X-ray day

For several weeks, Mabel has been doing odd chewing motions almost constantly. More worryingly she has stopped eating hay or grass, which will be a problem eventually - a rabbit's diet needs to be at least 80% hay to keep the gut and teeth healthy. 

In mid-October, the vet performed a dental - there were slight spurs on one side of her molars, which he didn't think were a problem but it was worth a try. However, nothing changed. So we agreed to X-ray to see what was going on. Yesterday she was back at the surgery, and we went to discuss the findings later in the afternoon.

Sadly it is not good news. Mabel has infection in her tooth roots, mostly along the lower left jaw, but also signs of it on the right side. This is very difficult to treat in rabbits. Tooth extraction is very risky, and of course leaves the problem of not being able to eat hay. Once again, as in August with the bloat, we were advised that PTS might be the kindest option - it's just a matter of when.

She is home and on a twice daily dose of Meloxicam to control the pain. We do not intend to let her suffer. Rabbits, as prey animals, hide their pain extremely well, so we've been watching her very carefully. However, at the moment, she does not look like a rabbit who is in agony. She is perhaps more subdued at times, but this morning has enjoyed being out on the patio (she asked to come out - see first photo!), and later exploring the usually-out-of-bounds areas of the house. 

Mwahahaha...

Mabel and Dijon showed no fear of our pumpkin, and Mabel told it who was boss by chinning it all over, several times.

Hoppy Halloween!

Going grey

Since her ear crisis last month, Mabel still has two small pale patches on her slightly-ragged ear. One is a small bald line, hopefully just where the bandage was rubbing when she had the drip. The other, at the tip, was bald but has now started to grow white fur! 

She's not the only one going grey… we have a new worry at the moment, as she has started to do an almost constant chewing action with her mouth. Off to the vet at midday, and hoping it's just a piece of apple bark or hay stuck in her teeth…

Diamonds and Pearls..,

Dijon gave Mabel some beautiful pearls, to show his love.

Pruning time

Today Mabel and Dijon's servant risked life and limb to prune the apple tree, climbing high to reach the tallest shoots. 

Were they grateful? Well Mabel taught the thickest branch a lesson or two, but they showed little interest in the shoots. They seem to prefer the leaves when they're crispy, so perhaps tomorrow they'll show more gratitude.

Bunny meltdown

With record-breaking temperatures here over the past couple of days, the bunnies have been taking it easy and spending a lot of time stretched out. This afternoon, Dijon appeared to have melted. 

Poor Mabel's ear

Mabel's  ear has been rather scabby since the drip, but we assumed it was healing. However this morning it felt particularly dry and looked rather odd, so I picked her up to examine it. There was a line, like a scar, by the edge near the base of the ear. I'd hardly touched it when an inch long slither of her ear fell to the ground. It was completely hard.

There was no blood, and Mabel showed no sign of pain and didn't even wash the ear when I put her on the floor. Part of the ear must have died after she had the drip in it. We will be going to ask the vet for advice this afternoon. I really hope that she won't lose any more of her ear.

Seagrass Carpet

Following last night's episode (from which Mabel has thankfully recovered) we popped into the local carpet shop. The aim was to find a runner/rug to cover the bald patches in the carpet and hopefully to be less attractive to Mabel. However, all the runners were fairly long pile. After explaining the problem to the man in the shop and joking about seagrass carpet, he pointed to a long seagrass mat! It was untreated seagrass, sewn together with hemp.

It was the last one in stock, and, at £8, quite a bargain, not only compared to the pet versions available, but also to the vet and medicine bills from eating carpet. 

Mabel immediately set about chinning it, and Dijon seemed to like the taste. Only time will tell…

Here we go again...

Wouldn't you know it! After a day of Mabel Mischief, carpet ripping naughtiness, and all-round extreme bunniness, Mabel is rounding off the first day of (meteorological) autumn by having a bout of not eating.

Her recovery was going so well, too.

As soon as we spotted it, she was scooped up and given a dose of the medicine we'd stocked up on for such an event. This is not good for our nerves!

Service Update

Mabel is 100% back to her old self. Munching on the table leg,  jumping on the armchair, begging for treats... all good signs that she has made a full recovery.

A week of illness does mean, though, that there is a backlog of scenting to work through, so many objects to stake a claim to. My index fingers are well and truly owned.

Just as it should be.

Normal services resume

Mabel would like to thank all her well-wishers, and to assure them that she is back in business.

She is acting as if nothing ever happened, but enjoying all the extra cuddles and attention. Today she has been eating well, sitting with Dijon and even enjoying some fresh air, out on the patio.

