Update on Tommy

Tommy has now been on Streptacare for a week.

I give him the injection in the morning (without problems) and also lance the abscess. Over the last couple of days, the abscess seems smaller and much less puss is coming out. So I think that the Streptacare is working. I also give him Fibretex which is helping him too.

He still doesn't eat as much as I would like him to, but he eats pellets, grated carrots and broccoli and occasionally also hay. So I think we are getting there. He is certainly very well in himself.

He is due for a vet follow-up tomorrow evening with Mark.

Tommy update

Tommy is home and he has been eating bits and pieces (pellets and greens), but no hay as yet.

This morning I gave him the first injection of Streptacare which is the antibiotic (penicillin) which Ian gave me to inject. The injection was surprisingly easy as Tommy didn't struggle at all being cornered in one corner of the cage. It was a bit more difficult to clean off the abscess, but we got there in the end. I am not flushing the abscess as it goes right through to his mouth and I don't want him to swallow anything.

He is pretty bright, but doesn't like the abscess being touched. I don't blame him, but it has to be done.

Tommy at vet's

As Tommy was very reluctant to eat anything this morning, and ate the pellets very, very gingerly, I decided to take him in asap. Mark couldn't see anything in his mouth for all the puss in there, so his teeth must be quite bad. Not sure yet what the lump is.

Update, 2.30 pm:

The lump is a jaw abscess that's also affected the bone. I will need to inject antibiotics to give him the best chance possible, but it really isn't good news. Jaw abscesses are so difficult to treat. Tommy needs all the strength he can muster for this.

Tommy

I have noticed that Tommy isn't too keen on eating hay at the moment. I think his teeth are giving him bother again. I will have to pop him down the vet's some time soon.

Benji's Passing

Benji went to sleep forever at 10.50 am today. Ian, the vet, was wonderful (Ian also said that Benji was the oldest bunny is has ever met in his career)! Benji looked so peaceful and relaxed when Ian brought him back to me.

This was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. And I will miss my most wonderful Benji bunny... with his passing, a era has come to an end! He has seen so many bunnies come and go and survived them all! But now his time had come as well as his body let him down. God needed a very special angel when he called Benji's name!

Benji

Benji's legs have completely given up now. He can't use them anymore and just drags them around. The tumour has grown huge and he gets wet from urine now!

I am giving him lots of veg he loves (he doesn't eat much else anymore) and have booked him in at 10.30 tomorrow morning to make his last journey to Rainbow Bridge. It will be the saddest day as Benji is a very special bunny. But he looks tired now and frustrated that he can't get around properly.

Chiro

Benji went to see Sue again today (together with Troy and me). He really enjoys it. We will see whether it will make a difference to him this time. The lump is really quite big and he finds it very hard now to get round... though he does still keep himself clean somehow. He is a brave bunny!

Benji's lump

I took Benji to see Mark today as he has a large lump/swelling on his left hind leg. Mark wasn't hopeful, the lump is solid, well attached and Mark thinks it is attached to the muscle so even if we did operate, it would be difficult.

Of course, surgery isn't an option due to Benji's age and also due to the fact that the only option would probably be amputation which isn't an option as Benji's other leg is the one with the really bad arthritic knee! Not good!

Benji is very brave. I will take him to see Susan again next week. In the meantime, Mark said that I can double his metacam without problems, so I will do that to make him more comfortable.

Benji

A few days ago, I noticed a large swelling or lump on Benji's thigh. I think it is uncomfortable for him. He is booked into the vets on Tuesday morning.

Tommy

Tommy isn't quite right either. His eye is very leaky and he seems a little quieter than usual. I am watching him very closely.

Magic

On Saturday, 1st May, Magic didn't look well and wasn't eating. So I took him to see the vet. It was Mary. She gave him some meds. When Magic still wasn't eating by Sunday morning, I started syringe feeding him. After the first feed, he started to eat again, I was so pleased.

However, Mary also said that his teeth were quite bad, so he went in for a dental on Thursday. He is eating and seems lively, however is still not eating pellets! I am watching him closely.

Tommy and Alaska

I got Alaska's ashes back on Saturday! I still cannot believe what happened and have now put an additional lock (hasp) on the door to prevent it from ever happening again!

Tommy is off to the vet's again tomorrow as he is struggling eating again, so his teeth are bad again. Poor thing! It took him forever to just eat a small piece of carrot yesterday. I couldn't bring him today due to work, but have put him on metacam which is helping lots and making things more comfortable for him until tomorrow.

This week-end, I also want to paid Magic with Tommy as they are both really missing their partners and I think they will be fine together.

Benji

Benji's back legs were really bad, he crawled more than he hopped. I took him to see Susan (chiropractor) yesterday. He thoroughly enjoyed the treatment. And when I let him walk out of his box at home, he hopped back into the cage and was hopping properly again! Amazing how quickly it can work! He is booked in in two weeks again!

ALASKA - I am so, so, so sorry!

Rest in peace now! I've let you down so badly! I am eternally sorry!

Benji Bunny

The lump is not improving, it hasn't grown either though.

Benji's back legs are quite weak now and he struggles. He is back to see Susan on Tuesday and wel'll see how he is getting on after that.

He still keeps himself clean, eats well and is bright and alert! It's just his legs.

Benji

I took Benji to see Susan, the chiropractor, twice now and Benji is definitely better. He now puts weight on his left hind leg again which he didn't before. He also really enjoyed the massage.

Unfortunately I found a big lump on his back this morning. I took him straight to see Mark. The lump looks quite nasty. We are treating it with antibiotics for now, but I suspect it is more serious than that. Mark and I have ruled out surgery as Benji is old, has knackered knees and a not very well working immune system (he keeps getting mites).

Whatever the lump is (and it doesn't seem to be uncomfortable), we will just keep Benji as comfortable as possible! He still likes a bit of a hop around, is alert, eats well and has a good quality of life.

DAKOTA and BENJI

Dakota's abscess has completely healed from what I can see. I am so pleased. I was getting ready for a major battle like bunny abscesses often are, but baytril worked great this time round.

Benji has now been on metacam for a week and seems more comfortable hopping around. I'll give him another couple of weeks and will then probably take him with me when Troy and I go to the chiropractor next time.

BENJI: arthritis

Poor old Benji has indeed quite severe arthritis in both his knees. Mark put him on metacam now. Once that has kicked in properly, I will take him to Sue to have a look at him and release any tension in the muscles etc that are caused by the arthritis.

Otherwise, Mark commented, he is in good shape and doing well for a bunny of his age, which made me pleased.

DAKOTA: abscess

This morning, Dakota gnawed the bars as she always does whilst I am giving everyone the food. I saw something which looked like a sore, so I had a closer look! I found a lump in the corner of her mouth with a scab on it. The scab came off very easily and out came lots and lots of puss!

I took her straight to the vet. Ian gave her baytril, though I must say I have a feeling it won't work, but I'll give it a go. If it's no better within a week, then I will take her back and ask for Depocillin (though Ian wan't keen at all when I mentioned it ...).

Luckily, Dakota is absolutely fine in herself, eating and drinking well. She was of course a bit stressed by the travelling, but was very good at the vet's. She was also weighed and she is 4.6 kg.