Chesterbun
New Kit
This is Chester, my 7+ year old bunny. He was a rescue so I actually don't know how old he truly was. My best friend saved him 6 years ago from the road, and my family and I took him in. He was the sweetest bunny, and communicated in the coolest ways. I wish so much I had recorded a video of him "calling" us using a little wooden dowel toy we got him. He told me which hay he hated and which hay he loved. (That's a story for another time.) He knew exactly how to ask for treats, and how to tell us he wanted a massage or a good grooming session. He was just an all-around wonderful soul. He will be sorely, sorely missed. Already I can barely keep my eyes open from all the crying I can't seem to stop doing.
The most endearing thing was that he would always give me kisses, and pretty much only me. My mom maybe would get one or two, but as soon as I'd start petting him, I'd get kisses right and left. I consider that a huge honor, and truly hope he knows how much I love him, and how much my whole family loves him. He changed all of our lives, and made the house so lively and hilarious. He was the funniest and most adorable little guy.
Around midnight last night, something wasn't right. He was drinking voraciously and went poop all over the floor. (He is perfectly litter trained so this was unusual.) Thinking he had gas or intestinal troubles, I stayed up with him all night. The later it got, the more lethargic and floppy he became. We took him to the vet the moment the nearest one opened.
The vet simply said he was getting old, and that he might have a bacterial infection in his gut. He gave him a shot of antibiotics and sent us home with some medicine.
40 minutes later, Chester began seizing, lips turning blue. My mother and I held him through his last moments as he slowly slipped away. He turned his head to look at me, then my mom...and he was gone. My dad was there, talking us through the whole thing, telling us what was happening as our little bunny Chester fell deeper and deeper away from life. My 96 year old grandmother standing behind us, praying for his safety as he crossed into the afterlife.
This was a horrible experience... I feel awful for not understanding or knowing what was happening to my little bunny. He was doing binkies and eating happily just on Tuesday. Wednesday was a different story. He died in 12 hours of the start of his strange behavior as midnight approached on Wednesday.
My dad though not a veterinarian, is an experienced clinician. He did some research and said he believes that our beloved Chester died of congestive heart failure. All of the symptoms I saw in him last night seem to point very well to it.
As Chester got older in recent years, he did less and less of the acrobatics he used to do; bounding up the stairs, hopping up and down his chairs, tables, and boxes, digging at every opportunity he got. His appetite was always healthy and he always seemed like a happy, relaxed bunny, but we could tell he was starting to show his age.
I apologize for the long post... I just needed to let people know how much this little boy will be missed. Because of him, my family was blessed with the wonderful and unexpected opportunity to take in a rescue, and give him huge amounts of love and attention. He was spoiled with organic dandelion greens, fresh clean water, organic greens, food and snacks. When he first arrived, he lived in his cage but fought and fought so much against it that we decided to throw away the cage, and let him be free in his own big area, and have the entire house at his disposal. I got to learn about rabbits, and how amazing they can be if they're allowed to roam free and just be themselves.
And because of him, I will always donate to rabbit shelters, and volunteer in them as well. I am moving to Oregon soon, and found the perfect sanctuary I can't wait to be a part of. In memory of Chester, I will do my best to make sure all other rescues get the best possible chance at finding a loving forever home.
Lots of love and joy to all here. May our little bunny family members always be safe and sound, surrounded by peace and love.
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