Photos Copyright: Maggie May
Although I had good news about my CT scan last week, I have also had an anxious time with my little rabbit, Ash.
I had decided he needed to be castrated as he was reaching his sexual maturity and letting me know it by mounting my arm when I went to stroke him and giving me little nips and trying to show me who was boss........ as well as spraying. No, I couldn't put up with any more of that.
His appointment had been made for last Thursday morning and after looking at him, the vet declared him healthy and old enough enough for the operation.
I knew he'd be traumatised by it but didn't realise just how much.
When I went to collect him that evening, he looked fairly alert, but subdued. Well he would, wouldn't he considering what I had arranged to have done to him?
I was told to get him eating again as fast as possible. Well, I tried all his usual favourites as well as his staple food. He wasn't having any of it.
I checked on line and realised that the slightest thing could get a rabbit to stop eating with disastrous consequences. They go anorexic if they are not happy and Ash was definitely sulking.
By 11pm that same night he had only eaten a piece of raffia from a toy and refused everything else.
The next day he had developed rabbit scours. Well I won't go into detail as to what that means, but it meant lots of cleaning up for me and I realised that it was a potentially serious thing in rabbits. Fortunately he was drinking lots of water and eating green stuff but nothing else.
I stayed up till very late that night comforting him and trying to coax him to eat hay. I also felt very guilty that I had caused all this suffering.
Next day it had been arranged to go to the vet for a check. However he was bright eyed and bushy tailed by then and had eaten a tiny amount of food before he left for the visit. I was hoping that he wouldn't be set back by further stress from this.
On examination, it was found that he'd bitten one of his two stitches out and was due to have the other one removed on Monday. He has now almost fully recovered and is eating well and throwing his toys about and taking an interest in things around him.
When he goes to the vet tomorrow, he will be having two inoculations as well and I'm hoping that he won't be set back again by this new experience.
I am considering getting him a little companion later on, but am giving the matter great thought. I certainly don't want to rush into anything I might regret as I believe it is not always easy to get rabbits to bond with each other. They can be quite violent little beasts at times.
I expect you will be wondering why I have photos of Millie on this post and none of Ash. Have I made a mistake, you might be asking?
Well no. I was going to show pictures of Millie knitting but felt I had to mention Ash's trauma.
Millie is not yet six and can knit a row unaided. She picked it up very fast, though her sister, threw hers down after twenty minutes of trying to learn.
Millie loves pink and is knitting a scarf.
I keep having to rescue the stitches when she looses them but I am really pleased with her progress.
She has also started a local ballet class and I thought her outfit is really cute.
The knitting was still on her mind even though it was almost time to set out for the class.
