Sammy&Patch
Warren Scout
We lost our beautiful, gentle, caring, affectionate, mischievious little bunny, Hazel, last night, she was around 7-8 years old. I couldn't have asked for a more lovely bunny than Hazel, it was a privilege to have her living with us. We got her from rescue at about 2-3 years old and got her spayed immediately, but they found she had an aggressive cancer and we thought we might lose her but we were so lucky it was caught in time and hadn't spread so the spay saved her life. Her follow-ups stayed clear.
She was advertised by the rescue as needing to live alone due to her aggression but she has never shown a sign of aggression in the 5 years we have had her. After speying her we found her a friend, Shadow. It took about 6 months of persistance to bond them but what a treat to then finally get a breakthrough and have them live together, absolutely in love with each other. They had free roam of 2 rooms, a large upstairs hallway, downstairs hallway and the stairs as well and coming in the bedroom when we were in it.
Hazel unfortunately had respiratory problems for most of her life but she adapted well, took her medicine every day and got on with life like a true champ. She didn't let it hold her back and lived life to the max. She would sit with me while I read my book and I would stroke her with one hand, holding the book with the other. We would take it in turns, her licking me, then me stroking her. She was sometimes very persistant that my sleeve or trousers needed a good clean, even my forehead! She would also fall asleep next to me and I would watch her dreaming, such a funny thing to see. She would often have her feet sticking out right behind her and let me stroke right down to near them but not to touch them! Her and Shadow would always be up to mischief together and a lot of cuddling, flopping and grooming together. Just the most wonderful thing to watch the 2 of them on the bunny cam, you get to see so much that you don't see when you are in the same room. They are both feet on the ground bunnies, they did not like being picked up, particularly Hazel, so you couldn't 'cuddle' her in the normal sense, but that didn't matter as it was cuddles on her terms, on the ground, snuggling up next to me.
I am heartbroken for poor Shadow too. Luckily we work from home but it's not the same for him. I'm snuggling with him right now, he really loves being 'squished' as I describe it, feet on the ground but he loves you really squishing up to him and being stroked more firmly, Hazel wouldn't like that, she liked gentle strokes. Shadow has gone back to Hazels body quite a few times now and been grooming her. He has the vets tomorrow for a check up as he had xrays 2 weeks ago that found fluid on the lungs and a rounded heart. I think the vet will be deciding what medicine to continue etc. Hopefully if we keep a close eye on him, losing hazel won't impact his health.
On friday she was her usual happy, bright self eating as usual. She ate food up to the evening. I can see on the pet cam her eating at 1.10am. But when I said good night to them about 1.15am they were both in the litter tray. Hazel did a strange movement with her back legs and looked a bit strange. I went and got the treat packet as that's a quick way to tell if somethings wrong, she was not interested (she's usually a very greedy bunny and will do anything for a pocket). So I spent until about 4am trying to get her to move around, trying to get her to eat and I gave her medicine. I went to bed for an hour or so and got back up. I phoned the vets in the morning and got an appointment at 10.15am. I could have waited for my local branch to be open at midday but thought best to take her in, the other branch is about 20 minute drive. The vet was not concerned as her stomach felt soft as it should, she did a blood glucose I think she said and that was fine, she also said Hazel did a poo while they were examining her. She did note her body temp was 37 something I think she said so she wanted me to give her a heat pad, which we did. She gave me gut motility and loxicom that she prescribed for 4 days, and I already had critical care. She said we didn't need iv treatment or anything like that. I've dealt with stasis before plenty of times so I wasn't too concerned then either as her stomach felt ok and we had the right 'tools' to help her. I have rarely had to do much critical care mix as usually they will slowly start eating and then they have bounced back. We did the first lot of medicine when we got home and some critical care but she only took some of it, letting a lot just dribble out. I kept annoying her to move now and then and massaging her etc. I had loads of different food she loves and hay but she wouldn't take any, she kept seeming like she wanted to and then refusing. She did drank water and then ate some cucumber so I was hopeful we were starting to get back on track. However she seemed to be getting really weak when I was trying to make her stand up and move around and when she tried to jump back in a cardboard box she couldn't get one leg over. We tried the next lot of motility and tried some more critical care but she wouldn't even move her mouth like chewing motion or to try to spit it out, she seemed even more lethargic, spaced out etc. So we phoned the emergency vet. They called me back and said to meet at the vets in an hour. Unfortunately she got even worse so quickly, I just held her on my lap and we knew she wasn't going to make it, her body was leaning to the side and she had no responsiveness. We got in the car and went to the vets with her on my lap, snuggled in a blanket. She did some weird convulsion type things with big movements and then I think she died. Her feet twitched a bit after but I think she was already gone. We carried on to the vets and the vet confirmed she was gone. She felt her stomach and said it was still soft and not blocked so we really don't know what caused her to go downhill so fast. I keep thinking what if we had done this or that or tried something else but I know we tried to do what was right and even if we had taken her back earlier, I was extremely worried that if we took her in to stay over at the vets, we wouldn't be getting her back. Not because I don't trust the vets or anything, but because she was fairly elderly, she gets very stressed at the vets and her breathing isn't great with her respiratory issues when she is uptight. Her breathing at home seemed ok so I was worried taking her in to stay in was only the best option if absolutely necessary and no other choice. It's just when that decision was made it seems it was too late. Maybe she couldn't have been saved anyway, we will never know. All I know is that I loved her so very very much and would do anything for her, I might have made mistakes but they were with her best intentions at heart. Myself, my husband and Shadow will all miss her so much, my heart is aching for her. Rest in peace little angel xxx
She was advertised by the rescue as needing to live alone due to her aggression but she has never shown a sign of aggression in the 5 years we have had her. After speying her we found her a friend, Shadow. It took about 6 months of persistance to bond them but what a treat to then finally get a breakthrough and have them live together, absolutely in love with each other. They had free roam of 2 rooms, a large upstairs hallway, downstairs hallway and the stairs as well and coming in the bedroom when we were in it.
