A note from Linda, our President...

To let you know............
A note from Linda, our President...

Salty our big Gray Giant Chinchilla Breed Bunny died last night though we tried hard to save her. A necropsy done today showed that Salty died of bowel impaction and renal failure brought on by a bizarre complication of her spay back on November 5th. She developed adhesions that encircled both the bowl and one ureter shutting both off which put her into renal failure and obstructed her bowel. It was a very odd complication that could in no way have been predicted or prevented. The only way to save her would have been surgery some time ago before the symptoms appeared. So nature took it's course as hard as we tried to prevent that from happening. Thanks to Dr Fahy of South Wilton for doing a no charge necropsy to help us all learn what happened. Salty had been bonded last week so she leaves behind a very sad little black bunny who we will be rebonding as soon as possible.

Linda at the Hop A Long Hollow 203-247-4661

Salty passes.

Salty passed away during the night. She leaves behind new bond mate Marle. A necropsy will be done to find out what happened.
We have a Petco picture day fundraiser thingie today. Hope the Holidays can bring us in some good fundraising. Linda has 14 rabbits on medications right now, all needing frequent vet visits. She is in overload. Brandee

Salty goes to the vet...

Ok, Blue, we don't know what's up with her, but she seems to be doing better. After finally getting Katie to go to sleep today, I went down to clean the rabbits and Salty (large gray chinchilla rabbit that came down from Cottontail Rabbit Rescue) was grinding her teeth like mad. I thought I was home for the day (You know how that goes Linda) but I had to get her to the vet. If you pet a rabbit and they start grinding their teeth, that is called tooth purring, they are enjoying be pet. If you walk in on a rabbit grinding it's teeth, usually it means it's in pain. So, from Stratford down to South Wilton I went. They did blood work and an X-Ray. We don't know where we will be getting the money from for this one, and we are awaiting the results. She was spayed November 5th, so it's a little late for lesions I believe, and she is newly bonded to Marle. The Doc feels a knot in her uterine area, so maybe an infection from the surgery? Puppy and Lovey got adopted, I have a GP here for a Christmas present for someone, and I'm getting down in my cages. I have 4 cages of rabbits left (one cage is mine) and 4 cages of chinchilla's still looking for homes. Brandee

OK, just got an update. She's in major stasis, tho she is still eating, blood values were poor, and may be kidney stones. Linda is going to try to pull her through, but with the lack of funding for surgery, we may have to put her down. If it's kidney stones, they gotta come out. I'm so upset for Salty, and am very happy Linda got her some heavy duty pain meds....

Blue goes to the vet

Well, Blue had to be rushed down the vet today because she started breathing funny. Linda started her on Zith 3 days ago, but even her beautiful fur looks bad today. We are thinking she may need to spend the night on oxygen. We have two of the HS bunnies also going to South Wilton tomorrow, one is having surgery, I wish I had taken a picture of the tumor on one of the legs. Linda and I are undecided on whether it's a massive tumor or a massive abscess. I'm so tired today but at least Katie seems to be feeling better, I think her teeth are finally busting through. Yawn... More later...

Lots going on...

Well, it's been a while, so for those of you who don't know, we lost our son 18 weeks into the pregnancy. It was a bummer, but we are moving on. Lumar, Ali's boyfriend, lost his mother 2 days ago. Harvey's brother has been in the hospital in a coma for over a week. It's been nuts. Now let's get to the rabbits. I just took in one 2 weeks ago, the cutest lion-head that was running loose in the Grasmere area of FFLD, his name is Drew and will be neutered and up for adoption soon, I'll post a couple of pics when I can. We took in a couple of others with health issues, and there are two at the HS that we are helping with, one looks like possible testicular cancer again. I took in a black bunny from animal control in ffld today, he looks like Michele Chellemi's bunny Jet, he's black and beautiful. I'll have to think of a name for him later. Again, another neuter. We had a bunny come in from North Haven that was all messed up, broken bones, jaw, dislocated shoulder, respiratory, and Linda did her miracle work with Dr. Fahey once again, and she, Blossom, is doing really well. Katie is running under my feet, so I'm going to bail for a few and see if I can't get back onto blogging more soon, like about how my garage now looks like a thrift shop! We are still taking tag-sale donations, and will take them all year round. Brandee

Argh! Long week...

