All I have going round and round in my head is the Alicia Keys song
âAll at once, see I had it all.
Now it doesnât mean anything, now that youâre goneâ.
Now, thatâs slightly over dramatic, because I have lots, even though you have gone, but I have lost something major, and there is a huge hole is our house right now.
In September last year I found myself with two fosters, Summer and Roger. One time when I popped down the centre I saw you, Floppy Mary, and saw you had head tilt. I had a chat with a staff member about our story. She said that you had been seized by an RSPCA Inspector and brought to the centre. You had lived with a guinea pig friend, but that they wouldnât treat your head tilt. At the centre, whilst they tried, their knowledge was not good enough and you also didnât get effective treatment there either, and I wanted to rectify that for you, I felt you deserved that.
I knew then I wanted to bring you home. I wanted to get you the treatment you needed and to then send you on your way to a new home in the best possible health.
I spoke to the staff again and she said you needed someone who would mother and nurture you, which I knew Roger would, but I also knew Summer wouldnât. You had already been spayed, so I brought Roge and Sum up to meet you, and it went relatively ok. I brought you home the same day. I couldnât be doing with the name Floppy Mary, so, thanks to Polly, you became Tilly, and then gained the nickname âIlly Tillyâ. Pretty sad really, hope you didnât feel the need to grow into your name, it only happened that way because it rhymed.
That night you and Summer and Roger started to bond in the living room. For of all Summer would not let you in the litter tray, so we did away with that, then she chased you round and round and finally you all settled. You showed that night you didnât actually need mothering and could cope fine with a feisty bunny.
For all intents and purposes, the bond was very successful, very quickly, and Roger had a minim harem.
You all moved in together very quickly, and you all did so well. You were so flaming independent it was sweet, but you needed them physically, whilst they needed you emotionally. We made adjustment after adjustment to allow you to have full access to everywhere, and you thrived brilliantly.
I kept my promise and took you to my vet and we gave you treatment my vet has never given a bunny before, but for you, it worked. We had to experiment a bit to find the right days to dose you on, but once we had you went from strength to strength. Every day or so we would see a new skill, sitting up to clean, cleaning a back foot, moving your left ear, jumping down from things, standing up like a meerkat, and we knew it was working. You were becoming a proper rabbit again.
Along with the medication I also gave you neck massages, which always seems worthy of a tooth purr, and I gave you physio.
We both worked really hard for you didnât we. It was possibly THE most rewarding thing I have ever done with a bunny, to see that change in you.
We were very creative with your physio. Iâm sure you thought you were having a marvellous time; Summer and Roger certainly did.
During all of that, you also became very firm friends with Summer, and where one was, the other was. I think she helped show you we could be trusted, and she certainly taught you bad food habits!
I adopted Summer because she got terminally ill, and before she died decided to formerly adopt you and Roge too.
When Summer died you stayed with Roger. It wasnât ever the same for you because you lost your chum and Roger is not really a snugly bunny, but you seemed happy. You started to take on Summerâs habits of being so excited about the food that you missed it, and you used to run in circles. You were so funny with the huge excitement about food. Youâd get under feet, be anywhere we were, and scoffing food like no tomorrow.
Then in September you started to lose weight. I had you vet checked because I suspected dental problems and the examination was it conclusive but I was not convinced, so I Metacamed you up and got a second opinion. We agreed to give you a few days on Metacam and see how you went. If you went downhill when it finished then we would do a dental. You did go downhill and we did do a dental. You struggled so much to recover. You scared me stupid that night and I was so relieved that you came through it. You stayed low and lost weight, and we all really fought to get your weight up and get you better. Your breathing deterioriated but the vet could find nothing and we put it down to stress.
You started to struggle to eat, you chose to sit more than move. I knew what was happening. If Iâm honest, as soon as your breathing started it reminded me of Summer and her secondary lung cancer. You were showing exactly the same things she did, in exactly the same way. You were spayed at an adult age, and I have a feeling it caught up with you.
I let Summer go at a similar stage as you were at today and I knew it was right for you. We had loves and cuddles, this morning. You went in on your harness. The vet was awesome with you and agreed it was kindest. Being the feisty lady are, you fought the needle going in, and then you were gone. Tomorrow itâs 6 months since we lost Summer, and it seems like a fitting time for you to join her.
The first thing I said after you died was that it was the first time I had ever seen you without your tilt, and so it was. You were free from it.
I know youâre free from it all now.
You have no tilt.
You have no breathing problems.
You have your best friend and youâre having a marvellous time.
Tilly, it seems so completely cruel. You suffered probably more than any other rabbit that came through this door, to Flashâs Place (With the possible exception of Rosie, but probably even more than Rosie). And yet you fought, so, so hard.
You have always been a funny, quirky little girl and have given me so very much. I learnt more from you than any other bunny, and got more rewards because of how much you improved and how very hard you fought. I will always, ALWAYS have a very special place in my heart for any bunny with head tilt because of you, your spirit, and just everything about you.
I miss you already, so much. Iâve been worried for Roger, but since he saw your body he has done much better than leading up to it. I think he knew, and maybe he started to avoid you, which was why you have been so snugly these past few days.
Right now all I want to do is cuddle you so tight, tighter than ever, and sit in the bathroom with you, in steam, like we did last night when you tried to climb on my back and snuggled in my neck. I miss you and I will always miss you. You were here for one year, two months and five days, and, like Summer, you made a large impact.
[align=center]
[/align]
[align=center]Binky Free Tilly.
[/align][align=center] Free from head tilt, freely breathing, free to run.
