Tinkie A.D.

A bridge between the hands and the heart…

Ok Kiddies as many of you know I am an E. Cuniculi bunny that has been battling now since Oct of 2007 with hind end weakness and bladder issues. I am now a "cart bunny" and I have had several near death experiences but I keep on coming back to fight another day. So me and Mamma have decided to compile an article with our best health tips that we have learned through our own experience. I want to say that our approach is somewhat controversial still, but the things we we talk about are from own experience and doesn’t necessarily mean it will work 100% of the time. Each bunny has unique challenges and a health regime should be discussed with your veterinarian.

 

Acupuncture

When my hind end weakness first came of Mamma thought it was game over for me when I couldn’t hop anymore. Our vet’s partner had been practicing acupuncture of a few years so we thought we’d give it a go and 15 minutes after that first treatment I was able to hop again after only dragging myself!! Now the treatment would last three weeks or so ,for several months but then I’d become very weak again and go for another treatment. We’d see a quick improvement then It slide a bit, but by the next day I’d be hopping on my own again. We kept this up for almost a year with the treatments being every two weeks sometimes once a week until we couldn’t regain my ability to hop, then Daddy bought me a cart!!

Here is a link to find a Exotics Vet that is certified to practise acupuncture in your area http://ivas.org/Members/VetSearch/tabid/124/Default.aspx and here is a UK link as well  http://www.abva.co.uk/find.asp

~I am currently receiving acupuncture every week. It helps me with my kidney and liver functions as well as very helpful with when I go off my food and stop eating. Vitamin B injections in the stomach points often will get me eating for the day anyway. Its been a critical part of my ongoing therapy and maintenance. The acupuncture works in combination to my other therapies such as herbs and has also assisted in my recovery of a few bouts of Head Tilt as well. I don’t know if Acupuncture all on its own is the answer but for me its helped keep me in the game when all would normally have been given up month and months ago.

Emergencies

Know where you can take your bunny on holidays and weekends in the event of an emergency Before the occasion arises. This is a simple thing many first time bunny owners don’t have lined up until they are knee deep in an emergency on a long weekend. Always make sure its a rabbit savvy vet when possible, but in a life or death situation any vet is better than no vet at all.

                   Pet Insurance~  Rabbits can be affordable and easy pets to keep, but many are sadly not. Have a back plan to cover unexpected vet expenses. Whether its a credit card you keep available for just such occasion or check out the possibility of Pet Insurance. Canadian do not have the luxury of being able to get rabbits covered, but there are some US plans that allow Americans to insure their rabbits. UK Rabbit insurance and here is an American Rabbit Insurance. These are two options but always read the fine print. Sometimes is better to have a stash for just such occasions and forgo the insurance route, but if its not an option then insurance may be the way to go. Either way, my point is this. Stuff  happens when we least expect and always at the worst possible time, like on a long weekend just after you paid rent and you only have $20 for groceries for the next week!

I’ve had three chronically ill rabbits since I began 10 years ago that easily cost way more than a dog or cat on a yearly basis and they do not require vaccination where we live. Over all with the three of them now I can easily say that my husband and I could have bought a house instead of remaining to rent. It was a priority we made to care for all our animals in the best way we could and often it isn’t cheap. We have been fortunate to be with our vet about 12 years so credit is extended to us, so I just take them when I need to and pay a bit each week toward my ongoing bill. Not very many clinics will do this anymore.

 

 

Homeopathy (Natrum Muriaticum)~ Kidney Damage

Now here is a very controversial topic. You’ll find lots of information on the net supporting why homeopathy doesn’t work so I won’t provide links as you can find lots of opinions. But my own experience has convinced me otherwise in this particular example. Trinket developed severe kidney damage several months after the onset of her E. Cuniculi. Her bladder infections kept reoccurring to the point of effecting her kidneys. Her urine became very dilute and she was urinating constantly. Tests concluded her kidneys were not functioning well, with critically dilute urine and upon physical examination, one kidney was shriveled like a raisin and the other was huge. My vet at this point had suggested to cease any further exploration and treatment for her E.Cuniculi as he was convinced her kidneys would fail before her E.Cuniculi symptoms would be further problem.

