Happy Hopping
Wise Old Thumper
Jane, you said everything I wanted to say, and in more details, after I wrote that message and done my research. And thank you for the links of the wheel chairs and the cancer care links, you're very thoughtful.
A friend told me his ex-wife's husband has colon cancer, and migrate to bone cancer, and as he goes thru chemo, the side effect is pain, hair loss, nausea and feeling sick all the time.
My vet said Goofball has approximately 2 to 6 months left. My vet also told me that some dog has gone thru chemo, and extended their life to 350 days or so. So like you say, instead of 6 months, they live 9 months.
And like you say, the quality of life suffers, and needless to say, I don't want Goofball to suffer any more from these side effect just to prolong her life for a few more months, in short, even if it works, her entire 9 months would be suffering with pain and other side effect from chemo.
I also spoke to my vet about the original breeder. She said that for only 2 set of fresh DNA, and a breeder generating babies from half brother and half sister, that's very low quality on gene pool, she said they are essentially the same DNA pool in that 20 years span.
My vet has also informed me that with most animals suffer from bone cancer, it is from similar accidents like the above that they discovered the existence of bone cancer, and 99% of them passed away in that 2 to 6 months time span. In fact, with 80% of the dogs (they have no record on rabbits), the ground zero of bone cancer was discovered either at the knee joints or the shoulder.
So eventhough the other breeder in Abbotsford BC introduces fresh DNA (the 3rd set of DNA) in 2005, it is, effectively, fresh DNA injected into a pool of really bad genes that drag on for 20 years. Furthermore, there is significant overbreeding from the original breeder, so the short lifespan of Goofball is not bad luck, just her breeders are total idiots.
Back in summer of 2005, when I first joined RU, I don't have the knowledge to question the above, as I don't know a lack of genetic diversification and overbreeding is that serious, also at the time, I still want a Flemish Giant, so I go with that breeder in Abbotsford BC.
If I have the knowledge and experience, I won't have go with a breeder with such poor genes. I should have called the original breeder, like I did today, and ask for the history of his rabbit, and gain some understanding on the seriousness of a lack of genetic diversification and overbreeding.
On a brighter note, Goofball can now eat potato chips daily. She only ate potato chips (zero trans fat) once in 2006. But in the evening of March 13, 2007, when I bought myself the first bag of zero trans fat potato chips for the year 2007, she jumped on the play tunnel and then jump onto my chair and eat my potato chips by digging her head in the bag of potato chips on my desk.
Since then every Sunday night when I eat my potato chip once a week, she does the same thing. I never tempt her once, never show her my potato chip, and in most instances, she was bedding out on the carpet, under the foot resting stand, so there is no way she could have see the bag of potato chips.
In a matter of seconds (far less than 30 seconds), she somehow discover that there is potato chips on my desk, and then immediately hop on to that play tunnel and then my chair to do her digging in the potato chip bag. Best guess is that she must have smell the potato chips somehow, and quite frankly, I can't believe her sense of smell is that superb and potato chip smell travels that fast. In fact, in one incident, she was in the other room, about 19 feet from my desk, and in less than 1 minute, she manage to discover I open the tin can and eating potato chips.
Likewise, my last rabbit, Little Happy, does the exact same thing. Back then, when Little Happy hops up on the chair for the once a week potato chip, I was already immensely surprise as to how Little Happy knows I am eating potato chips, because he was also bedding out on the carpet, and there is no way he can see what is on my desk. So I am impressed with all my Flemish Giants.
Among all the bunny treats, Goofball loves potato chips the most. I was also very happy to see that in the past 2 months or so, a few times a night, Goofball would do the above for her regular bunny treats. She would hop on the play tunnel, then my chair, and sit on my lap with both of her legs, and looking for bunny treats, it's her way of telling me that it is time for her bunny treats.
It got to the point that I have to keep an eye on her, and make sure as soon as she hop on the play tunnel, I would move my chair next to the play tunnel so it makes it much easier for her to hop on my chair. Because there was once or twice that I actually didn't know she was behind me on the play tunnel, and she jump in mid-air and into my chair, which I don't want her to fall to the carpet although she is only jumping up from a 19 inches tall play tunnel. And in about 1 or 2 occasions, I turned the chair as I didn't know she's behind me, and consequently, she fell on the carpet.
And now, with one of her hind leg removed, I'm afraid she can no longer do the above. So instead, I'll feed her the way she used to get her bunny treats: I just leave it on her bowl.
I'll do my best to make her remaining months left as spoil as possible with all sorts of bunny treats to make her happy. As a coincidence, I have no spare money for vacation, and I also decided to cancel any unnecessary weekly trips, both business or personal, that requires me to leave my house, since I work out of my house, I can devote most of my time with Goofball.
A friend told me his ex-wife's husband has colon cancer, and migrate to bone cancer, and as he goes thru chemo, the side effect is pain, hair loss, nausea and feeling sick all the time.
My vet said Goofball has approximately 2 to 6 months left. My vet also told me that some dog has gone thru chemo, and extended their life to 350 days or so. So like you say, instead of 6 months, they live 9 months.
And like you say, the quality of life suffers, and needless to say, I don't want Goofball to suffer any more from these side effect just to prolong her life for a few more months, in short, even if it works, her entire 9 months would be suffering with pain and other side effect from chemo.
I also spoke to my vet about the original breeder. She said that for only 2 set of fresh DNA, and a breeder generating babies from half brother and half sister, that's very low quality on gene pool, she said they are essentially the same DNA pool in that 20 years span.
My vet has also informed me that with most animals suffer from bone cancer, it is from similar accidents like the above that they discovered the existence of bone cancer, and 99% of them passed away in that 2 to 6 months time span. In fact, with 80% of the dogs (they have no record on rabbits), the ground zero of bone cancer was discovered either at the knee joints or the shoulder.
So eventhough the other breeder in Abbotsford BC introduces fresh DNA (the 3rd set of DNA) in 2005, it is, effectively, fresh DNA injected into a pool of really bad genes that drag on for 20 years. Furthermore, there is significant overbreeding from the original breeder, so the short lifespan of Goofball is not bad luck, just her breeders are total idiots.
Back in summer of 2005, when I first joined RU, I don't have the knowledge to question the above, as I don't know a lack of genetic diversification and overbreeding is that serious, also at the time, I still want a Flemish Giant, so I go with that breeder in Abbotsford BC.
If I have the knowledge and experience, I won't have go with a breeder with such poor genes. I should have called the original breeder, like I did today, and ask for the history of his rabbit, and gain some understanding on the seriousness of a lack of genetic diversification and overbreeding.
On a brighter note, Goofball can now eat potato chips daily. She only ate potato chips (zero trans fat) once in 2006. But in the evening of March 13, 2007, when I bought myself the first bag of zero trans fat potato chips for the year 2007, she jumped on the play tunnel and then jump onto my chair and eat my potato chips by digging her head in the bag of potato chips on my desk.
Since then every Sunday night when I eat my potato chip once a week, she does the same thing. I never tempt her once, never show her my potato chip, and in most instances, she was bedding out on the carpet, under the foot resting stand, so there is no way she could have see the bag of potato chips.
In a matter of seconds (far less than 30 seconds), she somehow discover that there is potato chips on my desk, and then immediately hop on to that play tunnel and then my chair to do her digging in the potato chip bag. Best guess is that she must have smell the potato chips somehow, and quite frankly, I can't believe her sense of smell is that superb and potato chip smell travels that fast. In fact, in one incident, she was in the other room, about 19 feet from my desk, and in less than 1 minute, she manage to discover I open the tin can and eating potato chips.
Likewise, my last rabbit, Little Happy, does the exact same thing. Back then, when Little Happy hops up on the chair for the once a week potato chip, I was already immensely surprise as to how Little Happy knows I am eating potato chips, because he was also bedding out on the carpet, and there is no way he can see what is on my desk. So I am impressed with all my Flemish Giants.
Among all the bunny treats, Goofball loves potato chips the most. I was also very happy to see that in the past 2 months or so, a few times a night, Goofball would do the above for her regular bunny treats. She would hop on the play tunnel, then my chair, and sit on my lap with both of her legs, and looking for bunny treats, it's her way of telling me that it is time for her bunny treats.
It got to the point that I have to keep an eye on her, and make sure as soon as she hop on the play tunnel, I would move my chair next to the play tunnel so it makes it much easier for her to hop on my chair. Because there was once or twice that I actually didn't know she was behind me on the play tunnel, and she jump in mid-air and into my chair, which I don't want her to fall to the carpet although she is only jumping up from a 19 inches tall play tunnel. And in about 1 or 2 occasions, I turned the chair as I didn't know she's behind me, and consequently, she fell on the carpet.
And now, with one of her hind leg removed, I'm afraid she can no longer do the above. So instead, I'll feed her the way she used to get her bunny treats: I just leave it on her bowl.
I'll do my best to make her remaining months left as spoil as possible with all sorts of bunny treats to make her happy. As a coincidence, I have no spare money for vacation, and I also decided to cancel any unnecessary weekly trips, both business or personal, that requires me to leave my house, since I work out of my house, I can devote most of my time with Goofball.
