The Bunny Basics

Angela · Joined: 07 Aug 2008 Posts: 10

Hello. :]
My name is Angela and I'm from Tennessee. I am a brand new member here, hoping to learn more about my bunnies and better care for them. I have a little boy who is about two and a half years old name Socrates, and about seven months ago we adopted his new girlfriend, Sausage. A recent tragedy brought me to realize that my bunnies and I need a place to turn when we have questions or need support. This forum seems like a wonderful place for us! I'm in college and have only been on my own now for about a year... and when I got my rabbit I certainly was not ready for him. I walked into a pet store at the mall and fell in love with him. I thought, "How hard can it be to take care of a little bunny?" Little did I realize all of the special care I should be giving him that I neglected. I fed him anything the pet store called "healthy," which I later came to find out was just the opposite: pellets with seeds and treats and dried fruits and vegetables mixed in. Socrates became overweight, and in my efforts to get him healthy again I made another crucial mistake: I trusted the first internet source I came upon, which said to reduce him to a simple timothy hay and water diet. Two and a half weeks ago I woke up to find Socrates nearly comatose, confused and in shock. His muscles were so weak he could not stand or even correctly lift his head. In tears, I rushed him to the University of Tennessee vet hospital, a teaching hospital that takes special cases and has twenty-four hour emergency. The staff was very kind, and a very special student vet named Marissa fell in love with little Socrates, as he fell in love with her. For the first few days that he was in the hospital, his prognoses got worse. After being administered the IV, his energy peaked a bit, but after that his health slowly declined once again. Their only idea as to what was wrong with him was that it must be nutritional, because I had switched him to a very bad diet. When Socrates first went into emergency care, he had a blood glucose of 19, a record low at that hospital. I believe a rabbit normally had a glucose level of between 250 and 300. His temperature and his pulse were also extremely low, and he was severely dehydrated and nothing but skin and bones. For days I was told he would not make it.

I began visiting Socrates at least once every day, for several hours. Holding him, feeding him, or just sitting by his side. Nobody believed me when I said it was good for him... I guess they just thought it was part of the mourning process, since everybody thought he would die. Since I am a college student with a limited income, and his condition was not improving, I was given the option to euthanize. I asked the doctor if he was in pain, and she told me that to her best knowledge, he was only weak and tired, but not in extreme pain. That day I made the decision, "I'm not giving up until he gives up." Socrates made a sweeping recovery. He began to sit up, to walk, and he even took a few hops in the following days. I didn't have a lot of people believing in me at this point. They were telling me that putting him to sleep was the best for him and the best for my wallet. But I'm sure many of you would understand... how could you give up on an animal that still has the will to live, and is showing you that from day to day?

Two weeks ago, Socrates came home. :] He was still dehydrated, but stable, and the doctors found that he would eat and drink better for me than for anybody. He had some neurological damage (communication from his brain to his muscles), but he is relearning it all. He can sit up, stand up, run around and play... he has even learned once again how to use his litter box. He has gained nearly half a pound since he was released from the hospital, is very well hydrated, and his glucose is back to normal. He's slowly becoming the fat little bunny he was intended to be, but healthier this time, without all the pet store treats and unhealthy foods.

Socrates always had a distant personality. I blame this on myself, because when I went off to college for my first semester, I had to leave him at home with my Grandmother, where he received basic care, but not a lot of love. After my first semester, I was able to get an apartment with my boyfriend and best friend, and take Socrates into my care once again. But, because of the past six months of his life being without his pal (me), he was a loner. We adopted Sausage hoping that Socrates could have a friend and be a happy bunny. The two of them fell in love and it made him a playful bunny again, but as time passed, Socrates and I never had the bond we had once had when he was a baby bunny (before I left him). Now that this whole hospital ordeal is over, we are the best of friends! While I regret trusting bad sources and hurting my little guy, there has been so much to gain from this incident. My visiting the hospital every day made him trust me again. He once again follows me so closely that he steps on my heels and nearly trips me. He comes out to play games with me, and he covers me in little bunny kisses. I just learned from this forum that when a bunny licks you, its not because you taste good. Its because he loves you. :] This is my story about me and my family surviving the unimaginable, and now I'm here to prevent something like this happening in the future. I know this is a really long introduction, but I want everybody to know that he's not just any average everyday normal bunny... He's a miracle. He's super Bunny! :]

TheBunnyBasics · Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2008 9:19 pm Post subject:

Hi Angela,

Welcome to The Bunny Basics Forum! Your story of love and commitment to your bunny is so inspirational. Thank you so much for sharing it with us. Many of us started out the same way as you, with all the wrong information. Unfortunately there is so much misinformation about bunnies out there it is diffucult for new bunny parents to know what is right.

You did an amazing job nursing him back to health. You being there every day for him I am sure helped give him the will to fight. So many people would have given up. Your love brought him back to life. And yes indeed, when a bunny licks you it is a sign how much he loves you!

Thank you for being such an amazing person and a great bunny mom! We are always here for you if you have any questions. And please feel free to post answers to anything you want to share information on as well. We want this forum to be a wealth of information so others can learn how to make their bunny as happy as can be!

Thank you again for sharing your story! Very Happy

peyton716 · Joined: 21 Mar 2008 Posts: 73

Angela, you are awesome!! I wish you, Socrates and Sausage many happy years of snuggling together! So happy you joined the forum!

P.S. Just curious, what did you/the vet tech hospital feed Socrates to nurse him back to health?

Angela · Joined: 07 Aug 2008 Posts: 10

peyton716 · Joined: 21 Mar 2008 Posts: 73

Thanks Angela for posting his daily care info. Critical Care formula has saved lots of buns! I am so glad he is doing better!

Romo · Joined: 04 Nov 2007 Posts: 44 Location: Boulder, CO

Welcome Angela! Thank you for sticking with Socrates! I am glad it had a happy ending!