Unable to accept being so close to the end I still held hope. A friend of mine that is a Reflexologist recommended I try the homeopathic remedy Natrum Muriaticum. At a point of nothing to loose I tried it. I gave one pellet of the 30ch in her fresh water each evening. Two weeks later I requested the vet retest her kidneys. Her test results came in showing normal functioning. X Rays showed, both kidneys were the regular size. We then went to to begin treating her E. Cuniculi.

Trinket has remained on this homeopathic remedy every day now for about a year and half. A few times now her kidneys have been tested showing normal functioning. Her surgical vet still expects to see results showing otherwise. He doesn’t believe its the homeopathic giving us the great results, but he can’t prove its not either.

Just recently Trinket went off her food and water for a month and a half. Her holistic vet when treating her with acupuncture remarked that her kidney points were showing deterioration each week. I began syringing her the water with her Nat Mur Homeopathic in it for a week. Her next acupuncture session her kidney points were normal!! So even though science says its notpossible, I believe otherwise. I also had a had on this, he was diagnosed with Kidney disease and he survived a year and half with out any further deterioration of his kidney function. It was the onset of another condition that forced us to euthanize him. So both animals I’ve tried this one have done extremely well. Obviously both Trinket and my cat had no previous "belief" about their remedies so there goes the placebo effect. But I want to emphasize that Ihave always used homeopathy in conjunction with the “traditional” recommendations by my vet. Some could say its was these traditional measures that were 100% effective, but I am skeptical. Kidney disease in cats are a death sentence, my vet thought he’d only make it a year, but he made it a year and half and then at that, with no further deterioration that would be expected even with the traditional treatment. Trinket’s not eating and being off her homeopathic for a month was proof enough for me when a week ofI syringing it to her and her kidney response was better.

Here is a link to explore Homeopathy and you can purchase items there as well http://abchomeopathy.com/homeopathy.htm

 

Paralasys~ Rabbit Wheel Chair Carts

Our experience with E. Cuniculi and hind end weakness finally took us to the point of deciding to get a wheel chair cart for Trinket. It was a hard decision for me to make. I felt that once she was in the cart it was game over and I feared that her months would be numbered, almost like giving up. It was my husband that encouraged me to go a head an order her one.

When I discussed this with Trinket’s vet I felt a whole lot better. It was her recommendation as well, and that the cart not only giving her some freedom would also be a valuable for of physical therapy for her. Trinket could still scoot, pulling herself with her front lets and pushing somewhat with one rear played leg, but in the cart she maintained a better motion with the back leg and she had way more energy to run around. 

We got her cart from Doggon Wheels. They ship all over the world and the chairs are surprisingly affordable. Trinket is 2 pounds and I think this may be the smallest chair they make, but everything is done to her individual measurements. We were quite impressed with their product, but I did find that Trinket being so small in the chest where its imperative that the harness fit in exactly the right place in order for her to pull the cart effectively, it was impossible to tweak the fit so I ended up giving up and made her a smock that I then rigged to Velcro to the cart. The smock worked way better and I found that that it could fit her looser avoiding pressure points. This system also allowed for her drastic weight loss and regain without having to be fiddling with the harness to have it fit right.   Below are some photos of what I came up with for her. There are notes on each photo, click to zoom in so you can read the notes

 

 

 

 

Syringe Feeding 101~ When your Rabbit stops eating

There are several times in a rabbits life when syringe feeding may be necessary so its a skill every rabbit slave should familiarize themselves with, as it will probably be needed at some point. Unfortunately the first time its needed is usually when the rabbit has just gone through a major surgical ordeal or entering an episode of stasis, always very frighting and stressful situations. I can’t stress enough the importance of having on hand the needed items for such an emergency. Its my firm belief that sooner is better than later when it comes to beginning to syringe feed when a rabbit has stopped eating. It is vitally important that the gut motility is maintained and 24 hours off food is already too long. Often a rabbit will go off food and would otherwise enter full blown stasis, but with syringe feeding early on, food still goes through and keeps the gut motility going.

When not to syringe feed~ If impaction is suspected as in the case of carpet ingestion, or stuffing from pillow or pet bed or any ingestion of foreign fibers, seeking immediate veterinary help is imperative to the survival of the rabbit. Don’t wait, hours  can make all the difference, this type of situation is nota "wait and see" scenario. Sometimes impactions of this nature can require surgery and force feeding can seriously complicate the problem.     With that said….