I don't even know where to start. Last Thursday is just a blur, I know it involved a kitten call and the Trumbull rabbits, I just know it was rabbit filled and we spent a good portion of the day in the car. Friday morning I got up, borrowed a trap from Feral Care, set two traps in someones yard in Stratford to trap two rabbits running loose (there was a third but a car took that one out), ran a bunny to South Wilton Vet that had come in from Trumbull with scabs, missing fur, and major front teeth malocclusion, went to Linda's to pick up a baby bunny I'm watching, and then took the bunny with Katie (my 14 month old) and I too my OBGYN apt. at 10:45 in Fairfield. They weren't even awed that I showed up in the office with a rabbit. They know what I do. Saturday we had another Tag-Sale, we made it little over $300, and have another one next Saturday, and two in October. We are hoping to buy an incubator that has a front sliding door on it, they hold the heat well, and they cost about $500. It's a necessity for when we get in baby bunnies. I lost 5 this month. It sucks. Our money this past tag sale went to two vet bills incurred on the same day. One for a rat that has been passing blood in the urine, another for a 6 week old baby bunny that had to have Bot-Fly larvae (cutebra) removed from it surgically. We spend it as fast as it comes in, there is so much going on right now. We are in need of donations for our upcoming tag-sales. Please contact Brandee for item donation at 203-767-1150.

Sad News..

From Linda:

With great sadness I wanted to let you all know that tonight we lost our little Addie. Addie was a tiny little bun with a very big heart who came from the Easton Barn rescue back in February 2009. She arrived covered with frostbite. It took many months but she healed - though she did lose one of her hind legs. Addie lived in Brandee's kitchen for the first 3 months and then moved in with Linda for an additional two months. She visited Dr Fahy weekly and had far more than her share of dressing changes, drugs and treatments. She tolerated it all and never once tried to bite anyone no matter how much pain we caused her. Brandee was sure she would never make it through that first horrible night and we expected her to die each day for the first full month. Each morning she was still with us was a miracle. Slowly she healed and one daysomething very special happened. Addie was adopted! Brandee and I both cried to see her go off on her own with one of our trusted volunteers, Melissa. It was like Addie had come full circle and found herself a wonderful new life. Little Addie spent two very happy months with her new family who adored her. For the first time in her life she knew comfort and happiness. She spent each evening cuddled up and being petted and loved. She was no longer cold or hungry or in pain. She had her dressing changed on the remaining hind leg each week and each time we all rejoiced that she was on her way and so close to final recovery. Yesterday Addie ate and acted completely normal. This morning Addie didn't seem right. She wouldn't eat. Anyone who knew Addie knew nothing gave her more joy than food. Something was very, very wrong. Addie was rushed to South Wilton where they attempted to save her but she passed away tonight. No one knows why but stasis was certainly a part of it. Addie was never strong enough for spay surgery and I suspect she may had had ovarian cancer. Purely a guess on my part. She leaves behind all of us who loved her. She was our TV star, a Hollow mascot, an inspiration and our friend. She was a part of our lives and she will be very much missed. Our condolences and our warmest wishes to Addie's family.

Exhaustion Hits the Hollow...

Things have been nuts. This morning Linda and I went to Norwalk and caught two bunnies by the highway, we have named them Basil and Nellie. Nellie (white one) screamed when I caught her, it was heart wrenching. They are here together, have a spay and neuter set for the 25th, and are terrified half to death, especially Nellie. They are settled in nicely, but after running loose for over a month, I'm sure it's been a very big day for them both.

My cat Mitose died two weeks ago, Timmy who was bonded to Munchie, died last week, and now we have Addie (little 1 1/2 pound that came in from Easton nut) at South Wilton, rushed down today not looking good. Things happen in 3's for us, and we hope Addie will pull through fine. She's already on borrowed time, I thought for sure she would die on Feb. 3rd when she was dropped off in horrible shape. Since she has made a full recovery after leg amputation and has found her palace home with her human servants. We are praying for her full recovery once again. Linda has had many pet sitting jobs come through, and we have had volunteers canceling, which seems to happen more in the summer - but really stinks because that is when Linda's asthma is at its worst. We are having a tag-sale at 306 Lordship Road in Stratford this weekend, and several others coming up through-out September and October. I just can't write enough about all the stuff we have had going on, I can't keep up, and I know Linda has had it 50 million times worse. We are looking for more donations all the time, and more reliable volunteers. Please contact us if you can help!
Brandee

Nothing to say but OY!!

So the past week and a half has been nothing short of draining. Emotionally, physicially, and mentally.

I found out that my company got bought out everyone will be getting laid off. They told us we have more than 1 year but less than 3. Hopefully the job market will be better by then!

We received a call from Trumbull Animal Control about a week and a half ago. A family in Trumbull had 17 rabbits and several other creatures in the home that were not being cared for. Apparently, when TAC went into the house, there were dead rabbits in cages with live ones, and so many bags of trash in the garage that it was packed full to capacity. Not sure if they ever actually went through the trash but the last I heard, they were sure they find more dead animal bodies if they did. TAC seized the animals and is now pressing charges for animal abuse. This is the same family who TAC seized 16 rabbits from a couple of years ago. 3 of them became HALH residents (Biscuit, Ringo, and Milo). The family decided not to relinquish the animals this time so TAC actually has to press charges in order to (hopefully) obtain custody.

