I Need Support...

[MyBabyBunnies]

I have finally moved back home after living in another town for 4 months for work. The bad news is that Reese is really not looking good. She is thin, she doesn't seem to get around as good as she used to, and she is depressed. She spends all day in just cuddling with her teddy. The only time she comes out is to eat some and drink. The only time I have seen her binky is when I moved her into a pen right beside Mocha and Zoey but now she is back to being depressed.

I am pretty sure Reese wont be here too much longer.

I know she is getting up their in years, it's just hard to realise she will probably cross the bridge less than a year after Spice did.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

How old is she now?

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

She is 5.5 years. I know that's not old but I really think those years of breeding really aged her faster than normal. Mocha is only 6 months younger yet he acts 3 years younger.

I've watched her slowly go downhill since I got her. She was looking like this shortly after Spice passed away. I managed to pull her back out of it but now she is going downhill again. Whether she is depressed or if this is just the result of her age and her past life I don't know but I know I am slowly losing her.

The thing that scares me most is with her like this and constantly putting her under for her teeth. I think we may put her under one of these times and she wont wake back up. She is quite old to be putting her under every 2 months.

 

[TinysMom]

Oh hon....I'm so sorry. You are probably going to want to kick me for some things I'm about to say....but please understand that I'm speaking out of experience with GingerSpice - and the things I didn't do and wish now I had.

First of all - can you get her in to see a vet? Could she have teeth problems or something else?

Also - can you maybe supplement her food? Maybe add some baby food and pumpkin mixed together - or some critical care? Maybe add some nutrical?

Now here is the part that is going to hurt....but I wish someone had said it to me. If you are going to lose her - at least you have something that many folks don't have - a WARNING - time to prepare yourself....and even time to prepare her.

Please - take pictures now....even if she is thin and not looking the best. Sit down and make some memories of just holding her and cuddling her if she'll let you. Give her some extra special treats - take a video.

In other words - you have time NOW to make some memories....so that if she leaves you - you will have fewer regrets.

I have very few pictures of GingerSpice - I always kept saying, "I'll take them tomorrow....next week...". I had bought her some baby bibs that I loved to put on her when I fed her - and I bought them about a week or two before she passed. I kept thinking, "I can get a video of this later..." but later never came.

Also - if this type of thing helps you - start writing down your thoughts, memories, etc. Write them down now - while they're still fresh in your mind....so that if she passes - you have them for her tribute.

I really hope she can pull out of this and that you can take her to a vet and get some weight back on her. New Hope keeps dropping weight and then picking it up and then dropping it again. I know it is possible to have them regain the weight as long as there is nothing going on....

I wish I could be more help - please know that we're all here for you...

 

[TinysMom]

Can you have her teeth pulled? I don't remember which teeth she has problems with.....

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Reese has teeth problems, but they were just done 2 weeks ago (she also has a full check-up every time)so it's not that. She is eating ok but she has never been one to eat much which makes putting weight on her very hard.I am supplementing her food with oats and black oil sunflower seeds.

And I asked the vet about removing teeth but she said no. She told me the specialist in Calgary wont even do it (it's her molars).

My parents have told me to go to the humane society and find another rabbit. They told me that if I can give her company to either maybe pull her out of this slump or at least for the last bit of her life then I should. I'm considering it because most the rabbits brought in are housed together so I should find something that she can get along with and it would be a last ditch effort to pull her out again.

She doesn't look that bad in person, it's when I see how she is acting and running my hands over her that it hits me how much she has gone downhill. I plan to give her a lot of love, take lots of pictures, and just let her live out her days as best she can but it's really hard, I have gotten so close to her since losing Spice that the thought of losing her too is just heart breaking.

I know a warning is better than nothing, losing Spice like that devastated me but it's just that I have missed the last 4 months of her life and that is what makes it even worse for me right now.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Poor baby she just got tired. Maybe now that you are home, she'll perk up?

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

P.S.- I am not over reacting either, when I mentioned it to my dad he even said he thought the same. He agrees that she only has a few months at most the way she is going.

When my dad realisesshe doesn't look good, you know she isn't.

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

Oh Laura, I don't know what to say. I hope the little bugger perks up. But you seem to know it may not happen and that is sad and I can't imagine your pain and sadness right now. I would just snuggle her as much as you can and get tons of pics and vids of her, you'll be glad you did.

Does she have a snuggle buddy, a stuffie? Poor little girl. I hope she perks up.

Keep us posted, hon.:hug:

 

[HoneyPot]

((HUGS)) So sorry you have to watch that sweetie go through this. Do you think any of her depression could be from you being gone as well? Also - is thereany way to clip her teeth while she is not put under?