Items to have on hand for force feeding (syringe feeding)

3ml syringe (without the needle)

Package of Oxbow’s Critical Care (can only be obtained from your vet) or have access to a good recipe for home force feeding

Jar of baby food (banana, pear or canned pumpkin without added sugar or spices)

Children’s Pedialyte (optional, this is good to mix in with the Critical Care and to syringe to your rabbit for extra hydration

Feeding the willing Rabbit. Below is a video of Trinket showing how a willing rabbit can be syringe fed, along with a recipe suggestion when you don’t have Critical Care. 

Warning~ When syringe feeding is very importanttogo slow and only shoot in small amounts of food at a time. Aim to the side of the mouth and NOT right at the back, contrary to the myth Rabbits CAN Choke and they can also aspirate the food into their lung, a scenario you never want to happen. Keep the food mixture thin enough to syringe and easily swallow, although some rabbits if given the option will eat it thicker right off the spoon, so try that first and see if they will go for it. Never ever feed or medicate a rabbit when they are on their back, its way to easy for them to aspirate in this position.

The unwilling or unruly rabbit (we call them Hell Buns at our house) will need to be firmly wrapped up in a towel in order to proceed. This is called the "Bunny Burrito" and will work well for giving meds as well. Sometimes,especially when you are just learning how to do this, it might help to have a second set of hand. One to hold the bunny and the other to do the actual syringing. Rabbits are little buggers for hiding their faces deep into the towel so you’ll need those extra hands to gain clear access to their mouth.

A word of advice~ Try to stay calm through this process. Rabbits are ultra sensitive and if you become fearful or angry they will easily pick up on that and it will become even harder getting done what you need to do. You need to try and make this as stress free as possible for yourself and for your rabbit. Keep sessions short if the rabbit is fighting you and come back after rest breaks. When a rabbit requires feeding for a several days, this process can become exhausting, emotionally and physically but remember that YOU are keeping them alive and helping them to fight back for their health.

I have personally had three rabbits that have required long term support feeding, they would not have survived other wise. Its a sacrifice of time and energy, but nothing is more satisfying knowing that your own love and dedication has saved a life that has depended on you. Rabbits can stop eating for weeks at a time and come back and regain health and quality of life, often its worth seeing this though.

Special Needs Diet~ Long Term Support Feeding

My girl Trinket had recently gone off her food for a month and half after a drug reaction. During this episode it became clear to me that her normal support diet was not adequate for her long term needs so I was lucky to find an amazing resource on line http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rabrefs.html I found several great idea here for syringe feeding recipes. I tailored one of them for Trinket’s special needs. She had trouble swallowing so I was looking for something to make her food more slippery and easy to swallow, plus she never did eat hay and I was very concerned with keeping fibre in her diet to keep her stools larger to help avoid stasis and sticky cecotropes. I was also concerned with her immune system and looking for something that would give her an extra help. This diet seemed to answer all these needs

Trinket’s Slippery Elm Diet

*this makes a lot of mash, as Trinket is a dwarf bunny, I give her an hour break halfway through her feeding so she can make more room, LOL. A bigger bun should be able to take it all in at one sitting. I feed this three times a day if she isn’t eating anything on her own.

1 tbs. of pre- hydrated Metamucil ( I take 1/2 teaspoon of dry unflavored Metamucil and stir it into 4 tablespoons of Pedialyte and keep it in the fridge, this will be what I’ll need for her for the day~ it needs to be soaking for at least 45 minutes or it will draw fluid out of her gut and bring on stasis.)

1 tbs. of banana or pear baby food

4 tbs. of hot Organic Ginger Tea ( I use Yogi Tea~ Ginger with lemongrass, licorice root, peppermint and black pepper. This blend is very warming and stimulating for the digestion)    You can substitute the tea for Pedialyte if suspect dehydration, but I personally wouldn’t want them getting all that sugar for too long, too much sugar in the cecum can make the cecotropes too mucky and soft

200 mg of Slippery Elm( I got it in 400 mg capsules so I started her with 1/3 of a capsule in the first week of being on it, now I give her 1/2 a capsule but she is only getting two feedings  a day) More info on slipper elm

1/8 tsp. of ground Oatmeal

1 scant tbs. of Ground Alfalfa Pellets (I use alfafa because we are having trouble keeping weight on Trinket, if your rabbit is having calcium issues, ie. sludgy urine or bladder stones only use Timothy based pellets. I grind pellets up weekly and keep a container handy to measure out the 1 tbs.

