[TerryL]

Sorry--this will not be lighthearted fare but I just need to vent my feelings.

I have had pet bunnies for 20 years. I did not initially choose to get a bunny for a pet but I just kept rescuing them. So I was not really that knowledgeable about their care. Because of my inexperience, 2 of my bunnies got sick. I took them to a supposedly bunny-savvy vet. At the time I did not even go on the Internet so I relied solely on his expertise. Unfortunately, I did not realize that bunny medicine was not really taught that comprehensively in vet schools as bunnies were considered more as livestock. The vet actually made things worse and his treatments and prescriptions, I found out much later, were very dangerous and led to my bunnies' deaths. I later also found out there were much easier fixes for my bunnies' ailments. My beloved Peaches and Hanaboy suffered greatly before they died and their pain still haunts me to this day, especially as I was the one who had to administer some of the treatments. Oh, the guilt... The whole reason I am on PC is because of the trauma of what happened and the ripple effects it has had on my life since then. (described in my first PC post) I have tried pet loss counseling but my pain has not gone away completely. Today, it was triggered because I heard on my bunny club forum that another beloved bun died because of the vet's ignorance of bunny medicine.

I am so mad, and so heartbroken for that owner. I can totally feel her pain and frustration.

Thank you for listening. This post is in honor of Peaches, Hanaboy, Butch, Bunny, Lewie and countless other bunnies, pets and animals who passed, unfairly, before their time.

[Rohag]

((( Peaches, Hanaboy, Butch, Bunny, Lewie and all the rest )))

...and ((( TerryL )))

[whenwillitend]

I think it's sad that over here you have to ask a Vet if they know anything about pets like bunnies and rats, guinea pigs and such.

I worked as a Vet Tech in Germany, and every single small animal Vet Clinic in Germany treats (and the Vets are trained in treating) anything smaller than a goat. ANY pet animal.

I'm so sorry for your loss. I wish I could say or do something to make you feel better. I used to have a pet bunny too, they are awesome.

[eskielover]

I understand your anger & frustration & sadness. I was lucky that I had a vet who specialized in birds & "small animals" rats, guinea pigs & the like. That was in the large city of Los Angeles.....I have to admit that the small animal vets here in the country don't get much smaller than the dog & cat......but I do not have the smaller animals at this point in my life. I know that even with an educated vet that the Dx's are difficult & the treatments even harder & even the smallest glitch can be terminal the smaller the pet.

I am sorry that you had such problems.....my struggle with vets is the high cost that makes is almost impossible to afford the Dx let alone the treatment....an ongoing fight that I am experiencing right now myself.

I had guinea pigs & rats growing up & when I was first married & there were many things that I learned. I also learned how important diet can be in extending their life even when they have something serious going on with them...learned that before there was internet to learn from...but it was a lot more difficult.

[TerryL]

Originally Posted by whenwillitend

I think it's sad that over here you have to ask a Vet if they know anything about pets like bunnies and rats, guinea pigs and such.

I worked as a Vet Tech in Germany, and every single small animal Vet Clinic in Germany treats (and the Vets are trained in treating) anything smaller than a goat. ANY pet animal.

I'm so sorry for your loss. I wish I could say or do something to make you feel better. I used to have a pet bunny too, they are awesome.

I'm just sad for that person losing her bunny that way and it just brought back all the sadness I had inside over my own buns' painful deaths. I don't have children so my pets are my kids. They rely on us to take care of them...thank you for you kind words..

[TerryL]

Originally Posted by eskielover

I understand your anger & frustration & sadness. I was lucky that I had a vet who specialized in birds & "small animals" rats, guinea pigs & the like. That was in the large city of Los Angeles.....I have to admit that the small animal vets here in the country don't get much smaller than the dog & cat......but I do not have the smaller animals at this point in my life. I know that even with an educated vet that the Dx's are difficult & the treatments even harder & even the smallest glitch can be terminal the smaller the pet.

I am sorry that you had such problems.....my struggle with vets is the high cost that makes is almost impossible to afford the Dx let alone the treatment....an ongoing fight that I am experiencing right now myself.

