When you know your bunny only has days left

[longhairmike]

My fiance and I have 3 bunnies. Rini & Usako whom we got as babies in July 2004, and then Fubuki who we also got as a baby in Jan 2005. We love all 3 of them like they were our own kids (we have decided not to have children).

Last June Fubuki was suddenly laying down sluggish and not responding to morning treat time. She didnt eat or poop the whole morning. We took her into the vets who gave her a full exam and suggested her teeth probably we causing her pain. So they put her under and trimmed her teeth. Just to rule out a blockage, we opted for an xray. there was no blockage, but the vet found a thymoma in her chest cavity pushing agaist her lungs. the vet estimated it had been growing for about 3 months. At the time they suggested wither chemo or steroids. they gave her maybe 2-3 months We opted for steroids and she has been on daily prednisolone ever since. (and benebac every other day).

Her response was amazing, she turned into a little powerhouse after beginning the treatment. eating everything in sight and jumping from 5lbs to almost 6lbs. subsequent x-rays in September and November showed the mass has not increased in size at all.

Dec 17th we woke up to fine her and her cage splattered in wet smeary poop, and buki was barely responsive. We immediately called the vet and brought her in. Clostridium was the diagnosis. We opted to have her spend the weekend at the animal hospital so they could monitor her and administer everything they could to knock out the bacterial infection. We brought her home that monday with an arsenal of Baytril &  Reglan on top of her previous regimen. She was still barely eating hay and pills were very small, so we have been administering critical care several times daily. Buki has gotten very used to being syringe fed now. after a week of no improvement we went back on the 29th for an x-ray to rule out a blockage (since it is more likely to occur with the lack of hay),, no blockage… Flagyl was added to her meds list to help knock out any bacteria that might try to form. there has been no improvement since. she is not eating except for a few little pieces of pellet food. Occasionally she drops a 1/3 size pill but they are soft and the same color as critical care. Most of her droppings are soft cecals.

Tomorrow morning i am picking up a special order of liquid cisapride as a final last ditch effort to help her restore motility to her GI tract. if this doesnt work then i know she’s a goner. The vet said the mass was likely cancer (although it was too invasive to actually biopsy it), and it probably spread to her lymphatic system and penetrated her GI shutting it down. I did manage to get her to eat a piece of kale today (something she always turned up her nose at when she was healthy), but i know thats not going to help her intestines. She feels so skinny now and i know she’s not getting enough nutrition into her. Her skin around her eyes is getting dry and some of the fur is falling out. Luckily we work from home with our online business and we are available to administer critical care every few hours.

all in all, we’ve spent almost $2,400 to buy her these past 7 months. I’d gladly do it again for another 7. but im afraid that after she goes thru the 10-day cisapride supply and there’s no improvement, im going to have to bring myself to accept letting her go. we’ve tried everything.. i feel so powerless that i cant do anything else for her. it sucks

  

 

 

 

 

[Denise12]

Man, i’m in tears right now. I’m so sorry You’ve done so much….all you could.

[Sarita]

Hugs to you and to Fubuki. It’s a tough decision to make but in the end you will know whether it’s the right thing to do. I’ve had to do it a few times and I was very sad but knew my rabbit’s quality of life was not what it should be. I knew in the end it was the right decision.

[LizzyBunny]

I am so sorry for everything you have gone through, she looks like a beautiful rabbit and you sound like an amazing owner. My thoughts are with you and your family

[FluffyBunny]

I’m so, so sorry to hear about Fubuki. She’s a gorgeous rabbit. You’ve done so much for her, and I’m sure that she’s had a great life with you. I’m sure that you’ll know what decision to make when the time comes. Enjoy the time you can spend with her until then.

[jerseygirl]

Agreed. You have done so much for her! My thoughts are with you and your fiance. {{{Fubuki}}}
Thank you for the video and sharing what a cheeky darling she is!

[SmokeyBunnyRobinson]

I am so sorry to hear about this. I’m hoping that she gets better and pulls through this. If she doesn’t, I’m sure you know what the right decision would be.

[Beka27]

She is so beautiful. I am sorry you may have to make a painful decision, but I trust you will do what is absolutely best for you and the rest of your family. My thoughts are with you and your fiancee.

[RabbitPam]

That video is so adorable. I think it says as much about what a loving owner you are (is that you or your fiance talking? So sweet.) as her. You both have tried very hard and have given her a quality of life for another 7 months with a loving family. You are doing everything you can now, and the decision of what is humane on her behalf is here. She will love and forgive you if you let her go, so if that is what you decide, it is with a full heart she has always been able to depend on.

[Author]

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