Bunny Vets II

The bunny folk at ravelry have certainly stepped up since the last blog entry. Here are more bunny vet references-- good for those living nearby and those traveling with bun...

Champaign, IL - Dr. Ken Welle at All Creatures Animal Hospital. http://www.allcreaturesah.com/index.htm and If someone is in the Twin Cities, MN area, Dr Peg Frank at Cottage Grove Animal Hospital is just the greatest, IMHO. It might be a bit of a drive to her place in the southeastern suburb but she’s TOTALLY worth it.

then- Madison, WI - The University of Wisconsin Vet Med Teaching Hospital has a great staff for exotics. http://uwveterinarycare.wisc.edu/
In Laytonsville, MD, Dr. Claire Godwin takes care of my buns (including dental for buns whose moms did not get them fitted with braces at an early age). I understand that HRS in the DC metro uses Dr. Gold, who is north of Baltimore (Harwood County(?)).
Then there is Tulsa Oklahoma Forest Trails Animal Hospital - no URL, but phone number is 918-299-8448 Dr. Paul Welch. USA
Another Ravelry member says Tennessee Franklin (pretty much on the outskirts of Nashville) Little House Animal Hospital - Dr. Kunkel. Gosh I love my vet.. she is just wonderful with bunnies. Ginger is my easily spooked little girl, and Dr. Kunkel sat on the floor with Ginger in her lap (so she couldn’t jump down from the exam table) and talked softly to/petted her, and Ginger actually yawned and stretched out. I’ve never seen anything like it, she’s like the Bun Whisperer or something.
Then in Washington we have Kirkland, Eastside Avian and Exotic 13603 100th Avenue NE Kirkland, Washington 98034 +1-888-821-6165. Both Dr. Johnson-Delaney and Dr. Kamaka are awesome and very knowledgeable in rabbits

And in Belgium it is Dr. Inge Thas, Heerweg-Zuid 9 9052 Zwijnaarde (Ghent) Belgium mobile phone : +32-477-296545 phone : +32-9-2728558
website : http://www.dierenartspraktijkthas.net/

More from the great folk at ravelry.com

USA, New York, New York (Manhattan, Dr. Rebecca Campbell.
Symphony Vet Center
Upper West Side- 698 Amsterdam Ave. b/w 93 and 94th. (212) 866 8000

USA, Virginia,Salem,Companion Pet Care Clinic Dr. Christine Ferris

USA, Vermont,Bethel Country Animal Hospital-Dr. Lynne Martin 1533 VT RTE 107 Bethel, VT 05032 802-234-5999 Fax: 234-5325.

us, maine , scarborough
pine point animal hospital , dr. ann barksdale while it doesn’t ask for this–pine point is not an emergency clinic. there are two in the area, and i recommend one much more highly than the other (as i have been to both): maine veterinary referral center. super nice. kept my rabbit alive (although not able to fully diagnose) until i could get to dr ann. they aren’t really well equipped for rabbits, but in an emergency, you take what you can get.

and more:
New York, USA
USA Symphony Vet Center
Upper West Side- 698 Amsterdam Ave. b/w 93 and 94th. (212) 866 8000. Dr. Deborah Levinson is also great!
We just moved from Manhattan to Brooklyn, and are trying to decide if we should find a new vet there, or subject the buns to a longish car ride just so we can keep seeing her!
and
USA
New York Amherst (between Buffalo and Niagara Falls) Dr. Adamcak at All Creatures Animal Hospital

Connecticut, USA
Bethel
Bethel Veterinary Hospital I don’t remember her name, but my mom takes our bunny here and there’s a vet there who has rabbits.

Illinois Skokie Chicago Exotics www.exoticpetvet.com 847-329-8709 Dr Grabowski also Dr Horton

California
USA California Monrovia
Dr. Domotor’s Animal House – Dr. Sari Kanfer. She works with two rabbit rescues in the area and said that 90-95% of her patients are rabbits (and she owns multiple rabbits herself). While I was there, all the other patients I saw (who were also there to see her either before or after us) were all rabbits. Godewyn’s neuter went so easily with them and his recovery was lightning-fast!

Another California from ravelry California Bay Area (Hayward) Chabot Veterinary Clinic - Dr. Carolynn Harvey

Bunny Vets

Bunny vets are hard to find. I've posted our favorite vet, Dr. Hess at Bond Animal Hospital location is White Plains, New York, in the past and House Rabbit Society has a list of bun vets.

