12.30.2006

Willow is at the Rainbow Bridge

Linda took Willow to the vet 2 days ago because she sounded funny (heavy breathing) and appeared to be in stasis, no eating or anything. When she got to the vet, brat that she was, she started eating, and they didn't seem to think that there was anything wrong with her. Linda and I decided that Willow would come here, live in the bathroom with the chewed up baby gate so she come out and hang when she wanted (I was hoping she would be a permanent resident if she was ok with the dogs, I so want a middle-floor bunny!), and so that is what we were to do. When I went to see Linda today because Cleo seemed in stasis at my house (ate fine at Linda's!) Linda kept mentioning that Willow didn't look right, and she thought maybe Willow didn't like her because she had to keep giving her meds every day. Well, about 2 hours after I got Willow home, she started scampering about like she was freaked over something. I tried to calm her down, but I knew that she was dying, unfortunately I have seen something similar before. She did not scream, and it was over within minutes, so I hope she did not suffer greatly.

When I thought she was gone, I (yes, to a rabbit!) tried CPR. All that happened was foam through her nostrils. Linda told me that it sounds to be pneumonia or congenital heart failure and that the fluids from her lungs was what I was seeing. Chris agreed with the sounds of things.. I know to some of you this may sound graphic, but it's something that I wanted you to be aware of and know Willow is now awaiting on the rainbow bridge. I'm sure she and Princess are happy to see each other and tell stories of the many crazy ladies of the Hop-A-Long Hollow.








12.29.2006

Babies, babies, babies!!!!!






Well, it's just been another one of those days. When Shaylah came in, we felt she was in no shape for a spay with her wounds and all. We talked to one of our vets who said incase she was pregnant (which I should have known because all of the crazy bunnies have no idea what season it is anymore, even living outside), that the penicillin injections would be fine and would fight off most any infection she could get from being attacked. She was acting crazy two days ago, jumping on her hind legs and falling over backwards. I was worried and kept an eye on her. She was fine yesterday, and this morning, an unbelievable NINE BABIES WERE BORN! I don't know what to think now. I have 3 litters here, a total of 19 baby bunnies, all under a month old. We really are going to need to bust out flyers and a fundraiser NOW! All these guys will be hitting puberty around the same time, all will need alters. I feel overwhelmed, but what else can I do?




Ebony and Punky had there alters today, and Punky appears to have had her leg broken before, which could cause arthritis when she gets older, and she had small molar spurs that were filed down, but which may never come back if she has the proper diet. We will keep our fingers crossed and if all goes well (we gave the family the news and see if they want Punky still or will want to try another bun to bond to Ebony). Willow will be coming to live with me for a while, and Billy is still my bathroom bunny.




We have 9 spay/neuter appointments scheduled for January, with more from another vet if she has the openings. We will need funding for the surgeries (not to mention all the meds for the buns now in need) and the hay/food. It's gonna be hairy around here for a while. We are trying to cut back on intake, but the bunnies have ideas of their own.




Shaylah's Babies - Litter 5





Tapioca's Babies - Litter 3



Tinkerbell's Babies - Litter 4



12.27.2006

Sinus Problems

Tapioca spent the latter part of the day at Dr. Pieper's. She has been diagnosed with sinusitis, and he doesn't want to put her on meds because of the babies, which is fine by me. He gave me a great recipe for weaning baby bunnies today, actually, a couple. She came home with me around 6:15 (I got to meet Dr. Pieper's Parrot and saw his beautiful mother/daughter labs again today too) and I have the vaporizer going downstairs now, maybe it will help out with Cleo's ongoing sinus issues as well. The bathroom got so steamed last night that I have water spots all over the ceiling! I haven't checked my e-mail in 3 days, maybe 4, so I better get to it! Did I mention that Shaylah is doing beautifully and her scab fell off her head? It looks like she may regain all of her fur there too!

