missyscove
Christina - Moderator
When I decided I wanted a rabbit, the first thing I did was to convince my mother that we needed a rabbit. She agreed with me, but only if we got "one of those cute black and white ones with the saddle" and only if we could name her "Miss Whiskers." I found a black and white dutch at a nearby shelter online and together we drove out to meet her. From the moment I fist picked her up, I was smitten.
When I returned home from college for summer break in 2010, I picked Fiona up and felt a lump. My mom said that she had noticed it a day or two before but hadn't wanted to worry me since I was in finals. I demanded that we take her to the vet that same day and a few days later Dr. Flanagan removed a malignant tumor from her mammary gland. She seemed to be doing really well. She was her usual feisty self. In december, when I again returned home from college, I lifted her up and felt another tumor my mom hadn't wanted to tell me about since I was in finals. Since we knew her last tumor had been malignant, we took the recurrence of more tumors as a sign that her cancer had progressed. We knew it was likely in other locations throughout her body and decided to let the disease take its course.
January 3rd I left for Kenya where I had no access to phone or internet while taking a field biology course. As I passed through Amsterdam on my way back home, I had an email from my mom, she said she wasn't sure how much longer Fiona would be holding on but that she was waiting for me to get back before she made any decisions.
When I got home I held her wrapped in a blanked and sobbed. My feisty little girl was so thin and felt like she'd given up. I could feel every bone in her back but she still licked the inside of my elbow as I stroked her. We called the vet where I had worked 2 summers before and where I still filled in shifts on occasion and brought her in to be euthanized. Dr. Flanagan warned us that she was so small that they couldn't really get a vein and it might take as long as 15 minutes. It took about 15 minutes, and 2 shots, before our little girl finally breathed her last breath. Dr. Flanagan and several of the other staff members at SCAH gave me and my mom tearful hugs.
Our little 'nona is finally in a sneeze free place, binkying around with her golden retriever friends, Missy & Shadow.
She will always be remembered as our first rabbit and a real introduction to the bunny world.
Fiona's "mug shot" from the shelter before we adopted her.
Fiona during her last month with us.
When I returned home from college for summer break in 2010, I picked Fiona up and felt a lump. My mom said that she had noticed it a day or two before but hadn't wanted to worry me since I was in finals. I demanded that we take her to the vet that same day and a few days later Dr. Flanagan removed a malignant tumor from her mammary gland. She seemed to be doing really well. She was her usual feisty self. In december, when I again returned home from college, I lifted her up and felt another tumor my mom hadn't wanted to tell me about since I was in finals. Since we knew her last tumor had been malignant, we took the recurrence of more tumors as a sign that her cancer had progressed. We knew it was likely in other locations throughout her body and decided to let the disease take its course.
January 3rd I left for Kenya where I had no access to phone or internet while taking a field biology course. As I passed through Amsterdam on my way back home, I had an email from my mom, she said she wasn't sure how much longer Fiona would be holding on but that she was waiting for me to get back before she made any decisions.
When I got home I held her wrapped in a blanked and sobbed. My feisty little girl was so thin and felt like she'd given up. I could feel every bone in her back but she still licked the inside of my elbow as I stroked her. We called the vet where I had worked 2 summers before and where I still filled in shifts on occasion and brought her in to be euthanized. Dr. Flanagan warned us that she was so small that they couldn't really get a vein and it might take as long as 15 minutes. It took about 15 minutes, and 2 shots, before our little girl finally breathed her last breath. Dr. Flanagan and several of the other staff members at SCAH gave me and my mom tearful hugs.
Our little 'nona is finally in a sneeze free place, binkying around with her golden retriever friends, Missy & Shadow.
She will always be remembered as our first rabbit and a real introduction to the bunny world.
Fiona's "mug shot" from the shelter before we adopted her.
Fiona during her last month with us.
