Posted By dude.the.rabbit on 9/04/2014 9:31 PM
This is a very sad update. After I took away the hutch, Sandy was peeing in the litter box lined with newspapers and covered in hay. I didn’t notice too much difference except the smell grew stronger every day. As it turned out, Sandy was soaking up alot of the urine and wasn’t able to clean herself properly. I took her to the vet last Saturday and she had to be shaved and put on an antibiotic. With all the changes, our other bunny Dude started down the path of GI Stasis. I didn’t notice until yesterday when he totally refused to eat. I started giving him syringes of food and water and looked all over the internet for self help. Well, I should have gone immediately to the vet, but my vet bill was already at $300. Long story short, Dude didn’t make it, he died of bloat. I should have put him in the animal hospital but we couldn’t afford to. The vet said he only had a 10% chance of making it, but I wish I had enough money to get him the help he needed. Now Sandy is miserable without him and my heart is broken. I wish I had just kept things the way they were
I’m so, so sorry for your loss. This is a terrible thing to happen to anyone and I’m so sorry to hear it happened to you. You did everything you thought was best for them, so please don’t be terribly hard on yourself.
I’m going to suggest a couple of things for you now, and I hope they won’t come across as callous or uncaring; these things are intended to help you in the future.
Firstly, consider beginning a savings fund solely for the rabbits. You never know when something horrible like this may happen again, and it’s good to always have at very least $500 stored away for emergencies. I also recommend looking into CareCredit and PetAssure. These are good alternatives to pet insurance, which can be needlessly costly and often ineffective. Consider these options, to help safeguard against the health needs of Sandy in the future and, should you decide, another rabbit.
Secondly, rabbit litterboxes, especially those that only include newspaper and hay, need to be changed every day or every other day at least, to prevent urine scald. I’m sure this is a lesson you’ve already learned the hard way, and I’m sorry for that. I recommend looking into using additional litter substrates such as Yesterday’s News or CareFresh, which can help absorb the urine, and/or changing the litterbox every day or every other day. I’m not sure why Sandy was unable to clean herself properly, as you mentioned, but urine scald happens even to rabbits who are capable of cleaning themselves, and it is something we all must be vigilant about.
I’m terribly sorry, once again, that you’re going through this exceptionally difficult time, and that Sandy is experiencing such emotional hardship. For now, I suggest you tend to her as best you can with lots of love, attention, affection, and maybe some extra treats, to help her cope with the shock of losing her partner and the stress of the antibiotics and vet visits.
I wish you all the best.