Help.. My bunny died during surgery today :*(

[Nova]

 Hi everyone,

I’m in pieces because my buck went over the rainbow bridge today during  a “routine” neutering… 

a bit of history..

I’ve always been a lurker of bunny forums, am a long time owner of Dwarf Hotot rabbits,  and have done exhaustive research into rabbit health as many of my buns have had health conditions unfortunately.

In 2010 I had put down my previous rabbit Sati as she was very, very old (over a dacade or so!) and had a bad bout of GI Stasis.. very difficult time indeed.

This summer my fiance and I decided to adopt two new buns, a buck and a doe, both dwarf hotots, and we were going to have them fixed at sexual maturity. So we adopted Phenom aka Nomnoms (f) and Beau (m). They were both born on May 30 of this year.

Unfortunately Beau was diagnosed with megacolon about a month ago by a rabbit and exotic pet specialist; our old-time veterinarian who’s treated all of my rabbits since I was 10 years old in 1996. . even with a craptacular diagnosis like Megacolon, we were diligent about his diet and he seemed to improve to the point where he was a happy healthy bun with just occasional sausage poos. The vet checked him  a month ago after treating him for coccidiosis, and noted that his testes dropped. We began to keep them in sepearate cages at this time. The vet recommended fixing him, but also prescribed him a second round of Diatram to be sure all the coccidia had gone. I really wanted to wait until he was done with the Diatram, or maybe even not at all considering they are both very runty, but I trusted the vet. After all, he’s the expert on buns…

 

So today, my fiance’s 28th birthday, we dropped Beau off to our specialist vet and prepared for him to come home and recover later. But, the vet called us a couple hours later and told us that Beau did not make it through the surgery. This is easily my worst phone call fear as a long time, passionate rabbit owner.

Vet said that he was passing normal stool this morning and seemed to be normal; said that the anesthesia induction AND surgery went fine, but as he was stitching Beau up, he went into respiratory arrest. The vet gave him reversal medications to no avail. Beau was dead. My baby boy is dead  We just buried him in the backyard wrapped up in his blankie that he was supposed to recover in. I literally cried all day, and missed my college classes. I am taking it extremely hard.

To thicken the plot… I m trying to figure out if Phenom is pregnant. About a week or so ago I caught them mating a couple of bried times during playtime. Three days ago Phenom has developed extreme aggression, growling and burrowing/scratching. At first, I was upset, but the local hotot breeder offered to take in a litter if we could not fix them in time. … I felt her lower abdomen and did feel what felt like a strong of berries, though it could be poo pellets. I hate to admit this here but I got hopeful. but then I read that maybe she is just going through puberty. 

 

Could Phenom be pregnant to my Beau at this age? I’m getting mixed results when researching age of sexual maturity in this breed; especially when the vet told me 12 weeks. (they were both born May 30 2011).

 

Your help…sympathies are sorely needed 

 

Nova

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bunnyfriend]

I am very sorry for your loss ): It gets better with time but still it never goes away (I lost a bun in August). *Binky free Beau*

To answer your question, bunnies can mate whenever they become sexually mature which can be sooner than normal [this is why you are supposed to keep bunnies seperate after they are old enough to leave their moms until they are altered]. Although it does not sound like you intentionally bred your rabbit, I will just let you know in case that the subject of intentional breeding is not allowed here.

[LoveChaCha]

I’m so sorry for the loss of your bunny

As bunnyfriend has stated, yes, your male was at the age when sexual maturity is rampant in males, and he could have indeed impregnanted your female. The gestation is about 30 days. Males can be ready to mate at a very young age.

[Nova]

I am also sorry to hear that!!

I did not intentionally breed them, not at all. I’m really “up” on all things bunny medical, but really lame when it comes to their mating habits and reproductive cycles because I never had a boy and a girl simultaneously until this year. We were told we could house them in the same cage until 12 weeks, although it sounds like that was a bad idea too. sigh. My luck evades me…

I don’t know how to care for a prego bun. or how to tell, or anything. In the past 3-4 days her behavior is described as “psycho.” heh.