3 drops of Pure Grape Seed Extract

1/3 of a capsule of Non Dairy Acidophilus ( I only use this during and shortly after antibiotic use, *I also use the kind that doesn’t need to be refrigerated so it can take the heat of her tea in the mash)

2 mls of Amino B-plex (this is to be given twice a day so it can be given in  two feeding morning and night.  I just put it right in the mash or Trinket loves it straight as well)

~ I let this mixture sit for about 10 minutes and then I may add a bit more water or tea to make it a bit runnier. This mixture is so amazing, it sucks up into the syringe easily and doesn’t seem to get all stuck in her face fur around her mouth the way the other recipe we used ot use does. I am amazed at how well she is doing on it. After nearly a month and half of not eating on her own, a week on this diet and she is eating two salads a day but due to get geriatric status and low body weight I will keep her on this twice or possible once a day for the remainder of her time with me.

It had been six months of hell with my pet bunny Trinket battling E.Cuniculi, two episodes of head tilt that took over a month to recover from, a reoccuring bladder infection that spread and caused serious kidney damange, four two week episodes of not eating and having to be syringe fed due to drug reactions, but then rebounding  between each episode all while undergoing acupunture treatment to help her regain her own mobility with escelating hind end weakness that would bring on temporary hind end paralysis. And with a few close brushes with death, I was sure I had little time left with my sweet little “heart bun”. During this time the bond between myself and this sweet, strong little bun had become so deep and I just wasn’t ready to let her go and feared eveyday that it might finally be the time I couldn’t save her.

Even through all this Trinket remained willful, communicative, expressive and ever more loving with every day. It would be nothing for her to stay snuggled in my arms for hours on end smooching my face and neck.

Over the recent months I had read a few book on the subject of animal communication and was thoroughly intrigued. So after a few weeks of deep thought I decided to go ahead with a reading for Trinket with an Animal Communicator Sheila Trecartin after friend of mine and Reiki Master recommended her. My main concerns were centered around when and if to euthanize Trinket and  if she understood what was happening to her and was ready to go. I suppose I feared hanging on too tightly to her would cause more harm.

Being very intuitive myself I already felt that I had connected with Trinket on a deeper level and understood her feelings and some of her thoughts, but I sought a second opinion that would be emotionally detached from the situation. Sheila came highly recommended after being able to locate my friend’s cat that had been missing for several weeks by using animal communication.

The reading was done by me sending her a photo via email to her along with Trinket’s name and my questions. My questions were mostly asking if Trinket understood her illness and if she had any information for the vet to help her. I also asked about when it would be her time to pass and how it would unfold. I did mention to Sheila that Trinket has been ill for several months and that she was having issues with a sensitivity to her medication. That was all the revealed in my email to her. Below is the reading I received back from her. I have copied word for word as Trinket relayed her thoughts to her. My comments are added in blue

Trinket Reading Aug. 18, 2008  The following is my direct communication with Trinket. Please keep in mind that this is her perception of how she views things.  

~Trinket says to tell you that she feels she is the luckiest rabbit in the entire world!  All I can say is I bawled when I read this.

~She says she simply could not possibly want for anything as she has it all/you provide all she needs.  

~She sends you love and gratitude.  Trinket is extremely affectionate, it a more unusal trait in rabbits, but it wasn’t always so. It was only since she became ill that her smooching and snuggling began.

~She says she has pressed on in life for you. She says if it was not for you she would have given up/packed it in a long time ago. She says you are her guiding light, her strength.  I wondered exactly this if I was prolonging her life but I feared if it was a mistake. My vet agreed with me that the love and will in T was still a sign she desired to live.