12.11.2006

A Rescue and the Passing of Princess

Well, today I got a call from Hamden Animal Control (HAC) who I also informed of the double bunny situation. The man who claims to own them (and I have been told is a Pit-Bull Breeder (nothing against Pit Bulls, just irresponsible breeders) not sure if he is, so not making any accusations, but hello! (How many Pits get put down each year, and you are breeding them?) called HAC after hearing from a neighbor that I said I would come back with HAC or police if needed but was going to catch those bunnies and get them to a safe and warm place out of harms way. The "owner" claimed to HAC that he lets them out because they are too cooped up. He told HAC that they have a dog-house packed with straw in his back yard. From what I remember, the yard is fenced in, so I asked HAC how they were supposed to get to their "safe-place" with a fence & Pit Bulls around, and how come they were out at 10pm, way after bunny bed time, in other neighbors yards huddled together for warmth. Also, if they were pets, how come they are so afraid of people? Hmmm?
HAC called me back a couple of hours later to let me know that the Havahart trap I set caught a bunny and gives me the name of the wonderful neighbor who has taken the trap to safety. When I got off work, I drove up at 7:00 pm and removed a very injured bunny girl from her cage on Mid-Hill Road, or Ave, or whatever, handed her off to our wonderful volunteers Jessica and her boyfriend David to smuggle her down the street, and re-set the trap in hopes to get the brown bunny too, if it's not to late for him/her.
I saw the bunny from tonight on Saturday when I went to set the trap and she was fine, along with the brown bunny (sex undetermined as of yet) but when I went to get her tonight you could see that she had been attacked by something. She has her third-eye lid hanging out a bit from her right eye, 3 sets of puncture wounds on her back, a huge scalped-looking mark on her forehead, and major white nasal discharge. When talking to HAC I mentioned our state statute re: the possible fines and jail-time for not properly containing your animals in a safe place where they could not be harmed. She agreed with me totally, and then after picking up the bunny, I left a message letting her know that I took pictures and had evidence against the so-called "owner". One neighbor gave me a hard time the day I went to set the trap, and I say bring it on.
Thank you so much to Wendy for calling us, and for several neighbors, that I will not name, for their help as well. I brought her back here, gave her triple antibiotic ophthalmologic cream for her eye and treated her other wounds after washing the blood from her fur. She is terrified right now, but I know that after being here in a safe and warm place with everything provided she will prevail.
I went to meet with a woman today that is really trying to do the right thing by her bunnies, and hope she will continue to do so, but needs help. She had a bunny she got from a local pet chain we will call that had a hole in its ear with an infection. She claims that they would not take the bunny to the vet, so they got her and brought her home. She was improperly sexed and with their other bunny had a litter of 5. Not realizing that a momma bunny could get pregnant within 3 hours after giving birth, the mom had another litter of 5 only 4 weeks later. I took the mom home with me today, and we will help with placing the remaining babies. The mom seems quite happy to have no one tugging at her for milk, and needs some fattening up. She seems very, very happy here.
We had our TV segment on Pet Talk, News Channel 12 again this weekend; hopefully it will also help with adoptions. Linda kept getting bit by a baby, but Chelsea's baby she was holding was well behaved, as was our wonder new star, Porkchop. We did adopt out 8 bunnies in the past 2 weeks, wonderful for them!
On a sorrowful note:
Hi Everyone......Some of you already know but for those who do not I am so sorry to tell you all that Princess died today. I am heartsick and very, very angry. She had her spay surgery with a vet in Fairfield and supposedly all went well. I picked her up today at 4 PM from the vets office and before I got half way home she began having convulsions and before I could get her back to the vet she was gone. I don't know what happened or why. We have ordered an autopsy from ANOTHER vet's office as I cannot help but feel the one who did the surgery did something very wrong. I have never lost a bunny like this and my heart breaks for Princess. She was special. I really don't understand why this happened unless it was gross negligence. She was so beautiful both in body and in personality. I don't know what else to say. Just that is never should have happened. I guarantee I will never use that vet again. If the autopsy report shows he was negligent I will pursue it for Princess. Not that that will help her but perhaps we can prevent it from happening to another bun.
Linda at the Hop A Long Hollow
And:
My mother and I are beside ourselves. We really felt like Princess was a part of our family and we were hoping to get to see her beautiful face in person one day. We are so sad and so sorry.
Please keep me informed as to the autopsy results---our little boy also died suspiciously after a visit to the vet and this should not be happening to these sweet, delicate animals.
Thank you so very much for considering us as part of Princess's life and letting us know.
Please keep in touch.
With condolences, tears, and prayers for Princess,
I am so sorry for our great loss today and for what Linda went through in the final moments as well. Princess was a beautiful and sweet bunny girl, and if anything, it is some what of a comfort knowing she didn't die on the street she was found on. May God's glory be with you little bunny girl, we will all miss you.

