Hello, hello!
I know I have not updated the blog in a while. I can’t ever remember if I even wrote about my rabbits on here. I got my first one in 2015, Ruthy (girl, see above photo), from a pet store; in addition, I have two others named Klaus (boy) and Mila (little girl). I fell in love with Ruthy immediately; she’s beautiful. She’s very sassy, independent, and has a big personality for such a small thing. She had been brought back twice to the pet store because other people couldn’t handle her. It made me so sad to hear that, so in that way I feel like I rescued her. I have given her a great life. I call her and my other rabbits posh pets because they are so spoiled with love and care. My rabbits have large pens, at least 6 feet by 6 feet, but they are not confined to them. The doors are always open so they can come and go as they please. They are free roam rabbits and have so much space to hop and be free.
In early February of this year, Ruthy’s eyes were very red, the third eyelid was showing, and bulging. After trying some oral medicine as well as eye ointments, they did not get better. She was referred to the WSU Spokane eye clinic at the end of March and they agreed something was wrong. Ruthy was referred again to WSU’s main campus Vet Teaching Clinic, in Pullman, for an exam and imaging.
So this past Wednesday 4/6/22, Ruthy had a CT scan and it showed there was a tumor in her lungs near her heart. It actually took up 50% of her lungs and that’s why all the blood had raised toward her head and popped out her eyes, basically. Plus her breathing was heavy and I didn’t notice that. She has to have radiation to shrink the tumor which will ultimately prolong and increase her quality of life. They can’t remove the tumor as it’s not something they do in rabbits as it’s too invasive and also she’s small (4 lbs). The tumor will grow back which is a bummer, so she may have to have a second sequence of radiation eventually.
Her first dose of radiation was Thursday 4/7 and she’s already looking so much better! The swelling in her eyes in down, she’s breathing easier, and has more energy. This is all great news as it means the tumor is already shrinking. She will have 3 more treatments next week starting tomorrow Monday, Wednesday, and then Friday with rest days in between. She’s had to stay over there in Pullman since Tuesday night. I miss her so much!
I wanted to write about this for my memories, but also in case any rabbit owners/lovers come across this. I had no idea rabbits could get thymoma cancer. I asked the vets there and annoyingly there is nothing to do to prevent it; it juts happens randomly. However, if you notice your rabbit having similar eye redness/bulging, I’d take them to be seen at their vet right away.
Ruthy has a GoFundMe for her care/vet bills. It is pretty pricy, as you may imagine. I will do anything I can to save her though. Please consider reading her story, donating if you have the means to do so (even a couple dollars is so appreciated), or just sharing the link on social media! Here is the link: https://gofund.me/facd0358
Thanks for reading!
xoxo,
Haley
A Headband A Day 