sunday, Angie got an emergency call. A young woman had found a small brown lop-eared bunny in her back yard in the Northgate area, and didn't know what to do. She couldn't take it to a vet because it was Sunday. And taking it to a shelter would mean the bunny would undoubtedly be euthanized. Why? Because this little brown lop-eared bunny was in terrible shape. She couldn't move her back end. She was covered in poop and pee, with giant mats clinging to her butt. Her nails were over 1.5 inches long, so it was probably painful to move her front feet. And all that was nothing compared to her face, which was covered with a crust of infection emanating from her eyes. Angie told the good samaritan to bring her right over, and braced herself. When the bunny arrived, Angie discovered that she has terrible infections in both eyes, and she's blind. She is suffering from a raging case of e-cunniculi, which is treatable if it's caught early enough. Her ears are full of infection too, and she can't move very well at all. Angie got to work, and with gentle care cleaned up the bunny that the young woman called "Halley." She cleaned all the painful mats off her hindquarters. She gently irrigated the eyes to remove a nauseating accretion of infection. She trimmed all the fur around the eyes, administered sub-cutaneous fluids, and got little Halley started on antibiotics and panacur for e-cunniculi. She trimmed off the terribly overgrown toenails to relieve the little furry feet. And then she created a soft, safe bed for Halley, complete with plenty of food, fresh water, and delicious hay.
And now, we wait. We wait to see if Halley can make it through and survive. We wait patiently, just like she must have waited for days and weeks for someone to come care for her in what must have been awful, unthinkable living conditions that she tolerated before she was dumped and expected to survive on her own. We wish for her to survive, just like she must have wished for someone to rescue her from where she was dumped, unable to move or see, and holding on despite terrible pain and fear and cold and rain. We see her for what she is, a little brown holland lop someone bought from a breeder, bred to be cute and affectionate, demanding nothing but gentle care and affection. And like so many rescued bunnies, she is already showing the intense tenacity that constantly surprises us. Her wishes have come true and she's holding on for dear life, trying to out-wait and out-last the misery she never, ever deserved, and was so ill-equiped to handle. We hope she can do it. We'll support her with all the tools we have, with care from our amazing vets, and, perhaps most importantly, with gentle head-pets and soft words of encouragement.
Let Halley inspire you to do one thing to help animals in need. Speak up if you see rabbits kept in bad conditions. Let people know that you can't just let a rabbit go 'free' and expect it to survive. Tell a fabulous friend about the joy of sharing your home with a houserabbit, and encourage the right friends to try fostering or volunteering. Just one thing could be all it takes to save another bunny from going through what Halley has been through.
Update on Wednesday, March 6, 2013 at 10:38PM by
Tamara
Halley on Wednesday, three days after she was discovered and brought to us.Update on Halley: Many of you have asked about our Halley, and so far, fingers crossed, the news is good. Mz. Halley is in her own version of a hospital bed--Angie uses a cage sold in pet stores that is of course way too small for healthy rabbits, but does well for bunnies who are ill. It's up on a stand and has rolling wheels to make it easy to reach in, and Angie lines it with soft towels and layers of fleece to keep ill bunnies warm, cozy, and of course dry. Because Halley also suffers from EC (e-cunniculi), and is dealing with pretty bad bouts of dizzyness, Angie has lined the edges of the bed with rolls of fleece. Halley uses these to lean on, rest on, and use as leverage if she falls over (read more Special Bunny advice for housing special needs bunnies.)
As you may be able to see, the fur around Halley's eyes has been trimmed away to help with healing. Amazingly, the rest of her soft fur looks pretty good. Also amazingly, she's a pretty cheerful little thing. She loves being held, and she's very much enjoying her room-service deliveries of healthy pellets and yummy moist veggies. One of our volunteers even caught her grooming one of the fleece bumpers before she settled down for a nap...maybe it's like her teddy bear. Fingers crossed for her continued recovery, and for her future life as a pampered, spoiled, delightful little housebun.
Want to help with some of Halley's bills? You can donate to sponsor her!
Update on Thursday, March 14, 2013 at 07:24PM by
Tamara
Halley is kickin' butt in the recovery department! Check out these new photos of her sweet self. She's still a little wobbly from the EC, but the meds seem to be doing her a world of good. Even her weird haircut can't take away from her overwhelming cuteness. Thanks to EVERYONE who has sent good vibes (and/or donations!) to us to help our Halley! Sometimes the happy endings are...happy.
Halley leans on one of her fuzzy bolsters to take a nap.
Her eyes are SO much better...
She's even feeling well enough to give us 'the eye.' All bunny owners know this look...
Munnie just a few days after her rescue
Munnie and her first friend, Mr. Ed
