Updated 3.03.09                      

San Diego HRS has taken in several "special needs" bunnies in the past few years.  This has involved a large medical expense on the part of each rabbit.  To support the medical needs of these rabbits, we have established "Poppy's Fund."

Your donations to Poppy's Fun will help us to continue providing for rabbits who have nowhere else to go and no one else who can help them. Visit DONATIONS to learn how you can help. Or, click on the Network for Good logo, to donate online.

You may wonder why we committed to spending extensive resources on these rabbits.  As you may know, HRS does not euthanize rabbits because they are "out of time," nor for behavior issues or medical issues - unless the rabbit is suffering and has a poor quality of life.  In each of these cases the rabbit is otherwise healthy, alert, active and willing to live life.  In the face of such courage on the part of each of these rabbits, we felt we had to give them a chance. **

Some of these rabbits have gone into Sanctuary Care and will stay there.  Some are adoptable into the "right" homes. This will typically be an experienced bunny home that can provide the right circumstances, environment and level of care needed by the rabbit. And a home that is financially capable and willing to provide veterinary care throughout the lifetime of the rabbit.

** We are not able to help every rabbit that comes into shelters with a condition similar to those you see below. Our ability to help depends upon several factors, including having an HRS-licensed foster home that can house the bunny and the expertise to provide the level of nursing care required.

Learn more about our special needs bunnies by contacting us at hrs@sandiegorabbits.org. 

Bigwig is a shelter bunny who suffered a recent accident in which his hip was dislocated.  Unfortunately, it cannot just be 'popped back in' as the ligaments are also damaged.  This situation requires a surgery called "FHO," Femoral Head Ostectomy.  The surgery will repair Bigwig's hip and let him go on to live a normal and healthy life.  Bigwig is an otherwise healthy, happy, and sweet rabbit who is hoping for a special loving family. He'll make a great 'family' bunny as he does well with children and gentle cats and dogs.

HRS is helping this bunny by getting the surgery done by one of our vets, but we need your help!  The surgery runs about $800 and will severely stretch our medical budget, impacting our ability to assist other needy rabbits in the future.  Can you help us to help Bigwig?  No donation is too small.

Donate online at Network for Good

Poppy suffered a broken back when she kicked really hard while being held.  This little Mini Lop girl suffered from a situation that we always warn about; it's so important to hold a rabbit securely and ensure their bottom is well-supported to prevent their back from 'snapping' if they kick while being held. Miss Poppy really hates to be held. We know how it happened; she's one heck of a kicker!

Update December 08: Unfortunately, during further healing, Poppy's back now has a bit of a unnatural slope which causes her to rest her weight on her "heels" rather than on the bottom of her feet.  This is causing chronic hock sores that we are having to treat. We are still searching for a solution to this problem because her feet are very painful.  With your help, we will consult with a chiropractic specialist on a course of VOM (Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation) to help realign her spine and distribute her weight more evenly.  The T-Touch continues and we will also work to advance the level of her care in that area.

Your continued donations will provide the funds we need to help Poppy to live a pain-free life. No amount is too small.

In the beginning, HRS was contacted to come take a look at look at Poppy to  see what we could do - if anything. After reviewing her x-rays and consulting with one of our rabbit-experienced vets, it was determined that Poppy had not severed her spinal cord but had fractured a vertebrae in her spine.  It was believed that she had the capability to improve and would maybe even walk again.

Poppy was transferred into HRS foster care and taken for acupuncture treatment within two days of fracturing her spine. This healing treatment, along with a regimen of pain medication and a sedative to keep her quiet, helped Poppy to rapidly improve.  She was housed in a very small cage and kept in a fleece "donut" for three weeks while the healing process began.

With continued acupuncture sessions and gentle stretching of her legs, Poppy began to heal. Within a month she could hop out of the donut and move about her cage. Within two months she was zooming around the room, even though she is a bit lop sided and cannot fully extend her back legs.

HRS has continued Poppy's rehabilitation by including TTouch in her care regimen. That has improved her posture and she can even now stretch her legs out a bit. She still cannot put her legs out behind her (in the superman pose) but sometimes can lay on her side and "almost" stretch them out.  Every day she does better.

