Yesterday morning, I made the hard call to put Fiona down. The night before, she had been grinding her teeth in pain and she had continually refused to eat and was barely drinking. It seemed like the only humane decision to make, but it was hard.
I had decided to wait until that evening, so I could give her a little time out on the grass (in the cool air) before I said goodbye- and I'm SO glad I waited.
Any time Fiona makes a sound, I look at her to see what's happened. Most of the time, it's just moving around her cage, but yesterday, she finally picked up a piece of alfalfa and was munching it. Struck with sudden excitement, I sliced off a tiny piece of frozen banana- and she ate it! She refused more later, but at least I had hope again.
We've been doing a rotation system of foods. I dip a baby carrot in her pedialyte and she eats it. Then she may not eat the next carrot. That's ok- she's got two bowls of pellets at varying heights, alfalfa hay in one corner and timothy in another, even a sugary junk food treat in her cage, just in case she decides she wants IT. I routinely offering another carrot or piece of banana and today I'm going to add fresh grass and clover to the mix.
She also drank way more of her pedialyte last night than she has since the incident. I haven't heard her grind her teeth recently either, which was the biggest of my concerns.
I'm being cautiously optimistic about her recovery. She will be a loved pet here no matter what else happens.
-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry
No comments:
Post a Comment