I was planning on spaying her as well but now I’m just traumatized by the whole thing and terrified of letting her go under the knife. (female spays are more involved so I read)….

And if she is pregnant, though unintentional, I wouldn’t be opposed to it. Like I said, the local “breeder” told me she’d help any way she can, even though like most of you, I am not in favor of rabbit breeding – those two words probably shouldn’t even be in the same sentence together.

 

Thank you so much for your condolences..I’m so freaking unbelievably heartbroken. 

[LoveChaCha]

A spay is the best thing that can be done for a girl.

As long as she has a clean bill of health, she should be fine. The rate of reproductive cancer will be gone, as well as the naughty habits.

I have a single girl and she is spayed. She is so relaxed, lazy. I don’t think I could handle her if I left her unspayed.

A good site that we all love:
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/spay-neuter.html

[bunnyfriend]

That’s good. I was just letting you in case (:

There is a possibility she could be going through a “false pregnancy”. I don’t know if you already know about it or not, it’s when a female bunny thinks she’s pregnant because a male has been around so she starts preparing (nesting) and her behavior changes.

I too am worried about spaying my bunny, she’s my little baby and I’ve never had to spay a rabbit before (my other two I adopted were already altered) ): But with a good rabbit savvy vet the success rate should be 99%. The 85% chance risk of unspayed female developing cancer at an early age scares me even more though. Do you know what anesthesia they used?

I would schedule a vet appointment to see if your bun is in fact pregnant, and if so the vet can help teach more about how to care for her.

I feel the same way about my bunny that passed ):

Oh and the link the LoveChaCha shared is great! I’ve been using it to find a vet for Wilbur’s (my female lop) spay

[lashkay]

I’m very sorry for your loss, and I send healing vibes to you to recover soon. I had two rabbits die during surgery, so i know what you’re going through and empathize and sympathize with you. There are bright days ahead, hang in there. One day, you will be remembering only the good times. in the meantime, cry as much as you need to….tears are healing too. HUGS

[Nova]

Thank you so much bunnyfriend, LoveChaCha, and lashkay. And, so very sorry to hear your buns were lost to surgery also. Were they a neuter/spay???

I was too upset to ask what anesthetic that was used – but I did muster up the gull to ask why Beau was not intubated or reversed. They said that he was attempted to be reversed, but intubation wasn’t possible with rabbits. I do not know if this was an anatomical thing, or just that they were not equipped for intubating bunnies. They SHOULD have been, since they are supposedly rabbit specialists.

I will be finding out what anesthetic they used tomorrow. I have some education in medical (not a pro) especially in the area of anesthesia – although only for humans. Benzodiazepines, most gases, even other IV anesthetics can be reversed except for Propofol/Diprivan. But, the vet said he used a reversal agent on Beau, which tells me it’s not Propofol. In my non professional opinion, Propofol is the safest anesthetic I’ve dealt with – though no reversal, its effects only last for seconds to moments, so really it reverses itself and whenever someone slips into General they are just intubated until it wears off. I was so confident that anesthesia is so “safe” and “fool proof” due to this knowledge of humans + anesthetics that I really did not think my Beau would be sleeping under ground tonight.

I just read through some of the text on the link provided. I know I’ve read pages upon pages of that site before but something jumped out at me. The part that says (under Qs to ask the vet performing surgery):

does the veterinarian require withholding of food and water prior to surgery in rabbits? (Do not do this–rabbits can’t vomit, so there is no risk of that during surgery, and rabbits should never be allowed to get empty digestive tracts)

” – My fiance told me that he followed directions the night before. Which were to have him abstain from food and only to have water after midnight. I subconsciously thought, “that’s odd since rabbits can’t vomit..”
If he had an empty stomach… oh God I’m blaming myself!

Sorry this is longwinded…
The vet said he could palpate Phenom but only 10 – 14 days after their mating and I cannot recall how long ago I caught them doing “it.” I think it was either Oct 1s through the 5th, but maybe even earlier than that.

I’ve been crying so much, my entire body hurts. I’ll be back to let you know more when I speak to the vet’s office a little more composed!

