Around October 2015 Oliver began leaning a bit to the left and had a persistent yeast infection in his left ear. Over the course of these past 10 months, it has become apparent that Olive has an ear infection in his left ear which we cannot treat with oral antibiotics because every antibiotic we’ve tried that his particular bacteria is not resistant to causes stasis. We haven’t tried oral antibiotics in about 6 months because my vet believes at his age (10.5yrs) we can’t keep putting him in stasis and expecting him to come out of it. So we’ve been treating the infection with ear drops only, which really serve to help with any discomfort he feels in his ear but don’t actually treat the infection to any degree.
Oliver loves running around with his dog and chewing on his willow baskets. He eats only hay that is in the shape of a cube. He gets upset and demands cube-shaped hay if it is not available at the moment he wants it and only none cubed shaped hay (that crap) is available. He gets so excited about his meals. He runs around when I prepare them and peeks at me from around the living room door while i put it in his cage and then comes running down the hallway to his cage once it’s all set up for him.
But over this time, his head tilt has been getting worse and his movement has become more and more limited. He wants to hump his stuffed bunny, but mostly just bounces around it now because he can’t balance enough to get on top. He tries to be young and mobile but it is clear his balance is just not there because of his ear infection and so he has to be very careful about his movements.
Last night around midnight, I heard a commotion in his cage. I got up to check on him to find him unable to stand up with his body in a tight c-shape to the left. He head was basically sideways on the floor and pulsing as he struggled to stand up and regain control. When he did move his body it was to spin in tiny circles while looking scared and frantic. I put my hand next to him and he seemed to take comfort in something stable to balance against. We rushed him to the emergency vet. I was expecting him to pass away in the car on the way. However, by the time we got there he was upright again. They checked his vitals and all looked good. The vet said she thinks the infection had ruptured his ear drum causing the incident in his cage. While at the vet, he fell asleep in my fiance’s arms purring and would occasionally wake up to groom his stuffed rabbit who came along for the ride.
Back home I was up with him almost all night. We put him back in his cage, because that is where he sleeps at night so I wanted him to feel safe and keep things as normal as possible. I laid on the dog bed next to his cage and gave him rubs. He cleaned himself and purred himself to sleep.
This morning he’s cuddling with the dog and eating very slowly. His appetite is definitely decreased. All I can do is hope his appetite loss is due to the stress and not the beginning of stasis caused by the infection. I am trying so hard to enjoy every moment with him as I know those are numbered. He is such a loving little creature. I never thought a three pound little cotton ball would come in to our home and control the whole family like he does and that we would love it so much.
We may have months left with Oliver and today may be our last day. But whatever happens he has been such a joy. I don’t personally know any other rabbit owners, so nobody can understand the extent to which these bunnies take over your heart. I just wanted to share his story with others who could understand what it is to love a rabbit.