December 19[sup]th[/sup] 2009
[/align]
âAll at once, see I had it all.
Now it doesnât mean anything, now that youâre goneâ.
Now, thatâs slightly over dramatic, because I have lots, even though you have gone, but I have lost something major, and there is a huge hole is our house right now.
In September last year I found myself with two fosters, Summer and Roger. One time when I popped down the centre I saw you, Floppy Mary, and saw you had head tilt. I had a chat with a staff member about our story. She said that you had been seized by an RSPCA Inspector and brought to the centre. You had lived with a guinea pig friend, but that they wouldnât treat your head tilt. At the centre, whilst they tried, their knowledge was not good enough and you also didnât get effective treatment there either, and I wanted to rectify that for you, I felt you deserved that.
I knew then I wanted to bring you home. I wanted to get you the treatment you needed and to then send you on your way to a new home in the best possible health.
I spoke to the staff again and she said you needed someone who would mother and nurture you, which I knew Roger would, but I also knew Summer wouldnât. You had already been spayed, so I brought Roge and Sum up to meet you, and it went relatively ok. I brought you home the same day. I couldnât be doing with the name Floppy Mary, so, thanks to Polly, you became Tilly, and then gained the nickname âIlly Tillyâ. Pretty sad really, hope you didnât feel the need to grow into your name, it only happened that way because it rhymed.
That night you and Summer and Roger started to bond in the living room. For of all Summer would not let you in the litter tray, so we did away with that, then she chased you round and round and finally you all settled. You showed that night you didnât actually need mothering and could cope fine with a feisty bunny.
For all intents and purposes, the bond was very successful, very quickly, and Roger had a minim harem.
You all moved in together very quickly, and you all did so well. You were so flaming independent it was sweet, but you needed them physically, whilst they needed you emotionally. We made adjustment after adjustment to allow you to have full access to everywhere, and you thrived brilliantly.
I kept my promise and took you to my vet and we gave you treatment my vet has never given a bunny before, but for you, it worked. We had to experiment a bit to find the right days to dose you on, but once we had you went from strength to strength. Every day or so we would see a new skill, sitting up to clean, cleaning a back foot, moving your left ear, jumping down from things, standing up like a meerkat, and we knew it was working. You were becoming a proper rabbit again.
Along with the medication I also gave you neck massages, which always seems worthy of a tooth purr, and I gave you physio.
We both worked really hard for you didnât we. It was possibly THE most rewarding thing I have ever done with a bunny, to see that change in you.
We were very creative with your physio. Iâm sure you thought you were having a marvellous time; Summer and Roger certainly did.
During all of that, you also became very firm friends with Summer, and where one was, the other was. I think she helped show you we could be trusted, and she certainly taught you bad food habits!
I adopted Summer because she got terminally ill, and before she died decided to formerly adopt you and Roge too.
When Summer died you stayed with Roger. It wasnât ever the same for you because you lost your chum and Roger is not really a snugly bunny, but you seemed happy. You started to take on Summerâs habits of being so excited about the food that you missed it, and you used to run in circles. You were so funny with the huge excitement about food. Youâd get under feet, be anywhere we were, and scoffing food like no tomorrow.
Then in September you started to lose weight. I had you vet checked because I suspected dental problems and the examination was it conclusive but I was not convinced, so I Metacamed you up and got a second opinion. We agreed to give you a few days on Metacam and see how you went. If you went downhill when it finished then we would do a dental. You did go downhill and we did do a dental. You struggled so much to recover. You scared me stupid that night and I was so relieved that you came through it. You stayed low and lost weight, and we all really fought to get your weight up and get you better. Your breathing deterioriated but the vet could find nothing and we put it down to stress.
You started to struggle to eat, you chose to sit more than move. I knew what was happening. If Iâm honest, as soon as your breathing started it reminded me of Summer and her secondary lung cancer. You were showing exactly the same things she did, in exactly the same way. You were spayed at an adult age, and I have a feeling it caught up with you.
I let Summer go at a similar stage as you were at today and I knew it was right for you. We had loves and cuddles, this morning. You went in on your harness. The vet was awesome with you and agreed it was kindest. Being the feisty lady are, you fought the needle going in, and then you were gone. Tomorrow itâs 6 months since we lost Summer, and it seems like a fitting time for you to join her.
The first thing I said after you died was that it was the first time I had ever seen you without your tilt, and so it was. You were free from it.
I know youâre free from it all now.
You have no tilt.
You have no breathing problems.
You have your best friend and youâre having a marvellous time.
Tilly, it seems so completely cruel. You suffered probably more than any other rabbit that came through this door, to Flashâs Place (With the possible exception of Rosie, but probably even more than Rosie). And yet you fought, so, so hard.
You have always been a funny, quirky little girl and have given me so very much. I learnt more from you than any other bunny, and got more rewards because of how much you improved and how very hard you fought. I will always, ALWAYS have a very special place in my heart for any bunny with head tilt because of you, your spirit, and just everything about you.
I miss you already, so much. Iâve been worried for Roger, but since he saw your body he has done much better than leading up to it. I think he knew, and maybe he started to avoid you, which was why you have been so snugly these past few days.
Right now all I want to do is cuddle you so tight, tighter than ever, and sit in the bathroom with you, in steam, like we did last night when you tried to climb on my back and snuggled in my neck. I miss you and I will always miss you. You were here for one year, two months and five days, and, like Summer, you made a large impact.
[align=center]
[/align]
[align=center]Binky Free Tilly.
[/align][align=center] Free from head tilt, freely breathing, free to run.
December 19[sup]th[/sup] 2009
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