I did it
June 28, 2006 l Leave a Comment
I finally ordered our own meat grinder. A bit of an initial expense, but a money saver in the long run.
holistic health for the whole bunny
June 27, 2006 l Leave a Comment
I’ve been thinking about pursuing alternative methods of treatment in conjunction with the excellent medical care Peanut is already recieving. I feel I do her a disservice when I see her only in terms of a diagnosis, and I think that no matter what the future holds, she could certainly benefit from better supportive care.
But where should we start? Maybe…bunny massage.
Peanut update
June 26, 2006 l 1 Comment
I had been hoping that this would be the last update for awhile, but it seems today’s vet visit was just another chapter in the saga.
Dr. G doesn’t think Peanut has made any clinical improvement. Which came as quite a blow considering she is visibly better than she was two weeks ago. She’s eating and drinking on her own, her poops are finally up to size (bunny people will understand that one), and she’s hopping around like a normal bunny, albeit leaning just slightly to the right.
She did lose 1/4 pound, which coming off of a 5 pound rabbit is a fairly significant amount of weight. If it was due to her decrease in appetite, and subsequent hand feedings, then she should gain weight back before their next appointment.
The rabbits are both going to see Dr. G again in two weeks, Peanut for a re-check and the standard annual exam for both of them. Depending on how well she is doing, we may very well end up testing Peanut for Pasteurella and E. cuniculi. For what I hope are understandable financial reasons, this is not something I’d consider lightly.
Aside from treating the ear infection, Dr. G doesn’t feel that the antibiotics did anything for her overall condition. She’s adjusted to having the world off-kilter, but it’s adaptation, not improvement. This was evident when he picked her up for a closer look at her face and mouth, and upon placing her back on the exam table she flopped over like a sack of potatoes, her carefully balanced world thrown completely out of whack.
His diagnosis of facial palsy confirmed that there is something different about the right side of her face. Her teeth and jaw are perfectly fine, no sign of misalignment, molar spurs, or abscesses, but I knew that something was “off”. The palsy would also explain why the right side of her face has been a little crusty since she started eating on her own (and since mommy stopped wiping her face). She’s dribbling slightly when she eats and drinks.
I’m reeling, to say the least. This was not what I expected to hear at all.
She’s eating, drinking, pooping, and peeing. Is she happy with me? No.
But I think I’ll take the former over the latter. I keep telling her she’ll thank me for this someday…I don’t think she believes me.
I realize that people probably want an update on Peanut.
It’s been a stressful week here (well, more like a stressful month) and I’m being stretched pretty thin. Adding a sick rabbit only strains things further. By the end of the day I’m more than ready to fall into bed, only I sleep in a loft, and it’s more a climb-up-the-ladder-crawl-towards-the-pillow kind of motion.
As I mentioned on Rabbits Only yesterday, Peanut has hit a recovery plateau. No better, no worse. She is still very shaky and uncoordinated. Her head does not tilt, but she does tend to list, and sometimes roll, towards her right side. Her balance is quite easily thrown off, so all feeding, cleaning, and medicating is done inside their pen. Luckily the poopy butt issues disappeared after we cut out the bananas. But feeding time usually means a messy face, and I wipe the dribbles up to prevent crustiness. She hates having her face wiped. I ask her if she’d rather have a five pound Mini Rex trying to lick the food off her dewlap. She just buries her head in her chest and tries to will the washcloth away.
She is eating hay on a regular basis, which is good, both for her teeth and for her digestive system. The problem is that she’s not eating enough, and so the hand feedings continue. She’s drinking water on her own as well, something I’m thankful for in this hot weather. Peanut did try to eat dinner alongside Rex tonight, consuming less than a handful of pellets. Rex tried to share in her dinner as well, and didn’t understand why mommy kept shooing him away from the lovely bowl full of mushy food.
I understand that recovery takes time, and given how incapacitated she was a week ago, I’m truly amazed at her progress. But I sense that Peanut is frustrated with the current state of things. Every time she attempts to do something that requires a modicum of coordination, something she’s done all her life, and suddenly she can’t - well, you can practically feel the discontented vibes. Tonight I watched her struggle to spread out a pile of hay in the litterbox, in order to have a soft place to rest. She took both front paws and pulled the hay towards her, only to topple over headfirst into the side of the box.
But despite her difficulties, she continues to try. After righting herself, she went back to smoothing out the hay, and then settled down for a nap. Rex is a constant presence, always ready for comfort and kisses. I don’t think Peanut would be doing this well if it wasn’t for his companionship.
They’re snuggling, I’m exhausted, I think it’s time for bed. G’night!
