Five weeks on - 3:28 PM, 28/6/2009 |
It's been five weeks since four farm bunnies came to live with us. The time has been eventful, happy & also sad.
The bunnies are big girls, probably New Zealand white crosses. All weigh around the 3.5 - 4kg mark. All four buns came from a breeding shed in an intensive rabbit factory farm.
I wouldn't think it unusual for rabbits from these unhygienic & dirty environments to have health issues. Isabelle has a minor nasal discharge. Poppy has ear mites. Isabelle's leg was strangely shaved when she first arrived. All four buns had enormous ear tags - Poppy's ear was infected. One of Lulu's ears has quite a few pieces missing.
So, in our panic that possibly all four buns were pregnant (coming from a breeding shed) we quickly had all of them spayed by a very experienced rabbit vet. All seemed to go well. We were told that all four buns were probably around 2-3 years of age. All girls had had multiple litters in their lifetime, which could be seen during desexing. The two mostly white bunnies had experienced extra large litters as both had internal stretch marks.
Spaying a female bunny is pretty routine these days. However, two out of the four girls developed unusual infections. Zoe, the only grey bunny, suffered a very deep abscess. The vets decided on removing the abscess as it was life threatening but she unfortunately died soon after the surgery. We were very saddened by her passing as she was such a gorgeous & friendly bunny that wanted a chance to experience a happy life. I feel that I failed her.
To somehow understand why two out of the four buns experienced infections post spay, there is a possibly that these rabbit farm bunnies are fed antibiotics to keep them "healthy" living in unhygienic & cramped conditions. As factory farms are also rarely cleaned, the farm bunnies could also have unusual bacteria on their skin. |
 About MeNo more Mr Nice Guy! Rabbits are NOT food! Imagine the public outrage if there were CAT factory farms or DOG factory farms all in the name of slaughtering them for some fat bastard's meal! Rabbits are sensitive, intelligent & affectionate pets that should be given the same respect as all other indoor pets. What's the difference between a "meat" rabbit & a pet rabbit?? NOTHING!!Home | Profile | Archives | Friends |
Our second bun with the infection (Poppy - pictured above) is doing much better but she's supposed to still be on antibiotics for another week. Today the abscess burst so we'll be taking her to see the bunny doctor tomorrow for an updated opinion of what to do about her condition & whether she too will need surgery.| « Last Page | Next Page » |