Lemony4
Active Member
I want to post my Luna's story somewhere in hopes that it will be cathartic or maybe even helpful to others. She passed August 22, 2020 and I still carry a ton of guilt that I can't seem to shake. I have the resources I need to help me through it, but maybe by sharing this it will help someone in the future whose bun is facing similar health issues.
I never had any clue how old she was, I got her from a rescue sanctuary in April 2018 when she was found as an adult stray. In 2019 I got Leo and bonded them. Sometime in July of 2020, I noticed a wet matted spot on her chin that was never quite getting dry even after she cleaned it. This never happened before but I figured maybe I only noticed it after she was drinking water. About a week went by and I scheduled a visit to the vet when it never went away. It was a few back and forth visits of "nothing appears to be wrong" but eventually the vet tested her skin and found she had some type of bacterial infection. She was put on meds for this right away. The same visit, she was tested for ringworm, but the result wouldn't come back for 3 weeks.
Luna LOVED her antibacterial meds. She was so excited for it she couldn't finish her dinner without it first. Leo was jealous. But the spot on her chin wasn't getting better.
Then the vet called and said she tested positive for ringworm and that both rabbits would need to be treated with a topical mousse, and just Luna would receive oral medication. Her chin was shaved at this point, and it must have been in the really early stages because I could see nothing but pink bunny skin.
Luna loved her mousse massages, and Leo to this day hates being touched or pet, so this part was really hard for him. The mousse was called Douxo Chlorhexidine. Luna was not a fan of her new oral medication which was not as sweet, Terbinafine.
After about the 2nd day on terbinafine, her poop turned mushy. I was horrified, she has never had poops like this. The poor girl had stomach noises so loud I could hear them across the room and she was spending forever in her litter box. I immediately called the vet and it was Friday after hours so I left a message. She started eating hay like nothing was wrong so I thought maybe she just needed to pass it. My partner got the buns dinner ready and said Luna kept falling over. At that point we rushed her to the after hours emergency vet
They said her blood sugar was dangerously low and they would have to keep her overnight. I barely slept. I called to checkup around 5. They said she was perfectly happy and spry and eating hay again and we were so relieved. They said we could bring her home.
When I went to pick her up in the morning I was told their computer system was down and that I had to wait, I waited about 30 mins and finally they told me to just go ahead and take her home with some meds but they couldn't access the discharge papers for me. I asked the woman on the phone what I needed to do when I get home with her and she said to just give her the meds as directed and continue feeding tonight as I normally would. (Luna had already ate that morning) Ok....
We got home and Luna was perfect. Spry as ever, munching on her hay. I gave her some meds and wouldn't need to give any until the next day. So I left the house. For several hours. and I can't forgive myself for doing that. Because while I was gone, I checked the camera in her room and she had passed.
The kicker is, once the emergency room computer system was back up (a full day later), I got my actual discharge instructions. Instructions were to feed lightly every few hours to keep her blood sugar up.
She was the sweetest rabbit in the world and I still believe we had so much time left together, I just miss her so much every day. It's barely gotten easier after all these months. I love you Luna
Tldr; please carefully watch your rabbits poops if they're prescribed oral meds for ringworm. And always ask to speak to the vet taking care of your bun if discharge instructions are not an option
I never had any clue how old she was, I got her from a rescue sanctuary in April 2018 when she was found as an adult stray. In 2019 I got Leo and bonded them. Sometime in July of 2020, I noticed a wet matted spot on her chin that was never quite getting dry even after she cleaned it. This never happened before but I figured maybe I only noticed it after she was drinking water. About a week went by and I scheduled a visit to the vet when it never went away. It was a few back and forth visits of "nothing appears to be wrong" but eventually the vet tested her skin and found she had some type of bacterial infection. She was put on meds for this right away. The same visit, she was tested for ringworm, but the result wouldn't come back for 3 weeks.
Luna LOVED her antibacterial meds. She was so excited for it she couldn't finish her dinner without it first. Leo was jealous. But the spot on her chin wasn't getting better.
Then the vet called and said she tested positive for ringworm and that both rabbits would need to be treated with a topical mousse, and just Luna would receive oral medication. Her chin was shaved at this point, and it must have been in the really early stages because I could see nothing but pink bunny skin.
Luna loved her mousse massages, and Leo to this day hates being touched or pet, so this part was really hard for him. The mousse was called Douxo Chlorhexidine. Luna was not a fan of her new oral medication which was not as sweet, Terbinafine.
After about the 2nd day on terbinafine, her poop turned mushy. I was horrified, she has never had poops like this. The poor girl had stomach noises so loud I could hear them across the room and she was spending forever in her litter box. I immediately called the vet and it was Friday after hours so I left a message. She started eating hay like nothing was wrong so I thought maybe she just needed to pass it. My partner got the buns dinner ready and said Luna kept falling over. At that point we rushed her to the after hours emergency vet
They said her blood sugar was dangerously low and they would have to keep her overnight. I barely slept. I called to checkup around 5. They said she was perfectly happy and spry and eating hay again and we were so relieved. They said we could bring her home.
When I went to pick her up in the morning I was told their computer system was down and that I had to wait, I waited about 30 mins and finally they told me to just go ahead and take her home with some meds but they couldn't access the discharge papers for me. I asked the woman on the phone what I needed to do when I get home with her and she said to just give her the meds as directed and continue feeding tonight as I normally would. (Luna had already ate that morning) Ok....
We got home and Luna was perfect. Spry as ever, munching on her hay. I gave her some meds and wouldn't need to give any until the next day. So I left the house. For several hours. and I can't forgive myself for doing that. Because while I was gone, I checked the camera in her room and she had passed.
The kicker is, once the emergency room computer system was back up (a full day later), I got my actual discharge instructions. Instructions were to feed lightly every few hours to keep her blood sugar up.
She was the sweetest rabbit in the world and I still believe we had so much time left together, I just miss her so much every day. It's barely gotten easier after all these months. I love you Luna
Tldr; please carefully watch your rabbits poops if they're prescribed oral meds for ringworm. And always ask to speak to the vet taking care of your bun if discharge instructions are not an option
