Otto's Bladder

 Hi Everybunny! Cookie here! This blog post was supposed to be about my dainty feet, but instead it's about Otto's bladder.

My secretary spent last weekend fussing about Otto, and she insists that I tell you the story because she says its very important that all bunny people know about Otto's bladder. She says it's more important than my dainty feet right now. Seriously, his BLADDER is more important than my FEET?! How dare she! 

Anyway, I'm going to cooperate because our secretary is under a lot of pressure lately and I don't want to risk her losing her mind and forgetting to order my Flower Power Berry Boost treats. I hope you all like bladder stories. I'll try to make it short.

This is Otto. I have to admit that Otto, though dour, is very cute and very sweet. He's also blind and as old as Methuselah. He's had problems with bladder sludge in the past, but we thought it was under control.

What is bladder sludge? According to the Royal Veterinary College (Click here for a link)"Sludgy bladder syndrome occurs when the normal calcium crystals in rabbit urine are retained in the bladder. This can lead to a build up of a gritty sediment which can irritate the lining of the bladder and lead to inflammation." Thank you RVC!! 

If you go to that link there is a nice, short article about bladder sludge, what causes it and how to prevent it. There's also another one Here from Small Pet Select. And here's one from the Rabbit Welfare Association!

Poor Otto wasn't eating last friday night, and our secretary assumed that he had some GI stasis brewing. So she gave him fluids, put him on a hot water bottle, gave him Meloxicam and Enulose and all those other good GI stasis things and he spent the night next to her bed. When she saw him eating parsley at 3 am she assumed he was back to normal...

...and then the next morning she realized he hadn't peed all night! The light finally dawned - Otto's sludge was back, his urethra was probably blocked and all those fluids she gave him could be putting a lot of stress on his already stressed out bladder. 

Luckily our wonderful rabbit-savvy vet was able to see him on a Saturday morning for which we are so grateful. Because this is what she found when she looked at his x rays!

Ouch!! See those big white areas near his rear end? That's all bladder sludge! 

Otto spent the weekend there and had a catheter inserted to drain his bladder and then had sub-cutaneous fluids to help flush the rest of the sludge out. He came home on Monday, as dour but cute as ever, and is now on cranberry supplements, twice weekly sub-q fluids, a diet of low calcium veggies, and a brief course of antibiotics in case of infection. 

So what is the moral of this story? If your bunny is acting poorly, don't assume it's GI stasis! So often rabbit people focus on their bunny's poo, but honestly monitoring their pee is just as important. If you notice your bunny is having lots of crystals in her urine (those articles I linked to have some good photos!), seems to be straining to urinate, isn't producing a good amount of urine, has blood in her urine, or generally seems hunchy and unwell please get her to your rabbit-savvy vet ASAP.

And now, I'm going to go back to my pen and work on the article about my dainty feet. As Mrs. Brighton would say: "BYEEEEEEEE!!!"

Love, 

Cookie

Bunny Money!

 

You know, to be honest, although I'm an Education Bunny, there's one subject I really know nothing about. And that subject is Money! 

My secretary and chauffeur take care of all that, and they often get asked how much a bunny actually costs. People considering getting one of us for a pet want to know how much they can expect to spend on a rabbit's care. This is so fiscally responsible - good job, potential rabbit people!!

So I've decided to do some research this week and write a blog post on how much a bunny will cost. I've asked all my human friends how much they spend on their bunnies, and I've been looking up the cost of commonly needed bunny items. It was a lot of work, but now I'm ready to present to you - your Bunny Budget!!

Please note, some of these costs will vary - your veterinary costs, food costs if your bunny is big (or just a big eater!). And there are incidental costs that I didn't figure in. For example, we have to change our air filters more often during shedding seasons, and I need special fleece blankets because I have trouble with sores on my feet (it's a Rex thing!). But this will give you a good idea of the basics.

