It’s with great sadness that we say goodbye to Lazlo, a Buckeye HRS Sanctuary rabbit in our care for over six years. Lazlo was our little Dutch head-tilt bunny who had been living with Calvin, another head-tilt Sanctuary bunny, for all of those six years. Here’s Lazzie’s story:
Back in May 2003, I received a call from a local animal shelter about a very sick bunny who would be euthanized if someone did not pick him up within 24 hours. When I went to retrieve him, there he was – all skinny and matted — with runny eyes, a runny nose, and a slight head-tilt. I scooped him up and brought him home, and although we treated him immediately with antibiotics and ear cleanings, his head-tilt began to get worse, not better. By the time we found a more effective antibiotic, however, the infection had spread to his inner ear and his head-tilt had worsened to a 45% angle. We continued with the antibiotic and the ear cleanings for several weeks and finally the infection was gone. His severe head-tilt was permanent, but he remained healthy for several years.
We introduced him to Calvin right away and they bonded instantly. There was no aggression between them whatsoever. It seemed as if they both knew they had something in common from the start and became best buddies for life. At mealtimes, they would run circles around each other at top speeds, twirling in opposite directions, and would inevitably crash into each other — or to avoid collision, one would jump over the other, landing on sure footing – a miraculous feat for head-tilt bunnies who learned to right themselves after weeks of falling over sideways. Lazlo, with eartips pointing to his right, and Calvin, eartips pointing to his left, were inseparable. They jumped, ran, ate, played, and snuggled together every day of those six years. (Calvin, by the way, is doing well — he’s now best friends with Puff, another Sanctuary rabbit.)
You brought us hours and hours of entertainment, laughter, and love for six-plus wonderful years. We will miss you terribly, little Lazzie.
Kristen and Paul Doherty