(((hugs to all…)

ps… nice to finally talk to you guys. I’ve been following some of your posts for a long while as a lurker.

[bunnyfriend]

It’s definitely not your fault! I would find a different vet though if it were me, because the “rabbits can’t vomit thing” is something they should know and can be a big sign if they don’t know that they’re not right for the job.

[LBJ10]

I’m sorry to hear about your bunny. =(

Where these the instructions of the vet? Or was it the naive receptionist taking the appointment? I had this happen to me. The receptionist told me not to feed my bun the night before he was neutered. I talked to people on here and they told me not to withhold food. When I took him in for his appointment, I asked the vet tech about it and she said that it was fine that he had had food. My vet is actually pretty good with rabbits and other small critters (took my chinchillas there), but they have some “dumbies” working in reception.

As far as intubation is concerned, I think it is fairly common for vets to do the surgery without.

[lashkay]

Thank you. No, it was not a spay/neuter during which my rabbits died. The first one died of respiratory failure also during early surgery to remove a calcium stone. The other rabbit, who was my first rabbit, died of blood loss during surgery to remove a tumor when she was 7 years 5 months old when a nerve was accidentally cut while trying to remove the tumor. She was a netherland dwarf rabbit so she lived a long time for that breed and developed the tumor at the very end of her life. I had a blissful life with her…I hope you have a blissful life too with your surviving bunnies. Loving them, too, will help you heal, and you will. HUGS back.

[Huckleberry]

Nova, I am so sorry for your loss. That is really rough. I hope that everything turns out okay with Phenom.
Please, keep us posted, and welcome to BinkyBunny.
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[Nova]

Hello and many hugs (((()))) thank you so much….
Yes it was the dimwit receptionist who gave those instructions. I don’t think our vet(s) (there’s two of them who proclaim/are known to be rabbit savvy) would give those kinds of instructions. They are the people who first told me about how rabbits don’t vomit.
I’m still terrified to take my buns back to them though.
Would you?
ugh I just dunno

lashkay I am so sorry to hear that but blissful life is right on!! I was able to give a couple of my buns very blissful lives for over a decade and they were all dwarf breeds. Beau had the life of a little king… that’s for sure. He and Phenom – so very spoiled because my fiance and I have no plans for any kiddos (and even if we do, our buns are still like our children, ). We just devote so much affection to our buns daily. He was crying almost as much as I was!

<— my avatar is Phenom She’s mismarked but is dwarf hotot. Beau was “show quality” dwarf hotot, but I don’t participate in that stuff.  I’ll have to get some photos of him on here…

I just can’t sleep for falling apart tonight guys. thanks for being here for me. :\

[lashkay]

Do go back to the vets if they’re good, but be wary of the receptionists. I had the same thing – my vet (I loved her, she’s moved away now) for Buddie, my little cinnamon lionhead) I loved, but her receptionist making the appointment for the neuter said fast him since 10pm the previous night, only water. They’re so used to dealing with dogs and cats, they just often, I’ve found, rattle off the same instructions as for a dog or cat and forget the animal is a rabbit with different needs, or they are ignorant of rabbits’ needs and haven’t been told to make the distinction for a rabbit. Fortunately, I myself knew better and didn’t fast my bunny and put it down to error on the receptionist’s part. If you like your vets, I wouldn’t let the receptionist’s ignorance or error keep you from continuing to see them. Just be wise to them.

[lashkay]

Oh, and my motto as a bunny mommy is: A spoiled bunny is the only kind to have! lol If Beau and the others live like little kings, you have nothing to regret. They all knew, and know, they’re loved and you have done, and are doing, as right as you could by them. Take comfort in that.

[Beka27]

There may have been something else going on genetically that you and the vet weren’t aware of. Talk with the vet today and get some answers for your questions, but it doesn’t sound like he was negligent. There is always a (slight) risk with surgery, and when the rabbit has already been ill in his early months, I’m again wondering if there was something else going on that you just didn’t know.

I am extremely sorry for your loss. This is a hard thing, at any age, but especially with a young bunny you’re expecting to have for years.

