Henryville Confiscation Case

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-