Who keeps going despite any obstacles or her disabilities. It was suggested that I make a thread on her determination and jest for life so that it might help other bunny owners with rabbits that might he struggling with big health issues or disabilities.
Julie is a large not giant breed. Her breed's average life expectancy as a Californian is 7 to 9 years.She will be 11 in July. I got her when she was around 2 months old. She was being sold by a 12 year old 4 H girl who was breeding for show. She wanted $20. Her breed is mostly for show or meat baby here in the USA. The girl wanted a little spending money.
We were shocked when we went to pick up the 2 month old baby rabbit who was waiting for us sitting in a teeny tiny cage in their kitchen. Julie literally took up the entire cage. I have never seen such a small cage in my life.
I was use to dwarf rabbits and even at 2 months she was was bigger than my last 3 adult rabbits. I asked to see her mom and living arrangement. I was told that they lived under a car port but we were not allowed out there. They brought in an adult rabbit whom I was told was her aunt. They did this just so we could see how big she would get. Julie acted very frightened on the 2 minute car journey home. She settle right in as soon as I feed her. She acted like she was starving. I later learned that this was the way that Julie always ate though.
She was spayed as soon as she was old enough. She was eating as soon as she woke from the operation and was moving about and eating the minute she came home. Julie always seemed so healthy and strong.
Julie decided though that she wanted to be an only bunny. She seemed very threatened by any bunny trying to eat or get attention. She would be very aggressive toward other bunnies and supper crazy possessive of food and us. We bought her a teddy bunny that we gave her right before her spay. We named her Yoko and she has been Julie's only bunny friend. Julie was free range in the kitchen and laundry room and allowed in the rest of the house when supervised.
Julie has always been very intelligent and amazing at figuring out how to get what she wanted which was always food first then love/petting. She was the best bigger and food thief ever.She would climb in the frig to try and help herself.
Fast forward ................................................
She developed arthritis around 8 1/2 / 9 years or so old.
She was coping with her arthritis just fine. She was on Metacam,glucosamine chondrotin and turmeric. You never would of known she had bad arthritis if wasn't for her funny hopping gait. The vet said she just was so determined to hop that when it hurt to move her hips in that she figured out how to hop with her hips out then she walked instead of hopping then she belly crawled then she was stuck on her side and can only move using her upper body and kicking outward. Julie has taken all this in stride.
She never seemed upset just figured out another way to get what she wants. She now mostly makes that loud whiny noise to get me to come to her and give her what ever she wants.
She was never a jumper nor liked to be picked up. We always lied on the floor with her. She has always been a food monster who loved any attention and playing with toys.....mostly to get food from them but she is also always been a chewer and loves to toss toys and make noise.
She eats all day long now.
Julie was doing great with her arthritis until she had a bad tooth root abscess and the dental went wrong. Her vet couldn't get the tooth out as the root was too deep. She was under anesthesia too long. She was in and out of stasis for weeks then couldn't hop. Her vet told us that she was very determined to carry on but she really felt that Julie was going to go down hill real fast after her legs were too weak to stand . She said that she would not live more than days or weeks. That was almost a year ago. Her vet is amazed. She said that Julie is just so determined to live and loves life.
The only way that we even knew that Julie had developed teeth problems due to bone loss in her jaw was because she started choking. It took a while for the vet to figure out that her teeth were bothering her so she was swallowing without proper chewing. She really didn't slow down eating at all.
Julie can't hop or stand but that doesn't bother her at all. She is also now blind in one eye. She copes with that by lying on that side with the blind eye. If I turn her she flips back so the good eye is up.
Sorry that this is so long. Lots of you already know her story but this is mostly for those that don't. I will add pictures later. Feel free to ask any questions at all.
Julie is a large not giant breed. Her breed's average life expectancy as a Californian is 7 to 9 years.She will be 11 in July. I got her when she was around 2 months old. She was being sold by a 12 year old 4 H girl who was breeding for show. She wanted $20. Her breed is mostly for show or meat baby here in the USA. The girl wanted a little spending money.
We were shocked when we went to pick up the 2 month old baby rabbit who was waiting for us sitting in a teeny tiny cage in their kitchen. Julie literally took up the entire cage. I have never seen such a small cage in my life.
I was use to dwarf rabbits and even at 2 months she was was bigger than my last 3 adult rabbits. I asked to see her mom and living arrangement. I was told that they lived under a car port but we were not allowed out there. They brought in an adult rabbit whom I was told was her aunt. They did this just so we could see how big she would get. Julie acted very frightened on the 2 minute car journey home. She settle right in as soon as I feed her. She acted like she was starving. I later learned that this was the way that Julie always ate though.
She was spayed as soon as she was old enough. She was eating as soon as she woke from the operation and was moving about and eating the minute she came home. Julie always seemed so healthy and strong.
Julie decided though that she wanted to be an only bunny. She seemed very threatened by any bunny trying to eat or get attention. She would be very aggressive toward other bunnies and supper crazy possessive of food and us. We bought her a teddy bunny that we gave her right before her spay. We named her Yoko and she has been Julie's only bunny friend. Julie was free range in the kitchen and laundry room and allowed in the rest of the house when supervised.
Julie has always been very intelligent and amazing at figuring out how to get what she wanted which was always food first then love/petting. She was the best bigger and food thief ever.She would climb in the frig to try and help herself.
Fast forward ................................................
She developed arthritis around 8 1/2 / 9 years or so old.
She was coping with her arthritis just fine. She was on Metacam,glucosamine chondrotin and turmeric. You never would of known she had bad arthritis if wasn't for her funny hopping gait. The vet said she just was so determined to hop that when it hurt to move her hips in that she figured out how to hop with her hips out then she walked instead of hopping then she belly crawled then she was stuck on her side and can only move using her upper body and kicking outward. Julie has taken all this in stride.
She never seemed upset just figured out another way to get what she wants. She now mostly makes that loud whiny noise to get me to come to her and give her what ever she wants.
She was never a jumper nor liked to be picked up. We always lied on the floor with her. She has always been a food monster who loved any attention and playing with toys.....mostly to get food from them but she is also always been a chewer and loves to toss toys and make noise.
She eats all day long now.
Julie was doing great with her arthritis until she had a bad tooth root abscess and the dental went wrong. Her vet couldn't get the tooth out as the root was too deep. She was under anesthesia too long. She was in and out of stasis for weeks then couldn't hop. Her vet told us that she was very determined to carry on but she really felt that Julie was going to go down hill real fast after her legs were too weak to stand . She said that she would not live more than days or weeks. That was almost a year ago. Her vet is amazed. She said that Julie is just so determined to live and loves life.
The only way that we even knew that Julie had developed teeth problems due to bone loss in her jaw was because she started choking. It took a while for the vet to figure out that her teeth were bothering her so she was swallowing without proper chewing. She really didn't slow down eating at all.
Julie can't hop or stand but that doesn't bother her at all. She is also now blind in one eye. She copes with that by lying on that side with the blind eye. If I turn her she flips back so the good eye is up.
Sorry that this is so long. Lots of you already know her story but this is mostly for those that don't. I will add pictures later. Feel free to ask any questions at all.
