This will be my last post on RU. I thought I was a good rabbit owner but I'm not. Over the summer I have struggled more and more with my rabbit's mucky bottom, taken her to the vets countless times to be shaved and tried to clean her myself but each time her skin was so thin I've cut it and she's had to have glue or stitches. I tried everything to stop the problem from pellets/no pellets/hay only/no veg etc etc. Nothing had any effect, she'd be ok for a few days then she just didnt' clean her bum and the problem built up again. I checked her daily. I checked her and cleaned her out on Monday evening, quite late on. Her bum was dirty and I couldn't clean it so I just thought to myself I'd book her into the vets on Weds or Thurs as I was busy yesterday. Yesterday I went to feed her and she was seemingly ok, lying down in the bedroom bit of her hutch, looked fine. And I didn't check her as I knew that if I did she'd run off the next time she saw me and hide in the bottom of the run where I couldn't get her, and I'd need to get her to take her to the vets. Last night my hubby fed her, in the dark. This morning I went out and she was really really unwell. I tipped her up and to my horror saw maggots burrowing into her. I vomited and my hubby rushed her to the vets (I was hysterical) and she was pts.
I haven't stopped crying yet, 12 hours on, and I don't know if I ever will. I got complacent as she'd had a mucky bum for a couple of years and she'd always been ok. I'd actually contacted Kayj and said I couldn't cope anymore with her and she needed an indoor home where someone could keep a close eye on her and I was going to take her to the vets to be cleaned up again before she went. Over the past year, I cleaned her, washed her, got her shaved and I got complacent. I should have checked her yesterday and I didn't. And she died a horrible death and I feel so horribly guilty and sick to my stomach. I will never have a pet again.
I don't want to hear it wasn't my fault, it was. What I want is to say to anyone out there with a 'dirty bum' rabbit, check them as much as you can. I had read about fly strike but had no idea it happens so quickly or it was so horrific. I'm an ex nurse and have seen some horrible things but this was one of the worst moments of my life. I'm so sorry for letting Opal down, she'd been a devoted companion to my rabbit MJ before he died and she deserved so much better. I'm so sorry for letting Kayj down. Please don't let your rabbit die like this. Check them and check them again. I'm so sorry.
I haven't stopped crying yet, 12 hours on, and I don't know if I ever will. I got complacent as she'd had a mucky bum for a couple of years and she'd always been ok. I'd actually contacted Kayj and said I couldn't cope anymore with her and she needed an indoor home where someone could keep a close eye on her and I was going to take her to the vets to be cleaned up again before she went. Over the past year, I cleaned her, washed her, got her shaved and I got complacent. I should have checked her yesterday and I didn't. And she died a horrible death and I feel so horribly guilty and sick to my stomach. I will never have a pet again.
I don't want to hear it wasn't my fault, it was. What I want is to say to anyone out there with a 'dirty bum' rabbit, check them as much as you can. I had read about fly strike but had no idea it happens so quickly or it was so horrific. I'm an ex nurse and have seen some horrible things but this was one of the worst moments of my life. I'm so sorry for letting Opal down, she'd been a devoted companion to my rabbit MJ before he died and she deserved so much better. I'm so sorry for letting Kayj down. Please don't let your rabbit die like this. Check them and check them again. I'm so sorry.