Now as far as your female bunny. At 4 months, it’s possible she could be pregnant, but at such a young age, it is also possible she may not make it through the pregnancy, or may reject the babies at birth and they will pass. I know this isn’t what you want to hear, especially after losing your other rabbit, but I think you need to at least be aware of the possibility. I would consult the vet about doing an emergency spay which would terminate a pregnancy if there is one, and spay her at the same time. I’m also concerned since the babies would be inbred (I’m guessing they were siblings?) and may have the same genetic abnormalities your male had.

Speaking of which, did you ever contact the breeder and tell him/her about the megacolon and coccidia in the male? I’m not sure if that is genetic (megacolon), but that is something they should be aware of just in case. This breeder needs to re-evaluate their breeding stock and clear up the coccidia.

I know my post is all over the place, but again, I am so sorry for your loss. Let us know what the vet says when you speak to him.

[jerseygirl]

Nova, I am so very sorry. That must have been heart breaking.

Beka makes a good point about underlying conditions. Megacolon is also known as congenital aganglionosis, so Beau having a congenital condition, it’s very possible there was another hidden condition also.
To me, your vet does sound pretty rabbit savvy if he/she made a diagnosis of megacolon because it’s not a condition known about much. Also, they are spot on about the timing of being able to palpitate Phenom to check for pregnancy. I literally read that the day before last.

I think they would be understanding if you were to ask questions about the anaesthesia used and instructions to fast. Hopefully, they did feed Beau prior to surgery. It is worth mentioning so they can re-educate all staff on why rabbits are not to fast.

Though he was here too short a time, it does sound like he had a great home. Binky Free Beau!

[Elrohwen]

I’m very sorry for you loss. Losing any pet is so hard, but it becomes harder when you blame yourself for sending them into surgery. Like some of the others said, it’s likely he had another underlying condition and wasn’t strong enough to make it through the neuter. These things happen and there’s nothing you can do to prevent it, but getting bunnies fixed in general is still the right option – especially females.

Since your girl is so young, I’d also recommend the emergency spay. At four months she may not be grown enough to successfully deliver the babies. First time mothers often struggle with baby care, so if she does have kits be prepared that they might need extra care if she’s not taking care of them well. I hope everything goes well for you and your little bun! It’s always best to be prepared for the worst, but hope for the best.

[Lazee]

Very sad, I would be just as upset if something like that happened to any of my girls.
You have had a lot to deal with, with Beau and then to loose him. So very sorry.

[RabbitPam]

Nova,
I’m just reading this now, but I want to offer my condolences on your loss. It really is heartbreaking and it takes a few weeks to get over the initial shock of it.
I would watch Phenom for any nesting activity, ie. pulling on her fur and making a pile somewhere. Otherwise, a check up wouldn’t be a bad idea in general.
{{{{{{{{{{{Hugs to you and your family}}}}}}}}}}}}}

[bunnytowne]

Awe make me cry too. 

Don’t beat yourself up about it.   You did what you thought was right.   Wasn’t your fault.  I am sorry you lost another one.  It hurts so bad at first.

I had to part with Ruby who is alive and still I cried for 2 weeks and got sick very sick with asthma and had to go to the emergency room.   They just seem to be such a part of our lives and when they are gone they leave a big hole.   Eventually that big painful hole gets easier to bear and smaller too.

 

[amysbunnersons]

oh i am sooo sorry to hear about ur sweetie……i too am afraid of the spaying of my little one….

[TriBun]

 Oh Nova, that is so awful. I’m so sorry. I agree with what others have said, that he could have had an underlining issue that no one suspected. Your vet does sound like he’s pretty good and you did say you’ve taken many bunnies to him, right? I admit, I looked up megacolon because I’ve never heard of it. It sounds like most bunnies diagnosed with it don’t live very long. Take consolation that he doesn’t have to suffer with it.

As for the pregnancy, it is quite possible that Phenom is pregnant or quite possible it is a false pregnancy. Only your vet will know. Either way, it is quite tramatic on a little bun, especially one so young. Get her checked and decide what to do from there. 

