Rest in Peace Qingqing

[ChinaBun]

For those who have had very sick rabbits, how do you make the decision to put them to sleep?

Mine has had a lump on her jaw for about eight months, has had skin problems for the last six weeks and has been steadily loosing weight. She is so thin now. Last night I let her stay in the kitchen instead of her room. She has only moved a short distance during the night. I woke up twice to go to the bathroom, and she was always sitting still. Still is. It's 8:30 in the morning in China.

I've been crying the last half-hour, because I think it's time to let her go. I don't cry easily. I'm going to go eat breakfast and get my blood sugar up. I'll be back later.

What I'm thinking now is, if she has lost more weight when she's weighed at the vet's this afternoon, then it's time for her to go to the Rainbow Bridge. She's lost her quality of life.

Nancy

 

[happy_hoppers]

For me it was when Caspian:

1. stopped eating, even when very ill he still had an appetite,I made him a hydrating syringe feed and was giving it to him from the syringe but he was drinking himself, then decidedI wasn't doing it fast enough and helped himself to the glass instead. By day 6 he refused everything and apart from S/C fluids and force feeding nothing was going in or coming out. Also he was so bloated I could feel his stomach expanding his rib cage outwards. I was petrified it would perforate an organ.

2. Was in pain that even opiate based injectables could not relieve. He was having Vetergesic injections every four hours and still grinding his teethin pain.

3. The spark had gone. No-one knows your rabbit like you do. You know when they are not themselves and when they are having more bad days than good. If quality of life is the main decider as it was for me then deep down you will know when it is not worth fighting anymore because you have nothing left to fight for but more pain.

EverytimeI find myself in this horrid postionI repeat the mantra 'Just becasue something can be done dosn't mean it should be'.

I wish you the best of luck with your decision and can only offer one more piece of advice- Please discuss your prefered method of Euthanasia with your vet before hand so you dont get a nasty surprise like I did at the emergency vets where an inappropriate and painful method was administered to my poor boy.

 

[BlueGiants]

Oh Nancy, what a difficult decision... you have to listen to her and to your heart.

I will keep you and her in my prayers. ray:

 

[naturestee]

For those not familiar with her story:
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=29804&forum_id=16

Honestly, I think I agree. This has gone on for so long without finding anything that really helps. We don't even know what it is. Take some time and make sure you are sure about this. Then call the vet and talk about the procedure and whether he has done this on rabbits before.

Happy Hoppers, I know nothing about euthanasia procedures. Could you tell us about them, and which would be preferred for a rabbit?

:hug:

 

[Bo B Bunny]

As hard as it is, sometimes it's necessary to make this decision. What I have used to decide is if it is more pain than pleasure.

If it's harder to live with the illnesses or injury than the joy of living brings, it's time.

 

[Ivory]

Naturestee, there are different methods of euthanasia. Generally the most "humane" method is an IV injection of solution after sedation. There's also SQ euthanasia, which takes much longer, and IM methods, which also take longer.

The more "inhumane" but infinitely quicker is directly into the heart. The problem is that when it's directly into the heart, it tends to look a bit more traumatic. Sometimes they begin to look like they're seizing, sometimes they make noise, sometimes they do various things. It's that it's so sudden, everything stops so quickly...it's literally, alive one moment, almost dead the next, then dead.

 

[cheryl]

Over here..a lot of vets use the gas chamber....i had never heard of such a thing until i had to put Lulu to sleep,i told them i want her to have an injection..they said the same thing when ihad to putMarshy and Daisy to sleep as well.

I would absolutely never let a vet put my bunny to sleep by putting the injection into the heart,i had never heard of that either until i took Daisy to see Sally and she was telling me about the different methods some vets use and she mentioned them doing it that way,she had actually blasted a vet for doing that to one of her bunnies.



I'm so sorry Nancy that you have to face such a decision...it's very sad..and i know all to well how painful it is to go through this.

You and Quingquing are in my thoughts

Cheryl

 

[pla725]

It wasn't an easy decision to put my Simon down.He refused to eat, couldn't stand up and lost a lot of weight. The look in his eyes pretty much told me it was time.

I would go with the injection. The vet gave him a tranquilizer first and then the euthanasia injection via a vein in his leg. He went peacefully.

Youmay want to have a necropsy to see if it an infection or even cancer. I had Simon cremated.

You are in my thoughts.

 

[TinysMom]

I didn't have to make that decision w/ GingerSpice as by the time I knew she was going to go....she was almost gone and she died in her sleep in my arms. Her passing was one of the most peaceful I've experienced.

When I was on a list for owners of disabled rabbits they talked about quality of life and they used the "three a's" to describe it.

a. How alert is the rabbit?

b. Is the rabbit still affectionate - either with another rabbit or a human?

c. How is the rabbit's appetite? Is it still eating? Enjoying food?

You have to do what is best for HER - not what is best for you. If she is suffering and unable to get better and you can see that she wants to go (I have found that they show you)....then I would say help her pass over the bridge.