I took in Sam & Dean to foster for a little while so that Linda could open up a cage for any bunnies that may come in as a result of the above situation. Sam and Dean came in to us earlier this year. They had been left in an outdoor hutch when the owners sold the home. I have no idea how long they were out there for before the new owner found them. I remember they were really skinny when they came in, but Sam (who is much smaller than his big brother Dean) is very VERY scared. He charges and grunts at any thing that moves (except for Dean), but if I sit on the floor he will come and stand on me and just be generally nosey. I'm determined to get him adoptable! Dean on the other hand is a bit timid but much more outgoing than Sam. At least Dean lets you pet him!

So last Saturday the 25th, was the HALH Garden Party. There were not as many people there are there have been in the past, but I think it was more manageable for Linda and Harvey! Overall, I feel that it went well and the food (courtesy of Harvey) was wonderful, as usual!

On Sunday, I dropped off my two Flemish Giants to Brandee so that she could attempt to bond them. They have been living in separate x-pens next to each other for well over a month but they were still bickering and boxing each other so I figured I would have Brandee give it a try. 26lbs of rabbit is a lot to handle to begin with, but add in the fact that everyone in her house is sick and it was chaos. So I went and picked up my beasties last night and we will try again in a few weeks when things are less hectic!

Anyone able to donate designer clothing/handbags (no knock off’s), 33 or 39 gallon BLACK trash bags, or newspapers, please contact Linda or Brandee! We can always used Petco gift cards and grocery store gift cards as well to buy supplies and greens!

Thanks everyone!

Wow... Long Time No Blog!!

Hey, well, here was my day... I woke up with my 11 month old, soon to be a year (WOW HAS IT FLOWN BY!), and noticed that the garbage had been broken into by Raccoons... It was all over the driveway, so I called my good friend Madison Letizia (age 10) and she came over to play with Katie so I could clean up my driveway and put the dishes away, get a couple of bunnies together to swap with our main location in Norwalk, Madison rode down to Norwalk with us and watched "Brats" in the backseat with Katie. THANK YOU MADISON! We stopped at Dutchess and got breakfast. I went and did the shots and was sad to be in such a rush to leave Linda to set up and rearrange the cages to accommodate the bunnies I brought down. Things change so much with a baby, and now that she's walking, I can't just put her in the stroller and expect her to watch me help clean, she screams for being confined! Linda will be joining in on knowing what that is all about as her Grandson Logan is now 2 months old and will be strolling around in just a few months as well. Next I dragged Maddie and Katie to the dump with me, then we dropped Maddie off at home to visit with her Uncle Jason. Katie finally fell asleep for her 8:30 nap at 11:00, and I continued to weed the garden and do dump runs. I had to stop the traffic next to Sikorsky Memorial Airport to help a turtle cross the road... Another dump run, and then I did the unthinkable. I went to Dutchess again. I got a burger and pulled over next to the Ramada Inn on Lordship Blvd. to eat my burger and there was a baby Seagull walking through the parking lot crying. I called Wildlife in Crisis to ask their advice, went about my business, then went back by. The baby had climbed the back stairs at the Ramada and was laying there crying. A guy came out and said that it had been there the past day, so I gathered it up, brought it home and fed it, then Jim to the rescue! He not only took Cakester the Guinea Pig down to the Humane Society for me, but also drove the Seagull (a "Laughing Gull") down to WIC in Weston. I then went to drop off Peanut (bunny) to her new home. I cleaned some of the cages downstairs, then went to the graduation party of Nick Romeo who I have nannied for for over 8 1/2 years. We came home, Katie and I watched Mama Mia (again) and then I went down to clean cages. It's been a long day. My cat Toby, a stray we took in a couple of years ago, is missing. I'm afraid when we unload the garage for our Hollow Tag Sale this weekend, I might find him injured or worse. He doesn't come up to people, so it's touch and go with what's wrong with him. My cat Mitose peed on a couple of Katie's things this week, so Linda Howard at Linda's Doggie Salon in Stratford (SHE ROCKS!!) gave us a cat cage, which my husband cut new shelves for, and now we have to lock Mitose up at night. It sucks, but I can't deal with cat pee smell. We have many rats, Degu's, chinchilla's and bunnies up for adoption and foster. HELP!

