FAREWELL

May 29, 2008

With tremendous regret, I report that Patches has left us. Despite still having a tremendous will to live and fighting spirit, her condition deteriorated to the point that it was impossible for us to keep her clean and dry. She had begun to lose her appetite and her rear legs were becoming less and less functional. I did not want her to suffer from the pain and discomfort that was beginning to overcome her.

Thank you to everyone who knew, visited, loved her, and contributed to her care. She is most definitely one foster rabbit that I will never forget. I’m certain that her mischievous spirit is still inspiring the other fosters in our care!

Keith and Sue

FAREWELL

Kristen Doherty writes, November 24, 2002

I am sorry to tell you that Lorenzo passed away today. He underwent invasive bulla (middle ear) surgery on Thurs, which was his only chance for any kind of recovery from his severe ear infections and head tilt. I was providing basic post-operative care since his return home on Fri, and he quickly began to decline until he could no longer fight. The infection was extremely aggressive and was putting severe pressure on his brain and nerves. He was suffering horribly, couldn’t eat, and was struggling to breathe, so Paul and I drove him to the vet. Lorenzo’s vet assured us that we were doing the right thing by ending his pain. Paul and I can say we did everything we possibly could to give him a chance. In just seven weeks, he stole our hearts, and we will miss him terribly.

Lorenzo has severe head tilt. He was abandoned with 16 other rabbits by a 19 yr old girl who was “rescuing” rabbits. Apparently she had a drug problem and left home one day, and left the rabbits in her family’s garage to fend for themselves. The girl’s family was going to euthanize Lorenzo, so I took him home.

Lorenzo is currently undergoing aggressive ear treatment since both ears are badly infected. We’re convinced that his feisty personality is what’s keeping him fighting this horrible infection. He was put under anesthesia twice to clean/debride abscesses deep inside both ears. A few days after the very first ear cleaning, Lorenzo was able to stand, whereas he could not before.

More recently, Lorenzo underwent a complicated and costly surgical procedure called a bulla osteotomy to remove more infected tissue and debris from the middle ear. It is his only hope of achieving a near-normal quality of life. We are hoping that the surgery, along with follow-up treatment, will enable him to stand at will and to someday walk and hop. As long as he continues to receive treatment, Lorenzo will remain a Sanctuary rabbit.

Lorenzo’s treatment will require long-term use of medications and possibly ongoing surgeries and ear flushings. This means several trips to the vet.

Lorenzo is roughly 8 yrs old and currently lives in a 25″x16″x15″ cage with a top-opening lid. The cage is lined with towels and fleece.  — Kristen Doherty

FAREWELL

Goodbye our little bi-polar girl. We miss your batting, grunting, lunging, ankle-biting and general moodiness. We miss your relentless begging for a baby carrot, your running across the top of the leather sofa at top speed, your graceful leaps high in the air, and your dramatic flops in the middle of the room. We miss you sitting under the chair next to the tree while we opened our Christmas presents. You always wanted to be close to people, whether a group of four or forty, as long as no one got too close. You were the Queen of Drama, the Queen of Mean, the Queen of Sheba, our Emma Jean. Thank heaven you didn’t suffer. We miss you every day.

Kristen and Paul

Emma was rescued in May 1999 when her “person” wanted a veterinarian to euthanize her because of her bad behavior. The vet instead asked the lady to call the Buckeye House Rabbit Society. We took Emma in as a foster bunny and when it became clear to us that she would never be adopted because of her behavior, Emma became a Sanctuary rabbit. Because she could not co-exist peacefully with other rabbits, Paul and I brought her up to our first floor where we could give her special attention and work on behavior issues. She was roughly 10 years old when she passed away from a congenital heart problem. Emma was one of the rabbits helped by the Sponsor A Sanctuary Rabbit program, so thank you to Emma’s sponsors.

We jokingly refer to Emma as our “bipolar” Sanctuary rabbit. She is moody and can scare people (including us) with her batting, grunting, lunging, and occasional biting. We are only able to give her pets on her nose, usually first thing in the morning, and she will not let us touch her anywhere else on her body. Emma is unusually territorial and makes her displeasure known if we try to enter her large pen area.

Another odd thing about Emma is that she loves to be around people, especially kids – as long as you don’t touch her. She typically bounds out of her pen to greet house guests. Many times she will plop herself in front of the fireplace when people are sitting in the family room or kitchen talking. She loves to run, dance, leap, and flop.

Emma is otherwise very healthy. Although she has no current medical expenses, she does need a steady supply of hay, fresh greens, pellets, and an occasional visit to the vet. 

— Kristen Doherty