Markusdark! How’s your girlfriend’s bunny doing????

[JK]

Please give us an update!!!

[Scarlet_Rose]

I would like to know too!

[MarkBun]

Heh, I mentioned it in the original post. She’s doing just fine. Poops are back, although slightly smaller than normal (but bigger than they were). She’s eating pellets, hay and greens and is drinking water and she’s back to her old diva self. We caught it way early so things are bouncing back quickly. The good thing that came out of this is that now my g/f will stick to a more bunny friendly diet than she had been.

[Scarlet_Rose]

That’s great!

[Gravehearted]

hurray – glad to hear she’s recovering nicely

[MarkBun]

Just to close this loop. The bun’s just about done with her treatment and she’s back to her completely normal, diva self. I’ll need to see if I can get a pic of her up here sometime soon.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Yes! Piccies please!

[MarkBun]

Although I hate to be thankful for a bun being sick, in this case I have to make the exception.  Due to this situation, not only is she feeding the bunny healthier food but thanks to a comment from Dr. Harvey, she’s agreed to bring her bun in to get spayed.  Her last bun was depressed for a month before dying right after he was fixed so this is a major thing for her.  And the fact that the bun has to stay overnight isn’t making anything easier.

Here is a cameraphone pic of her bun, so excuse the quality.  Introducing Georgie B. Fluff (girl bun)

 Oh, and I should note that compared to her, Maryann is an innocent sweetheart.

111845963471.jpg

[JK]

So glad things turned out well.  You guys certainly nipped this thing in the bud.  Miss Fluff is very cute and looks so angelic!  Not, right?  OMG buns are so fragile.  I can’t imagine how they survive the wild.  Thanks for the update.

[MarkBun]

Well the bun’s not doing well still. Apparently whatever she had isn’t gone yet. I went over last night and when I picked her up, she didn’t fight in the least – and this bun associates everything bad with me. So I knew something was wrong. The scar is healing nice (although I was a little surprised that after a week, there wasn’t any fur growing back on her belly yet). But her belly was like a balloon. When I squeezed it softly, I could feel the gurgles through it and she’d grind her teeth in pain.

I ran out and got some smithecone because I was actually afraid to try and drive her 45 mins to an emergency vet clinic. In addition, my girlfriend is going through some major troubles right now so I didn’t want to worry her. I told her to give the bun 0.5 cc’s (That’s about 30mg of active smithecone) about every 4-6 hours until her belly is back to normal. in addition, we are probably taking another trip to Dr. Harvey either today or tomorrow.
Unfortunately, I have an inspection with my landlord tomorrow at 8am to see how bad my apartment is and to decide whether or not I can keep my buns. I need to clean the place up but I also need to be available for Georgie. I’m not sure what to do at this point. Maybe call a friend to come over and clean my place up.

[MarkBun]

OH, and here’s an interesting thing. I know that bunny’s personalities might change a little after being spayed but this one is a doozey. Before the spaying, Georgie would show her displeasure by grunting. I mean, this rabbit was a HUGE grunter – I’ve never heard such a vocal bun before. And of course, anything we did, she was displeased with so there were always the grunts.

Since she’s been back though – she hasn’t grunted once. Instead, the thumps. And this is strange because she NEVER thumped before. My girlfriend said it was funny watching her because when she has the hiccups, Georgie thumps everytime she hiccups.

I wonder what reprogramming Dr. Harvey did… Is the uterus the grunt center of the buns?

[Beka27]

oh no.  i missed the start of this predicament.  i’m sorry to hear the bun isn’t doing well.  hopefully it’s a minor tummy upset that can be taken care of without too much trauma.

[MarkBun]

I’m hoping so too. Her previous bun died a month after being neutered and right now Georgie is acting like he did so she’s freaking out a little bit.

The hard part for me is the medication. I am used to buns doing the tongue/licking action while you give them their meds. Georgie just sits there and lets you fill her mouth. Some dribbles out but after you remove the syringe, she starts licking. Not to mention she just cleans her dewlap afterwards so it’s not like she’s not getting most of the meds.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

What type of semethicone are you using? It could just be Kokanee, but I am giving her “ovol’ baby gas stuff and she laps it up! She actually gets excited when she sees me filling the syringe!
*Vibes for Georgie*

[MarkBun]

Dang cellphone company – they disconnected my phone without letting me know. I finally got the service back and called my girlfriend (she won’t answer the phone if she doesn’t recognize the number)

So, Georgie is doing better today. her tummy is still a little big but not nearly as bad as it was. And she said that some of the old George was showing up – including hopping into the bathroom to chew up a pair of her shoes. I asked if she was eating and I believe the term she used was that Georgie was “gorging” herself on greens. Her appetite came back like gangbusters. Unfortunately, she’s not a big hay eater. I’m trying some other types to see if she will aquire a taste for them. Does anyone know if Broccoli is bad for buns? I can’t remember and my gf thinks maybe that is what is giving her gas (since apparently her whole family is ‘susceptible’ to that vegetable).

OH! And I gave my girlfriend a valentine’s present that made her weep. I got Georgie B. Fluff some health insurance.

[osprey]

Markusdark, all of the Brassicas are considered gassy vegetables, including broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage and kale.  Georgie might be one of those buns that these cause problems for.

[JK]

Oh you are such a great guy!!! Health Insurance is such a brilliant idea. How much is it anyway?????My vet told me to definitely not give broccolini to Edson because of the high calcium levels and it causes gas. I would stay away from it. Great news on Georgie.

[MarkBun]

VPI Pet insurance is the preferred insurance company of Dr. Harvey’s clinic and many others (I think they’re the “Blue Cross” of the animal kingdom). You can have a policy quote in 2 mins on their website: http://www.petinsurance.com and for Georgie, it was $13/month. Policy takes effect after 2 weeks and they bill you two months in advance.

[JK]

Really only $13/month? Is there a deductible? Does that cover everything? Office visits, emergency and whatever else? I’m sure if it’s a pre existing conditon it would not be covered just like humans. Thanks for the info.

[MarkBun]

Check out the website for the info. And there’s no exam so how they gonna know what’s pre-existing and what’s not?

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

LOL

That is such a sweet gift Markus!

[Scarlet_Rose]

I agree, that was a wonderful thing for you to do Markus!

[MarkBun]

Well we came back from our conference and lil’ Georgie girl is doing well. She seems to have mellowed out a great deal since the surgery – or maybe she’s just becoming accustomed to me. She lets me pet her and comes over to see what I am doing and so on. I checked her belly and it’s back to the plyable but not too plyable feel of a healthy bun although she’s still leaving very small, strained poos. But she is eating and drinking normally. And she has become a love sponge as well – wanting to be held and petted all the time. And she is a bit back to her diva self, demanding we feed her whatever we’re eating (which we don’t) and then hopping over to the nearest book to begin dismantling it in retribution.

She is, however, very thin. She is eating, just not huge amounts. If things don’t change this week, I’ll be making another appointment with Dr. Harvey. I just don’t want to overtax the bun (or my wallet) with taking her to the vet every week.

[MarkBun]

And, of course with some happiness of my bonding pair comes some sadness.

During the night, Georgie Girl passed over the rainbow bridge. Her last days weren’t in pain but with loved ones. I think that whatever was causing her to get skinny won out. She had been acting wierd yesterday, sleeping where she’s never travelled, sitting on things she never cared to. We had an appointment with Dr. Harvey today.

I now have to convince my girlfriend to give me Georgie so that I can take her to Dr. Harvey and find out what happened. The last time her bun died, it also was within a month after being altered and she didn’t let the body go for three days.

Today is gonna suck…

Thanks in advance for all of the thoughts and vibes.

[JK]

Oh I’m so sorry to hear this. Poor little girl. My heart goes out to you two. Take care.

[babybunsmum]

i’m so sorry markus. please pass on sympathies to your girlfriend who must be so terribly upset right now.  how horribly unfortunate that her second bun also passed so soon after altering.  good luck convincing her to let you take georgie girl to see dr.harvey.  some answers, if any are to be discovered,  may not help her right now but could be a comfort at some point .  (((hugs)))

[Scarlet_Rose]

Markus I am very sorry, give your girlfriend my condolences.  This is very sad.  I hope that she has the heart to let Dr. Harvey perform a necropsy.  Not only will she know perhaps she can share with us and help us learn too.