My vet does both Charlie and Misty while they are awake and kicking. It took 4 of us to hold Misty down at the vet yesterday to get hers done (molars as well), but my vet does it in under 2 mins, and it's totally painless for her. And that way she doesn't have to put them under every 2 months - which as you know is really stressful.

Anyway, if you need any more info on how my vet does the teeth, PM me. I have to take Charlie in soon and maybe I can get it on video.

Nad

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

They have tried to do it without putting her under but they can't do it. They only put her under with a very small amount of gas but it's still risky for her. The problem is this is the best vet in the area so I really have no alternatives either.

Quite honestly I would prefer her to pass while beingunder instead of having to succumb to the same fate as Spice did. It would be easier to know it was painless but I still wish I didn't have to worry about losing her right now.

I've been spending lots of time with her and she has perked up a bit but she still isn't how she was in February. I really think a lot of this is due to being lonely but with school I just can't spend the hours of time with her that she really needs. I had debated bonding her to Mocha and Zoey but there is no way. Zoey is so territorial that it just will never work. I guess I can try just doing short sessions of her and Mocha and see if she perks up with another bunny's company.

I guess I will just keep my fingers crossed. Thanks everyone for your help and thoughts. No one around me really understands how much those bunnies mean to me.

 

[JadeIcing]

Did they tell you why they won't pull her molars? As you know Dallas has no teeth so it is possible.

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

It's too dangerous and with Reese being a small breed there is so little room to work and her jaw is very fragile so there is a very high risk of breaking her jaw. She said too much can go wrong.

You have to understand that the vets here are not as experienced as the vets in the US. There are very few that even deal with rabbits. This is the best vet in the area and she knows how to treat rabbits but if they won't remove her teeth sothere is no wayReese can have them removed.

 

[SOOOSKA]

Laura, I so sorry to hear Reese isn't feeling 100%. I really hope she gets better now that you are home.

Do you think it's possible to get her a friend (gosh all those bunnies that were rescued lately, maybe theirs a friend for her). I realize you are so busy with school and work right now but it sounds like your Dad is incouraging you to get Resee a friend.

I'll say a prayer for Reese that she starts to feel better soon.

Susan

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

I'm going to go look for a friend. Being as most are paired together I should be able to find something she will get along with her since she loves everyone. The only problem I have is most have unknown ages and I don't want to end up with something that is older because I really don't want to have to worry about old age with another rabbit right now.

As I said before, I think this is my last ditch effort to pull her out again. I may be busy but more than anything it's my mom that I am thinking about. She cares for them when I am not here working and I leave again in 8 months (most likely) so I have to think about the extra work that a 4th rabbit brings with it. But if Reese doesn't pull out of this soon that wont be a problem because I really don't think Reese will be here come January.

 

[JadeIcing]

I hope a friend helps. Poor girl.

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Well it was finally warm enough and dry enough to let her in the outside run again. Some where between the change of scenery (she's been in the garage for about 6 months), the close proximity of the other rabbits, and the 4 hours I spent with her, she has perked up considerably.

Unfortunately I don't have that much time to spend with her normally. But she will soon be moved back outside into the hutch and will get consistant time to be in the run in the evenings and weekends.

I'll continue to supplement her food with sunflower seeds and Nutri-cal and keep my fiingers crossed for a much improved Reese.

Fingers crossed for my little girl.

 

[Pet_Bunny]

Poor Reese.
Maybe the change in scenery did the trick. The warm sun and fresh air does wonders. :sunshine:

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Well my efforts are paying off with Reese. She is about 100 times better than she was when I came back home last week.

I moved her from the hutch to a pen beside Mocha and Zoey so that she would at least have indirect contact with other rabbits. It seemed to help perk her up a lot. I also started feeding her black oil sunflower seeds daily to help put some weight on her (she always gotten unlimited pellets and I still couldn't keep weight on her). Reese has never been a big hay eater, I've tried all the hays you can imagine and she just wont eat them. But I picked up some Alfalfa from the store a few days ago thinking that while it may not be the best choice of hay, it still encourages her to eat hay (hopefully it might help a bit with her teeth) and it helps maintain her weight. Well she LOVES the Alfalfa so I'll be keeping it as part of her diet.

Today I ran my hands over her and her spine was way less prominent which is great. She was also feeling really good. She is not a chewer, digger, or tosser but today she was binkying all around, chewing on the wood, digging at her bed, chewing on her bed, and 3 of her bowls were scattered across the cage. So she is definitely feeling so much better!

Thanks for your support guys and lets keep our fingers crossed that she doesn't start to go back downhill when I start school again. I guess we can also keep our fingers crossed that Chase will be her best bud soon!

 

[juliew19673]

Yay! inkbouce: