Missing Work Because of Sick Bunny?

[Dee]

I thought I posted this before but apparently forgot to post it lol. I missed 2 days a couple weeks ago because of Precious being ill, and I don’t think I’ll miss any more since Lukie seems to be feeling better, but this got me thinking. Rabbits are so fragile and can go downhill in such a short time, how do other rabbit parents cope? I’ve seen things here and there about having to work or go to school, but never saw an actual conversation on it. My boss was very understanding- I’m sure it helps that I rarely miss work and have been there 4+ years. I work with developmentally and physically delayed adults,some completely bedridden. So my job can’t be put off until I can come in.

I would love to hear from other bunny parents on this. How do you balance work- and family and school and general life- obligations with caring for a sick bunny? I find it so stressful to let people down, and I need to work for money! How do you all deal with this?

[Dface]

This isn’t particularly helpful…but its more of a “i think we are all mad here” kind of thing

When I 1st got a sick bunny I worked, and I missed days at work over him, granted my work allowed me to work the awkward shifts to make up for it ( i worked in a lab)
When I went back to college it was fortunate that I could go home between classes and check on him, and if needed spend the day with him and simply skip classes (like the crazy woman I am) I was lucky that I lived a 2 minute walk from the vets, who were kind enough to take him in on some days to monitor him, free of charge (he was a very charming little dude)

I remember I had a baby hedgehog I was helping to raise a few years ago, and I used to just take him into college during my undergrad(Thankfully I did Zoology so it was fairly alright to be wandering about with little critters!)

But yeah, it is a horrible thing to try and juggle. Socially I found it hardest, while work and college were necessary, goin out and having fun arent, so I’d frequently turn people down.
It was unfortunate that the night I did finally agree to go out for a few hours with my friends that my rabbit got very ill very quickly and even when we got him to the emergency vet there was nothing they could do really

[Mikey]

Glad to hear Lukie is doing better! I was just about to pop into your other thread to see how things were going

I am thankful that I dont work so I am home almost always. But there was one time I had to call my partner out of work. Our Badger was choking due to snuffles and I had just finished doing the bunny heimlich for 15+ minutes. I called my mom during the heimliching, put her on speaker, and just cried to her about what was happening. She convinced me to call my partner because he needed to know even if he couldnt leave in that moment. So I called him, and told him Badger couldnt breathe, but I think I got him stabilized. He thanked me, told me he loved me, then immediately left work. We are thankful his boss was understanding, because I dont think he told the boss he was leaving, he just clocked out and left.

The other times the bunnies have needed help and we needed my partner to take off of work, we knew ahead of time so he could change his schedule around.

[Dee]

Thanks for your replies, Dface and Mikey ☺.

Dface, I’m so sorry about what happened with your bunny ?. Some things are just out of our control- life can be very cruel. I’m glad your lab job was understanding- and I admire you for being able to juggle college and a sick bunny! I feel like all I can do is obsess about Lukie, I can barely eat and that’s very rare for me! That’s awesome that you could take your hedgehog to school! I have definitely turned down plans with friends that require long times out of the house of overnight stays. Too nervewracking, unless bunnies are completely healthy.

Mikey, what a horrifying experience, having to do the Heimlich on your bunny! I work in health care and I don’t know if I would have the preswnce of mind to do that. A person, sure- without blinking an eye. A bunny? Yikes- they are so delicate. Good for you! I’m glad that your partner is so supportive with bunny care- and that he didn’t get fired lol. Great that you can be home with your rabbits most of the time now!! Does your partner know how to give them meds and stuff? My husband loves the bunnies, but has never even picked Luke up and could never give meds to him- he’s too scared of hurting him! And now he says we will never take the bunnies back to the emergency vet. So if Luke goes downhill while I’m at work, its not good. Plus I can’t leave work once I’m there because it would be abandonment.

