A: Weekends and holidays when the vets are closed

Q: When do bunnehs always choose to get sick? 

Superbunmodel glamour shot.

Never fails, especially with Mr. Mick. I swear, he never comes down with anything requiring an unscheduled vet visit unless they're closed.

Case in point: this past Saturday. My best friend since 3rd grade made an unexpected visit, and since it was a lovely day (and my house was a mess), we spent the afternoon outside sitting at my picnic table and sipping flavored seltzer water. Mick spent the afternoon in his x-pen next to us, nibbling on grass and relaxing in the shade.

 "Somebody get me a carrotini."

Now, this was the second time he'd been out that week in the exact same spot and he'd nibbled the same grass and bopped about all the same, so I didn't think anything of it...until I went to let him out for his nightly run and he refused to budge. I figured perhaps he was tired from his afternoon outing, so I left the cage door open and went into the dining room, thinking he would come along eventually.

He didn't.

About an hour later I went over to the cage and looked in. He was all the way in the back of the cage in his loaf position, just as was when I'd opened the door; not hunched up, not showing any signs of pain, but not budging. Uh-oh...


I took him out, set him on the table and began checking him over. Tummy felt normal, his ears were a little on the cool side, he seemed a little lethargic but not to the point of concern. I syringed some water into him and gave him a full-bunny massage, which perked him up a little, but he hopped right back into his cage the minute I put him on the ground and went right back to the same spot and same position as before. I offered treats, oats and greens, none of which he took--a sure sign that he was not feeling well. I left it all in his cage and went to bed, hoping that this was just temporary and by morning, he'd be fine.

Unfortunately, Sunday morning came and nothing was touched. I brought him out again, syringed more water and some Critical Care into him, then wrapped him up in his flannel sheet to warm him up a bit before making him run around the house in the hopes of stimulating some appetite. He was not at all happy with me doing any of that; he kept trying to escape into all his tunnels and hidey-holes, but I had them blocked. After a brief run, I scooped him up and gave him a tummy massage again, then put him back in his cage and hit the yellow pages to see if I could find a 24-hour vet that knew how to treat rabbits. There was one a short drive from home; I called and was told that yes, the doctor has taken care of rabbits and they would page him immediately. I hung up and waited from the doctor to call me back...He never did.

In the meantime, my son reported that Mick had taken a single piece of oat from him, but nothing else. I took a look in Mick's litterbox and found a pile of about a dozen poops covered with loose cecum. I brought Mr. Mick out--he was in need of a butt bath. (First time I was ever happy to see a poopy butt in my life.) I cleaned him off, bunny-burritoed him up in a towel and gave him a snuggle and a tummy massage. On impulse, I got some of his oats and offered him a pinch; he snarfed it up like he hadn't eaten in a week. I gave him another pinch and then brought him back to the kitchen and gave him some Critical Care before putting him back in his cage.

That night, I brought him out again; he needed another butt bath, so again I cleaned him off then wrapped him up and brought him into the living room for a snuggle and massage. He was definitely feeling better; I got my face licked for over an hour and there was much tooth-purring to be heard. I set him down and made him run around a bit again; when I put him back in the cage this time, he was a happy, hungry bun again.

"Feeling much better, Mum! No need to see the vet, right?"

Monday morning, I called the vet. Even though Mickey was definitely back to normal, I wanted to be absolutely sure. Dr. Shanahan looked him over; his temperature was normal, but on the cool side (probably because of yet another butt-bath given before we left the house), his tummy sounds were good and his tummy felt fine. She gave me a mix of probiotics, vitamins and minerals in powder form for me to mix with water and give to him for the next few days, so three times a day His Majesty gets a couple of syringes of the bunneh equivalent of Powerade. It's definitely made an improvement; no more butt baths, poops are looking good, and Mick is definitely feeling and acting perkier.

Fetching himself a snack of dried carrot tops.

Om nom nom...

Taking a moment to pose for the fans.

I'm still a bit annoyed at the 24-hour vet who never called me back; it's the second time that a vet I've called in an emergency hasn't responded, but apparently I'm not alone in this. Dr. Shanahan said another client went through something similar; the client told her they'd called over a dozen vets and Valley Vet was the only place that had called her back--and they're not a 24-hour service. Go fig. 

I'm just glad it all went well this time. Now, if somebunny would stop waiting until the weekend to get sick...

"Feh, if you were the one getting a thermometer stuck up your butt,

you wouldn't be too eager to go there yourself. "