Second Chance Bunnies, Inc.: Emergency Medical Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
We used the money received through the Petfinder Foundation's Emergency Medical Grant to cover medical expenses for Alice, a bunny who developed an abscess from having teeth that were significantly overgrown and causing her great pain. She had teeth removed and underwent surgery to contain the infection, but in the end, she sadly passed away. More details are provided below.
Athough we lost Alice, there were still veterinary bills to pay. Our vet was very generous in providing a discount and even waived the fee for some of the services she provided. As a small rescue, large unplanned bills like this are not in our operating budget, so receiving the grant from the Petfinder Foundation allowed us to take care of Alice's bills without impacting our ability to care for the other rabbits at our rescue.
How many pets did this grant help?
One: Alice
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
Alice was a sweet bunny who was returned to our rescue when her family decided after a year they no longer had time for her. When she came back, we noticed her jaw was swollen and she likely had an abscess. We took her to the vet and found out that she had teeth that were significantly overgrown and causing her great pain. She had two removed immediately. Several days later, she underwent an additional surgery and had all the remaining teeth except one on the right side of her mouth removed to stop the spread of infection. An antibiotic pack was placed in the abscess area. Several days later, having shown signs of continued infection, she required an additional surgery to drain pus from the upper area of her mouth. All during this time, she required syringe-feeding and hydration and received pain medications and digestive support.
Alice was a fighter and we know she wanted to get better. Oftentimes when a rabbit is sick, they sit in a hunched position. Alice did not. She would periodically eat on her own and hopped around her X-pen. A recheck indicated the infection was improving, and we were hopeful that she would be able to recover.
Three days later, a staple needed to be redone and she went back to the vet again. When she came home, she seemed less enthusiastic, and was no longer interested in eating on her own. She continued to be syringe-fed, but did not like this. Sensing the infection was still not under control, we took her back to the vet, but sadly, she passed away on Oct. 21, 2016.
A necropsy showed the infection had spread throughout her body and affected her organs. Although she tried her best to recover, the infection was too severe for her to overcome.