If you are cleaning for us, THANK YOU! If you can help keep the litter boxes cleaned out, awesome, since summer is here the urine build up in litter boxes will cause more humidity, so please help us keep them really wiped out, also keep the doors closed at both locations, we don't want the possibility of fly strike hitting us. We are in need of 33 and 39 gallon black garbage bags, and if you see papers out on your neighborhoods recycling days, please think of picking them up for us and bringing them by, the less Linda has to do going out collecting, the more she can concentrate on keeping her home, seriously, her biggest business is designer fashions and collectibles on EBAY. Help where you can if you can... It takes a lot to run a household, and even more when you add a shelter on to it! Any fundraising ideas you are willing to follow through with is a huge bonus with us too! We take volunteers needing to fulfill community service hours, and those looking to rack up bonus credits for college... Have a great weekend! Brandee
203-767-1150

Chin Adoption, GP's and Rats for adoption, Bunny bondings...

One of the white chins dropped off here last month, Ichabod (now Miiko) found a new home with the Baker family. He is going to be spoiled rotten! They did lots of research, got a cage from http://www.martinscages.com/ (0ne of my favorite sites for cages) and Emily, his primary owner, is a well spoken and very intuitive child. Also, the parents know they are fully responsible, what a breath of fresh air! Our other white chin, now named Cotton, seems to be doing awesome with Christines Button and Larrie, and I guess she'll get herself an "Easter Chin" when she gets home from visiting nephew Rylen in VA. Christine is also fostering Van-Gogh the Degu, and he is so in love with her! I'm bonding Jesse (who was our Jackson Brown) to Vanilla, and it seems to be going well, and we also had a couple of bunnies dropped off last week from Sonya, a Belgiam Hare named Elmer, and a bunny that looks like she might have been some kind of dutch mix named Lilly. They really beat each other up, so I didnt' think the bonding would work from the start, and trying them here didn't help the situation either. They just don't like each other. I bonded Lilly with the Harlequin Bugs from Mandy's rescue that we had just bonded to Jessica's Bunny Chloe that passed this week from a heart disorder, (and we are so very sorry for Chloe's passing, especially me since she was staying with me and I had to rush her to the vet, and Jess and David were on their honeymoon, I just can't not feel somewhat responsible...) Lilly and Bugs are totally grooming each other and seem to be in love. Elmer the Belgium, he doesn't like any of our girls we have right now. We'll see what the family says when they get back in touch with me again... I don't know if I mentioned we got in 4 five week old brown baby bunnies from Mandy, and a pregnant mom (Breyer) that gave birth last week to another 4. She is so scrawny, but trying to do her best to keep herself and her babies happy and healthy. 2 look like Hot-Tot's and 2 look like maybe dwarf albino's, we'll see when their eyes completely open. The bun at Linda's may give birth as well, and there are several others looking for permanent or foster homes. We have a wonderful woman, who I think wishes to remain anonymous, that is going to pay for the spays and neuters on the other rabbits left, and hopefully we can find foster homes for them. We have had a very busy couple of weeks, and though we love what we do, it can be a bit frustrating at times, and tiring... Good Night, Brandee

Addie update, more babies...

Addie went to the doctor again yesterday, they think the leg they want to amputate may still have a chance to regenerate (or fall off) and have never seen anything like her (like so many other buns we bring in) so while the other foot is getting better, starting to grow more hair, we are going to wait another month to see what happens with the foot - she's cool though - on antibiotics still, so she's great (DON'T KEEP YOUR BUNNIES OUTSIDE! FROSTBITE SUCKS! Then again so does flystrike, maggots eating your rabbit from the outside in, which happens in the summer). Mandy at Cottontail Rabbit Rescue was given a situation to deal with where this guy, if I'm getting the story straight, is a trapper. He had 15 bunnies that he was going to shoot before he went away for a month and a neighbor said he'd help place the rabbits, so we took a couple and a litter of 4 babies that are 4 1/2 weeks old, but had to be taken from their mom as she just had another litter. They are doing well, and a female I took in here just had a litter while I was at work tonight, looks like 4, but I didn't mess with the litter too much. I'll give the mom a couple of days, she's so exhausted this evening and I want her to be comfortable here.
We have had several bondings going on. Our bun Duke just got bonded to Jim's bunny Chloe, and I'm trying Jess's bunny Chloe with several of our males while she and David are away on their honeymoon... I'm trying Celeste and Johnny (Jax now) again to no avail. I have 2 bunnies coming in tomorrow (Mandy's adoptions) that I'm going to try to assist in. We have several more bondings and adoptions coming up, I'm going to see if I can take Michele C's buns Jet and Roxy in the next two weeks and see what I can do with them. Clyde had passed away leaving Bunny behind and we tried bonding her with Jesse (aka Jackson Brown) and they were doing great the first two-three days, then all hell broke loose. We'll try him with Vanilla and maybe another bunny at the HS (I think her name is Kiki) next week. It's been a busy, busy few weeks,
and Chelsea is due any day now, and both her and Linda are sick (Linda, I love you, but you sound like crap today!) with Harvey just getting over it. I'm just tired. I'm trying to keep up with Katie (9 months old today!), being at work (my job is great), making calls, checking e-mails (which I've been horrible at) and cleaning what I have here, which was 9 rabbits, and just went up to 17 over night (and the bondings), 11 rats looking for homes, 4 chins looking for homes, 3 which may have them, and 2 Guinea Pigs, a single male, and a single female... Let's not even get into what Linda has going on with all the rabbits and the new Grandson on the way.
Brandee

Lionheads looking for homes/A very nice donation...

