All told, it's been a pretty good birthday for me. By way of presents I got to spend three hours with a vet and came away with stacks of drugs in shiny bottles and crisp silver packets. What a haul. I haven't had this much fun since my last prostate exam. I had to pay for the drugs out of my own pocket and the vet's told me I'm not to try any of them myself, but the packaging is pretty and it's all quite exciting...
The downside is that Jellybaby's been in pain and distress, last night was not a good night's sleep for anyone and getting this sorted will cost more than my monthly mortgage payment, but it's only money. Yesterday she began tooth-grinding like never before and despite showing an interest in food, was unable or unwilling to eat. We force-fed her til this morning and took her to a new vet.
[pictured above: unhappy bag-bun]
The new vet is 45 minutes further away and more than twice the price of our local, but she's an exotic pet specialist (which unfortunately always makes me think of chinchillas in high heels and nipple-tassels) and far better versed in lagomorph physiology than our (albeit delightful) local vet.
Bottom line - it's a bad previously-undiagnosed tooth problem with possible related eye infection. We'll be force-feeding her half a dozen drugs and some high-tech Critical Care mixture to get her through the next 36 hours til the rabbit dentist can see her.
Happy birthday to me.
Posts
Oh, my goodness. I'm so sorry--for her pain and for yours. It's so hard when they hurt, and no one ever tells you before you get them how expensive they are. All the best--what a crappy birthday.
ReplyDeleteOh, poor Jellybaby--tooth problems and infections are nasty things, and they can go bad so quick. We have to have Mickey's back teeth ground down twice a year because of the way his grow in. It was worse when we got him from the shelter because of the neglect he'd suffered in his previous home, but with proper diet and regular maintenance, we've gone from four visits a year down to two.
ReplyDeleteWe'll be thinking lots of good thoughts for a swift recovery for her and peace of mind (and a merrier un-birthday) for you. When she's all better, you can celebrate both a healthy bunny and a belated birthday. Good luck!
If the exotic pet specialist you are referring to is Dr. Korber on 17 Ave, you are in good hands. And if the surgeons are the ones on 10 Ave, you are in good hands as well. We knew a little bunny who survived 12 years under the care of Dr. Korber, and lived for 1-1/2 years after his surgery to tell the tales. We are thinking of you and JellyB. in this time of rabbit crisis. Go Jellybaby! Cara and Bruce
ReplyDeleteThanks, guys. You're right, Glenna - no one tells you how expensive they are...before they give you one as a present. That's how we got Jellybaby.
ReplyDeleteShe's pretty active this morning but still grinding like a flour-mill and hasn't touched food overnight. Time for the syringe!
And Bruce - the vet is actually a Slovakian woman in De Winton with a very impressive CV. She's on just about every professional advisory board out there, has worked A&E for years and is strictly an exotic pet specialist. I'm sure Noah would have been impressed.
The vet's birthday was also yesterday, coincidentally. She said I would therefore understand why she's as mad as she is.
Oh, and jademyst - I sympathise. Although this might be a one-off thing there's the chance it'll be chronic and might require up to four dental visits a year. That's way more than either my wife or I get! *sigh*
ReplyDeleteoh my goodness i just now saw this.....i know you're getting lots of great advice and care and it sounds like you are doing everything you need to. syringe feeding can be tricky so i'm going to touch base with you tomorrow and see if i have any thing to offer that you might not have thought of. sending lots of love to you all!
ReplyDeleteOh I'm sorry to hear that, poor Jellybaby. Our rabbit Anya used to have lots of teeth problems that were never entirely sorted....
ReplyDelete