We used to have two small blue-grey Lops that were sisters. We took them on from a household family...usual story, the kids lost interest......They gave us sooo much joy and laughter is stunning how clever they are. We brought them (had made) a decent size hutch and got a large 6x4ft run for them which we would let them use most days, always changing layout of tunnels and ramps, boxes to get them excited and play..3 years later We came back from Hol one year (they were being looked after by parents) but the day we were travelling back Bumpy (thumper) was in some quiet distress, floppy etc , ...Long story shot we think she had a stroke,Though the vet at first thought it was just her being weak...but after seeing her head slightly lopsided as well as her tiny lips dropped on one side shower part of her teeth it was more clear... while hand feeding her we think she had another and she died in our arms....
To be honest .even if she had not had the 2nd stroke, we would have prob (as traumatic though it would have been) had her put down, I say that because Bumpy was sooo active and playful she loved to run jump play I would always change the large run lay out tunnels platforms for her..her quality of life for what she was normally used to would have been miserable .
We would have paid bit extra for the vet to come to our place so she could give her the injection while laying in her own hutch next to her sister, so it would have been less traumatic for her and her sis.
After Bumpy had passed away in our arms, after the initial 20 min of us both being very upset and tearful (yes even a big grant Mitchell type geezer like me!!!) we laid her in the hutch for LULU to see her...She (as we have seen before) licked her eye a few times, to see if she would respond and of course she did not. She then stepped back sank down into her dulap and looked very down ad sad (this you must do to let them know they have gone and will not be returning...or they will forever wait for their return which can make bonding with another difficult)
We even made sure she saw us bury her..in a huge garden pot and planted acer tree/rose which she has fed into a wonderful tree...LuLu...well.Yes she would often look at the garden where she was and was depressed and sad for a long time, her coat got tatty and malted a little from stress..though we would give her loads extra attention in that period, extra cuddles, strokes, brushing etc.
We then while looking for a mate for her decided to get her spayed (Even though when we first got them the vet said they were too old..turns out that was not the case-2nd opinion) So she was booked in and I was rang at home half way through the operation to be told that they had found a cancer tumour the side of an egg inside her womb!! We had two options 1.to leave it and make her comfortable for last few months...or two roll the dice and proceed with the operation to remove everything womb all her bits and the tumour with odds 20-80 against her survival. I got quite upset but decided it would be better for her to take this risk and if she did not make it she would at least be with her sister in rainbow bridge.
After putting the phone down this big burly shaved head guy (ME) got very upset and tearful as I was sooo attached to her that I was more upset than I have ever got about anyone or thing being ill or near death. However they rang back, Lynne the Vet who has speciality in rabbits (lucky for us) who did the operation, said she is in recovery and doing amazingly well!!! I was elated !!!!
We got her home, brought the hutch inside, got her eating again (first with bunny chocs to get her interested, then a small tiny mount of corner of brown toast..then her Excel pellets . she was sore but made a recovery and we noticed she was able to move around quicker and clean herself easier (tumour must have been making her to uncomfortable)
We found while on her own she was more excited than usual to see us in the morning, as she was lonely and did not like being on her own (what rabbit does eh?) I kept saying to her we still looking for the ideal bunny friend for her...She was we think at the time about 5-6 yrs old and did not want a too younger bunny for her....but in time we found a candidate. The RSPCA place in devon "little valley animal centre" had a new arrival they named SHOPPER as he was abandoned in a shopping bag and left outside a shop, terrified!
We drove all the way down there from Blandford in Dorset-to meet him he seemed perfect and was friendly soppy thing
.
We went through the adoption process and had our home visit, long process but admired how careful and choosy the RSPCA were. They demanded you have a min 6ft hutch WITH attch or under run and the Rabbit must be paired or you have to take a pair!! I think those conditions should be LAW!!
4 months before we lost Bumps, I had got a carpenter to make a huge 6 foot hutch with built in under run 2.5 foot depth, to treat them so they would have someone to run while we were at work or away...we still kept the bigger run.
While we were waiting for LuLus partner to be conf as ours I spent the time joing the old 5 foot hutch to the bottom of the 6 foot hutch so the lower deck was now 10 foot!!! then I ordered from Ebay a 5x7 foot run. click here to see what I did...
http://s785.photobucket.com/albums/yy137/SAMC3031/bun%20city%20project%20for%20LuLu%20and%20Noah/
We brought Noah back and introduced them slowly, with Bun dates under supervision..the usual sniffing, mounting each other bit of chasing, Noah (aka SHOPPER) did his male flicking his wee around (men eh? lol) after 2-3 dates and using wire partition at night so they could not have physical contact but could see small sniff each other during the night for two nights...I then asked LuLu as she seemed to want to get through the wire to see Noah..."do you want me to remove that? Are you ready to be with him?" She straight away came up to me and kissed(licked ) my nose several times. That was good enough for me! I removed the wire and they got on fine, within a day started to kiss, wash each other, snuggle up with each other..great she was happy!!