I got two letters in my mailbox today at my home address. One freaked me out a bit, and one made my day... The first letter I opened was someone looking to place 9 lionheads, so of course with it coming to my home address I figured soon there would be a box of bunnies on my front lawn. I spoke to the owner and he is totally responsible and looking for help, he wants to make sure the bunnies are taken care of now and not wait till last minute. I would totally adopt out to this family. With the possibility that we all have of losing our homes right now with the economy the way it is, once I spoke with him, I felt so much happier about helping out. They had bought two bunnies (miss-sexed of course) from the Milford mall pet store. Honestly, I don't even shop at the Milford mall because this pet store is there... His bunnies had a litter and the pet store took them back. He wants us to come over, which I'm doing tomorrow, sex the bunnies properly, and find them homes. I was so totally impressed with my conversation, unlike the one I had a couple of weeks ago with the woman ranting and raving she was going to report us to the police because she had a bunny to donate and we had no room. I don't understand why people assume because we do rescue that we HAVE to help them. The man I spoke with today, I am so happy to help out. So tomorrow I will go and sex what he has told us are Lionheads, and place them out accordingly, of course with the CT Humane Society once again there to help us out (Thank you HS and Allyson!).
The second letter I got was from a man who came by with his wife this weekend looking to place their two standard gray female chinchilla's. It was the nicest note with a donation of $200 stating that if we didn't place them soon, he'd send further funds as he didn't expect us to take on the financial burden. It was so nice, my day ended on a good note! Thank you to the family! I'm tired (took a nap with my 8 month old today for about 1 1/2 hours not meaning too, but it just happened) and Linda's daughter Chelsea is due any day now, so all hell is about to break loose at their home, in a very good way, but still a very busy way. We have 2 Petco dates coming up in Milford on the 4th and in Norwalk on the 11th, the Easter Bunny will be at both, and nail-clippings for a $10 donation per rabbit from 11a.m. to 1 p.m. on both days will also be available, I also do ferret and Guinea Pig nails too in case anyone needs it! Addison (Addie) is still hanging in there, and so is her hind leg that will either be removed or fall off, and there is a LOT of pet sitting going on this month a long with several bondings. Well, I could write a book tonight, I'm sure, but too tired. We have 4 chins and 11 rats, a long with the very, very many rabbits all looking for homes. Nora has still been coming over to work with the rats, Christine has offered to help with the chins here, and ALI AND LUMAR GOT THEIR OWN PLACE THIS WEEK!!!! Yeah for you guys!!! We also have a degu up for adoption, if anyone has degu's that this one could even live next too for communication, that would be great. Mandy at Cottontail Rabbit Rescue also has several females if anyone is looking for a friend for their male. I'm here to do bondings, abuse me over it!!! Get your bun a friend! Brandee

Bugsy Passes/New Chins come in

We lost Bugsy on Thursday morning. I went down to give him meds and he was mouth-breathing, so I made the decision to take him in and have him put down, as neither Linda nor myself have ever seen a rabbit come back from that point. I packed Bugs and his bond-mate Moody in the carrier to go to vet, and Bugsy died on the way there. We got a room when we got there (thank you Barnum Animal Hospital) so Moody had a chance to say good-bye. It was sad to see her nudge him and climb on him, but all was done and we went to the Hollow to pick up Popeye (who came in smelling of urine, way over-grown nails and a tiny cage). I put him next to Moody and will try bonding them next week. I just tried bonding Leo the Lion-head and Bandita, and hopefully all goes well, they went home yesterday, we'll hope that it sticks, they are so darn cute together! Heather who was adopted a few weeks ago, may be coming back. She's being a brat to the pre-existing house bunny. Today I had a pair of 6 year old female standard gray chinchilla's dropped off, and Nora who has been coming to work with our rats, took home two babies to foster (though I bet she keeps them!). We had a GP adopted last week, and another that we have here, a black and white male who is sweet as can be that is looking for a home. We'll see what pictures I can manage this week - right?? OK, Katie and I are going to watch Mama-Mia, it's nearly her bed-time. Brandee

Addison's leg...

