Alibunmum
Wise Old Thumper
Oliver is one of my foster buns who was found on the doorstep of a house in a tiny carrier. He was so matted he had to be shaved under anaesthetic.
I have noticed lately that Oliver has the ability to drain his water bowl twice a day. His litter tray is literally sloshing when the litter I have in all the trays is enough to soak up the urine, even for the pairs. I mentioned this to the vet when he was in for a check-up following his neuter. She gave me home some sticks to test his urine and see what came up. I cleared everything out of his crate and cleaned and disinfected his litter tray. He wasn't impressed with the lack of his comfy bed and thumped a couple of times to let me know exactly how he was feeling!
It didn't take long for him to wee in his tray, hooray for litter trained buns! I tested it and he was normal for everything other than protein which was the highest the strip showed. When I discussed it with the rescue, we felt that there was little chance of him being adopted and that spending a fortune - around £270 - would not be worthwhile. All it would tell us is that his kidneys are definitely failing and there is no way to make them better.
Reluctantly we made the decision to have him pts. It was a few days until I could take him to the vet and in those few days he seemed to blossom. He started climbing the cat tree I have in the kitchen for the bunny who is loose in the kitchen - the fosters share the kitchen and the outdoor run. I also noticed him being more interested when people approached him and he would put his paws up on the front of the dog crate when he thought someone was going to let him out.
I couldn't stop thinking that although we knew he was ill, he was also a rabbit who enjoyed life and didn't seem to be suffering. I had a chat with OH and we decided that we would keep him on here long-term as long as the vet agreed he wasn't suffering and that we would not be going to extraordinary lengths to keep him alive.
When I got to the vet, his position was that the rabbit he was looking at did have life-shortening isuues but, on that day, was not ill enough or suffering enough to be pts. He left the decision to me :? . I said that in that case I would keep him on and let him enjoy life with us for as long as he had left. The vet burst out laughing and said 'I knew you would say that!' Generally I would not keep a foster bun rather than rehome them. That doesn;'t help all the other buns out there who need a chance but I really felt he was a special case.
In other ways he is doing brilliantly and no longer has any bald patches. He sit really quietly to be groomed, except for his tum which he just hates. :evil: He is so friendly and lets my youngest carry him around. How long he is here for, no-one knows but in the meantime he has a cosy bed, good food and lots of noserubs to look forward to.
I have noticed lately that Oliver has the ability to drain his water bowl twice a day. His litter tray is literally sloshing when the litter I have in all the trays is enough to soak up the urine, even for the pairs. I mentioned this to the vet when he was in for a check-up following his neuter. She gave me home some sticks to test his urine and see what came up. I cleared everything out of his crate and cleaned and disinfected his litter tray. He wasn't impressed with the lack of his comfy bed and thumped a couple of times to let me know exactly how he was feeling!
It didn't take long for him to wee in his tray, hooray for litter trained buns! I tested it and he was normal for everything other than protein which was the highest the strip showed. When I discussed it with the rescue, we felt that there was little chance of him being adopted and that spending a fortune - around £270 - would not be worthwhile. All it would tell us is that his kidneys are definitely failing and there is no way to make them better.
Reluctantly we made the decision to have him pts. It was a few days until I could take him to the vet and in those few days he seemed to blossom. He started climbing the cat tree I have in the kitchen for the bunny who is loose in the kitchen - the fosters share the kitchen and the outdoor run. I also noticed him being more interested when people approached him and he would put his paws up on the front of the dog crate when he thought someone was going to let him out.
I couldn't stop thinking that although we knew he was ill, he was also a rabbit who enjoyed life and didn't seem to be suffering. I had a chat with OH and we decided that we would keep him on here long-term as long as the vet agreed he wasn't suffering and that we would not be going to extraordinary lengths to keep him alive.
When I got to the vet, his position was that the rabbit he was looking at did have life-shortening isuues but, on that day, was not ill enough or suffering enough to be pts. He left the decision to me :? . I said that in that case I would keep him on and let him enjoy life with us for as long as he had left. The vet burst out laughing and said 'I knew you would say that!' Generally I would not keep a foster bun rather than rehome them. That doesn;'t help all the other buns out there who need a chance but I really felt he was a special case.
In other ways he is doing brilliantly and no longer has any bald patches. He sit really quietly to be groomed, except for his tum which he just hates. :evil: He is so friendly and lets my youngest carry him around. How long he is here for, no-one knows but in the meantime he has a cosy bed, good food and lots of noserubs to look forward to.