First we'll start with the One Time Expenses - the things you need when you first get your bunny:

For Housing:  

                1. Pen: $55. (We like this one here.)

                2. Extension for pen: $22 (These are wonderful!)

                3. Carrier: $20 - $45 (This is my favorite!)

                4. Litter Box: $10 - $30 (How about this one? Roomy!)

                5. Water/Food Dishes/Wobbly Ball: $25 (A wobbly ball is a toy that makes eating pellets fun! You can find one here and here! The first one is my favorite!)

So far those costs add up to around $110 to $177. You may decide not to get a pen extender, or you may get a cheaper carrier or litter box. 

Now let's talk about one time Veterinary Expenses:

                    1. First Time Check Up: $60

                 2. Bloodwork: $75 (yes, you need to get baseline bloodwork unless you are adopting from a rescue that has already done this!)

                3. Microchip: $45

                4. Spay/Neuter: $200 - $250 (Please do not skimp on your bunny's spay/neuter with a non-rabbit vet! Please go to a rabbit-savvy vet!!)

So these costs are about $380 to $430. So with the housing costs that's about $490 to $607 total.

Next there are the Annual Expenses, but these are pretty easy:

                1. Annual Vet Check Up: $60

                 2. Annual Blood Work (if needed): $75

                3. Bunny Sitter (for when you go on vacation, unless a friend wants to love on your bunny for free!)

Please note that younger bunnies might not need blood work, but older bunnies might need more frequent check ups. Also please note that bunnies don't need rabies vaccines, but if you live in an area which has RHDV2, your bunny will definitely need to be vaccinated for that. Vaccine costs vary widely, so please check with your own rabbit savvy vet!

And finally - the real nitty gritty! What are the monthly costs of a bunny?

Most of our bunny friends agreed that they spend around $75 to $100 a month on their bunnies. We broke it down as best we could, but please bear in mind that some of these food costs depend on how big your bunny is and how much she eats. I'm not going to name any names, but we have two French Lops in sanctuary here who eat literally twice as much each as I do. Just sayin'.

So here are the Monthly Expenses:

            1. Fresh Veggies: $25 - $35

            2. Hay: $15 - $30

            3. Pellets: $8 - $12

            4. Litter: $5 - $12

            5. Vet Fund: $20 - $50

            6. Toys and Treats: Varies. 

Some of these monthly costs can vary, of course, and when I talk about food and litter in future blog posts I can give you some ideas on how to save money. Please don't get cheap food though - honestly, you'll make up for it in future vet costs as a consequence of bad nutrition!

And one expense on this list might make you wonder - why a vet fund? Honestly, this is your most important monthly expense!

It's safe to say that all bunnies will, at some point, have an unexpected vet expense. GI stasis happens! And so do injuries and illnesses....I could go on and on! Sure you can pay for it with a credit card if you have one, but why not just start saving for the inevitable right now? You'll have some peace of mind - trust me! 

Even saving $20 a month will come to $240 in a year. If you can put aside $50 a month - even better! That will be $600 a year, which will be a great start to a vet fund! If your bunny hasn't had vet issues you can always use some of it for her annual check up. I really recommend this!

I think that's it. Did I forget anything? You can let me know in the comments!

Byeeeeeee!

Love, Mrs. Kitty Brighton, Education Bunny

PLEASE READ! UPDATE ON RHDV2!!

Bunny folks, please read this post!!

As many of you are aware, the RHDV2 virus is now in America. RHDV2 is an extremely serious disease - it has been described as "the ebola of the rabbit world". It is nearly 100% fatal, and spreads rapidly throughout both wild and domestic rabbit populations. You can find out more about it here. There is another good fact sheet here. While for many years this was a disease we didn't have to worry about, we do now. It's here, and it's spreading.

I got a call from our veterinarian today. She's been speaking with rabbit experts at UT Knoxville, as well as doing research about RHDV2. She's asked us to make the Huntsville Friends of Rabbits community aware of some issues with this disease as it affects us in the Southeast right now. 