Hazel unfortunately had respiratory problems for most of her life but she adapted well, took her medicine every day and got on with life like a true champ. She didn't let it hold her back and lived life to the max. She would sit with me while I read my book and I would stroke her with one hand, holding the book with the other. We would take it in turns, her licking me, then me stroking her. She was sometimes very persistant that my sleeve or trousers needed a good clean, even my forehead! She would also fall asleep next to me and I would watch her dreaming, such a funny thing to see. She would often have her feet sticking out right behind her and let me stroke right down to near them but not to touch them! Her and Shadow would always be up to mischief together and a lot of cuddling, flopping and grooming together. Just the most wonderful thing to watch the 2 of them on the bunny cam, you get to see so much that you don't see when you are in the same room. They are both feet on the ground bunnies, they did not like being picked up, particularly Hazel, so you couldn't 'cuddle' her in the normal sense, but that didn't matter as it was cuddles on her terms, on the ground, snuggling up next to me.
I am heartbroken for poor Shadow too. Luckily we work from home but it's not the same for him. I'm snuggling with him right now, he really loves being 'squished' as I describe it, feet on the ground but he loves you really squishing up to him and being stroked more firmly, Hazel wouldn't like that, she liked gentle strokes. Shadow has gone back to Hazels body quite a few times now and been grooming her. He has the vets tomorrow for a check up as he had xrays 2 weeks ago that found fluid on the lungs and a rounded heart. I think the vet will be deciding what medicine to continue etc. Hopefully if we keep a close eye on him, losing hazel won't impact his health.
On friday she was her usual happy, bright self eating as usual. She ate food up to the evening. I can see on the pet cam her eating at 1.10am. But when I said good night to them about 1.15am they were both in the litter tray. Hazel did a strange movement with her back legs and looked a bit strange. I went and got the treat packet as that's a quick way to tell if somethings wrong, she was not interested (she's usually a very greedy bunny and will do anything for a pocket). So I spent until about 4am trying to get her to move around, trying to get her to eat and I gave her medicine. I went to bed for an hour or so and got back up. I phoned the vets in the morning and got an appointment at 10.15am. I could have waited for my local branch to be open at midday but thought best to take her in, the other branch is about 20 minute drive. The vet was not concerned as her stomach felt soft as it should, she did a blood glucose I think she said and that was fine, she also said Hazel did a poo while they were examining her. She did note her body temp was 37 something I think she said so she wanted me to give her a heat pad, which we did. She gave me gut motility and loxicom that she prescribed for 4 days, and I already had critical care. She said we didn't need iv treatment or anything like that. I've dealt with stasis before plenty of times so I wasn't too concerned then either as her stomach felt ok and we had the right 'tools' to help her. I have rarely had to do much critical care mix as usually they will slowly start eating and then they have bounced back. We did the first lot of medicine when we got home and some critical care but she only took some of it, letting a lot just dribble out. I kept annoying her to move now and then and massaging her etc. I had loads of different food she loves and hay but she wouldn't take any, she kept seeming like she wanted to and then refusing. She did drank water and then ate some cucumber so I was hopeful we were starting to get back on track. However she seemed to be getting really weak when I was trying to make her stand up and move around and when she tried to jump back in a cardboard box she couldn't get one leg over. We tried the next lot of motility and tried some more critical care but she wouldn't even move her mouth like chewing motion or to try to spit it out, she seemed even more lethargic, spaced out etc. So we phoned the emergency vet. They called me back and said to meet at the vets in an hour. Unfortunately she got even worse so quickly, I just held her on my lap and we knew she wasn't going to make it, her body was leaning to the side and she had no responsiveness. We got in the car and went to the vets with her on my lap, snuggled in a blanket. She did some weird convulsion type things with big movements and then I think she died. Her feet twitched a bit after but I think she was already gone. We carried on to the vets and the vet confirmed she was gone. She felt her stomach and said it was still soft and not blocked so we really don't know what caused her to go downhill so fast. I keep thinking what if we had done this or that or tried something else but I know we tried to do what was right and even if we had taken her back earlier, I was extremely worried that if we took her in to stay over at the vets, we wouldn't be getting her back. Not because I don't trust the vets or anything, but because she was fairly elderly, she gets very stressed at the vets and her breathing isn't great with her respiratory issues when she is uptight. Her breathing at home seemed ok so I was worried taking her in to stay in was only the best option if absolutely necessary and no other choice. It's just when that decision was made it seems it was too late. Maybe she couldn't have been saved anyway, we will never know. All I know is that I loved her so very very much and would do anything for her, I might have made mistakes but they were with her best intentions at heart. Myself, my husband and Shadow will all miss her so much, my heart is aching for her. Rest in peace little angel xxx
you did everything you could for her and she had the best life possible with you xx
