Piglet’s Plight

Little Piglet’s frail body finally gave up and he went over the Rainbow Bridge this weekend.  We are deeply saddened by this unexpected loss and will always remember this two-pound rabbit for the fighter that he was.  Piglet was an amazingly sweet little man and so tolerant for all the medical treatments that he received.

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We would like to thank the many people who made special donations towards his medical care.  We would never have been able to give him nine months of a loving caring (foster) home without your support.

Sincerely,

Sue and Keith Zimmerman

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Update (January 31):  The little man is doing much better now!  His skin condition is completely cleared up and his urine-burned rear end is also much improved.  Scarring has caused some disfigurement of his vent and that’s causing him to occasionally urinate on his feet.  He still has discolored fur on his back feet and tail, but this will clean up eventually.  He needs bathing only about every other week now.  His left eye still has a problem with the third eyelid, but it isn’t infected any longer and doesn’t seem to be bothering him.  His incisor removal went smoothly and there is no sign of them growing back.  He’s still learning how to eat without them, though, and I have to cut up his lettuce, hay, and carrots.  Unfortunately, he is still reluctant to use a litter box and we have to change his bedding twice a day — bed pads are expensive!  He is a friendly little guy and has made friends with a big black girl named Daizy.  (He has a face that reminds me a lot of Angry Cat.  And he is so tiny.  He is only about 2.5 lbs. and absolutely adorable.)  If you would like to help, click to donate especially for him.  Thank you for your support.

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Update (January 17):  Piglet continues to do well despite a few obstacles.  Piglet has finally overcome a very tough case of fur mites.  He has an injury or possibly a deformity of the third eyelid on his left eye.  We are trying a new medication to see if we can get it to heal and get fur to regrow in that area.

Piglet refuses to use a litter box and seemed to have trouble posturing himself to pee.  He always urinates on his back feet which is causing urine scold if not bathed regularly.  He lives on disposable pee pads to help keep his skin clean and dry.

We decided to have him vet-checked for this issue.  We learned that Piglet has a deformed penis which is affecting his urine flow and causing it to go all over his feet.  He will undergo surgery this week to correct the problem.  We are hopeful that the surgery will have good results and get him to start using the litter box.  Then he will be adoptable.

Piglet continues to amaze us with his determination to get healthy.  He is a little sweetheart and loves attention.  If you would like to help, click to donate especially for him.  Thank you for your support.

Piglet after love and care
Piglet responding to love and care

Update (October 30):  Piglet is progressing nicely!  The giant scab on his nose has fallen off and his urine scald is clearing up also.  His left eye is still swollen and red, but doesn’t appear to be infected.  Unfortunately, his maloccluded teeth are growing back just as badly as they were before being trimmed.  He is scheduled to be neutered on Tuesday and his incisors will be permanently removed.  It’s a somewhat involved operation to get the entire tooth out and he won’t be too comfortable right after the surgery, but his life will be MUCH better in the long run!  Thank you to everyone who has made a special contribution to his veterinary bills and care!!!!

Piglet was found as a stray and turned in to a vet’s office in NW Ohio.  Piglet was emaciated and suffered from severe skin and upper respiratory infections.  When he arrived at the vet’s office in September, he also had badly overgrown teeth.

The staff at the vet hospital did all that they could do to save him despite being told that it would be best to euthanize him.  The vet’s office contacted Keith Zimmerman, a Buckeye House Rabbit Society fosterer, to see if we had room to take him.  One look at that sweet little face and we knew that Piglet needed help from BHRS.

We took Piglet to one of our local vets.  Although he is healing, Piglet has a long road ahead.  Piglet has suffered all of this from long term neglect (one of the worst cases of neglect we have seen).  The good news is that he is expected to make a full recovery in time.

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Piglet as he came to us (WARNING: this is hard to look at!)

Piglet is a little fighter and we adore him.  He is super sweet and acts like a normal healthy young bunny.  He is going to need neuter surgery and also surgery to remove his maloccluded teeth.  Once completely healed, Piglet will be available for adoption.

If you would like to contribute to Piglet’s care, click to donate especially for him.

On behalf of Piglet and the Buckeye House Rabbit Society, we thank you for your continued support.

Pumpkin

It is with sadness in our hearts that we share the news that our sanctuary rabbit, Pumpkin (AKA Mrs. Pumpy), has passed away.  She was eleven and a half years old.

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Pumpkin came to us in November of 2005 from a mass rescue of “meat rabbits” by the Logan County Humane Society.  Pumpkin never overcame her feral rabbit side and always remained at a distance and unsociable with humans and other rabbits.

After several years in foster care, we decided that it would be best if Pumpkin remained in our home to live out the rest of her years and placed her into our Sanctuary program.  She stayed with us for over ten years.  In the time we had her, Pumpkin did become very attached to our dogs.  She liked playing with them and teasing them at her level. 

The last several months, her health began to slip.  We went through several battles with stasis, from which she always recovered.  Arthritis made it difficult for her to get around.  She passed away peacefully in the night.

Thank you to all of Pumpkin’s sponsors.  We will surely miss our dear old Mrs. Pumpy.

Sincerely,

Sue and Keith Zimmerman 

We rescued Pumpkin and seven of her siblings on November 26th, 2005, from the Logan County Humane Society after they had been seized from a meat rabbit operation that was operating under poor conditions. All of the buns were wary of humans since they’d never been handled as pets. Although the others were eventually adopted, Pumpkin had an attitude and was always skipped over. She was quite distant and would growl, charge, and box during any attempt to handle her. Sometimes she would scream when she was picked up.

Pumpkin did, however, seem to like dogs, and since we have five of them, she had plenty of company. She would be completely at ease around them, even playing with them and teasing. At one point, we moved Pumpkin from our foster population in the outbuilding into the house, hoping that more frequent interaction with humans would put her at ease. It did not work. She is still averse to humans (and other rabbits).

Guinness

A toast to Guinness!  He has a new home with Sally Wood & Jeff Wolf and their adorable bunny Lily.

Guinness is the color of the beverage and has the spunk of a wee Irishman. About one year old, he is adorable and although very small, he has the personality of a giant.  He is sure to delight you with his charm.  This great escape artist loves people and food and will do anything he can to find either.  Guinness will require lots of free range time and attention.

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This bunny in BHRS foster care needs a permanent home. All BHRS rabbits are spayed/neutered, litterbox-trained, and socialized.

Treasure Truelsch

Treasure has been welcomed with open hearts and arms by his new family.  Jamie, Chris, Cole, and Ella are ecstatic to have a new furry friend. 

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Treasure Truelsch was named by David Truelsch through our Name Our Next Foster Rabbit program.   This handsome devil has excellent litter box habits, loves head pets, and even likes being picked up and cuddled.  He is a four-year-old healthy lionhead.

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This bunny in BHRS foster care needs a permanent home. All BHRS rabbits are spayed/neutered, litterbox-trained, and socialized.