Sometimes our pets were just meant to touch our lives briefly and then forever change us. *hugs*

[Sage Cat]

Sounds like you have gotten lots of great advice.

So sorry to hear of the loss of your little boy.

[MoveDiagonally]

I’m sorry for you loss

[Nova]

Hi thanks again and nice meeting all of yous guys!

So here’s an update… I called the vet’s office and that frustating reception desk did NOT want to deal with my questions. They acted like I was going to sue them or some crap. I’m not. I just want answers. I asked for Beau’s meds – they said the vet will call me tomorrow. I said that’s fine but can you just look in his chart? They said they’d have to go get it. I said ok then go get it! jeeeez! Reluctantly they got it…
Said the following was listed..
Butorphanol (Painkiller like morphine)
Ketamine – I hate this drug. At least in humans it can have lots of trippy side effects. This is used in both humans and some animals – it’s a general anesthetic and usually is not associated with resp or cardiac issues, in fact does the opposite and stimulates them, although it can go the other way and depress them).
Domator (I believe this is a stimulant, veterinary, perhaps it was the reversal agent?)
They said they weren’t sure on the reversal drug, if it was Domator or not.

When I hung up I began bawling again. I want him back so very badly.

I actually made myself ill too – I have asthma and I did have an attack, although it didn’t send me to the hospital. I also have seizures and ulcerative colitis. I know it really sounds crazy to some other people who don’t “get” rabbits but they really are like my kids.

At this point I’m not wanting to spay Phenom until she is at least 6-8 months old. She’s so very tiny and runty just like BEau although her health is very robust. She’s spunky! I will deal with a litter if she’s pregnant. The local breeder also offered to take in any babies if we could not keep them but we *can* keep them (males/females separated, then fixed when they get … older than 4 months). Sorry, i hate to wait so long for spayings/neuterings but this experience has me taken aback.
I’m meeting with the breeder on Monday who said she will check to see if Phenom really is pregnant, and she’s going to help me care for her if she is. I’m really thankful for this. I’m preparing myself for anything – it’s just how I feel, honestly I am really terrified to have her spayed. I just don’t want to do it right now. She needs to get a little older in my opinion.

Beau on the other hand was very frail… occasionally, weak, whenever his colon would bother him.
I am pretty much in agreement that he likely had something else going on. My fiance says it might have been better for him to go this way after a short happy life than to have a slow painful death at a later date due to his health problems. But it doesn’t bring him back. you know how that goes.

Every time I see a photo that I’d taken over the weekend I keep thinking, “this was when Beau was still alive, I wonder what he was doing” *sighs*

Oh, btw I asked the vet how often this freak accident occurs and the staff said in their several years of working there it’s only happened with one other rabbit.
lucky me…

[Beka27]

Hugs for you. Please take care of yourself and Phenom.

[bunnyfriend]

I’m so sorry, I know this is really hard ): I hope you start to feel better soon

I’ve heard isofluorene is safest anesthesia on rabbits, ha your vet mentioned it? Most of the vets I called around in my area about Wilbur’s spay use it. I also am waiting for her to be 6 months old before her spay.

[Nova]

I think if they would have used the isofluorene, Beau wouldn’t have died. Not because it can’t cause resp suppression – it very well can – but I’d assume would be easier to reverse. who knows, rabbits are so different. Intravenous anesthesia is completely hard on any living creature if they can’t intubate.

To put it into perspective, if intubation equipment were available when Michael Jackson was home-administrating Propofol he would have simply been intubated and mechanically breathing until it wore off a few moments later. It’s that simple. (I seriously thought animals could be mechanically intubated or ventilated…How wrong I was… lesson harshly learned regarding assumptions..)

The only thing the vet’s office said was that the combination IV drugs was most often used by these vets because when combined, less of each are needed to achieve a desired effect. This is also true with ppl, but like I said, if there’s a risk of deep anesthesia paralyzing the lungs, then the proper equipment should be there or they shouldn’t. use. the crap.