This week there has been a confirmed case in Arkansas of a domestic indoor rabbit with RHDV2. This rabbit was apparently from a breeder in South Carolina, was sold at a rabbit show in Georgia, and died after being brought into Arkansas. We cannot be sure where or how this rabbit contracted the disease. 

Unfortunately this is the case with many of the cases of RHDV2 in the US now. Dr. Moore told me that her contacts seem to feel that RHDV2 may be spreading at least in part through hay, but this disease has so many vectors that it's difficult to tell. 

As for a vaccine, at the current time we cannot get it in Alabama until there is actually a case here. It's a complicated story, but boils down to the fact that RHDV2 is not considered a domestic disease of rabbits and the vaccine has to be imported from Europe by permission. I talked with our Alabama State Veterinarian today and he promised me he will be speaking with the USDA to see if there's any way of speeding up access to the vaccine. There is apparently an American company working on a vaccine with the USDA, but we don't know how quickly it will be out.

What does this mean for you and your bunnies? The bottom line is that you need to take precautions now, even though there has not been an official case of RHDV2 in Alabama. It''s very possible that it's already here and just hasn't been reported, and it is definitely going to be here soon. It really is only a matter of time. These are some things that our veterinarian feels are necessary until we have a vaccine and this disease is under control:

1. Please do not let your bunny outside.  We all like to bring our rabbits out for a jaunt in the sunshine, but this is not a good idea now. Especially if you have wild rabbits in your yard, please don't bring your pet bunny out to play.

2. Check out where your hay is coming from. Especially if you buy your hay online, make sure it isn't from an area where RHDV2 has been prevalent. This map **can give you an idea of where the disease is. Remember, just because you buy hay from a reputable company it doesn't mean the hay isn't from an affected area and hasn't been exposed to wild bunnies with RHDV2. If you can buy local Alabama hay you *might* be better off (but again, we just don't know). Timothy is hard to find here, but Bermuda and orchard grass are available from our local farmers. Just across the state line in lower TN you can sometimes find Timothy. Your bunnies cannot go any length of time without hay, so this is a hard one. Please just use your best judgement.

3. Please consider taking off your shoes when you come into the house. The virus can be transmitted through dirt on your shoes. Here at the main foster house we always remove our shoes and put on slippers. In the past this has been to cut down transmission of coccidia, fleas and worms from the outside, but now it's for RHDV2 as well.

4. Wash your bunny's veggies thoroughly! Again, look at where the veggies you get in the store are from. California and Mexico produce many of our veggies, and they have had multiple cases of RHDV2. Our vet is doing some research on washing solutions for veggies that would kill this virus and I'll let you all know as soon as I hear from her. In the meantime, it can't hurt to wash, wash, wash!

5. Please consider not getting new bunnies, especially from across state lines! It really upsets me to say this as I know there are so many bunnies that need homes, but even a bunny that looks healthy can have RHDV2. 

6. If you have a "bunny garden", please be especially careful! This disease can be spread through wild bunny populations, and once it's in the soil it's very difficult to eradicate. Wild bunnies are all over, even in the cities. Please wait to harvest at least until we can figure out veggie washing solutions. You also might want to consider raised beds with rabbit proof fencing and new soil, having a special pair of gardening shoes, and washing up thoroughly as soon as you come inside. Quite honestly, we're really falling in love with our indoor Aerogardens these days! 

7. Please report any deceased wild bunnies to Alabama Fish and Wildlife, and ask them to investigate. DO NOT TOUCH THE ANIMAL! You could easily transmit this disease. This fact sheet from Missouri Dept. of Conservation gives a good overview of the issues around RHDV2 and wild bunnies.

Please stay informed about RHDV2, and we'll continue to post every relevant update. We all need to work together to keep our bunnies safe!!

Love, 

Ruth (aka: Mrs. Brighton's secretary!)

**This map was created and is being kept up to date by a close friend of ours. It is based solely on verified reports from State Veterinarians. Please be aware that each pin may represent more than one bunny and in some cases there are dozens.