However, I have asked my Ravelry bunny folk you need to be a member to sign on, to share their vets and here is the first. From the Ravelry posts it sounds like these are amazing bunny people. Crestwood in Kentucky

Anyone who reads this and would like to share a great bun vet, please email and I will do my best to create a link. It would be great to find super bunny vets in all 50 states!

A Long Time

It's been a long since posting here, finally some challenges and distractions have moved on, not to mention I finally found my sign in information so I expect to post more often.

This time of the year we humans often wish to treat our house buns with extra greens, some gathered from the yard, field or local produce stand. To avoid any errors, I'd like to share this great link with you.

Toxic Plants


I learned about this site from my colleagues the bunny people who post on Ravelry
and when I refresh my upload pictures skills, I share some fiber work where the bunny has contributed much to the creative process; not only does her fur fill in the missed stitches and holes of knitted socks but great handfuls of molt decorate some woven rugs and wall hangings.

Bunnys for the 50+ Crowd

Sent this post to a colleague in the blogosphere but it kept getting rejected, so I took that as a sign it belongs here...

Why House Rabbits are Great Companions for the 50+ Crowd

Rabbits Are Excellent Companions!

People, especially those 50 years old and more, who share their homes with the various domestic breed of House Rabbitgss quickly discover the value and potential of these charming animals as dear friends, cherished companions and beings who encourage and reinforce our intellectual and social engagement.

There are many reasons why you might consider sharing your home with a rabbit. First, rabbits are extremely intelligent. They quickly catch onto household routines and interact well with humans, dogs, cats, guinea pigs, and birds. They respond to their names and to other human language. Once a rabbit settles into his or her new home, they’ll come running for a pet, a kiss, or a treat. Most House Rabbits savor being stroked, brushed, and talked to, and some rabbits even enjoy being held. Each domestic breed (or mix) like dogs and other and other domesticated species have unique traits. For example the New Zealand enjoys and seeks handling and affection while the Rex is more aloof and a good companion for those of us who respect independence and intelligence.

Rabbits are clean and do not need bathing. They groom themselves thoroughly and constantly, instinctively wanting to keep themselves immaculate and scent-free. Though even litterbox-trained rabbits may drop a pellet here or there on occasion, rabbit poop does not have an offensive smell, and it sweeps up easily. Recycled newspaper makes an environmentally friendly and inexpensive litter. Add a layer of timothy hay and you have a human/rabbi win-win solution to bunny excrement. Not to mention great fodder for comost! Some buns enjoy privilege of sleeping in the beds of their humans due to their extreme cleanliness!

Finally, rabbits are entertaining, keeping their humans amused with bunny dances (also known as binkies), sprints through rooms and hallways, purposeful 'flops' onto the floor for a nap or to signal happiness, and long, luxurious stretches and yawns upon awakening. Rabbits enjoy playing with toys that they can toss, roll, and flip, and they immerse themselves in time-consuming projects such as carving doors and windows into cardboard boxes. Bonded pairs of rabbits interact constantly with each other as they cuddle side by side or indulge in games of chase and tag.

Since rabbits do best in a quiet home with no small children, perhaps you might investigate why so many others have chosen to adopt shelter rabbits as companions. There are also social connections for house rabbit folk, including blogs like www.everythingbunny.blogspotl.com that keep you stay connected, and remind you that the most important part of responsible bunny companionship is finding a bunny experienced vet.

I’d encourage anyone interested to adopt through House Rabbit Society or local rescue group and HRS has wonderful articles available for the first time and experienced bunny human!

Bunny Molt

Bunny molt and shedding is often a concern of new and seasoned domestic rabbit families.
Lately our Rex has been in a major shed. We were surprised. Her last shed/molt was back in February which was in synch with the molt of our dear Clover who passed on at the end of February.

I learned from posts on ravelry.com, that great fiber site, that a number of other rabbit families were experiencing May molt.

What we've learned includes: 1- get the 'furminator' recommended by our bunny vet Dr. Hess (see previous entries) and 2- if all else fails coincide the regular bunny check up with molt and ask the bunny vet to shave if necessary.

Rabbit Rescue

We've had our first hand experience with bunny rescue and adoption. Last week a neighbor found a bun, a baby, most likely an Easter dump- in a parking garage. Since she knew I already lived with a bun she thought we'd take the new bun.

