helgalush
Wise Old Thumper
Also known as Miss Fay, and Miss Brown Boots
We used to sing “My Girl” to Miss Fay replacing the “My Girl” bit with “Miss Fay”. The photos are in reverse chronological order – the first ones being just this last week, and the last ones being shortly after she had arrived with us!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDt8_caF4JI&feature=youtube_gdata (6 minutes)
We are so sad to be writing this tribute for you Fay. We never ever thought we would be writing it so soon, as you are our youngest, strongest bunny, aged just 3½. But now we want to do you proud and show everyone just what a special and amazing girl you were.
Fay's Story
We adopted you from the RSPCA, to live as a housebunny with Starbuck who we were adopting separately to live with you. We had many chats with your fosterer, who had looked after you so well. Your story was heartbreaking. You had been found dumped in a box in a field with some other bunnies, some of which were possibly your babies. It was clear you had already had babies and had been looking after these bunnies because you had mastitis and were emaciated. You had lost all your fur and were suffering from mites as well. You were also pregnant again and sadly had to have your babies put to sleep as you wouldn’t have coped with it again, you were so poorly. When you were rescued, you could not stand to be shut in small spaces and would go beserk if you were enclosed in a hutch. Eventually your fosterer got you back to full health and we were privileged to be allowed to adopt you. We travelled to pick Starbuck up first, then went to meet you.
We tried to bond you and Starbuck ourselves, and initially you were quite loved up. However Starbuck had issues of his own, having been a stray bunny and being deaf, and one day you had a huge fight. We intervened as quick as we could but you ended up with a tear in your ear and Starbuck had a claw in his. We kept you separately after that and never tried you together again. You spent lots of time with us and I was astounded at how, after your awful treatment by humans before, you could trust us so readily, happily feeding out of our hands or putting your paws on our legs. We felt so bonded to you straight away and we were determined to make your life so happy, so that you never had to think about those sad times again. You had the run of our back bedroom by yourself for several months, until we found Kenco at RNGPWelfare, an older dental bunny. Tracy bonded you together for us and you came back to live in your bedroom. Unfortunately we found Kenco a bit haphazard with his litter tray and so Colin set about building you a large des-res outside, with hand-made large run, so that you always had space to stretch your legs.
It was hard for me when you went outside because you were such a people bunny, and loved being indoors, causing mayhem, and I especially loved when you jumped on our bed on weekend mornings, or when you fell asleep while on “guard duty” just outside your room. But I never regret you living outside with Kenco because he made you truly happy and was the love of your life. Every minute you have been together you have been happy. You didn’t mind that Kenco wee’d on the floor, or that he humped you and wanted to take all the treats. You didn’t mind one bit because you loved him and he loved you.
We set about planting a bunny-safe garden full of delicious flowers and herbs and you loved eating our mint, thyme and rose petals, well you loved eating pretty much everything and nearly chomped straight through the sunflowers I was trying to grow for you! You ran so fast, and occasionally you would get down the back of your kennel and there was no way we could catch you or get you out til you were ready. You always did know your own mind, and let us know what you thought! Good old Miss Fay!!! I remember the days when you would diggy in your litter tray late at night, and stamp your feet so hard, that we had to apologise to the neighbours!
There was also the time that one of us had accidentally left your run door unlocked in the morning and I came downstairs to find you and Kenco casually hopping about in the garden, upsetting Twinkle and Star. We were so angry with ourselves but you and Kenco probably had a right fun morning.
Our hearts and minds are full of such happy memories with you Miss Fay. Neither of us can believe you are gone. You had always been such a super-healthy, super-strong bunny. The only time you got ill was this time you wouldn’t come and eat your pellets and looked uncomfortable, but as soon as you got to the vets you started eating hay in your carrier, making us look like idiots for taking you so soon! You never had any other trouble until the beginning of February this year, when you had a bout of bloat. The vets were very concerned about you and you had to have quite a lot of intensive treatment and vet stays, including a trip to an exotics vet in Solihull. You got better and were allowed to come home, and were well for over a week and a half. We set you up in our kitchen with Kenco, who had stayed by your side throughout looking after you, and you got back in to eating hay, pellets and vegetables. You and Kenco enjoyed short runs around the kitchen, hallway and lounge, but Kenco had become much braver than you – I don’t think you liked our slippy floors, or maybe you just felt most comfortable and happy in the pen eating hay.