~She talks about irritation in the throat. She says sometimes the inside of her throat feels raw and that is when she does not want to eat.  I later realized when she was going off her food and I had to syringe feed her, I was mixing her Crital Care too thick and I wonder now it was to hard for her to swallow. She seems to like it better on the runny side and it goes down alot easier.

~She says she is an “only” bunny and prefers it that way. She feels she is superior to the intellect of most other rabbits. She then says she also has a bit of a fear of what other rabbits will do. She says she likes her people, thank you!  T was bitten the first day she came to us and since then she will seek out any bun no matter the size and attack. She is two pounds and will outfight a six pound fatty!! We already gave up years ago at ever bonding her to another rabbit.

 ~She says “3 ago” (I believe she means years?) she felt she had a close call/ a near death experience so to speak. She says she feels you saved her. She wants you to know that changed her level of love for you. She trusts you and believes you will do anything for her.  Yes she did, it was three months prior. After a month of head tilt and living on her side and being fed crital care off a spoon she took a downward spiral when she refused to eat and became extremely weak, I was convinced I would loose her, but we persuvered and she pulled through. I had refused to let her go and kept syring feeding every few hours just small amounts to keep her going.

~She says she does not feel her heart as very strong. She talks about pain that radiates from the center of her chest outward. She says she does not know what is wrong with her but realizes it is serious as she feels your worry.  She is recieving Holistic Vet care with Chinese herbs, acupunture and chirpractic along with her traditional treatment. Her holistic vet is treating her kidney and spleen, but it seems that at this time she had limited Chi moving through her system. Her life force was weak and this showed in her pulse even. Athough her heart is fine, her overall life force has been weak. I had been overwhelmed with worry about her life force giving out on her. After months of weekly treatments she is doing really well now as of Feb /09 she is fianlly stable although still has to be watched for bladder infecitons and now her calcium levels. In the fall after this reading she also came down with pnuemonia which nearly took her out.

~She says she is very curious and loves to know about what people are doing and why. She asks that you sometimes take time out to dictate to her on what is going on and why.  I’ve always beleived the buns were senstive to this. They need to know why we are going out and when we’ll be home. They like their routine so now I explain anything new to all of them.

 ~She says she would like cheese to eat. I m not sure if this is rally cheese but she shows a soft round like orange treat and she calls it cheese. LOL, this is a yorgurt treat that is a little drop. Years ago I used to give all the buns pink ones that were berry flavor. I went out and got more but she wouldn’t eat them until I got the orange Carrot flavored ones. One day I put out a pink one, a white one and orange one and I asked her ” show me the cheese!” She went for the orange one!! She loves cracker so we joke now she is having her crackers and cheese!

 ~She shows that sometimes she just sits and stares at the wall for long periods of time. She says she is just taking time out and trying to not feel any outside stimuli. Sort of a version of meditation for her. OMG, she totally does this, I had worried about it but now I do feel better about this

 ~She talks about seeing horses somewhere. She feels you would have a strong natural connection with them.  There are horses at several farms along our drive to work. I had a pony and my parents had horses when I was a kid, but i have no desire to have them now, other than I do fantasize about having a miniture pony.

~She says she likes purples and greens and soft yellow.  WE have focused on these colors for her with her bedding and clothes!! LOL yes we dress her us, she loves a cute Tshirt!!

~She asks for a stick shaped food with things attached to it. This reminds me of a treat you would give a pet bird.  I got her this but it did not interest her.

~She says she tries to communicate to you through physical gestures and movements. She shows stomping or tapping her foot, twitching up her fur, flicking her ears and other motions. She says she has developed this to communicate to you/with you better.  T is extremly physically communicative and is easily understood by her physical gestures, even our vet has remarked on how extrodianry this is!

~She shows a green plastic bowl (this could be a request).  She didn’t have one so I got her one, but she doesn’t eat out of it, I keep her hay in it, but she won’t eat her hay either.

~She asks for a white ball to play with. This looks like a golf ball to me.  WE go her one but she has showed not interest in this.

~She says there is something green she eats that makes her feel bad.  T has had issues with too much calcium in her urine which has been a big contibutor to her urinary infecitons. We are to limit hight calcium greens and veg, but I put this back in her diet once she did finally recover from months of urinary infecitons and sludge. As of March /09 I am having to again take these things out of her diet again- Kale, parsley, spinach are all way too high calcium along with alfalfa pellets we had been feeding attemptign to keep her weight up.