Will keep you all updated on my Beau saga and Phenom journey as it continues…

[bullrider76543]

My heart joins the thousand as your bunny stopped runnung today… I am so sorry to hear of your loss, my two bunnies are like my children and would be destroyed if something happend to them. Both you and your bun will be in my prayers!!!

[Nova]

Thank you bullrider. Tonight is bad. I heard the “Hallelujah” song on the radio and just lost it.

I can’t help but think that Beau was frightened and maybe thought I abandoned him at the vet’s office to die. That I wouldnt come back for him. And since he’s dead, he’ll never know, and he didn’t get to die at home.

This whole thing is just really tweaking me out.

I had to write my college professors and ask for an extension of my lab deadlines – I can’t concentrate at all, this whole thing is like some freak accident.

As an aside…though Beau and Noms were born on the same date, they are not related at all…

[lashkay]

Don’t torture and torment yourself anymore. Little Beau knew he was loved by you, he lived like a king and your life with him was mostly blissful and he loved you for it. He knew that anything you did for him you did out of love for him, for the best for him and he trusted in that when he was taken to the vet that you were doing it for his own good. He passed peacefully, in his sleep and he’s now whole and healthy over the Rainbow Bridge munching the sweet grasses and playing in the carrot patches with the other bunnies who have crossed the Bridge. He’s watching over you and loving you from where he is and will be until the time when you see him again over the Rainbow Bridge. In the meantime you will grieve some and then you will gradually begin to heal and the pain over his loss will pass into happy memories of when his life was at its best. HUGS and Healing vibes are being sent to you. You are kept in the prayers and thoughts of the many on this forum.

[Beka27]

I posted this article to answer pre- and post-op questions in another thread, but all of this talk of intubation has me thinking about that. You are certainly more versed in surgical procedures and anesthesia than I am, but if there’s a tidbit in here that might help you locate a vet for Phenom’s spay, it’s worth reposting. There are vets that intubate rabbits, but… well, I’ll just let you read the article.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/opcare.html

[LittlePuffyTail]

I’m very sorry for the loss of your bunny. That’s truly any bunny owner’s nightmare and I’m sorry you have to deal with this. **Hugs**

((((Binky Free Beau)))))

[bullrider76543]

Nova, please dont feel that u abandoned him. God loves all his creatures and I am sure he is at peace and knows how you feel. Take heart in the fact he can not feel any more pain. I know its tough but remember you have another little one you have to be there for and cant fall apart because she needs you too. It will take time but it will get easier to handle. My heart goes out to you…

[Joyfull_music]

I am so sorry to hear about your loss! I was terrified when I left my little Momo baby to be spayed, so I understand your fear completely.

This got me thinking so I actually called my exotic vet and asked about which anesthetic they use for rabbits and they said they have three that they use, depending on rabbit size, age, ect. They are isofluorene, methoxyflurane, and I can’t remember what the third one was. Something that ended with a “done” I think.

There is one thing that concerns me though. This Hotot breeder willing to help you if your gal is preggo. Is this the same one whom you got your buns from? Sounds like there may be some issues if your male had a congenital defect, both of them are runty, and one tested positive for coccidia. If it is the same person, is this really someone you trust with a litter of baby buns? Those babies, if show quality, will probably just be used for breeding stock. I know it is not what you want to be thinking of, but to me those are giant red flags.

[Nova]

Hi everyone… I’m hanging in there.

I was reading a bit, too, about the intubation. I called around several vets from here to Pittsburgh (2 hours south of me) and every office I spoke to, even the doctors listed on the rabbit.org site for Pittsburgh, all said that “well the doctor(s) see rabbits, but they by no means specialize in them.”

I also spoke with the veterinarian who killed my Beau. He did say that there may have been something underlying that we did not know about and that may have caused it but then moments later he reiterated and said it just sometimes happens. He said it’s only ever happened to him once before and it was with someone’s pet rat.

When I brought up the fact that rabbits couldnt vomit and maybe I could have fed him, the vet said it was still good not to feed him before surgery, but couldnt give me a clear reason why. This vet is so experienced with rabbits, why would he go along with his stupid receptionists? covering their asses maybe.

