My lonely bun

Alfonso has been appearing rather moody of late. Perhaps it is because I haven't been home much for the last two weeks. Or perhaps it has finally dawned on him that Chewy isn't coming back. Whatever the reason, we had to find ways to cheer him up. I've been tasked to come up with a solution that does not involve getting him a new companion. Alfonso has always shy away from us and hubs wants him to warm up to us first.
To begin with, Alfonso likes to hide in dark corners so I decided to incorporate that into his play area by simply pushed his cage closer to the fireplace which seems to be his favourite rest stop for now. I've added a box with two cut up holes for him to tunnel through and placed some hay & newspaper in it to entice him (yeah, he chomps while he reads ;)). I've also given him my "Be happy" bear for companionship and so far the arrangement seems to have perked him up significantly.

The new arrangement

Alfonso and his new friend at the fireplace

Will need to continue finding new ways to engage him but this should do for now. Looking forward to the day when he would consider us one of his kind...*boing boing*

I woke up to this...

And yes, he is still at it...*Grrr!*

Random snippets

 * Have been so sleep-deprived caring for Chewy lately. Now I know how nursing mothers feel...

* Chewy's nystagmus and vertigo has improved but her head tilt has worsened. She now tumbles with every few steps she takes but she has also learnt to pick herself up (usually with a few more tumbles). She is obviously tired out by the constant falling but continues to be real trooper and hasn't given up on trying. Helps that she is eating/ drinking well and lapping up her medicine like a real sensible child would. Oh, I love her to bits and really hope she gets well soon!

* Alfonso is currently doing his first happy run in his play pen as I type which is a relief. We were worried that he might feel neglected and depressed with his companion sick and separated from him. It is really nice to see him happy. *phew!* =)

* I bought not one but two Kate Spade bags! (with hubby's approval of course!) They should be arriving sometime this week. Yay!

* With all the multi-tasking I've been doing lately, I needed to find a more efficient and quicker way to prepare my meals in the kitchen. An electric pressure cooker immediately came to mind - to have my food cooked in less than half the time as compared to conventional cooking methods and not needing to guard by the stove at the same time. Just what I needed! I did kinda regret not buying this Oneida OPC090M 5-Quart Stainless Steel Electric Multi-Pressure Cooker when it was on sale for a really good price. Then I came across this Salton CEPC600S 6-qt. Programmable Pressure Cooker for $39.99 which is really cheap. I like that it has a brown/steam function and a non-stick removable pan for easy cleaning.  I've already ordered it online and it should be arriving in a few days. Let's hope it is a good buy!

Day 6 and counting...

4.30 am this morning saw me sitting in the bunnies' playpen and in tears. Chewy was having multiple episodes of vertigo since 1 am and it hadn't stopped. I was so exhausted but couldn't leave her alone in fear that she might end up hurting herself. I finally managed to get some sleep at around 5.30 am, feeling really defeated and wondering how long I'll be able sustain this level of care. I am practically spending all my time just watching over her and I'm even afraid to go to the bathroom sometimes. But I'm glad we've had really good advice and support from the people at Etherbun. It is comforting to know that bunnies who suffered similar illness as Chewy have come out of it well (even though it could take weeks sometimes months to see improvements). Hubs have also come up with a solution to allow us to catch some sleep tonight. We have padded all corners of the previous cage with a thick layer of fleece to allow Chewy to roll over it fairly safely. We are leaving the cage totally empty to prevent her from tripping & hitting against her food/ water bowls. It also means we'll have to get up periodically to feed her food and water. But hey, I'm not complaining considering what I had to go through the past few days! Oh, how I miss my bed! *Zzzz...*

Chewy in her "paralysed" state after an episode of vertigo and thrashing about in her newly padded cage.

When things spin out of control...

Today I had the horror of witnessing Chewy flipping uncontrollably on her sides with her eyes darting crazily to and fro. Had to quickly hold her still on one side and reassure her for a long while before she was okay to get up again. This has happened three times already and the second episode lasted a good 1/2 hr. Her vertigo is worsening and it sure scares the living daylights out of me! I am truly at my wits' end- Chewy is not improving and it's no more comforting that the vet uses terms like "guarded prognosis", "supportive management" and "best of luck".  It sucks.

As if I am not stressed enough already, Alfonso (my other bunny) has to insist on pushing the food and water bowl over and making a complete mess of the playpen. And my toilet bowl decided to clog and spew gross stuff all over my toilet floor. *sigh* Seriously, when is my bad luck ever going to end?! As Murphy's law goes, anything that can go wrong, has gone wrong.

I need a break. *sobs*

New bunny home

My heart skipped a beat every time Chewy toppled over in her cage so last evening we decided to modify the environment to make it safer for her. We got rid of the existing cage and replaced it with a huge pet fence.  Now there is plenty of space for both bunnies to maneuver around and Chewy can have easy access to her food and water as well.

 Both of them looking relatively comfortable in their new home...

 Chewy in her poo pan (notice the head tilt to the left)...

Chewy falling asleep by her food this morning. Check out the mess they have created already!

Update on Chewy

Chewy's head is still tilted to the left [slightly worse today] and her right eye continues to dart to and fro. She hops like she is about to topple over and has tripped quite a few times while getting in and out of her poo pan and cage. She has also stopped eating her pellets and she seems to be having difficulties drinking from the water dripper.  It is pretty heartbreaking to watch but at least I am glad she is still pretty alert and chomping down her hay and green vegetables. I will be monitoring her closely today and syringe feeding her water periodically so she does not get dehydrated.
Was expecting medication feeding time to be traumatic today but Chewy surprised me. She took all her meds without a struggle! I am really proud of her.  Hope she keeps this up and gets well soon! :)

Heartache

We had to bring Chewy to the vet this morning. She has been acting strangely for the last two days. She was perpetually in a daze and her head was tilted slightly to the left with a notable nystagmus in her right eye. We thought it could be an inner ear infection which might also be causing her dizziness and unsteadiness when she moves.
The vet diagnosed Chewy with possible E. Cunniculi, a parasitic infection which could have been transmitted by her infected mother in the womb.  It is a chronic disease and there is a chance that Chewy's condition may improve or go downhill from here. She has been given medications for her vertigo and inflammation which we will have to syringe feed her for the next five days.  I really hope she responds to the treatment. It is really painful to see her like this. :(

Our two lovebuns

Alfonso (left), my one ear rabbit and Chewy (right), probably the most widely travelled bunny in the world.

Been wanting to write a post about our two very brave darlings. They were flown 20 odd hours in air cargo to be here with us in the States. Bunnies generally don't travel very well on planes and have been reported to have very high mortality rates. So naturally, we were scared shitless about what might happen to them on their way here. But at the same time, we know they are both really hardy bunnies. Alfonso had come out strong from his two previous surgeries for the malignant melanoma on his ear and he even seem oblivious to the fact that he is missing a ear! Chewy was adopted from an animal shelter when we were in Michigan and she had travelled all the way back to Singapore with us a few years back. Except for the fact that she is 5 years older now, we were confident that she would do just fine and were hoping that she would be an assurance to Alfonso on their journey here since they were sharing the same carrier. We also made it point to stop over in Detroit and drive instead of flying straight to Cleveland so as to minimise the number of transits they will have to go through. Well, as you can see in the pic above, they are both very much alive and very happy exploring their new territory! We are truly relieved and are so very proud of them! Well, more pics to come soon! =)