Ok, I am actually blogging two days in a row - messed up, but I have to share. Addie went to South Wilton today for another check up on her leg, and again had her amputation surgery postponed. She's doing awesome now, and the doctor seems to think that I may just mosey on into my kitchen one morning and find the leg has fallen off on it's own! Eeeeeeewwwwwww! As far as Addie goes, it's not bothering her, she's in no pain, and it would be better for her than putting the little 1 1/2 pounder through the surgery. She's still on Metacam, Baytril and Pen-G shots, and she is just doing great, she's actually following me in the kitchen now (she' knows where the lettuce is) and I'm so worried I'll step on her, she's the same size as Major's (our Shepard) toys! I have to watch out for her when Katie is in her walker zooming around too. We are making it work. Such good news after the loss of Oliver Chin. Bugsy on the other hand, I had to express his bladder again today, gave more fluids, and he's being force-fed now. He's just like Fuzz-butt, just lying there, only Fuzz is eating on his own. I'm keeping him with Moody, his bond mate, during the day so he doesn't get depressed, and putting him in a cage next to her pen at night so they can stay together. I hate this, this thought that every time I go see him he might be gone... Brandee

Hello's and Goodbyes

First, I want to thank you Ali for taking over and helping with the blog since I've been nutso and too busy to even feed myself! I want to also thank Ali and Christine for helping out at the Petco Fundraiser in Milford (which didn't raise much, but we still got to talk to people!) and for just constantly helping the Hollow. Today was a crappy day as far as things go. We took in a chinchilla named Oliver a few weeks ago that was misdiagnosed with a neck tumor, and after hearing he had been bought twice and brought back due to fighting, I was positive it was a neck abscess. I took him in to Dr. Pieper at Barnum Animal Hospital (who rocks!) and he drained the abscess and sent him home with meds, then when Christine (who wanted to adopt Oliver aka. Spooks) came by on Friday, we noticed a little drooling from him and also another lump that had come up on the right jaw. This time it was an abscess due to a poor diet and miss-aligned teeth, his teeth were white instead of the orange-red that a healthy chin (or Degu) should display. He went in again on Saturday morning for another surgery, he had a bad tooth that was going to need to be pulled, and things looked like they might go septic. We had full hope of him pulling through. I had him on Baytril and Metcam, and force fed him Critical Care last night. I went down at 6:30 this morning to give him and Bugsy (a bun that just lost a lot of use of his hind legs) their meds, and Oliver was dead. I am so upset, he had a possible awesome home with Christine if he had gotten better and gotten along with her totally layed back chins. It just sucks. Now Bugsy is not only having hind-leg weakness, but his front legs are splaying. He had fluids tonight, and he's on Metacam, Baytril, and Reglan. I had to express his bladder last night because he's not peeing on his own. He's not attacking his pellets like he usually does. He's in a crate next to his bond-mate Moody tonight so I can see if he uses the bathroom, but the are close enough to nose each other. I hate to separate them, but it has to be done to see what he is producing. On a good note, Addie, the bunny from one of the Easton dumps that I didn't even think was going to make it throught the first night, is doing amazingly well, one of her hind legs seems to be regenerating, so she will probably only have to have the one hind leg removed, and after having Martin's removed, I have high hopes, he was so much happier not dragging that dead leg around. Animals don't get depressed about appendages being removed like people do, they cope and make up for it. Addie is also going all over the place now, and constantly following me around the kitchen, especially if I'm opening the fridge, she knows that's where the goodies are. It's been a long, long weekend for both Linda and I, and we need a couple of quiet days. I currently have a very sweet black and white Guinea Pig and 2 white male chins up for adoption, and also a Degu here that rocks and they are all up for adoption. I also have the 11 rats that Nora has been coming over to work with to make sure they are socialized when going to new homes, 4 males and 7 females (I want them to atleast go in pairs! OK... Done and going to bed. Thanks everyone... Brandee p.s. Pictures should follow...

It's been a while....

So, April ended up coming back to us. The poor girl couldn't handle her, brought her back and went and got a cat instead. Her second choice had been Duke, who got adopted the week after, and he came back to us yesterday as well for being a handful. So I guess no matter which bunny poor Carrie adopted, she was going to have a hard time. Rabbits just aren't for everybody!

A friend of mine from work called me on Saturday and said his little lop girl wasn't eating. Of course, he failed to call me at the first sign of stasis like I had warned him and instead called me after she had not eaten in 36 hours. I told him to get to South Wilton ASAP - a few hours later he called me back to tell me she was dead...he never even made it to the vet because he didn't have a car. I feel horrible for him because he's my friend and I know what he's going through...but at the same time I am nothing short of outraged. When my first bunny, Tess, died from stasis I didn't know any better...I didn't know what to look for. I gave him all of the warning signs and told him to call me if he ever noticed anything.... I'm just suffering from mixed emotions.

We did get an email from the family that adopted our English Lop, Trouble. Of course, he is doing what he does best...making noise, rearranging his furniture and dishes, and climbing things like a cat!