I’m thinking if I gave Beau a big healthy meal beforehand, then they could have considered that food in his tummy as extra weight and maybe they wouldnt have gave him too much anesthesia and killed him.

BEKA please keep me updated in your research regarding intubation. When I do get Noms spayed, I will not take her to any vet who does not intubate rabbits… even if I have to drive 6 hours away.

[Nova]

oh..and p.s…

Noms has been acting so aggressive that if I so much as put my hand in her cage to pet her, she bites me and has an epic nervous breakdown. I have had moody girl bunnies before but never to this extreme. Making me wonder if maybe there is something wrong…

[bunnytowne]

I will light a candle for him tomorrow when I go to church

[Beka27]

She might be pregnant. What was the last date they were together? Can you figure it out by looking at a calendar, and then count ahead 28-30 days? This would tell you approximately when she’d be “in the clear”. The grouchiness can also be puberty coming on, but if she’s only 4 months now, that’s still a bit young for that to kick in in a female. 5-6 months is when it happens, but I guess she could also be an “early bloomer”.

Either way, you’re doing the right thing by searching around now for a vet you are comfortable with to spay her. It is a true that some vets will see rabbits but don’t consider themselves exotic specialists. And typically, neutering is so simple, that any vet can do that, but as you know the issue is not the actual snip snip, but the anesthesia. If you are comfortable posting your general location, we may be able to help direct you towards more vets, or you can private message me or any of the forum leaders and we can search around and let you know via PM.

[Nova]

Thanks Beka, I don’t mind posting my location if it can help me and Noms find the right vet.
I am from Sharpsville, Pennsylvania, US. Zip code is 16150.
Whenever I search for a rabbit specialist, I get stuff from California mostly

I’ve taken my buns to our current vet for over 10 years and his knowledge amazed me but little things keep popping up here and there that are red flags that he is confusing rabbits with dogs/cats – first, the no food after midnight thing, and also, he mentioned her “heat” might be making her aggressive. Well, we all know rabbits don’t have heat cycles…

Beau and Noms were last together on the night of Oct 10, before his surgery, but I didn’t see any sexual activity. She was mounting him a few times on Oct 5th for dominance roles, and I caught them courting each other a few nights before that – which is when we bought a temporary second cage for Beau until he recovered from surgery. It was all ready for him to come home

Of note in this saga: Appointment with the breeder tomorrow to palpate Noms’ belly, a pregnancy test if you will. Will keep you up to date

[Nova]

Posted By bunnytowne on 10/15/2011 07:42 PM

I will light a candle for him tomorrow when I go to church

this means so very much to me. thank you 

[Nova]

The breeder says that Phenom (“Noms”) definitely does not feel pregnant. At all, in any way shape or form. That’s definitely a good thing, but I’m sure you guys can understand why I’m feeling disappointed, too.

Onward I suppose – this aggression in her worries me. I’ll be getting her spayed in a couple of months and then bonding her with another little boy, hopefully the brother of Beau (not sure yet..). He was in Beau’s litter and the breeder wanted to keep him but might give him to me. I trust the breeder and on her property she has a little cottage with her buns. They all seem healthy and well cared for which is why I like her I guess.

I really, really need some help finding a vet who can intubate Noms and have lots of life support ready for her during surgery. Surgery is a big deal for any animal and I’m really angry that it is so passively brushed off by most veterinarian offices.

[Joyfull_music]

I wish I could offer more advise, short of driving to Detroit MI for my vet. *shrug* http://www.parkway-animal-hospital.com/ I am sure they do intubate for surgeries, and are always willing to answer any questions fully and compassionately. Momo’s vet, Dr. Golombeck is also one of the consultants for MI Rabbit Rescue. Maybe you can even try calling them and just explain what you went through with Beau and ask them questions.

[Nova]

Thank you for the referral… I’m going to call them, explain, and hopefully they can refer me to somewhere closer. If not, my fiance and I might have to make a trip out of it. that’s quite a drive :\

If I could go back in time… I’d give anything..and drive Beau there for his surgery…  I still cry and think about him so much..crazy

[Author]

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