Sweetie, English Butterfly Bunny & Tour Guide

Sweetie, English Butterfly Bunny & Tour Guide
Hi and welcome to "Fairy Castle Farm" I hope you enjoy your stay! I should introduce myself, my name is Sweetie and I am a resident of Fairy Castle Farm. Well it's not actually a farm, but a suburban home in the southern suburbs of South Australia. I am a rare Old English Spot Bunny, and absolutely love life here with all my family and some good friends too... let me take you on a tour ....

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Thursday, June 2, 2011

Poor Patches is in "home" Critical Care ....

Good Evening to you all,

Well it's really not very good for us at our end, I will get to why in a moment.  I do hope you are all having a good time and are well and happy!

We are very happy to have our humans back home from their long, long, long time away in Bali!  It has been the longest 23 days of my life.  Going by the tightness of My Yollies hug and number of kisses, I think she felt it too!!  I got in writing, a signed promise that she will NEVER leave us for that long EVER again!  Ok, enough stalling, let me get on to the other news.....

...It is with great sadness, I report that my poor brother, Patches is very unwell at the moment.  My Yollie noticed two days after returning from her Holiday that he did not look his usual self.  The signs were subtle, even I missed it!  But luckily for Patches she didn't.  He seemed to be depressed and isolating himself and she noticed he was sitting in his own pee (when we have a clearly marked and designated latrine).  No bunny does this by choice!  We are such clean animals, prey animals and this would be a dead give-away of our exact location, and then we would be dead - so a big No No!!

After a visit to the Vet, we found out  he is suffering from an excruciatingly painful urinary disease caused by excess calcium in his blood-stream.  His urine has turned to "sludge" see : www.rabbit.org/health/urolith.html it has the worst odour and it's thick, sandy and has blood present.  Not a nice thing for any bunny, but like stones, especially bad for boy bunnies!!!!  This was most likely caused by the sudden change in his diet with a gross increase of pellet food given over the past month (unfortunately while being bun-sat). The sitter feels horrible, not realizing the impact of over feeding pellets can have, sadly this was caused by kindness!

To give him his best fighting chance, My Yollie has him in "home" critical care.  After visiting the local vet, armed with all the necessary supplies, My Yollie is determined he will get through this and live to "goof" another day.
 Her plan of action is as follows ...

1.  NO pellet food allowed!!! (this goes for all of us - until she can be sure it is only Patches who is effected).  Also,  NO  Calcium Rich Hay (Lucerne or Alfalfa). He is to eat safe MEADOW HAY,  MEADOW HAY and yes you guessed it more MEADOW HAY. This is our favourite healthy food.

2. Lots of dark leafy greens, lower in calcium; Endive, celery leaves, carrot tops, corriander, rocket, Radish tops and capsicum.

3. LOTS and LOTS of WATER, any way she can get him to take it. Syringe fed, bowl, puréed with raw veggies or just dunking his leafy greens prior to feeding.

4. Making sure he does not stop eating for prolonged periods. (This causes bunny's digestive system to cease up and they will die in a short period of time).

5. Giving him his prescribed medication.  No matter how much he fights it.

6. Lastly, lots and lots of LOVE!!  This will help lower his stress levels and don't we all love a little TLC!!!

My Yollie is devastated, as we all are. My Yollie will do everything in her power to help Patches in any way she can.


I will keep you posted on his progress.

Take care, Sweetie