We've also had some adoptions: Joy, Dusty & Jordan, and Sable & Cinnamon have all gone to a (hopefully) forever home! There was a family that was supposed to come yesterday that was interested in a bonded pair but she rescheduled so hopefully sometime within the next two weeks we can get another pair out of the shelter!

We had our first fundraiser of the season at Petco in Milford last Saturday. It wasn't very productive funding wise, but we had a lot of visitors and Dixie (my brother's flemish who joined me for the day) was quite well behaved. I will try to post pictures of her later if I remember....

TTFN!
Ali

Oy!!

So we got an email from Carrie, who adopted April. It looks like April is giving her a bit of a hard time, grunting at her and basically just scaring the bejesus out of her. I sent her an email and tried to give her some tips on dealing with a beasty bunny. Hopefully it works but if not, it looks like April may be coming back.

Dover is at Brandee's with his (hopefully) new girlfriend. They were eating together and snuggling when I talked to her last night so we are hoping that it lasts!

Our Mystery bunny went back to the vet to have her tear ducts checked again and after WEEKS on penicillin, the vet still can't get the tube in there to flush them out so it's more penicillin for her for a while.

Brandee has been so aggrivated the past few days that she is afraid to blog.

TTFN!

More Good News!

OK so I didn't get a chance to blog again until today, but another one of our long-time residents, Heather got adopted on Sunday (hopefully to be bonded to a nice little boy!) and Brandee got a call from a family in NEW JERSEY who are driving all the way up here this coming Saturday to adopt Tess & Dandy! Plus, we got another call from a woman who is in love with our newest all white/red eyed New Zealand, Dover. She wants to try to bond him to her existing female! Hopefully all goes well!

TTFN!
-Ali

Fantastic News!!

Woohoo!!! Our second longest resident, April, got adopted today! Her new mom is great and I know that April is going to a great home! She was with us since Spring 2007and although it was a long time coming, it was worth the wait!

Our little Diva is currently at Brandee's being bonded to a little boy named Brownie! Hopefully she will continue to be nice to him! And Bunny & Clyde went into a foster home - which will hopefully turn into a permanent home!

That's all I really needed to share!


TTFN!
-Ali

Respect, and lack of knowledge...

First, let me tell you that on my way home today from work, I was so fuming, I could have ripped someones head off. 4 boys walking down the street that I work on in Fairfield hocked a snowball at my car and nailed my windshield. I slammed on the brakes, slid a little, and 2 took off. I yelled at the other two that they had better get their butts over and apologize to me right then and there or I would track down their parents and call the cops, also mentioning that we paid 26,000 dollars for a car they were throwing stuff at. 2 came back to apologize, the other 2 were cowards and couldn't live up to the mistake they just made, or wanted to deal with the woman that was screaming at them like some loony bird. I had Katie (my 6 month old) with me in the back seat. I think that all the "lack of respect" has me really going right now. Kids nailing my car, people dumping rabbits in someone else's barn so they have to deal with the mess that has been left, people who beg for your help, and when it's offered and they don't want it the way you offer it.... It all comes down to respect. Respect of property, respect of life, respect of other people's time and lives. The people that I last wrote about, well Allyson at the HS was all set to take in the baby boys, and they charge a drop off fee, SOMEONE HAS TO PAY FOR FOOD!!!! The woman called, complained that the HS was only in it to make money off of them, (and they even dropped the fee just to get the buns from the woman) and she and her husband never dropped off the baby boys. She also gave the HS a hard time about it and was a snot. I bend over backwards to get to Norwalk to meet people, work with them on how to solve issues they have gotten themselves into and try to give them hope because either they themselves have messed up or the pet stores they got the rabbits from messed up on the sexes, and they just crap on me, and it's aggravating, it's tiring, it's wrong and disrespectful to someone who does what we do in rescue. We don't get paid to sex rabbits (like a vet would). We don't get paid to do nails and wash butts (like a vet would). We don't get paid to clean cages, run rabbit errands and make sure everyone has food, water and the medical attention they need. We don't have our gas paid for. We don't have our time paid for. We don't get paid to have our homes be like these revolving show rooms of animals. Yes, we do it because we like the animals, we like our volunteers, we like to see the homes that some of these guys actually make it into, but sometimes just the right people send a chill through your body as you wonder what the heck screws need to be tightened in their heads. We have a possible 4 bondings coming up this month, and it's exciting, and we are happy... My brains are so scrambled tonight, I am in a good mood, but aggravated, if that makes any sense at all. Ok, I'm still working on moving the computer room upstairs with my husband. I had to vent. Brandee

Good news comes with bad news....

Well, I have some good news and some sad news. I'll start with the sad news so we can end on a happy note.

