Camo's Surgery

Poor bunny. Camo had surgery today to remove two jaw abcesses that had developed and were getting quite infected. Apparantly if a rabbit gets any type of minor injury in their mouth (small cut, tooth cavity), it CAN turn into an abcess. Instead of fighting the infection like we humans do, rabbits bodies will sometimes wall the infection off from the body, and the infection will continue to grow inside of that walled-off abcess. Gross, yes. He has been on subcutaneous penicillin injections for the past few weeks and we will continue with those until (hopefully) it is healed.
Dr. Shima, exotic animal vet, performed the surgery and did a great job! Camo is back home still coming off anesthetic and doing great so far! (besides running into walls and chair legs).

Bye-Bye Bunny and Other News

The bunny went bye-bye. We found a rabbitry/rescue to send him to in Ivins that was able to foster him long term until a suitable adopter can be found (thanks Brooklyn!!!). He was actually on the local news station, KCSG, the other night in Brooklyn's arms as she was talking about housing needy bunnies. She has named him "Toasty Marshmallow" or "T.M." for short, since his white coat of fur is a little stained and 'toasty' looking.


Apparently housework is more dangerous to me than hiking, rapelling, rockclimbing or biking. Two week ago as I was bending down to pick up a vacuum hose, I split my head open against the sharp corner of a dresser. Ouch. Kyle helped me control the bleeding and I left the rest of the housework to him. I say stick with what you do best. Kyle says I need more practice. :)


Raquetball rocks! Kalin kicked bootie at the rec center last weekend. He quickly figured out that he could beat me easily by hitting the ball into the corners where I couldn't volley it back.
Kyle gave him a run for his raquet though.

Project Bunny

Much to Kyle's dismay, I inherited another "project" bunny this week. And boy is it a mess....

The St. George Animal Shelter called me one afternoon and told me they had a rabbit that had been caught in a trap in the Dixie Downs area, and asked if I wanted to stop by and look at it.

I packed a couple of yogurt treats, dried cranberries, and a few other tasty morsels in a sandwich baggie and went up to take a look. When I arrived and talked to the shelter lady at the front desk, she warned me that the bunny wasn't very friendly. That was kind of an understatement, cause the poor thing was terrified as I walked up to its cage. I offered it a treat and talked softly to it, but it put its face into a corner as far as it possibly could and shook. It was caked with mud and its white fur was stained. She told me that the rabbit wasn't "adoptable" (you can probably guess what that means), and asked if I wanted to take it. Well, since I knew what she meant by saying it wasn't adoptable, I, of course, took it.

Once I got it home, which in itself was a task, and looked it over, I realized SHE needed an ear mite treatment, and a flea treatment. She is absolutely terrified of humans, and flinches everytime she is touched. When I enter the room, she bolts for the corner and cowers like I'm going to eat her. I've been spending a lot of time hanging out in the second bathroom (where her temporary home is), just talking to her softly and petting her, trying to get her used to touch. When I took her outback for some exercise in the sunshine, I realized that she can't hop very well. Her back legs seem to be weak and uncoordinated. Whether it is from not using them or some other injury, I do not know. Her fur has lightened up a bit since she has had a chance to clean herself and she is a little less scared of my voice and touch than she was when I first got her, but a LOT more work is needed.