Hi all! It’s been way too long since I posted last and I apologize for the gap in news. I actually have good news in the rabbit department. All the rabbits with head tilt, Angel, Christopher, Sonoma, Rebecca and Anna are doing well. Sonoma is ready to be moved into a pen as she is very stable now. Angel is holding her own and drinking from a water bottle now, as is Christopher. This makes a huge difference in their daily meds and it’s always a great day when the IV fluids can be discontinued.
Another rabbit from the large group fell ill last week, but not with head tilt. Christopher Robin stopped eating last Thursday and literally blew up like a balloon. With days of meds and exercise, he finally started pooping again on Sunday. It was a long four days of waiting and watching (a watched pot doesn’t boil, a watched rabbit doesn’t poop?). Anyway, he is doing well now but is under close watch.
The work in the basement is finished (kinda, sorta) and the rabbits were moved back in today. They were all happy to have room to move and new neighbors to grunt at. The rabbits who live in the basement are those who had great difficulty living in the large group in the rabbit building or those who are too old or disabled in some way and need a separate space.
I am saddened to share the news that George, our beautiful and gentle turkey, had to be put to sleep last Saturday. George sat down about 3 weeks ago and could no longer put weight on his legs. He could not stay in the chicken barn so we moved him into my basement last week. Although he had lost quite a bit of weight over the last month, we thought he had a chance to pull through. On his recheck visit last Saturday at Medical Center for Birds in Oakley we were told that the infection had traveled up George’s left leg and was in the bone. The prognosis was extremely poor and George was in pain even though he was on pain meds. It is always such a hard decision to make, but we all felt it would not be fair to George to prolong his suffering. Phyllis took George to the appointment and sat with him on the floor during the euthanasia procedure. Thank you, George, for joining us at the sanctuary and adding a bit of spice to the chicken barn. You are missed.