~She says her dies are tender to the touch and she asks that you are very careful in how you pick her up. She suggest you scoop her under the chest and back end.  T’s legs are deformed now as a result of her hind end weakness. One leg is fused out behind her and the other is splayed out beside her like a flipper, plus she was loosing muscle mass.

~Trinket feels her name has been changed from what it was. She says Trinket isn’t her full/actual name but she likes it. She actually says she would like to be called “T”.  

~She says she feels her body system is off. She says she gets a little woozy sometimes. She wonders what can stop the dizziness?  This fianlly hit home after this reading. With this in mind I had fianlly been able to reconize a dizzy spell which in E.Cuniculi bunnies is a precursor to seizures. She has responded well to an herbal treatment that she took for months.

~She says please don’t allow smoke near her.  I used to burn incense at my store where she was the offical hostess.

~She shows an older pick up truck and says to watch it as it isn’t safe. She says something is wrong with near the wheels or the bar that goes across and connects the wheels. I  think it is the back she is referring to.  My husbands truck is an old pick up truck totally in need of a major overhaul, like brakes, tires and suspension work. I won’t ride in it if I can help it.

~She shows a man with a beard that she really likes to be with /interact with she says to send him love.   My husband has a beard

~Trinket says you are very thorough with things  but you try to do everything at once. She says prioritize and make a list to help you. She laughs and says sometimes it’s funny to watch you move all over the place but she doesn’t feel it’s productive for you.  This so describes me, its beyond funny. I’ll often forget what I was doing because I started anohter project halfway through. I guess you could say I’m a multitasker that is out of control! LOL

~For some reason she feels you and Dave should go fishing.  We cannot figure this one out and haven’t yet followed this advice.

~She speaks of a younger dark haired girl. She says this girl is very sensitive and quite insecure. Trinket says fear stops this girl from doing a lot of things. She says to send this girl love and help her to see she is pretty and can do anything she wants /would like. Trinket says this girl needs your guidance. I have a couple of female freinds say they wondered if they were this girl, so??

 ~She feels you should work with animals in some way but she cautions you to remember to allow them to be who they need to be. By this she means….. you will feel like you need to rescue them but not all need to be or want to  be rescued. She says just doing what you need to and are supposed to is enough.  I have my Masters Level in Reiki and have decided to work mostly with animals, I am also taking a course in Animal Communication myself. I do have issues with staying emotionally detached. I seem to feel the need to save them all.

 ~She warns her dad “Dave about laying back and eating. she says this will cause health issues down the road and is harmful to his digestion. She suggest he sit up straight and pay attention to what is in his mouth as he chews. She says outside distractions are not good either. She also suggests magnetic therapy for his hands. This helps with pain and discomfort.  OMG, I nearly had a stroke when I read this. This is exactly what he does. He lays back staring at the TV and shovels mindlessly, it can be scary some days.

~She says she loves when you all lay in bed together. She enjoys big fluffy blankets and pretends they are hills and caves. She says this is entertaining. She had played on the bed as a little baby but since this reading we bring her up to bed to snuggle under the covers. She’ll rest with her head in our necks resting on the pillow.

 ~She talks about a black and white rabbit that she was fond of. She says she misses him.  Her big sister (house mate) Minnie was black and white and T was obcessed with her, but because Minnie bit T when she first came to live here, she will not bond with any rabbit.

~She wonders what we can do to stop/control her dizziness?  WE got her the herbal treatment!

~She shows a medal container that looks like an old mild can. She say she likes the reflections off of this.  WE have an antique milk can that sits on the floor, but really don’t know what this is about.

~She says it is not her time to go just yet. She feels she will perk up and have a god spurt for a bit. She says if she did have to leave she feels it would be okay. She says your love has been all she needed/wanted this time around. Trinket is still with us now in March of /09 after another two close calls with death, she just keeps recovering even when the vet thought it was doubtful. She truly is a miracle bunny. She uses a cart now and can still drag herself around with her front paws. She truly has been an inspriation and I still don’t know how I’ll ever be able to say good bye when that time comes.