Of course. But getting our bun and dog to accept a new bun, as well as the challenge finding good bunny/dog sitters for necessary out of town trips was a challenge. In addition this new bun was quite stressed and frail.

So the good news is a new forever home was found in no time. Educating the human who'd be a newbie bunny companion reminded me to post a few pointers here.

1. Patience- a bun needs time, and quite time to get comfortable in new surroundings.
2. Practice your 'bunny voice', a quiet, deep tone just reassuring bunny he/she is safe is a good thing for the first few days (as of course quiet radio).
3. Be prepared! Have food, housing and the name and contact of a good 'bunny' vet before you bring the bunny home.
4. Use the House Rabbit Society pages to read and learn all about bun behavior, feeding, health etc.
4. Use the internet to find online communities of bunny folk to talk with. For example, ravelry.com has a bunny rabbit lovers group and yahoo.com has several groups NYC bunny group, Etherbun etc.

Bunny Adoption

Okay so if you've been following the blog and reading other bunny sites you know the only way to go is bunny adoption. Some pointers with bunny adoption include, especially for first time bunny folk:

• adopt a bunny who is spayed/neutered
• adopt a bunny who is litterbox trained
• don't worry if bunny is shy when you reach into cage; some shelter buns live in small cages and become territorial as that's their security setting, once you get your bunny home and provide ample out of cage time it's been my experience that soon even the most cage protective rabbit soon adapts.
• ask shelter/rescue to provide you with a list of bun's usual diet (so you can introduce any new foods gradually) and if possible a medical history.
• before you pick your bun see if you need to bring a carrier-- some shelters have carriers for transports, others do not.
• try 'really hard' not to look at the other buns and over-extend yourself. Only adopt the bun(s) you can adequately care for.
• be sure you have identified a rabbit savvy vet, don't rely on the shelter referral, especially if not a bun rescue group. there are lists of these vets on the internet and there are bunny groups from yahoo to ravelry where bun lovers will help you find the best vet.

Stay tuned while we put together some links to shelters/rescue groups who would welcome your interest in adopting a bunny.

Bunny Sitters

Bunny sitters are hard to find. From reading blogs and online groups, it seems that lack of bunnysitters is a major deterrent for people who’d otherwise consider house rabbits for their companions as well as a reason some give up their bunnies.
I’m one of the lucky ones. I have two exceptional ‘critter sitters’, who take good care of both the bunny and the hound when I am away. However, neither started out as accomplished sitters. I took a lot of time educating each on the needs of both of these delicate creatures. Both have spent a lot of time on the House Rabbit Society education pages and each time I am away I leave a folder with detailed instructions and printouts of important information articles, especially those that educate people about noticing the signs that could mean your bunny is sick. I also leave a basket filled with the things bunny will need both basket and items are labeled for reinforcement—eg brush (every evening) etc.
Not only is the bunny vet contact information available, including driving directions, but also information about the 24-hour emergency facility and instructions to tell them to contact the bun’s regular bunny vet. I also leave the information packet from Bond Animal Hospital where we see Dr. Laurie Hess.

If your primary bunny facility does not have a similar package with instructions for feeding, behavior, and what to do in an emergency, etc., I’d encourage you to ask them to put one together.

I’ve also noted on some of the chat sites that people are sending out SOS for a bunny sitter days before they need one. I suggest you start early, find at least 2 people who are good candidates and begin their education 8-10 weeks in advance. Send them to web sites, download and print important information and make sure they are familiar with the unique needs or your bun. I recently read a plea that said the bun had free roaming of the apartment including bedroom- would that be a problem? In the same way human sitters need time to be trained so do the buns. For example, when I am away I know neither sitter is going to make the usual breakfast time. So for at least a week or longer I slowly reschedule feeding time so the bun is not only used to later breakfast, but gets used to a bit of unpredictability yet remains confident food is coming.

Herbal Remedies for Rabbit

I learned from a fellow fiber person on ravelry.com some herbal remedies for sick bunnies. I know about herbal remedies for human healing, but did not know good for bunnies also.
Knitterbunny provides a disclaimer as follows.."a compilation of remedies that were put together by several rabbit breeders and added to by myself. Please use caution ...