That last day we had no idea you were unwell. You had eaten your pellets in the morning, and I gave you some dried plantain and clover mix late morning mixed in with your hay which you absolutely loved and stuck your nose right into. By the afternoon you were still alert and happy and eating hay. But then a little later when I gave you some more plantain and clover you didn’t want to eat it, which I thought was odd but just thought you were already full from what you had already had. I had also thought you maybe hadn’t poooped as much as usual but couldn’t be sure, so thought we would wait and see if you would eat your pellets. But you didn’t, and you started to look uncomfortable. I had gone to bed as I was exhausted so Colin said he would take you straight to the vets. I now so regret not giving you one last cuddle and telling you I loved you. I thought you weren’t bloated and just having a little set-back and so would soon be straight back home. Colin said at the vets you had looked very uncomfortable. Kenco was looking after you though. Our lovely rabbit vet, C, looked at you and thought you weren’t your normal self (they had all got to know you up there), and did a scan on you. She said you were visibly uncomfortable during that and she said your liver looked highly abnormal and so she wanted to operate to see if she could remove a twist in it.
But instead of trouble with your liver, they found a massive abscess the size of a golf ball in your cecum, as well as lots of pus and adhesions in your abdomen. There was nothing they could do to save you – nor any top rabbit vet. We cried and asked if she was really sure – she was and said it was kindest to let you go under the anaesthetic. We made the decision never to see you alive again, but to do what was kindest for you and let you go to sleep and never feel pain or suffering again. You had been such a strong, brave girl, it was so hard to think that you were the first to go to sleep. But only afterwards did we realise just how strong and brave you were, because the golfball size abscess was just the tip of the iceberg, as we now know your abscess went around and under. The vet said it was a miracle that you could have been so happy and active and alert that morning. So we know now just how much you wanted to live and wanted to enjoy every second of life. But we could never have let you suffer.
We are so proud of you Miss Fay and feel so privileged that even though your life was short, we got to spend so much of it with you. We feel so lucky that we were allowed to adopt you and have all these amazing times with you. We love you so so so much with all of our hearts, and you have left us absolutely heartbroken. We wanted you to have so many more years with us and Kenco. Kenco is missing you so much too and doesn’t know what to do with himself but we are all looking after each other and trying to be as brave as you were. You lived for the here and now, and we have got to learn to do the same.
So sleep tight Miss Fay, dream of carrots and binkies, and know that you were so special. We will love you forever. xxxx
We used to sing “My Girl” to Miss Fay replacing the “My Girl” bit with “Miss Fay”. The photos are in reverse chronological order – the first ones being just this last week, and the last ones being shortly after she had arrived with us!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDt8_caF4JI&feature=youtube_gdata (6 minutes)
We are so sad to be writing this tribute for you Fay. We never ever thought we would be writing it so soon, as you are our youngest, strongest bunny, aged just 3½. But now we want to do you proud and show everyone just what a special and amazing girl you were.
Fay's Story
We adopted you from the RSPCA, to live as a housebunny with Starbuck who we were adopting separately to live with you. We had many chats with your fosterer, who had looked after you so well. Your story was heartbreaking. You had been found dumped in a box in a field with some other bunnies, some of which were possibly your babies. It was clear you had already had babies and had been looking after these bunnies because you had mastitis and were emaciated. You had lost all your fur and were suffering from mites as well. You were also pregnant again and sadly had to have your babies put to sleep as you wouldn’t have coped with it again, you were so poorly. When you were rescued, you could not stand to be shut in small spaces and would go beserk if you were enclosed in a hutch. Eventually your fosterer got you back to full health and we were privileged to be allowed to adopt you. We travelled to pick Starbuck up first, then went to meet you.
We tried to bond you and Starbuck ourselves, and initially you were quite loved up. However Starbuck had issues of his own, having been a stray bunny and being deaf, and one day you had a huge fight. We intervened as quick as we could but you ended up with a tear in your ear and Starbuck had a claw in his. We kept you separately after that and never tried you together again. You spent lots of time with us and I was astounded at how, after your awful treatment by humans before, you could trust us so readily, happily feeding out of our hands or putting your paws on our legs. We felt so bonded to you straight away and we were determined to make your life so happy, so that you never had to think about those sad times again. You had the run of our back bedroom by yourself for several months, until we found Kenco at RNGPWelfare, an older dental bunny. Tracy bonded you together for us and you came back to live in your bedroom. Unfortunately we found Kenco a bit haphazard with his litter tray and so Colin set about building you a large des-res outside, with hand-made large run, so that you always had space to stretch your legs.
