Capricious
New Member
Let me first start off by notifying you that if your rabbit does not have a dirty bottom, and never has a problem with this, then you may not want to continue reading. This is especially grusome, and not a good post to just read simply because you're bored. My goal here is not to scare anyone, not to scar anyone with mental images, but to educate anyone I can on this issue. This is not a "what to do if your bunny has a dirtybottom" post. If I can save ONE rabbit from going through what my baby did, then I'm glad I spent the time to fight my tears and put this online.
Since our baby Thumper had grown to her full size, she always had problem with keeping her bottom clean. She was somewhat overweight and could not reach around properly to clean it herself. She always seemed to have fairly soft stool most of her life.
We made it our weekly duty to take her and bathe her and keep her as clean as possible. No matter what we did, it would not stop. We changed her diet, we got her to excersize more often, we did everything anyone with rabbit knowledge said may help. Literally, the next day after bathing, we'd check her only to see once again it began to collect on her bottom.Once she got a fairly bad case of hutch burn, and had to be taken to the vet to get special medicine to be applied to her irriated skin near in her genital area.
We even specially built a screen insert to put on the bottom of her cage, hoping that the waste would fall through and no longer bother our baby. Nothing did the trick.
So we fast forward 2 years. We'd become comfortable washing her bottom, as disgusting as it was to do, and as bad as it smelled. We loved our baby and we were not about to see her unhappy. 30 minutes once or twiceout of our week is the least we can do.
Well one day while at the local pet store buying our babies some food and hay, I picked up a book about rabbits and just started randomly reading as I was in line. I flipped the book open to this article about how in rare, freak occurances flies could actually planteggs on the rectum of your bunny and cause it serious harm.
It didn't go into much detail about how this could happen, what to do, how to recognize the issue, or anthing of the likes. It was more of a FYI article that this type of thing was possible.
So it was a long winter, and snowed frequently. Our poor bunnies had been stuck inside the whole time, and it finally started to warm up. We excitedly let them go outside with just their cage tops, and let them dig holes in our garden and have good ol bunny fun. They were all very happy outside and every morning I'd water and feed them and let them run about for a little while.
Now for the extremely sad, depressing, horrificpart.
My girlfriend worked graveyard shifts, and one Saturday night (Sundaymorning) I picked her up and got home at about 5 AM. I was extremely tired and practically went straight to bed. She stayed up playing on the computer and just relaxing. The sunfinally came up and she went outside to water and feed our bunnies.
She came upstairs at about 8 AM screaming bloody murder that one of our bunnies was dying and her exact words were "herbutt is missing". From a dead 3 hour sleep, being woken up to these words, I was in nothing less than pure shock. I went outside with her to see what she was talking about, thinking maybe a rabbit got out and was attacked or something along those lines.
It was far worse.
Our poor baby had somehow become infested with fly larvae (maggots) in her rectum, and they were eating their way out. We had to call a vet at home to get an emergency visit to see what we could do. On the phone he told us it may be fixable, but mentally prepare yourself for the worst.
I went and cried with my baby, as she sat in her cage with a piece of alfalfa in her mouth, praying she would be okay. These are not just my rabbits, these are my daughters.
We get to the vet and he tells us initially that it is not that bad, and he actually may be able to save her. Then he looked al ittle closer and realized it was too far along and her body had actually become toxic to herself.
I had to hold my baby as the vet injected her. I'm sitting there telling her its okay, she's going to be fine. It was a lie, and I knew my baby would have to be put to sleep.
As I wipe the tears out my eyesto type this, I just want to make sure no one ever has to go through this.
If your bunny has a dirty bottom, even a LITTLE. Please, for the love of your baby, do not let him or her outside. This is the last thing in the world you want to see or experience for yourself. This is the 4th day she's been gone, and we both cannot help but cry uncontrollably.
My only goal with this post, as I said, is to educate anyone out there with a similar problem to mine, and to hopefully help them avoid this.
The guilt on my mind is so heavy, even though I realize its not directly my fault, and it is more depressing than words can describe. If I would have only known... if I would have only read something like I'm typing now.... if if if...
I just hope I save at least one rabbit, even just one..