Here she is, smiling for the camera, with no idea of the worry she's caused over the past week!

Still not quite right...

Mabel still is not quite right. Her appetite is greatly reduced, and she seems only interested in small nibbles of dandelion leaves, the occasional blade of succulent grass, and carrot tops. The burbling and gurgling form her insides is alarming at times – unfeasibly loud, like a mad scientist's chemistry lab – but she's happy, generally comfortable, though subdued.

Previously, she would be somewhat resistant to accepting strokes, but now she will sit for hours being stroked, grinding contentedly away. She even lets us insinuate a hand between her tummy and the carpet… if we'd tried that at the beginning of the week, we'd be in for an encounter with razor blade teeth.

So it's a waiting game. Ensuring all medication is administered, encouraging eating and drinking, and goading her into some activity.

Dijon, meanwhile, is showing his displeasure. He's not accepting strokes if Mabel is close by, he sits with his back to her, and he's having a bit of a sulk. At times he wants to sit alongside her and give her a groom, but she seems to smell odious to him.

Another waiting game for her normal scent to return.

Home!

Yes, Mabel has returned home. Her right ear is a little bruised and limp, and she's feeling a little sorry for herself, but she's most definitely happy to be home with us. She's had a lot of cuddles (for her), and has been grinding, eating, drinking, and grooming; generally doing all the things she's not been able to do over the past few days.

Dijon is not overly happy to see her. A sniff here and there, but he hasn't been welcoming of her. Not surprising, really, as she probably smells of an alien environment, and he doesn't quite know what to make of it all.

The bill...? Not too bad, really. Very much less than we'd expected. See below...

We're all so happy and relieved to have her back again.

First exposure to sunlight for a few days.

A little trouble drinking from the bowl, so help offered (and accepted).

No place like home.

Grooming feels so good@

Itemised vet bill.

Update 2...

Afternoon visit complete, and Mabel has picked up considerably. She's moving and eating a lot more, and is clearly desperate to come home. The moment she saw us she came to the front of the cage and tried to hop out. She realised that this was not to be, and returned to the back a bit cross.

Fingers crossed that tomorrow she will be allowed to return home. We're all going crazy without a full quota of bunniness in the house.

Still collared.

Nothing quite as delicious as a fresh dandelion leaf.

Drip, drip, drip...

Update...

Overnight, Mabel has eaten and done a wee and a smattering of poos, though not as many as the vet would like. She is well hydrated, but her abdomen feels doughy, which is consistent with typical GI stasis.

So, given the dearth of poos and the doughy tummy, Mabel will have to spend another day/night at the surgery, with a tentative hope of returning home tomorrow. We've not been able to see her yet today, though we should be able to after 4 o'clock.

How is Dijon taking the absence of his sister? Well, he's a little bewildered (but he always is) but enjoying the inordinate amount of attention he's receiving in the form of cuddles. He doesn't seem too perturbed. Right now he's sprawled out in the shade, dozing...

More updates later today.

Live Update

Vet has called, on phone now... Mabel has made it through the night at the vet. We decided to try medication and hope – pain killers (opiates), fluids, motility drugs.

Need to take in some of her favourite things to nibble.

There was a blockage in her intestinal tract that was preventing movement. This resulted in a build up of fluid and gas, causing bloat and discomfort.

Overnight, matters have improved and the bloat has reduced, but Mabel has yet to eat anything. So it's off to the vet in a while with some nibbles and reassuring cuddles. But we still aren't out of the woods just yet. Mabel remains in a critical condition... and you know how it is with rabbits.

Mabel...

Sorry we've been neglectful and haven't posted in a while. It's the summer holidays, so we're rushed off our feet. That's the apology out the way.

Right now it's touch and go with Mabel. She's at the vet having x-rays and fluids; she's very very poorly having not eaten for over 24 hours despite our best efforts to encourage her to nibble and drink, and giving her the medicine prescribed last week. Yes, last week she stopped eating, too, and we returned from the very with some more medication for her.

Like I said, it really is touch and go.

Waiting for the phone to ring...

Birthday Girl

Today is Mabel's 5th Birthday. There is only one Birthday photo of her, because she was too busy to keep still. She said that, because it was her Birthday, today she was allowed to burrow into the sofa, and chew the beading on the cushions.

5 Today!

Some pictures of Dijon, the Birthday boy, and also some of Mabel photo bombing the Birthday portrait, then trying to steal the show.

Morning adventures

Here are the bunnies enjoying some time on 'our' side of the living room… under close supervision!!