It was hard for me when you went outside because you were such a people bunny, and loved being indoors, causing mayhem, and I especially loved when you jumped on our bed on weekend mornings, or when you fell asleep while on “guard duty” just outside your room. But I never regret you living outside with Kenco because he made you truly happy and was the love of your life. Every minute you have been together you have been happy. You didn’t mind that Kenco wee’d on the floor, or that he humped you and wanted to take all the treats. You didn’t mind one bit because you loved him and he loved you.
We set about planting a bunny-safe garden full of delicious flowers and herbs and you loved eating our mint, thyme and rose petals, well you loved eating pretty much everything and nearly chomped straight through the sunflowers I was trying to grow for you! You ran so fast, and occasionally you would get down the back of your kennel and there was no way we could catch you or get you out til you were ready. You always did know your own mind, and let us know what you thought! Good old Miss Fay!!! I remember the days when you would diggy in your litter tray late at night, and stamp your feet so hard, that we had to apologise to the neighbours!
There was also the time that one of us had accidentally left your run door unlocked in the morning and I came downstairs to find you and Kenco casually hopping about in the garden, upsetting Twinkle and Star. We were so angry with ourselves but you and Kenco probably had a right fun morning.
Our hearts and minds are full of such happy memories with you Miss Fay. Neither of us can believe you are gone. You had always been such a super-healthy, super-strong bunny. The only time you got ill was this time you wouldn’t come and eat your pellets and looked uncomfortable, but as soon as you got to the vets you started eating hay in your carrier, making us look like idiots for taking you so soon! You never had any other trouble until the beginning of February this year, when you had a bout of bloat. The vets were very concerned about you and you had to have quite a lot of intensive treatment and vet stays, including a trip to an exotics vet in Solihull. You got better and were allowed to come home, and were well for over a week and a half. We set you up in our kitchen with Kenco, who had stayed by your side throughout looking after you, and you got back in to eating hay, pellets and vegetables. You and Kenco enjoyed short runs around the kitchen, hallway and lounge, but Kenco had become much braver than you – I don’t think you liked our slippy floors, or maybe you just felt most comfortable and happy in the pen eating hay.
That last day we had no idea you were unwell. You had eaten your pellets in the morning, and I gave you some dried plantain and clover mix late morning mixed in with your hay which you absolutely loved and stuck your nose right into. By the afternoon you were still alert and happy and eating hay. But then a little later when I gave you some more plantain and clover you didn’t want to eat it, which I thought was odd but just thought you were already full from what you had already had. I had also thought you maybe hadn’t poooped as much as usual but couldn’t be sure, so thought we would wait and see if you would eat your pellets. But you didn’t, and you started to look uncomfortable. I had gone to bed as I was exhausted so Colin said he would take you straight to the vets. I now so regret not giving you one last cuddle and telling you I loved you. I thought you weren’t bloated and just having a little set-back and so would soon be straight back home. Colin said at the vets you had looked very uncomfortable. Kenco was looking after you though. Our lovely rabbit vet, C, looked at you and thought you weren’t your normal self (they had all got to know you up there), and did a scan on you. She said you were visibly uncomfortable during that and she said your liver looked highly abnormal and so she wanted to operate to see if she could remove a twist in it.
But instead of trouble with your liver, they found a massive abscess the size of a golf ball in your cecum, as well as lots of pus and adhesions in your abdomen. There was nothing they could do to save you – nor any top rabbit vet. We cried and asked if she was really sure – she was and said it was kindest to let you go under the anaesthetic. We made the decision never to see you alive again, but to do what was kindest for you and let you go to sleep and never feel pain or suffering again. You had been such a strong, brave girl, it was so hard to think that you were the first to go to sleep. But only afterwards did we realise just how strong and brave you were, because the golfball size abscess was just the tip of the iceberg, as we now know your abscess went around and under. The vet said it was a miracle that you could have been so happy and active and alert that morning. So we know now just how much you wanted to live and wanted to enjoy every second of life. But we could never have let you suffer.
We are so proud of you Miss Fay and feel so privileged that even though your life was short, we got to spend so much of it with you. We feel so lucky that we were allowed to adopt you and have all these amazing times with you. We love you so so so much with all of our hearts, and you have left us absolutely heartbroken. We wanted you to have so many more years with us and Kenco. Kenco is missing you so much too and doesn’t know what to do with himself but we are all looking after each other and trying to be as brave as you were. You lived for the here and now, and we have got to learn to do the same.
So sleep tight Miss Fay, dream of carrots and binkies, and know that you were so special. We will love you forever. xxxx
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