The worst part is, I did know. I just didn't know quite enough. I'm a smart guy, I am no fool. I should have figured this out. I should have known after reading that article that THIS is how it happens... I should have never let her stay outside.The guilt is unbearable. No matter how much I tell myself it's not my fault, the pain just doesn't go away...
Since our baby Thumper had grown to her full size, she always had problem with keeping her bottom clean. She was somewhat overweight and could not reach around properly to clean it herself. She always seemed to have fairly soft stool most of her life.
We made it our weekly duty to take her and bathe her and keep her as clean as possible. No matter what we did, it would not stop. We changed her diet, we got her to excersize more often, we did everything anyone with rabbit knowledge said may help. Literally, the next day after bathing, we'd check her only to see once again it began to collect on her bottom.Once she got a fairly bad case of hutch burn, and had to be taken to the vet to get special medicine to be applied to her irriated skin near in her genital area.
We even specially built a screen insert to put on the bottom of her cage, hoping that the waste would fall through and no longer bother our baby. Nothing did the trick.
So we fast forward 2 years. We'd become comfortable washing her bottom, as disgusting as it was to do, and as bad as it smelled. We loved our baby and we were not about to see her unhappy. 30 minutes once or twiceout of our week is the least we can do.
Well one day while at the local pet store buying our babies some food and hay, I picked up a book about rabbits and just started randomly reading as I was in line. I flipped the book open to this article about how in rare, freak occurances flies could actually planteggs on the rectum of your bunny and cause it serious harm.
It didn't go into much detail about how this could happen, what to do, how to recognize the issue, or anthing of the likes. It was more of a FYI article that this type of thing was possible.
So it was a long winter, and snowed frequently. Our poor bunnies had been stuck inside the whole time, and it finally started to warm up. We excitedly let them go outside with just their cage tops, and let them dig holes in our garden and have good ol bunny fun. They were all very happy outside and every morning I'd water and feed them and let them run about for a little while.
Now for the extremely sad, depressing, horrificpart.
My girlfriend worked graveyard shifts, and one Saturday night (Sundaymorning) I picked her up and got home at about 5 AM. I was extremely tired and practically went straight to bed. She stayed up playing on the computer and just relaxing. The sunfinally came up and she went outside to water and feed our bunnies.
She came upstairs at about 8 AM screaming bloody murder that one of our bunnies was dying and her exact words were "herbutt is missing". From a dead 3 hour sleep, being woken up to these words, I was in nothing less than pure shock. I went outside with her to see what she was talking about, thinking maybe a rabbit got out and was attacked or something along those lines.
It was far worse.
Our poor baby had somehow become infested with fly larvae (maggots) in her rectum, and they were eating their way out. We had to call a vet at home to get an emergency visit to see what we could do. On the phone he told us it may be fixable, but mentally prepare yourself for the worst.
I went and cried with my baby, as she sat in her cage with a piece of alfalfa in her mouth, praying she would be okay. These are not just my rabbits, these are my daughters.
We get to the vet and he tells us initially that it is not that bad, and he actually may be able to save her. Then he looked al ittle closer and realized it was too far along and her body had actually become toxic to herself.
I had to hold my baby as the vet injected her. I'm sitting there telling her its okay, she's going to be fine. It was a lie, and I knew my baby would have to be put to sleep.
As I wipe the tears out my eyesto type this, I just want to make sure no one ever has to go through this.
If your bunny has a dirty bottom, even a LITTLE. Please, for the love of your baby, do not let him or her outside. This is the last thing in the world you want to see or experience for yourself. This is the 4th day she's been gone, and we both cannot help but cry uncontrollably.
My only goal with this post, as I said, is to educate anyone out there with a similar problem to mine, and to hopefully help them avoid this.
The guilt on my mind is so heavy, even though I realize its not directly my fault, and it is more depressing than words can describe. If I would have only known... if I would have only read something like I'm typing now.... if if if...
I just hope I save at least one rabbit, even just one..
The worst part is, I did know. I just didn't know quite enough. I'm a smart guy, I am no fool. I should have figured this out. I should have known after reading that article that THIS is how it happens... I should have never let her stay outside.The guilt is unbearable. No matter how much I tell myself it's not my fault, the pain just doesn't go away...
ink iris:
