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A while ago, My minilop Bobbi, who was blind in one eye, had a surgery to remove her other eye. She is paralyzed in her back legs, no one really knows why, not even the vet. She gets around fine with a small dog cart. She is also missing her back teeth, so I have to soak her pellets before she is able to eat them.
Oreo, is a black and white flemish giant. He was rescued from a horrible abuse situation, which resulted in him becoming deaf, he is also missing a back leg. It was so badly mangled that my vet had to amputate it.
1. Hydrotherapy, I am fully aware that bathing rabbits in water is a terrible idea. Bobbi has done hydrotherapy about five times, and the effects have made a difference in her lifestyle. Her front legs are often stiff and sore, pulling her cart around can be tiring for her. It helps with her front legs, it doesn’t put pressure on the joints like running would, so it relaxes them. She wears a small dog life jacket, and is in the water for about five minutes. Then she is dryed off, and given a treat. If she shows any signs of stress at all, she is immediately pulled out of the water. There is a therapist in the water with her as well. She has never showed stress, or signs that she wants to come out of the water, and the dryer used after her appointments is a very quiet pet dryer. When she arrives home, she sprints around my house like crazy. Oreo is still faster than her, due to her cart though.
Has anyone else done this kind of therapy? 2. Acupuncture. Bobbi has gone once. I didn’t see a ton of results, but she did seem quite relaxed for about an hour. Has anyone else done pet acupuncture? I go for acupuncture and love it, so I wonder if Bobbi feels the same way?
3. Finding a pet sitter. I am going on vacation in August! For 4 weeks, so I need to find a good pet sitter. I can’t seem to find one that is willing to cope with Bobbi and Oreo, so I’m not sure what to do. I will be travelling off the continent, so I can’t bring them. The only other option would be boarding them at my vet. They wouldn’t be free range like they are at home, they would be kenneled. I hate the idea of putting them in bunny jail, so I will not go with that option. What should I do? I want an experienced pet sitter who is willing to cope with their needs. So far, I have only found little kids that want to watch them. I don’t think a six year old could handle that kind of responsibility, so I am stuch with what I should do!
. Thanks in advance!
guineapig724 -
Those bunnies sure are lucky to have you!!! Wow!!
Thanks for sharing about them 1. I’ve never seen that done with rabbits, but water is wonderfully therapeutic and if you are seeing results-I say awesome. Plus the risk with bunnies bathing is letting them sit around in their mobs of wet hair for hours after. The gentle pet dryer is taking care of that. I will say if you have pictures, you must post them-a bunny in a little life jacket-how awesome!
2. Yes, my parents dog had acupuncture. Did not seem to do anything. I’ve read quite a few articles about how it just doesn’t work, and they’ve done fMRI studies showing that the same areas of the brain light up when someone thinks they are getting acupuncture as when they are getting acupuncture, so they strongly suggest it’s a placebo effect-if there is any effect. However, I do think it has some potential to work-in old injuries when things aren’t healing, stimulating the bodies inflammatory response to injury by cuasing minor injuries (the needle sticks) could work. So I’d say if you see results great, but if you aren’t, you may just want to discontinue.
3. Gosh I can’t imagine trying to find someone. I would say call your vet and your therapists and see if you could hire them. Since they know your bunnies and have medical qualifications I’d say they’d be your best bet. They also may have vet technicians who sit pets. I do not think even with mine that I would let a stranger look after them (mine get a vet tech plus family looking after them)-with your guys it’s even more important to find the right person, so I’d check with your medical professionals you are already using.
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