[MarkBun]

She was completely devastated but she managed to pull herself together (mostly) and we went to Dr. Harvey. After she said goodbye, I stayed in the room to take care of the details and the moment that door closed I broke down. Dr Harvey did a fantastic job of consoling her and then she needed to do the same with me. And the fact that she was even tearing up helped me as well.

Next weekend we are going to go check out the shelters. She believes that maybe one of the reasons that Georgie left us was that she knew another bun needed her.

I also stopped by SaveABunny today to do some socializing. Nothing cheers you up faster than a bun (and Maryann is ‘butting’ me because I won’t let her out of her pen).

[osprey]

Oh Markus, I am so sorry for you and your GF with Georgie passing.  It really seemed like she was over the hump.  Maybe you are right, there is a shelter bunny out there somewhere with paws crossed hoping that someone will come and take them away.  If she can find it in her heart to take in another bun, I know there are terrific bunnies all over the Bay Area looking for their special home.

[Lisa_43]

Sorry to hear about your G/F much loved bunny passed away. I also thought everything was going to be ok. What a shock.

((((((((((((((((((((((Georgie Girl))))))))))))))))))

[kimberleyanddarren]

congrats on your bunny being back to normal!

[Scarlet_Rose]

Kimberly…..Georgie passed away.

[MarkBun]

Well my girl has a new bun already. I thought it was a little soon but for a grad student who is home most of the day, the void in the house was just too unbearable for her. Even her roomates were still doing ‘bunny duties’ without remembering about the passing. And I, when I went over, looked towards the place where Georgie always greeted people.

She was looking through the internet and asking Georgie for some help when she came across someone who had purchased two buns and was told that they were fixed, which they weren’t. The rest of the kids had been adopted out but the last one, a pure albino, wasn’t and everyone knows how hard it is to get owners for them. We headed over there (after checking out another bun nearby that was a ‘so so’ response to us) and the bun literally jumped into her arms and cuddled down. So, she is now the proud mama of Figgy (short for Figaro). It was a little hard cleaning up all of Georgie’s things to make things ready for Figgy but she seemed to be healing during the process.

The ONLY issue is that Figgy isn’t yet altered and having her two past buns die within 30 days of the operation, I am going to have a HARD time convincing her to have him neutered. We will be setting up a general exam for him with Dr. Harvey and I’m hoping she’ll be able to convince her.

Oh, also, something really strange. On the way home, Figgy was ‘clicking’ his teeth. I’ve always thought it was for only pain but there was nothing painful on him. In addition, when he got home and settled into his new cage, the clicking wasn’t apparent. It seems that we have a clicker when he’s nervous (at least we’re assuming that now – more time will tell).

I still miss Georgie as she was such a character – always grunting at me to tell me what I should do and how I should do it – but I think I’ll share my girlfriend’s thoughts that Georgie knew there was another bun in need and is watching over the two of them now.

[Gravehearted]

ooo I am so sorry to hear about Georgie, how heartbreaking for your girlfriend and everyone who knew and loved her.

It does seem awfully soon, but everyone is different. I do know bunnies don’t grieve the same way that we do – so perhaps that is why Georgie felt her mama should help out somebunny in need. I am glad to know Figgy will have a happy and well loved home. Glad to hear he’s settling in too.

[babybunsmum]

what an adoreable name… figgy / figaro!  congrats to you & yours on your new furry family member   i did the same thing after my first bun passed.  went out the next day & adopted my second bun who instantly snuggled up tight under my chin when i picked her up.  i wasn’t actually planning to adopt that day & just wanted to ‘visit’ the buns but then i thought… i have all the stuff to look after a bun so why not give another bun a home?  getting to know my new lil fluff-ball’s personality really helped my through my grief. 