Luu had two wonderful years with Noah, they were both sooo happy, LuLu had few other health problems inc kidney infection, recovered from that, mites, sorted..small chest infection...sorted with meds. then (even though we very careful with checking here daily) she managed to get flystrike!!! She recovered from that...I was angry with flies and ended up completely covering the hutch and run with netting..Also we now use (after learning the hard way) REAR GUARD, which you put on their coat/skin this kills any egg lava that may get stuck to them.
She was Daddys little *soldier !!!! Always bounced back, but was getting old now prob 8 or more and was slowly down, easting less..She had full scan, no internal problems they could see, she was just getting old lady. In fact when we said to our Vet Lynne that she was more active while on her metacam meds from op (pain relief) she put her on perm meds once a day of this stuff, which masked her arthritis amazingly!!! Gave her great quality of life.
It is with HEAVY heart to say that my LuLU or SnugglePuff (as I nicknamed her..or lulubell) passed away in her sleep on Oct 14th at around 10am..... I remember saying goodbye to her before going to work (my wife was day off) I said to my little gal, if you need to sleep my gal, then you sleep, and rest...told her I loved her so much then went to work..Was last time I saw her alive
My Wife TamSin encouraged Noah to go over and see her, he did the same as LuLu did to bumps, he licked her eye which exposed her eyeball, he licked it again, no response. He now new she was gone
He Like LuLU with bumps , became very sad and quiet, was not as active . When I came home My wife told me, she laid her in a large shoe box wrapped in the old tiger blanket (other half of which bumps already buried in, as that was their play blanket for outdoors if the brick garden was cold) she was wrapped in the other half of this...she looked so peaceful and cute like she was asleep in a sleeping bag...I held her for an hour stroking her.. whispering you sleep my gal, just rest now ...go meet your sister at the foot of rainbow bridge..she is waiting for you.
Noah was now important...we made sure he saw us bury her...and like LuLu before him he does look at the pot garden where she now lays beside her sister growing a red acer tree next to her sisters large green Acer.(she has lot catching up to do bless her)
The task now came to search (even though WE were still mourning LuLu) for a companion for the bear (nickname for Noah as he is soo cuddly)
Cont....on next part of thread (i hope)
To be honest .even if she had not had the 2nd stroke, we would have prob (as traumatic though it would have been) had her put down, I say that because Bumpy was sooo active and playful she loved to run jump play I would always change the large run lay out tunnels platforms for her..her quality of life for what she was normally used to would have been miserable .
We would have paid bit extra for the vet to come to our place so she could give her the injection while laying in her own hutch next to her sister, so it would have been less traumatic for her and her sis.
After Bumpy had passed away in our arms, after the initial 20 min of us both being very upset and tearful (yes even a big grant Mitchell type geezer like me!!!) we laid her in the hutch for LULU to see her...She (as we have seen before) licked her eye a few times, to see if she would respond and of course she did not. She then stepped back sank down into her dulap and looked very down ad sad (this you must do to let them know they have gone and will not be returning...or they will forever wait for their return which can make bonding with another difficult)
We even made sure she saw us bury her..in a huge garden pot and planted acer tree/rose which she has fed into a wonderful tree...LuLu...well.Yes she would often look at the garden where she was and was depressed and sad for a long time, her coat got tatty and malted a little from stress..though we would give her loads extra attention in that period, extra cuddles, strokes, brushing etc.
We then while looking for a mate for her decided to get her spayed (Even though when we first got them the vet said they were too old..turns out that was not the case-2nd opinion) So she was booked in and I was rang at home half way through the operation to be told that they had found a cancer tumour the side of an egg inside her womb!! We had two options 1.to leave it and make her comfortable for last few months...or two roll the dice and proceed with the operation to remove everything womb all her bits and the tumour with odds 20-80 against her survival. I got quite upset but decided it would be better for her to take this risk and if she did not make it she would at least be with her sister in rainbow bridge.
After putting the phone down this big burly shaved head guy (ME) got very upset and tearful as I was sooo attached to her that I was more upset than I have ever got about anyone or thing being ill or near death. However they rang back, Lynne the Vet who has speciality in rabbits (lucky for us) who did the operation, said she is in recovery and doing amazingly well!!! I was elated !!!!
