(Please read the previous posts about Clare from June 18th and July 3rd.)
 
Clare continues to do well in her foster home.  In this photo, she’s greeting another foster bun, who’s name is Violet and is a “Special Needs” bunny rescued from the parking lot at Candlestick Park.  Clare’s the black ‘n white bunny.
 
Clare continues to fight the infection in her left inner ear, under the care of Dr. Carolynn Harvey.  Although some initial progress had been made in June and early July, by the end of the month she’d reached a plateau and the abscess started growing again.  Several options were considered, and all involved surgery to allow the abscess to drain.  However, a key factor in making the decision on whether to proceed was finding an antibiotic that would be able to fight the infection.  In mid-August Dr. Harvey sent out a sample for culturing, and a combination of Ciprofloxacin given orally and Penicillin G Benzathine given by injection, offers some hope.
 
On September 3rd, Dr. Harvey performed surgery on Clare at Chabot Veterinary Clinic in Hayward.  The surgery involved a modified lateral ear resection procedure on her left ear to open the abscess to the outside, to allow it to drain better on its own and permit her human friends better access to clean it.  The “normal” existing passage from her left ear canal was surgically closed to prevent the abscess from draining that way.  During the procedure, Dr. Harvey found that the structures of the deep ear canal, including the ear drum, had been destroyed by the infection.  It must’ve been extremely painful for Clare.  Since it’s known that the abscess also drains into her right ear canal, there may be damage to the right ear drum as well.  Given all the damage, it’s likely her hearing has been compromised, although the extent is unknown.  Because of the location of the resection, Clare can no longer blink her left eye, but she uses her third eyelid to keep the eye moist and no problems are anticipated.
 
Clare has been recovering well from the surgery, and has been a very cooperative patient.  The new opening is below her left ear, aft of her left eye.  The cavity is being cleaned and flushed with sterile saline solution every 12 to 14 hours with the exudate gently being removed with a cotton-tipped applicator.  Tobramycin drops are then instilled into the cavity, followed by Golden Yellow Salve.  A small piece of a gauze pad is then inserted into the cavity to keep any foreign matter from entering.
 
While it’s hoped that the antibiotics will eventually kill the infection, there’s no guarantee.  The surgically-created cavity is designed to stay permanently open, and it’s possible that Clare may always need to have someone clean it out for her.
 
Although she can’t go out and play in the grass while the surgery sites are healing, she loves to sit in the sunshine in her foster dad’s lap.  Even with all she’s been through she’s still sweet and gentle, loves being held and snuggled, and gives kisses in return.
 
Questions about Clare may be directed to her foster dad at RabbitRow@aol.com.
 
Please check back for future updates.