I just edited this message because Luke turned out to be fine! I’ve already asked for so much advice, and you all have been great! So I’m glad to be able to change my original stressed message into better news ☺. Luke was hiding and acting weird earlier, but now he’s acting perfectly normal,watching me carefully for any signs of getting him food. Pretty sure he was just angry with me before for bothering him so much. This morning we had an unfortunate incident where I woke up and he was on the couch beside me. I felt his ears and they felt cool, and I felt his teeth chatter, but thought it was a shiver! So I grabbed the poor little thing and wrapped him up in my blanket and popped him on my lap, all ready for bunny reheating time. It wasn’t until be began struggling mightily that I realized that perhaps I had jumped the gun a bit. I released him and got him a piece of apple, and he wolfed it down, glaring at me. Then later, twice I have him greens and he refused to eat until I left the room. So he is even back to having an attitude!

Hopefully he remains fine, because I’m going to work an overnight shift from 10 tonight until 8am tomorrow morning. I hope my little guy isn’t too lonely. We have one of those big 5 piece sectional couches- in the middle is the couch part, then on each side there is kind of a platform the height of am armrest, then recliners on the ends. Lately I’ve been sleeping in the middle with my head resting against one of the platforms, and Lukie sits on the platform all night, where he can keep am eye on me ?. Occasionally he jumps down into me and scared me half to death- that is how he tells me he wants to be petted. So I’m kind of concerned about how he will do alone. Chances are he won’t be fazed. As long as he doesn’t get sick or decide to chew up and eat anything crazy! I don’t think I stop thinking about the little spoiled thing all night!

[Mikey]

Thankfully, the bunny heimlich is much easier than the human heimlich! You sort of straddle them on your arm, and gently but firmly swing straight down. Gently raise your arm straight up, and do that again. I had to use a bit of an angle on my arm (hand and Badger’s face pointed downward at an angle) because he was choking on his mucus and could not breath. Jerseygirl told it to me when I frantically made a post about what was happening in the moment, as well as google video how tos

He knows how, but it makes him nervous. Hes always afraid of accidentally being too rough when giving meds or treatments, so it usually falls on me. I dont mind at all though, since from a young age I grew up helping my mom when she would rescue and rehab animals. We would mostly rescue and rehab bunnies and birds, so learning how to gently syringe feed has always been a regular thing for me. But, I am thankful that my partner does know how to give meds, even if hes not fully comfortable. I have a dieing family member who lives a state away so when it comes to visiting them, I stay for a few days. During this time, my partner stays home to care for the bunnies and home. Aside from one incident where Blue tried to eat a plastic bag, theyve never had any problems

LOL! Although he might not have enjoyed your bunny burrito to try to warm him up, I am sure he appreciated the thought So glad to hear he is doing much better compared to a few days ago, even if a little grumpy! He sounds like a sweetheart so its awesome to hear he is doing much better

[Dee]

Hi Mikey- sorry I somehow missed your reply! Lukie is feeling better so I’m catching up with all the stuff I ignored for the past week. Laundry, cooking, cleaning… I’m not sure if anyone else does this, but when I have a sick bunny, I keep bringing them hay whenever they lay down, in the hopes of them eating it. After 2 weeks of sick bunnies, my house looked like a barn!

Anyway, thank you for telling me how to do a bunny Heimlich! I still think that was extremely heroic of you to be able to do it ☺. Also pretty awesome to be able to get that info right here at the moment of crisis!

I think my husband is also afraid of hurting the rabbits if he were to handle them. He couldn’t even deal with holding BunBun so I could give SubQ fluids- he kept insisting that I was hurting him or was about to hurt him. It made me even more anxious than before. It’s good that you can go away for a few nights and not have to worry about your bunnies being cared for though. I’m sorry about your family member though ?.

Oh yeah- I went through all the hay that I had and I did find some hay th;at seemed very dusty, and felt a tiny bit cold, like it might have been damp. I really don’t think that was bad, but I tossed it all anyway. So hopefully the crisis is over, and will never be repeated!

[Author]

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