Cloudy (also known as Lance Armstrong), the little lop that came in to us several months ago with testicular cancer, passed away last night at South Wilton Vet Hospital. His foster mom came home and found him practically comatose on the floor, barely breathing and temperature way down. She rushed him to the hospital where they put him in an oxygen tent and tried desperately to save him but it was just his time. He went from a very bad life, to very a good life where he was loved very much by a lot of people. Say a prayer for his foster mom, as she is very sad to have lost him after only a short time.

So now that we are all crying hysterically and hugging our fur babies so tightly their little eyes are bugging out of their skulls, I'll provide the good news:

1) Thumper got adopted last Saturday! A very nice woman who moved here from Japan a few years ago, and her husband, came to the shelter with a list of several bunnies they were interested in meeting. But it was little Thumper that stole her heart! He was such a good boy, I hope he stays that way in his new home! So of the 10 babies that came in with Mama Jessica, there are now only 6 left, plus Mama herself and her new hubby, Sal. Her daughter Peggy has been bonded to Bucky, the bunny with the consistently over-growing teeth. Puffy and Q-Ball are still at my house in foster care, Dusty & Jordan are at the Hollow along with Mama and Sal, and Double-Stuf is at my dad's house in foster care.

2) We got an email update from Hoppy's family the other day! Hoppy is doing wonderfully in his home, and he loves the little boy so much he sleeps in his bed with him! He is great with his litterbox (which is a miracle if you ask anyone who ever cleaned his cage when he was a shelter resident) and he is just living a great life!

Oh yeah, and I definitely forgot to post the pictures of Chelsea's girls playing in the snow a few weeks ago, so here they are now:







TTFN!

Ali

Aggravation

We had a woman e-mail about Gerbils, needing to place some.  I forwarded on to a friend that does small animal rescue and she in turn let me know that this woman has dropped off Gerbils to her at least 2x and once it was like 24 of them!  I let her know that we won't be able to assist her any further as it's more "Breeder Support" now than lending a hand and rescue.  She e-mailed me back letting me know it was her autistic son's fault, and I e-mailed her back telling her she should be ashamed of herself for trying the disability card and she should be in charge, not him.  Any how, it's the same woman we took 11 rabbits from with Trumbull Animal Control when I was over 8 months pregnant and it was pouring rain.  Aggravation.  I had 2 apt.s down at the Hollow this morning, one was with this wonderful, wonderful woman named Linda who brought bunnies to be sexed and is looking to get them altered and do everything right that she can for the animals.  The second apt. was with a gentleman and his wife who doesn't like animals, and they were expecting us to take in some of their baby bunnies after we already told them twice, NO!  We have no room at the moment with 70 already in the shelter and a couple of foster homes.  I sexed them out and thankfully Allyson at the Humane Society to the rescue again, she's taking in the baby boys.  When the mom called me back she also said she wanted to get rid of their Sheepdog.  I don't understand why people get these animals to get rid of them again, and she spoke with such an air of thinking that it's OK to do, that these animals are nothing and their lives nothing, it upset me.  I'll get over it.  We'll help do what we can if people are willing to hold out and work with us.  Ok, more later.  Brandee

Dumpster Diving... Thankfully not for rabbits!

Hey all! First, just a quick THANK YOU to Ali for helping with the blog and taking on just one more duty at the Hollow (She also cleans every single Saturday and handles our Petfinder site as well)! I'm going to write really quick before Katie wakes up (she just turned 6 months old on the 3rd!). We were desperate for Newspapers today so I went to the Stratford dump, and they had just emptied their bins, then I tried the recycling center and there were too many trucks dumping so I couldn't get into the building... I had to work today so by chance I went to the Fairfield dump, and JACKPOT! They have a walk in dumpster filled with people's bagged newspapers! I know this is funny, but I was so happy I nearly cried! We were so desperate and with the rain, everything has been wet. Linda has papers drying in front of her fireplace on her living room floor! OK, on to other news. Hoodie, now "Benny" is bonded with his new girl-friend Daisy, and will go home tomorrow with volunteer Linda! Reese is staying with adopted bonded pair Adam and Eve, now "Cinnamon and Pepper" so we can try a triple bonding with them next month, and it sounds like Redding, now "Margaret" may be bonded in her new home as well! Coco and Sonia just got adopted out of the Norwalk Petco location! We have an adoption on Saturday, and possibly a couple of more this weekend as well! We have 10 baby rats up for adoption right now a long with a single female, and the mom of the babies. If anyone can foster or is interested in adoption, please let me know! We have a rabbit coming from Mass on the 20th to find a girlfriend, and almost every rabbit is altered again! We are doing pretty well right now if we can just keep a flow of newspapers, stay about where we are in the cash department, and have everyone show up for their days to clean. Thank you to everyone helping, it's huge for us! Happy New Year! Brandee