orphaned bunny needs some tlc…and a home

[nugget]

A friend of mine had asked me to come check out a bunny that she was trying to find a home for. Her cousin decided to rehome the rabbit when their new puppy was not getting along with the bunny. I found that the rabbit was VERY lap-friendly, very calm and docile. Not sure of the breed, assuming she is a mix…guessing she was a 4 pounder. It is believed that the rabbit is 3-4 years old (unspayed). They sent her with pellets and wood chips for the bottom of her cage. They hadn’t been feeding her hay…ever, all she had been eating is pellets and some vegetables in the morning. The wood chips were quickly removed and replaced with shredded paper. When I picked up the rabbit  to check her out…. I noticed she had sores on her feet. Her nails were very deadly…Luckily my friend Lacey is a groomer and will nip that in the butt right away. I am having a hard time “advertising” this bunny without  explaining the risks of cancer in an unspayed female. A cancer which usually occurs around 3-4 years of age 

Now for my questions…..Do you think the sores on her feet will heal up on their own, now that the wood chips have been removed? I had planned on bring some hay over for her today. If she has never had hay before (other than her haybased pellets), can I just toss a bunch in for her, or do I need to gradually introduce it like you would a new green? As for they spaying….If the bunny has not already developed cancer….does the surgery itself become riskier with an older bunny? I’m wondering if they can detect cancer with a simple blood test. It would be easier to convince a new owner to take this bunny in knowing she was cancer free and could still get spayed and live another 4 years.

[stella'smom]

oh no… hoping you find a home for her soon!

[Michelle&Lolli]

Where are the sores on the feet? Are they on what would be considered the heel? If so, these are usually pressure sores, so clipping her nails and changing the bedding should help heal them up. I am not sure about the spaying.

It is so nice of you and your friend to rescue this rabbit and try to find a forever home for her!

[nugget]

I guess they are closer to her heal, but slightly to the middle of her foot. I will make sure Lacey trims her nails, hopefully there will be some improvement with the sores soon. Thanks for the tip!!

[RabbitPam]

I would expect a blood test could determine the presence of cancer, since it is usually an elevated white blood cell count that indicates an internal fight going on.

No, she is not too old to be spayed. I would have her set up to have it done with a rabbit savvy vet, and they can take her blood for pre-op tests to find out if it’s advisable. Actually, I would guess that if there was a suggestion of the presence of cancer, it might be even better to get it done since it could possibly be contained and not yet metastasized. She will be fine at that age in experienced hands.

The foot sores will get better, though they may just remain hard, pink areas. You can apply either neosporin or some bag balm to them if you want to make her more comfortable and speed up healing. She’s lucky you came along.

[nugget]

What’s your opinion on the hay?
Oliver is due for his bi-annual exam, I will ask our vet about this other bunny then too.

[jerseygirl]

I think lay it cautious and just put a small amount of hay in to begin with. She might snub it anyway.

I agree, she’s not to old to be spayed. For older rabbits, they’ll often do some bloodwork before surgery. They older they are the more fat develops around the organs so this partly why it can be a bit trickier to spay. An experienced vet shouldn’t have any trouble. Even with evidence of tumors, a removal of those organs will still prolong her life.

I’m glad you and your friend are looking out for her. Keep us posted.

[Beka27]

Would you and your friend be able to go ahead and do the spay yourself? That’s really the only way to guarantee that it’ll be done and it will hopefully make rehoming much easier.

[LittlePuffyTail]

I have a lot of experience with sore hocks. Can you describe what the sores look like? Are they pink and hard like a callous or red and puffy. Do they hurt her when you touch them?

[nugget]

I wish I could afford to have her spayed, unfortunately I can’t. It would all be on me, as my friend is only interested in finding a home for the bunny. She understands the risks, as I have explained numerous times, but she is one that would not provide a rabbit with vet care. I think she was a little upset when I told an interested party about the risks an unspayed doe faces.
I do have a friend that has been visiting with us and Oliver….he is contemplating getting a rabbit for his 2 girls. I am thinking about asking him if he would be interested in fostering her for a little while. That way he can see first hand what it is like to have a bunny. Hoping that during that time they fall in love with her…and would be willing to follow through with a vet plan.

@ LittlePuffyTail….the sores are more calloused. they look hard and red. I only visually inspected them, as I didn’t know if touching them would be painful to her. but, they did not look like open sores.

[Beka27]

I see. I believe you did the right thing (the ETHICAL thing) by informing the interested person about the high risk of cancer.

One of two things may have happened:
Either the bunny would start to get sick, the person may not be able to read the signs that vet care was necessary, and then she would pass away unexpectedly
OR the bunny would start to get sick, the person would take her to the vet, and then be confronted with the difficult decision of humane euthanasia or cancer treatment ($$$).

Just like you would not want to sell a car to someone with mechanical problems without first alerting them, you did the right thing by informing the person that spaying is important. Many rescues do spay around this age (this may be when the bunny is surrendered), and very often, they end up removing precancerous cells.

[nugget]

Oliver has an exam on Friday…this bunny has never been to the vet as far as I am aware, so I am going to bring a fecal sample in and see if they can check for parasites. That much I can handle. Perhaps the vet knows of some rabbit lovers that will be willing to adopt her.
Thanks everyone for you input! really appreciate it!

[nugget]

Well, scratch that I guess…just got word that the bunny has been given to somebody. Couldn’t even bring myself to ask who…I hope they take care of her the way she should be taken care of.

[KatnipCrzy]

I saw that the bunny had been rehomed- but thought I would answer a question that came up. 

It is very unikely that you would be able to tell if a bunny had cancer from bloodwork.  Even if a CBC was done which is a Complete Blood Count and shows # of white blood cells- many things could cause an elevation.  Actually doing the spay would be the best way to see if there is any problem in an older unspayed bunny- the vet would notice any abnormal tissue or nodules during the spay process as they are removing the ovaries and uterus- and would probably recommend a biopsy of any abnormal looking tissue.

There are probably some more specific cancer screening tests for humans- but not so much for pets- and especially for rabbits.  Since vet costs are out of pocket as opposed to insurance- it takes longer for the technology to become affordable for pets.

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