But if she has any spunk in her and wants to continue fighting - then keep on fighting with all you've got.

Only your heart can know what is best. You face a hard decision - but I know you will make the choice that is her best interest. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

Peg

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Cheryl, when my Prissy was so bad (my cat who was injured and then got better long enough to have a stroke) I took her to the vet. It was after hours and so she and I did it. VERY hard to do for me. Priss was 14 years old! She was so strong! she had gone through so much with her feet injuries. She was an outside cat for a long time (her choice, not mine!) and was my little watch cat! Of course if you were a friend, she purred so much it was unreal! She purred even when she was so sick and in pain.

After several minutes of having had the IV injection and she lay there in a drug coma, still breathing, still a muttered purr.... my vet told me that sometimes they have to give them an injection in the heart because the other doesn't work. She was suprised that such an old cat had to have it, but I was there and I told her to go ahead. I couldn't look but it was done. My girl didn't have to suffer any longer.

I felt prolonging it with more IV drugs was not right.

 

[Haley]

Oh hun, Im so sorry. You have fought so hard for your girl. I know what its like to fight and fight and get nowhere. For months we didnt know what was wrong with Max and his breathing was so bad and he had lost so much weight. There were nights I would pray he would pass on his own so I didnt have to make the decision youre having to make.

Others have mentioned this, but the main thing to consider is quality of life. Is she happy? Is she eating? Is she in pain?

Only you can know what the right decision is. You know her and you will know in your heart when she has had enough and can fight no longer.

You are both so brave and have been so strong through this all. We're here for you, no matter what you decide.

:hug:

 

[Flashy]

It can be such a hard decision to decide to put a loved animal to sleep, but in some ways it can also be easy.

In the past 10 months I've had to have two euthanised.

The first one was Tubby, he was nearly 12. He'd broken a leg at the age of ten, borken another 5 months before he died, and the morning he was euthanised I came down to find him having broken anothet limb. He was alert, he was hungry and eating, but he couldn't move. It broke my heart because he had been with me for half my life, but I also knew that it was 100% the right thing to do. I didn't want to lose him and I could have kept him alive and nursed him, but that wasn't best for him, he needed to go with some dignity and not be ravaged and exhausted from the pain he was in.

In October we found an abscess on Sunshine. It had blown up exceptionally quickly. It had been there for ages, butbecause it drained into the mouth we never knew. He was still eating, drinking, lively and then suddenly half his face was massive. He went to the vets the next day and I told my mum (because she took him), not to take heroic measures. He was nearly 9, and he had had a great life, infact, a perfect rabbit life for a domestic rabbit. The day after the original vets appointment he went into the operating theatre to see if there was anything at all they could do, but with strict instructions that if it was really bad, to just put him to sleep there and then. The abscess was in the bone and only extensive measures could have done anything. He wasn't bothered by his abscess, he was still his normal chipper self. He died very peacefully having been happy all the way until the end.

They were hard to lose, but I have no regrets about those decisions at all. It's far harder to lose an animal in pain, to illness, than to make almost a premeptive decision to prevent that to happen. I sometimes wish that I could have euthanised some of the other buns that I have lost but didn't know I was losing, because its far more peaceful for them. Moon is byfar the strongest that I wish I had had euthanised. Yes, she did die at home, in loving arms, but the morning she died she went through hell.

There is no right nor wrong decision, just what you think is the best thing to do for Qingqing, and it's important you put her first. Some rabbits will tell you when they are ready, some you have to use your judgement for, but all you can do is what you think is right for Qingqing. You clearly love her loads, I'm am sure you will do what's best.

If you ever need a chat, my PM box is open.

Hang in there and take care

 

[ChinaBun]

6:15 pm, China time. RIP Qingqing.

In the end, I didn't have to make the decision.

I went to the vet at lunchtime. He wanted to keep fighting. She had only lost .02 kilos, so I thought I would give it another day or two before I asked about it again and would try to get her to eat more and have some Nutrical.

I went directly to my 2:30 class from the vet's and my students took Qingqing home. They sent me a text message at 3 saying that she had been eating some vegetables. They left to study. I got home at 4:45 and saw that she was lying in the cage, which was unusual. She wouldn't take a green bean, and didn't whine when I petted her. I thought she just wanted to be left alone, after a stressful time at the vet's.

At 5:30 I checked on her again, Nutrical in hand. As I was trying to get her out of the cage, I realized that she had little control of her muscles. Once outside the cage, she was unable to stand up. Her feet splayed out from under her. I started crying immediately, knowing that she was dying. I've never seen anyone or anything die, but I just knew that this was the end for her. She was too thin to continue on. I picked her up and cradled her, while I sent text messages to students that I knew loved Qingqing. She just lay in my arms, not moving, not making any sounds. Her pupils were dilated. Students started coming right away. I held her and cried, then I let three seniors who were closest to her hold her. As the third one was holding her, she let out several sounds of distress and straightened her front legs and was still. Eight girls and I cried again. Four or so minutes later, we noticed that her mouth had moved a little. We stopped petting her and noticed that her stomach was moving very slightly. She was still breathing, but barely. The girls hoped for a revival, but it was not to come. At some point in the next five minutes she stopped breathing. We don't know when, because we were busy petting her and showing her our love.