[JK]

Hey I think it’s great she got another bun. It must have been fate that Figgy chose you!  Boy as hard as it will be to convince the gf I would not steer away from neutering even though I thoroughly understand the reasons.  It will be a hard sell but you know what the consequences will be if he’s not neutered.  Perhaps you mentioned in previous posts the reasons that both these buns died but I don’t remember.  Are you sure they died from complications of spaying/neutering?  I would think that would be pretty rare these days. And…just have to say it you will make sure this little guy is on the proper diet this time?  Wasn’t Georgie eating some non rabbit food all the time? I am so happy for you two.  Keep us posted.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I’m glad she is recovering well from this loss and I like her thoughts on Georgie leaving. Big hugs for both of you.

[MarkBun]

Knowl,

I am not sure what the first bun’s reason was for passing on, however from what I have heard if you thought Georgie’s diet was bad…

As for Georgie, I think that what happened is that she never recovered from her GI Stasis. There was some bacterial growth within her digestive tract that probably wasn’t killed. And having the alteration while this wasn’t completely gone probably compromised her immune system. Personally, I feel that it was a lack of proper adimisteration of the medicine as I know how squeamish she was when it came to Georgie being uncomfortable. But I have no evidence of this so I could be wrong. In addition, it had seemed that she was all better just before the operation (sans perfect poops – they were still a little tiny). That is why I ordered the autopsy. I want to find out what it was so that I can confirm with her that it wasn’t the alteration that did her in.

And, yes, the new bun is going to have a PROPER diet. She knows that the previous GI Stasis was caused by the bad diet and she’s going to be a good mama now. Although she was already fighting me on new bun techniques. She wanted to just hold him all day long and I tried to tell her that it is best if he stays in his cage for the first couple of days so that he can make it his ‘home’ and feel that there is a safe place for him to go to whenever he needs one. Her ‘mothering’ instincts are always to comfort and cajole and for buns that could be the wrong thing to do.

I still feel like I’m fighting her on some points but at the same time, it is her bun and I have only so much power.

[Beka27]

i’m sorry to hear about Georgie.  how sad.  (((((((((((((((healing vibes for your girlfriend!))))))))))))))

as far as the new addition, my suggestion would be to have the bun altered as soon as possible.  it’s best to just get it done and over with.  the longer she waits, the more attached she will become and the more she will not want to go thru with the surgery.  as i was reading the posts, i was hoping she would adopt a shelter bun that had already been altered, but i guess she’ll have to go thru it again.

[Scarlet_Rose]

Markus, darn I was really hoping she would adopt and already fixed rabbit to avoid the same thing and the same fears. My friend you have a task ahead and hopefully Dr. Harvey can give her a good talk. Welcome Figgy with a few nose rubs from us, Georgie was watching out for her mum.

[MarkBun]

So, as a final entry into this story…

Dr. Harvey called back and said that she didn’t see anything suspicious in the autopsy. Other than some Black and Tan fabric threads in her belly, the digestive tract was clear (and the fabric wasn’t causing any issues other than her having some strained poops). There were no blocks or issues. The rest of her body seemed just fine (albiet a little underweight but not dangerously so).

She gave two theories on what happened – both dealing with the naturally occurring bacteria in the Ciecum (sp?). First is that the bacteria somehow changed into something poisonous to Georgie. Apparently this isn’t unheard of. The second is that somehow the bacteria entered into the bloodstream and it killed her that way. Either way, there was no way for us to have seen it coming nor any real way to prevent her death. It was just ‘one of those things’ that happens to the fragile buns.  I could have further tests done but since there was nothing we could do, and I’d rather save the money for the new bun, this was the end of the investigation.

The good news is that my girlfriend will have piece of mind that it wasn’t caused by the strange diet she had begun Georgie on. She’s been calling herself a bad mom for the past two weeks. This will be a comfort to her.

Georgie B. Fluff is now on her way to one last stop and we will be picking up the ashes sometime next week (as they engrave a brass plaque with her name on it).

I will miss you, you little drama queen. Even if you never liked me. I hope you find someone else over the rainbow bridge to grunt at.

[JK]

Well I am glad you now know and can close this chapter.  Take care and good luck with the new bunny!

[Author]

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