Friday, April 29, 2005

Bunny acupuncture

LILY
Our little brave Lily is doing very well since her encounter with EC two weeks ago. She has improved dramatically and now has only a minor head tilt. She had acupuncture yesterday at the Prahran Veterinary Clinic and we are hopeful that she will improve even more.

I think the key to increasing the chances of recovery for EC is to be aware of any symptoms and know when to react. Obviously, if a bunny is looking unwell or is not eating, then a trip to the vet is recommended as soon as possible.

With EC, the symptoms were: loss of balance, head tilt, back legs very unsteady and eye movement. We had her on Panacur and Metacam within one day and I think this made for a quicker recovery, though her age probably helps as older bunnies may react differently and take a little longer to recover.

Monday, April 25, 2005

EC is not a death sentence!

LILY
A little over a week ago, our littlest baby bun Lily developed E. Cuniculi. I noticed that she wasn't looking quite right and was wobbling around a bit. She didn't have any balance and fell backwards if she stood up on her hind legs. I removed Lily, Hugo & Smudge2 from the group (as they are good friends) and within one day was medicating her & the other siblings with Panacur (they are living in our quarantine area so they don't infect anyone else). It's been a bit over one week now and I can already see an improvement with Lily. She's a cheeky little thing and is quite at home stealing Hugo or Smudge's apple treats after they've had their medicine! Her head is tilted but not severely and she can even correct it if she really wants to. She did have darting eyes on the third day but this has already ceased since medication.

When I medicate her & the others, I wear a particular top that I can pop them into and squirt the Panacur into their mouths. When I put Lily in there, she still rolls around like a prezel - legs & arms everywhere! But she can climb if she wants to!! She hates the Panacur (so do the others) but she loves the Metacam (used as a painkiller). They all particularly love their piece of apple though that they get after their medicine!

I have to say that, apart from Myxo & Calici, E. Cuniculi was the most feared illness for me. I was really concerned about it and didn't know how I would cope but Lily has been an inspiration! I have been told that acupuncture works on EC cases in the early stages so do plan on making a visit to a recommended specialist in Prahran soon. Stay tuned! We'll let you know how it goes.

Saturday, April 09, 2005

Update on all things bunny

BABY BUNSTERS
All our little guys are doing very well and are starting to show their personalities. I can now identify them all, even though they look very similar. We have a runt of the litter and I've called her Lilly (as she's the li'llest one). I have no idea what their sexes are yet so naming is a bit of a problem. Two of the babies have taken up residence with Lucky up on the top floors, especially one I call Smudge (to the right - there's a Smudge to the left as well!). SmudgeTTR sleeps and curls up with mum and it's so cute. I think he/she will stay on as Lucky's buddy as they have really bonded. Another very white one I've called Snowy (boring I know!) also loves to live up top and lies with SmudgeTTR & Lucky but tends to hang out by himself. The little black & white one is a real character and also wants to be watched. He has a favourite spot to lie which is in the doorway of their play house.

HOLIDAY BUN
Gorgeous Rosie came to stay with us again last weekend. He is the most charismatic and adorable bun you could come across and we love looking after him when his family go on holidays. He stays in our bedroom as he loves lots of attention but does tend to keep us awake with his bouncy behaviour. When he arrived at our place, he knew just where he was and made himself at home straight away. His girlfriend Annabelle wasn't quite as excited as he was to see her and she pretty much ignored his attentions - but that's a good sign as she does quite like him.