We buried her behind the soccer field and track. I wanted her to be buried at school, where I live, but not somewhere I would see every day. The track is a couple hundred meters from where I live. I can go to the corner where we buried her whenever I want to. I also like the idea of her being there, because I can imagine her running gleefully around the track, like big Bunny 500's. She never actually did this, as she was afraid of being outside, but it's nice to imagine her this way. I decided against having a necrospy (sp?) done, since she had died at home. I had considering having one done if she had died in the vet's office. I felt it was best to bury her right away, for closure for me and the students present. They borrowed a shovel from a maintanence worker and we walked in the dark to the far corner of the track. Several other students joined us, as the news spread. Some dug a hole while others prepared a cardboard box I had. I wrote "Qingqing, beloved pet rabbit of Nancy Buswell, English teacher, Dec. 10, 2007" on one side of the box, and a student wrote the same thing in Chinese on the other side. We buried her with some of my old clothes and towels around her. It seemed like the right thing to do. Plus in Chinese traditional thinking, she'll need some clothes to keep her warm in the afterlife! Her burial spot is out of the way, but we covered it with leaves anyway and were able to drag an old pole over it, making sure that no one would accidentally step on her unmarked grave. I thanked the students for coming and gave good-bye hugs, then they went on to study or relax and I came home to inform friends by text message and email that my beloved rabbit had passed away.

I am sad, of course, but I knew it was coming. I cried this morning when I realized that it was time for her to go, cried at the vet's when he was examining her frail body and still suggesting that we keep fighting, and cried tonight before, during and after her death. I'll recover in a few days, but I'll probably be looking around the apartment for her for a long time. It'll be so quiet here. It's amazing to me how fast she went. And I am thankful for that. I don't think that she was suffering at the end. I saw no signs of it, like tooth-grinding. I think her thin body just wore out, ran out of steam. (Without the necrospy, I'll never know for sure why she died. I'm assuming it had to do with the lump on her jaw. Maybe that made her immune system weak, unable to fight off whatever caused her two wounds.) Now I have the good memories of her life with me and my students and friends, and I can imagine her out on the track chasing after joggers and on the football field running around the legs of the boys playing soccer. Maybe she'll even bite the toes of boyfriends and girlfriends looking for privacy in that dark corner of the recreation area!

I loved Qingqing, and I'm so happy that she was part of my life for a little more than 2 1/2 years.

Nancy
Xi'an, China
December 10, 2007

 

[Flashy]

Binkyfree Qingqing, enjoy those Bunny 500's around the track!

Nancy, I'm so deeply sorry for your loss. I know it might not bring you much comfort now, but she died surrounded by friends and being loved so deeply. I can't think of a more perfect way for someone to die. I'm glad for you she died peacefully, but obviously deeply sorry that you and her have had to suffer through this.

It sounds beautiful where you buried her, it sounds perfect

If you ever need a chat, you can always feel free to PM me.

Take care of yourself.

Tracy

x

RIP Qinqing, a beautiful angel has joined the afterlife.

 

[Leaf]

Qingqing will always hold a special place in my heart. I'm proud of all you did and tried to dofor her. I'm really at a loss as to what to say right now.



((hugs))

 

[Haley]

Oh Nancy, this is so heartbreaking. :bigtears:

Its comforting to know she went peacefully in the arms of you and those who loved her deeply.

Rest in peace Qingqing. You were loved by so many. :bunnyangel:

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Nancy, sometimes I think they know we are struggling. I think they know it's time to just let go and give themselves and us peace.

She wassuch a special girl. I know she will always hold a special place in my heart. She had so many people who loved her so much and to have some of them around to wish her well in her passing is more than some people have.

She will be with you always. For now, she's just in a different place. Healthy and healed and being a bunny! RIP Qingqing. :bunny19

 

[ChinaBun]

Thanks for the kinds words, for those who have written, will write, and will just think them!

I'm going to write something on the Rainbow Bridge branch tomorrow. Tonight I need to get to bed early (it's already 10:35 here). Today was a hard day, and I've got an 8 am class tomorrow. I imagine that by tomorrow all of my students will know the news. The campus grapevine works well. I hope I don't cry in class too much. My students will understand, though. They are very kind.

Goodnight all. I'll check in again tomorrow.

 

[Flashy]

Ihope you get a decent nights sleep.

If you do cry in class, yes, it might not be what you wanted to do, but your students sound pretty caring, and all it shows is that you loved Qingqing and will miss her, and there is no shame in that.

Take care of yourself.

 

[slavetoabunny]

I'm so sorry for your loss Nancy. Qingquig was loved by so many and had a wonderful life with you. I was rooting so hard for her return to health.

RIP Qingqing.:bunnyangel: