This
I dont know what else to say..............
This
I dont know what else to say..............
I also lost my rabbit, Toby, yesterday to fly strike. I have read about it before but for whatever reason never really appreciated the risk. Toby had problems with his bottom all his life. I have spent 4 years 7 months doing my best to keep his bottom clean. I too had put Toby out in the garden during the milder months thinking he would be happier out there.
Yesterday morning he seemed quiet but I was in a rush for work. At lunch he was still quiet so I picked him up and was horrified by what I saw. Can't get that image out of my head. I took him straight to the vets but they said the wound wouldn't heal and he was put to sleep. I couldn't bring myself to see him one last time.
I am overwhelmed with guilt. Also anger. My vet was aware of his bum issues but never once warned me about fly strike of advised I could buy a product to guard against it. I have done countless research on the Internet over the years but only ever really focused on his diet.
Please be vigilant. Don't let this happen to your rabbit.
I'm sorry you have lost Opal - flystrike is horrib le
I have kept rabbits for years, and regularly through my work talk to people about the risks of flystrike, yet I had a case last year with my BB.
Luckily I caught her in time as the maggots had only recently hatched and I got her treated immediately, but she had an awful wound that took weeks to heal properly.
People need to be aware that it is not only mucky bums that attract flies. Incontinent rabbits and damp fur are just as big a risk, if not bigger.
The flies don't often lay the eggs actually in the poopy area, but often just above the tail, at the back of their necks, on the underside of their legs, in fact anywhere.
At risk rabbits need to be checked ALL OVER, not just a quick tip to look at their bum. I didn't see BB's infestation at first - it was only because I'd bought her up to the house to check why she was acting differently that I found them. I shudder to think that I so nearly missed seeing them (they were right in the crook of her back leg, deep in her fur)
So sorry about Opal