Unless otherwise indicated, herbal remedies should be used in the amount of one-two leaves once a day per rabbit.
Blackberry- Use leaves and fruit; this is soothing to the rabbit and can help to cool the animal by increasing circulation, it is good for pregnant does, especially on hot summer days, and can also help to stimulate appetite while Borage- increases milk flow and is slightly laxative
Chamomile- flower has cleansing and calming properties, it helps to relieve pain used as an infusion (tea) calms nervous animals, the tea is also helpful as a wash for weepy eye
Clover- great roughage fresh or dried, somewhat sedative, both the leaf and the flower can be fed, should not be given to young rabbits, and should be fed sparingly to prevent acidosis
Comfre- the active ingredient is cholin, a very powerful healing agent, you can feed the root or foliage (though I use only the foliage), will stimulate appetite, and is generally good as a treat, a compress can also be applied to bruised or sprained areas, use a partial leaf of this as the leaves are very large and Dandelion- use as an appetite stimulant or treat, also helpful to prevent wool block and ease wool block, roots or leaves can be used (though I only use leaves), be sure that the leaves are free of pesticides and from a dog free area, wash well, use up to three leaves at a time. Dill- increases milk production, increases appetite, increases intestinal health, leaves work, but seeds are stronger, use a sprinkling of seeds (side effect, bunnies have “pickle” breath for a short while). Garlic- protects against most disease as well as preventing shock, highly antiseptic, but rabbits don’t like the taste

Mint- dried or fresh mint will increase intestinal health and decrease milk flow (perfect for does that have lost their litter to dry off the milk)- We just tried mint tonight for our bun with undiagnosed bouts of stasis. So far, so good.

Nasturtium- Highly antiseptic, both leaves and flowers are edible and use up to four leaves
Oats- low in starch, high in mineral content (especially K, P, Mg, and Ca), feed very sparingly in summer and do not feed to young animals. Parsley- rich in iron and copper, contains apiol which is useful in the treatment of urinary problems, seeds, leaves, and roots may be used, roots are used for constipation and intestinal obstruction. Raspberry- treats retained afterbirth by encouraging bloodflow to the organs, inproves does condition during pregnancy, ensures a speedy strong birth, and increases intestinal health and Rosemary- flea killer (very good flea killer, if you an get them to eat it), also prevents flea infestation. Sorrel- soothing and cooling, increases blood flow.

Strawberry- antiseptic properties as well as cooling to the rabbit by increasing blood flow, use leaves, roots, and berries, specifically the leaves are rich in iron and supposed to prevent miscarriage, may be ued externally for inflammation, sore eyes, and rashes. Thistles- great to stimulate the appetite, when used with saltines thistles can bring a rabbit back from the brink of death related to intestinal inflammation. Willow- bark contains salicin which cures intestinal inflammation, a branch may be given to weanling babies every day to prevent diarrhea (I have not tried this one myself, no willow trees nearby)

Some additional all natural remedies, not necessarily herbal.

Apple Cider Vinegar- two tablespoons to a gallon of water, fill bowl as necesary, this increases the appetite, and stimulates weight gain. Baking Soda- use as a paste by mixing with a little water to relieve the pain of a nail cut too short, a scratch, or sore hocks (sore hocks should also be treated with an antiseptic, steps should be taken to prevent the exacerbation of the sore hocks by giving the rabbit a piece of drywall or plywood to sit on or moving them to a wooden floored cage)Banana- due to the vitamin B12 and potassium, it encourages weight gain and stimulates appetite, use the peel and banana, both dried chips and thin slices an be used (I freeze them in the summer as an extra treat!) Papaya- stimulates appetite and encourages a healthy coat, (this is fantastic stuff, I use it dried as a treat too)

Bunny Health & Wellness 2

Rabbit health and wellness also requires exercise and socialization. A house rabbit needs at least 4 preferably 6 hours of out of cage time. Once out in the world it is important to be sure the extended area is rabbit-proof-- no wires or other dangerous items for you bun to get into or treasured items for him/her to destroy.

House rabbits also need social time and for the one-rabbit family that is with humans. Petting, fussing, playing games is very important for rabbit health and wellness. In our other post when our bun had a bout of ileus, one of the remedies Dr. Hess recommended was exercise.

When your rabbit is ill, one of the most important treatments is to keep your rabbit company (even if it means sleeping on the kitchen floor) and fussing! Fussing includes telling your bun how important he/she is to you, and a crooned lullaby doesn't hurt either.

For our buns part of the health and wellness routine has included 24X7 NPR (National Public Radio) adio on the background.