SAMMY

Sammy is a darling little dwarf-mix boy who was turned into the county’s South shelter to be euthanized. He’d been injured and his leg broken and his family felt they could not provide the medical care he needed.  Shelter staff contacted HRS and we checked him out. He’s a healthy, happy little guy who just needs a chance for his leg to heal.  He was sent to Dr. Cecil at Pet Emergency & Specialty Center, who pinned his leg and it is now healing.  We hope that Sammy won’t require additional surgery, but we’re committed to his care and giving him a healthy, happy life in a loving new home.

Update Sept. 17, 08:  Sammy's leg has been x-rayed to check his progress and unfortunately he has not healed well.  Sammy's leg will have to be amputated.  We expect little Sammy to recover well, but he will become a 'tripod' bunny who must have a home where his living area has a carpeted surface. This will prevent him from slipping and allow him to move around easily, without his legs sliding out from under him.

Update Dec 08:  Sammy's latest x-rays show that some healing has occurred and we've put off the surgery.  One pin remains in his leg and we're hoping that this support will help him to heal even more.  So the surgery is "off" for now.

Sammy has been bonded with a little bunny girl, Molly.  You can see photos of Sammy & Molly on our "Adoptions" page.

Barbie came into the South shelter in the same week as Sammy, with a badly broken leg and severe case of ear mites.  She was found as a stray and in bad shape.  A trip to the vet showed that Barbie’s chances for recovery were quite good so we proceeded to have her leg repaired and she’s still in recovery in an HRS foster home.  She’s a beautiful girl that we hope will go on to lead a normal life with a loving new family.

Barbie still in her foster home and available for adoption.

DITTO

THANK YOU!  We so appreciate all the kind donations given in Ditto's name. This allowed us to perform the surgery that Ditto needed. She is in sanctuary care with an HRS foster home; happy, healthy and doing well.  She will never walk normally, the dysplasia was too bad, but Ditto is a happy little girl who doesn't realize she is 'different.' She has quality-of-life and that's what is important. Living pain free and care free, is all thanks to you - our generous supporters.  Ditto thanks you and so do we!

UPDATE July 08:  Ditto is now a grown up and has a new husbun!  Ditto's foster mom adopted a little bun boy to be her companion. She and her new companion, Benjamin Bunny, adore each other and have a wonderful and sweet life together. They spend hours snuggling and grooming, and Ditto is a very happy little girl. See a video of Ditto and Benny.

Ditto, has congenital hip dysplasia.  This little bunny girl is one of seven babies born to a bunny mom relinquished to the shelter, just before giving birth. Ditto's life, so far, has been that of a 'happy go lucky" bunny baby.  Recently, however, Ditto began carrying her right leg as if it hurts. HRS took her to one of our vets for an exam and x-rays and it was discovered that both of her hips are dislocated.  Ditto was born with improperly formed hip sockets, causing bilateral hip dysplasia.

This otherwise healthy and happy little girl seemed doomed to a life of pain and disability.  Our vet explained that he believes we can help Ditto live a pretty normal life, through a surgical procedure called "FHO;" a femoral head ostectomy.  The surgery involves removing a portion of the head of the femur bone, and suturing the femur back in place where it should normally reside.  The healing process would create a better union of the femur and hip, relieving pain and allowing Ditto to be able to walk again. 

Ditto's right hip is the one most severely dislocated. The surgery will need to be done on that side first, and if needed, on the left side at a later date.

HRS is committed to giving this young girl a normal life and we are hoping you can help. Our volunteers are chipping in to help earn funds, and we received about $200 in donations at our Holiday Party.  We need another $400 to cover the total cost of surgery.  No donation is too small; Ditto can use your help!

HIPPITY HOP

Little Hippity Hop has had several abscess surgeries and most of his teeth removed. This little Holland lop boy was relinquished to a local shelter with this huge, baseball sized abscess on his face.  It must have been so painful!  HRS contacted the shelter and offered to have H-Hop (his new nickname) seen by one of our rabbit experienced vets.  The vet's exam confirmed that this boy was in bad shape and needed immediate surgery. 

