Today I took a break from classroom set up to help Mary and
Judy with the Henryville Confiscation case and the 34 rabbits that are being
housed at an equine rescue. This was honestly one of the toughest things I have
ever done.
Background on case-
31 rabbits as well as a pony and mini dwarf were taken to
Heartland Equine Rescue in Henryville due to possible neglect and abuse. Originally, we were told the rabbits were
being fed and looked after once a week.
Now, we are being told someone fed them once a day which I personally
think after laying hands on these rabbits that is not correct. Even so once a day is not enough for any
rabbit and especially not for the larger breeds and nursing mommas. As of right now, these rabbits will remain at
Heartland until the prosecutor decides whether or not to press charges against
the responsible parties. We were told
the Indiana State vet came in this afternoon to lay hands on all the rabbits
and document their conditions. I believe
once this is compiled it will be given to the prosecutor to make his/her
decision. We are hoping charges are
filed or the owners are told to surrender the rabbits. Once either is done we will be able to place
these rabbits into rescues and foster care to seek further medical
assistance.
The Rabbits-
There are 31 of various breeds and health conditions in 17
different cages. Included are 4 nursing
mommas with babies of varied ages. The
litters are no larger than 3 kits but that doesn’t mean there may not have been
more at one time. One litter actually
lost a kit last night and that added to the heartbreaking things I saw
today. Some of the breeds of the herd
today include:
A Flemish Giant who had the worst case of ear mites in the
bunch.
Several black and white Dutch rabbits and one brown and
white Dutch.
2 Jersey Wooleys and one of them might actually be an angora considering how fluffy he/she was.
Several lops of various types (mini, French)
A Rex
A Chinchilla Buck who can do a very scary performance of a bunny flop.
2 or 3 Lionheads of varied sizes/age. One is a little ball of white fluff.
Plan/Goal-
Today’s plan/goal was to medicate each rabbit for the ear
mites and rabbit syphilis. The babies
luckily did not get the injections for syphilis and only received the ear
drops. To accomplish this goal we worked
together in almost an assembly line fashion to treat each rabbit. We set up an “exam
table” with towels and all of our medical supplies then surrounded the table
with 2 large pens in case of an escape.
The ex pens also allowed us to give the rabbits sometime in the grass to
stretch their legs and move around. Many
of the rabbits enjoyed munching on the grass and clover. Once our treatment area was set up we were able to begin the process of medicating the rabbits.
First, Mary, our
resident bunny wrangler, would bring the bunny to our “exam table”. At the
table I would already have the ear drops measured out and ready to be put in
their ears. Once a rabbit arrived at
the table, we would weigh them and document their weight. This
was done so I could determine the dosage of Pen-G as it’s administered based on
weight. As I prepared the Pen-G injections,
Mary would put the ivermectin into the rabbit’s ears. Then I would run around the table to hold the
rabbit’s head and comfort them as Mary injected the Pen-G. We would then let the rabbit have some time
to hop around in the grass (within the ex-pen) for a few minutes. Next, came nail trims with Mary and Judy.
Mary would trim and Judy held or comforted the rabbit. While they did nail trims, I was preparing
the next rabbit’s ivermectin syringes, documented the former rabbit’s Pen-G
dosage and cleaned up around the table. We
followed this process with all the adult rabbits. The babies only received the ivermectin in
their ears and did not get time in the grass as they could easy slip through
the bars of the ex-pen.
Along with the process of medicating the rabbits, Judy also
gave all the rabbits hay, pellets and fresh water. Before we left she gave several rabbits more
water as they had already drank more than half of the bottle in the 3(?) hours
we were there.
Positive moments-
Even in a situation and time surrounded in heart breaking
sights there were some positive moments to help keep us going. When Mary put the Flemish Giant on the grass
he/she was so excited to have room and a softer ground that he/she
binkied. For those who don’t know what
that means, a rabbit will “dance” by kicking out their back feet like a bucking
bronco when they are happy. One of
the Dutch rabbits was so grateful for the play time that they were digging in
the grass. A sweet tan and white lop
found the box for our scale on the grass and claimed it as theirs by chinning
it multiple times. One non rabbit
related positive moment was watching Jo-Claire’s grandson playing with one of their
rescue donkeys named Radar. Radar liked
to serenade us with song and stories while we worked. You could tell he is a loving boy and adores
Jo-Claire’s grandson. Watching Radar chase
and play with him did a good job of distracting us from the sad work we had to
do.
Grateful-
Thank You to many who have helped these rabbits as they sit
in limbo waiting to find out what the future holds for them.
Heartland Equine Rescue, Jo-Claire and her sweet family-
deserves a big thanks for taking these rabbits in and caring for their daily
needs (food, water, clean cages, etc.) I know the day to day care in taxing
especially if you are not used to it. If
these wonderful people had not agreed to house the rabbits, their fate would
definitely be very grim.
Mary- For agreeing to help Heartland by representing Harvey’s
House and taking supplies, food and the medicine to the rabbits. Her professional bunny wrangling skills were
put to great use today and I know she must be completely exhausted. Mary’s knowledge of rabbit care and
leadership are what make Harvey’s House such a wonderful rescue. I have learned so much from her and look
forward to following her leadership in the future. Mary also brought two rabbits that were in
the direst condition to the rescue so she could get them direct veterinarian care.
Judy- for all her help in bunny wrangling as well. Judy is one of our bunny snugglers and did a
fantastic job helping Mary during nail trims on the wilder rabbits. She also made sure each rabbit had fresh
water, lots of hay and pellets.
Refilling water throughout our time there as some rabbits (especially
the cages with mommas and babies) drank more water than others. Judy’s knowledge of legal procedures came in
handy to help me better understand how these cases can sometimes go.
Dr. Jewell- She supplied us with the medication and supplies
we would need to treat these rabbits.
She was also kind enough to make a “cheat sheet” to help when
determining the correct dosage of Pen-G for each rabbit. I am especially grateful for that as these
poor rabbits have been through enough and did not need to rely on poor math
skills to get the medicine they desperately needed. Dr. J also saw the two direst rabbits that
Mary brought into rescue and is helping with their ongoing treatment.
Thank you to any and everyone else who has donated money to
Heartland or Harvey’s House to help with the care of these rabbits. Also, to those who are sending thoughts and
prayers for these sweet rabbits and the possibility of a better future for
them.
Other pictures from today-