12.09.2006

How to catch a bunny

Well, all the babies were alive this morning as I packed up to head up to Hamden to try to trap another two bunnies running loose. Let's not even go into that B.S. I left a trap, and a few cranky neighbors. I'll hear back from someone soon I guess to let me know if the trap has worked. Hopefully they don't catch a skunk. With my luck, I'd be sprayed.
This afternoon I set up, hmmm.... 3 more cages. Momma and babies are in a cage right next to daddy, hopefully I can keep them bonded so she can go back with daddy after the babies are weened hey, they are both altered now. Dr. Lamothe and I spoke a couple of times this morning, and she says that due to some hormone change, a spay causes lactating to induce, so they should be fine if they can just make it past the first 2 weeks. I'll be checking to make sure that they continue to keep warm and that momma is doing what she can. Poor Tapioca, the pain of birth and I send her to have her insides removed. Well, learning experienced, and will always clean the cage BEFORE a spay/neuter. I pray that everything will work out. I hope I don't cause her to go into stasis. This sucks.

12.08.2006

Hidden babies

Now, on the darker side, my side of course! I took in 2 rabbits on Tuesday because Milford Animal Control called; the guy had called everywhere and was looking to let the bunnies go if no one took them. If I didn't take them, he was letting them go. Of course, they were a male and a female. I made an emergency vet appointment for today to get the female spayed so that we wouldn't have to worry about more babies. Dr. Lamothe called after the spay asking me if there had been any babies because she (Tapioca) looked swollen, I said no. She said that she might have miscarried and they might have been absorbed, but there was milk present. I am thinking to myself "Thank you God for no more to take care of." God planned things differently. When I got the 2 bunnies back home from their surgeries and went to clean out the cage, I saw that behind the litter box, well out of my sight, was a pile of fur. Oh, Crap. There are 4 baby bunnies there, and I know they were just born last night because I cleaned the cage yesterday. I really feel I suck big time. I have the incubator plugged in just incase tonight doesn't go well, and dwarf daddy has to stay in the big carrier for the night.

12.07.2006

Rabbit Rescue Brandee Style

9:AM Thursday morning: Bunny (Thumpie-Girl we are calling her) is watching as I pull into the driveway. We discuss carrot and broccoli options, but she does not agree to the terms. She makes a run for it, but I will not let her escape me. She runs into a tree trunk, an actual tree trunk with a hole in it. I try to coax her out with a carrot and let her know that in the evening it will drop down to 20 degrees or lower. She laughs at me. I put my hands around her in the tree trunk and gently drag her cranky butt out of there. She is safe at home with all the others, and of course, I am bleeding again from nice bunny scratches. I could never be a hand model.

12.06.2006

Adoptions Galore

I know it's once again been a long time since I have written. Things are so crazy, and everything is about rabbits. Last week Michele took Faith (now GiGi) home to be with Jet and things seem to be off to a wonderful start. The two baby girls from Litter 1(Cotton and Baby Gray) from the Elmsford Shelter, mom is Alise they were born Sept. 25th, left for their new home in New Jersey. Casanova has been adopted, Trouble was adopted last night, Bunny & Clyde have been adopted and will be going to their new home in January. It has been a nice week with bunny adoptions.

On Tuesday I was e-mailed by BAY ( a very kind woman I had never met before) to help with a domestic rabbit living in their yard. Nick was home sick but not sick-sick- and I drove him up with me to see if I could catch this bunny in Orange. Its just dropped down below the 40s this week. No sign of her, Searching, hunting, digging, and no sign. I go to leave about 45 minutes later, after driving through the neighborhood and searching through wooded and brushy areas, and then I see a bunny butt. I put the car in reverse, go to find her, and nothing. She has disappeared. Bratt. Ill go back the next day with a borrowed Havahart Trap from Stratford AC.