Taking on a case like this requires a dedicated foster home to manage the surgical aftercare and ensure the bunny gets all the TLC needed to recover well from surgery.  HRS put out a call among its volunteers and lucky for us, Gerry Streff responded.  Gerry is one of our long-time volunteers and very capable in caring for surgical cases.  She was willing to open her home to Hippity-Hop and care for him throughout the course of his medical treatment.

Several surgeries and much fewer teeth later, little Hippity-Hop retains his sunny attitude and love for life. He can never be adopted out because his condition is ongoing and he may require additional surgeries.  In the meantime, however, he has a wonderful sanctuary home with volunteer Gerry Streff.  She provides the critical nursing care and hand feeding he requires, all wrapped up in love - the most important ingredient of all! 

If you would like to contribute toward the care of Hippity-Hop, HRS can use your donation to support his ongoing medical treatments.  We feel committed to this bunny boy and his sunny outlook on life. He's a fighter and we intend to fight for him.

As you can see by this photo, little Hippity Hop is looking and feeling much better.   Learn more about his story, as featured in our Summer 07 issue of The Rabbit Reader.

Update Feb 21, 08:  Here's the latest update from Hippity Hop's sanctuary home. "Hips went in for a two-week recheck; so far, so good. The bone has filled in somewhat, but may always have its odd configuration as a result of the infection. At least, and for now, the soft tissue swelling is gone. He's been such a wild and crazy guy lately, tearing around the house; he's unrecognizable from last spring!"

It's great to know that with your donations, this little bun boy's medical care has made all the difference in improving the quality of his life.  In reality - your help has meant "life over death" for Hippity Hop.

If you would like to contribute to Hippity-Hop's continuing care, your donation is very much appreciated.

NATHAN

Nathan had his left rear leg amputated.  Nathan was turned into an emergency hospital in the north county, after a good Samaritan found him by the side of the road. We think he was probably hit by a car.  The hospital put a splint on his leg and turned him into the local shelter.  In turn, the shelter contacted HRS to ask for our help. 

Nathan was seen by another vet and determined to have a fracture of the left rear leg that the vet felt would heal well.  He was in a splint for over 6 weeks.  He did very well with the splint and even though his activities and run area were severely limited, he was still quite agile in moving around with his cast.

When the cast came off, Nathan was neutered and his leg x-rayed to check the healing process.  Sadly, the break was worse than first thought and had not healed well at all. The vet who examined him during this visit thought about pinning his leg with an external apparatus but after considerable thought about healing time and his active nature, it was decided that the best course of action would be to remove his leg.  Nathan is such an active youngster, it was believed that even with another 6 to 8 weeks in the pinning apparatus, he still might not heal and the leg would have to come off anyway.

As you can see in the photo above, the fur is starting to grow back on Nathan's hip where the leg was amputated.  The incision has healed well. He is learning to balance well, getting about on his three legs. "Tripod" bunnies can do quite well, if they are sturdy enough on their other three legs and their weight is kept to a good level so as not to stress the remaining rear leg. 

Tripod bunnies also need to be housed on carpet so they can "grip" well and not have their legs slip out from under them. If housed on a slick surface, their legs can "splay" spreading out to the side.  Nathan can get across a linoleum floor, but it's slippery and he should not be required to spend much time on a slick surface.

Thanks to your support, Nathan is living a normal and happy life with his bunny girl companion, Suzie.  You'll see Nathan & Suzie available for adoption here.

KIRBY

KIRBY HAS BEEN ADOPTED!  (see his photo) Thanks to everyone who donated to the 'special needs fund' to help cover the expenses for Kirby's surgery.  He's now living a wonderful new life, free of infection and pain.

Little boy, Kirby, had his left eye removed.  He was relinquished to a local shelter and HRS was asked for help to get medical attention for his eye. It was severely infected and as we feared, needed to come out.  The shelter felt they could not provide him with the special care he needed, so he was transferred into HRS foster care.  His eye was removed in late October and he is doing very well.

Kirby is an active youngster who is actually going to do fine in a home of his own.  He will need his new family to pay close attention to his eye to ensure it continues to heal well and to provide him with veterinary care if any problems should occur in the future.

Kirby has been neutered and is litter box trained. He loves to play with toys and is super active. He would probably love a family of adults or older children who will give him a lot of attention.  Contact us to learn more about Kirby and to see if you might be the right family for him.