We got her home, brought the hutch inside, got her eating again (first with bunny chocs to get her interested, then a small tiny mount of corner of brown toast..then her Excel pellets . she was sore but made a recovery and we noticed she was able to move around quicker and clean herself easier (tumour must have been making her to uncomfortable)
We found while on her own she was more excited than usual to see us in the morning, as she was lonely and did not like being on her own (what rabbit does eh?) I kept saying to her we still looking for the ideal bunny friend for her...She was we think at the time about 5-6 yrs old and did not want a too younger bunny for her....but in time we found a candidate. The RSPCA place in devon "little valley animal centre" had a new arrival they named SHOPPER as he was abandoned in a shopping bag and left outside a shop, terrified!
We drove all the way down there from Blandford in Dorset-to meet him he seemed perfect and was friendly soppy thing
.We went through the adoption process and had our home visit, long process but admired how careful and choosy the RSPCA were. They demanded you have a min 6ft hutch WITH attch or under run and the Rabbit must be paired or you have to take a pair!! I think those conditions should be LAW!!
4 months before we lost Bumps, I had got a carpenter to make a huge 6 foot hutch with built in under run 2.5 foot depth, to treat them so they would have someone to run while we were at work or away...we still kept the bigger run.
While we were waiting for LuLus partner to be conf as ours I spent the time joing the old 5 foot hutch to the bottom of the 6 foot hutch so the lower deck was now 10 foot!!! then I ordered from Ebay a 5x7 foot run. click here to see what I did...
http://s785.photobucket.com/albums/yy137/SAMC3031/bun%20city%20project%20for%20LuLu%20and%20Noah/
We brought Noah back and introduced them slowly, with Bun dates under supervision..the usual sniffing, mounting each other bit of chasing, Noah (aka SHOPPER) did his male flicking his wee around (men eh? lol) after 2-3 dates and using wire partition at night so they could not have physical contact but could see small sniff each other during the night for two nights...I then asked LuLu as she seemed to want to get through the wire to see Noah..."do you want me to remove that? Are you ready to be with him?" She straight away came up to me and kissed(licked ) my nose several times. That was good enough for me! I removed the wire and they got on fine, within a day started to kiss, wash each other, snuggle up with each other..great she was happy!!
Luu had two wonderful years with Noah, they were both sooo happy, LuLu had few other health problems inc kidney infection, recovered from that, mites, sorted..small chest infection...sorted with meds. then (even though we very careful with checking here daily) she managed to get flystrike!!! She recovered from that...I was angry with flies and ended up completely covering the hutch and run with netting..Also we now use (after learning the hard way) REAR GUARD, which you put on their coat/skin this kills any egg lava that may get stuck to them.
She was Daddys little *soldier !!!! Always bounced back, but was getting old now prob 8 or more and was slowly down, easting less..She had full scan, no internal problems they could see, she was just getting old lady. In fact when we said to our Vet Lynne that she was more active while on her metacam meds from op (pain relief) she put her on perm meds once a day of this stuff, which masked her arthritis amazingly!!! Gave her great quality of life.
It is with HEAVY heart to say that my LuLU or SnugglePuff (as I nicknamed her..or lulubell) passed away in her sleep on Oct 14th at around 10am..... I remember saying goodbye to her before going to work (my wife was day off) I said to my little gal, if you need to sleep my gal, then you sleep, and rest...told her I loved her so much then went to work..Was last time I saw her alive
My Wife TamSin encouraged Noah to go over and see her, he did the same as LuLu did to bumps, he licked her eye which exposed her eyeball, he licked it again, no response. He now new she was gone
He Like LuLU with bumps , became very sad and quiet, was not as active . When I came home My wife told me, she laid her in a large shoe box wrapped in the old tiger blanket (other half of which bumps already buried in, as that was their play blanket for outdoors if the brick garden was cold) she was wrapped in the other half of this...she looked so peaceful and cute like she was asleep in a sleeping bag...I held her for an hour stroking her.. whispering you sleep my gal, just rest now ...go meet your sister at the foot of rainbow bridge..she is waiting for you.
Noah was now important...we made sure he saw us bury her...and like LuLu before him he does look at the pot garden where she now lays beside her sister growing a red acer tree next to her sisters large green Acer.(she has lot catching up to do bless her)
The task now came to search (even though WE were still mourning LuLu) for a companion for the bear (nickname for Noah as he is soo cuddly)
Cont....on next part of thread (i hope)
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