Finnegan…long

[caudex]

The story isn’t pretty. It was very sudden and very terrible. Feel free to skip to the picture and send him some loving thoughts.

I don’t post very often, but one or two people might remember Finn. My friend bought him from a pet store as a baby and put him in a Petco cage and forgot him. I came to visit often and would clean his cage and play with him. I got to babysit him one summer, and spent the whole time free roaming and making visits outside. She finally gave him to me “for just a month,” and I never let him go. He bonded with my other two and lived three good years. He was such a special guy. Friendly and feisty, he followed you around the room and played around your feet, loved to run laps and climb as high as he could go. He was almost exactly five years old.

My husband and I were getting ready to leave for a long weekend, 10 hours away. We have a neighbor who comes and checks on them every day. Everything had been fine, we’d just successfully conquered an ear infection and Finn was his normal funny self. We were literally almost out the door. I was loading the hay and water, and had just stepped into the pen to do…something, don’t even remember what…and Finn sneezed and something came pouring out of him. Not mucus, it was the color and texture of pond scum. My first thought was vomit, but I dismissed it, rabbits can’t throw up. He kept spewing this stuff out and sneezing and wiping his face. I grabbed him out of the pen and brought him outside into the fresh air while I called my vet for help. Suddenly he starts panicking, struggles out of my arms, runs, and has the most terrifying convulsion before falling on his side. His nose was plugged, he’d stopped breathing and passed out. I absolutely COULD NOT let him suffocate and die in such a terrifying way, I started doing nose to mouth and trying to suction out whatever it was. I did it, he started breathing and he came around, I knew  we couldn’t leave him that way and told the vet we were coming, and if it was a choice between euthanasia and drowning, she needed to be ready. Finn roused in the car, but I kept clearing his nose for him, and he’d make the most awful gasping fish-out-of water face. At first the vet thought his infection was back, and said we could pay to admit him to the hospital and over the weekend they’d treat him and use a humidifer. I really thought for a minute it was an infection and I’d pay some ridiculous amount of money and get him back again. He started choking again and they took him out back to put him on oxygen. She came back with a napkin to show what they’d suctioned out…it had plant matter in it. She believed he had vomited and aspirated, because his lungs now sounded much worse. When I protested that they don’t vomit, she said that a tumor was likely to blame. With that information, I did what I promised him I’d do, and helped him over. He went to sleep purring in my hand. He understood I was helping.

It was so hard…when she brought him back the oxygen had perked him up and he seemed almost normal. I felt like I was killing my healthy pet. But I remind myself that if we had left the house five minutes earlier, he’d have suffocated and died in his pen and I’d have found him four days later. I love all of my buns, but Finn was my special guy. My late night TV watching college buddy…

[Reeem]

Im so sorry for your loss. He seemed like the perfect bun , he had 2 other beautiful friends. He was loved very much.
Binky free Finnegan <3.

[Bam]

I’m so sorry for your loss. It must have so awful to see him like that. He seems like the greatest little guy and I’m so sorry he had to leave you. He was beautiful.

Binky free, Finn.

[MoxieMeadows]

I am so very sorry for your loss. <3 (((Hugs)))

{{{{Binky free Finnegan}}}}

[BB & Tiny]

That was heartbreaking to read, but also beautiful in regards to the love that shone through. You were both very fortunate to have found each other and shared such love right to the very end of his physical existence on earth, beautiful. I hope the pain fades with time.

[LongEaredLions]

I’m so sorry for your loss. You did everything you possibly could, Finn definetly knew how much you loved him. Hugs. (((((binky free))))))

[Helen]

I’m so sorry for your loss and for the pain you are going through right now. Finn will have known how much you loved him and that your decision was through love and compassion for his wellbeing.

Binky free little guy.

[Coco the Lionhead Bunny]

I am so very sorry for your loss. It must have been horrible for you to witness your rabbit suffocating. I am glad that Finn had such a good owner who tried her very best to help him. I am so sorry about your binky free bunny.

[Author]

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