Ah Ha...A Turtle Neck Saves The Day...

I am so happy to be able to write that Ella is doing great once again...what happened was that because she shredded the first batch of stitches so badly the doctor wasn't sure if he got them all out or not. He said not to worry that if there were any left they'd eventually show up and we'd just bring her back in to get them pulled no problem...however on the weekend whiles cleaning the area we thought we felt 3 more stitches so on Tuesday we went back to the vets thinking 'oh lickety split this will be quick..." not so....turns out there was 1 stitch yes but the other things we were feeling were the lumps growing back already....anyhow a somewhat long story made short...I had to decide there all on my own to get her into surgery, the doc wanted to do it right away...so she went under the knife again...thankfully I was able to go back 2 hours later to pick her up. Our vet knows we know how to deal with rabbits just operated on, etc so he always lets our bunnies go home earlier than other animals, also because he is kind enough to know that they stress easily away from us and their home and he likes to get them back to that asap.

So of course we're in a constant state of terror now that the bumps will come back again, even if they are benign, it's not good if they do....then we face the decision of whether to put her through more surgery, or do we leave them, or if we leave them again how big will they get and of course the doc has the best chance of removing all of the tumor whiles they are small...ugh, it's all very hard on the nerves and heart...I honestly think we're taking it harder than Ella Luna, she's an incredible tough nut...and forgiving too, she was giving me a hundred kisses within the hour of getting back home...she was letting me know "No hard feelings Mom..." h ha. Also her appetite as been beautifully huge:D....any fellow bunny slaves will know what I mean by that being beautiful ha ha, because basically any rabbit not eating is a sick one...she is also now hopping normally again.

This time the cut is alot smaller, thank goodness, but I was so determined that this batch of stitches not get shredded so that they do come out perfectly and easily, we've reverted back to our usual 'sick bunny' routine which taking turns sleeping for 4 or 5 hours and than switching...but it's been so draining and we've tried cones etc, none of that worked, they simply aren't decided for rabbits let alone lops, we tried homemade variations as well...not that we plan to leave her side at all during the healing process BUT she's so lighting quick at pulling the stitches that it was almost impossible and as most rabbits she's obsessive and was constantly trying...we also caught Roo pulling on them and she was letting him...partners in crime the littl brats, ha ha. Anyhow we literally couldn't take our eyes off her unless she was sleeping and again fellow bunslaves know that most bunnies don't sleep for very long at all...5 minute spurts if your lucky.

Suddenly last night around 3 am an ideal struck me like a bolt...I ran downstairs to my studio where an old turtle-neck sweater as waiting to be turned into a stuffie:D and I cut the neck off and adjusted the size to fit her and VOILA....something to help us keep those stitches looking good...ha ha...I must admit am I am quite proud of this clever solution and upset that I didn't think of it sooner! I guess we may have if we were the type who dressed our rabbits up, we did try those cloth wrap bandages but that was a no go...we still want to watch her of course but now we can rest more easily....this solution, allows her to move around freely, pee and poo like normal and wash most of her body, its soft on the wound, it's not too tight, so far it's working like a charm...I just wanted to pass this story/ideal around for any fellow bun hood parents:D

I also have to send a thank you out to Jonathan, who I think is one of the best bun dads in the world...I don't think any other guy would stay up for nearly 42 hours, or sleep in shifts or run to the grocery store for a pineapple at 4am...he is as dedicated and as in love with our furry babes as I am and I just adore that about that wonderful man of mine:D.

...Thanks to my mom who drove me back and forth to the vets when our car was sorta dead and for putting up with my flow of tears and terror at yet another surgery...

...omg, it freaks me right out, the thought that something might go wrong and my baby might not wake up. We've had 6 fur babies leave us so far, and I held 5 of them in my arms whiles they breathed their last breaths...and it doesn't get any easier and the knowledge that I'll have to face this again soon just completely sinks my heart and soul , I don't handle it well at all and I know I'll never have my rabbit sanctuary unless I somehow toughen up with health problem, scares and deaths...but I don't know how but I am working on it!...

...ANYHOW....also, big thanks to our vet, he's been involved in our bunny journey for some time now, he's knows rabbits and always does his very best for our babies, he is kind, he is sensitive and he puts the animals first, there aren't many people we trust with our buns, especially in scary situations but he is indeed one, for anyone in North Bay, Jon and I always highly suggest Dr. Paul Sidhu.

Also thank you to my fellow AOM collective members, Catherine, Jenn and Rosemary...I don't think they ever visit my blog but it meant the world to me that they covered my shifts so I could stay home with Ella....so to all these dear people who helped us I am sending a big hug and thank you to you all.

See yous all Monday with some new work most likely:D