I had guinea pigs & rats growing up & when I was first married & there were many things that I learned. I also learned how important diet can be in extending their life even when they have something serious going on with them...learned that before there was internet to learn from...but it was a lot more difficult.

Thank you for understanding. In my case, the vet came highly recommended as a bunny expert. I did write him a letter later on saying he should have been more thorough and I told him I felt my buns could have been saved if he had done things differently. I have since become much more cautious with medical experts, animal and human alike. A lesson learned the hard way.

[TerryL]

Originally Posted by Rohag

((( Peaches, Hanaboy, Butch, Bunny, Lewie and all the rest )))

...and ((( TerryL )))

Thank you Rohag.

[Open Eyes]

(((((TerryL))))))

I am sorry that you had to go through that, you did think you were helping, you didn't realize you were not. So don't keep blaming yourself.

When something like this happens we cannot go back and change anything, but you are forgiven and I am sure the bunnies are hopping around heaven somewhere amongst the children that end up in heaven.

But something you CAN do is take the knowledge of the mistake and write it out and print is out and send it to different vets everywhere you can. You can take old pictures of your bunnies if you have them and put them in the notice. You can say something in big letters WARNING TO VETS DO NOT DO THIS OR BUNNIES WILL DIE. And then what you do by doing that is your preventing the same mistake from possibly happening again.

And, you can even see if there are any online bunny owners and send them messages as well. You may not have saved your bunnies, but you may save someone elses pet from experiencing the same fate.

That way you can release some of your pain and feelings of guilt. Your obviously a wonderful animal lover and are very sensitive to their needs. Your right, Vets do not know it all, I learned that the hard way also. Sometimes we have to learn that the hard way unfortunately, I know all too well that story.

((((((Terry L)))))

Open Eyes

[likewater]

TerryL
So sorry to hear about your bunnies. Bunnies are such beautiful, pure animals. I agree witn openeyes that your bunnies are hopping
around heaven, and they know how much you loved them and tried to help them not harm them. I wish you healing, and i hope that vet lnows better next time. No vet wants to kill animals. What a tragedy. Once again, i' m so sorry. Wishing you healing.

[TerryL]

Originally Posted by Open Eyes

(((((TerryL))))))

I am sorry that you had to go through that, you did think you were helping, you didn't realize you were not. So don't keep blaming yourself.

When something like this happens we cannot go back and change anything, but you are forgiven and I am sure the bunnies are hopping around heaven somewhere amongst the children that end up in heaven.

But something you CAN do is take the knowledge of the mistake and write it out and print is out and send it to different vets everywhere you can. You can take old pictures of your bunnies if you have them and put them in the notice. You can say something in big letters WARNING TO VETS DO NOT DO THIS OR BUNNIES WILL DIE. And then what you do by doing that is your preventing the same mistake from possibly happening again.

And, you can even see if there are any online bunny owners and send them messages as well. You may not have saved your bunnies, but you may save someone elses pet from experiencing the same fate.

That way you can release some of your pain and feelings of guilt. Your obviously a wonderful animal lover and are very sensitive to their needs. Your right, Vets do not know it all, I learned that the hard way also. Sometimes we have to learn that the hard way unfortunately, I know all too well that story.

((((((Terry L)))))

Open Eyes

Hi Open Eyes,

Thanks so much for your reply. I used to feel quite guilty but I thought things through and realized even though I made some mistakes, the person who actually killed my buns was the vet. My case is not unique, many buns have perished because most vet schools do not teach rabbit medicine comprehensively so many vets are either at a loss, or are learning as they go. I have since joined an online bunny forum and have learned a lot more about proper bunny care and that has helped me gauge whether our current vet is giving good advice or not. Lastly, it is one thing to read about these situations but another to actually go through it. It is heartwrenching and I feel so bad for the bunny who died today and for his owner. It sounds like you have experienced something similar and I am sorry about that. Well, thank you again and take care--

[TerryL]

Originally Posted by likewater

TerryL
So sorry to hear about your bunnies. Bunnies are such beautiful, pure animals. I agree witn openeyes that your bunnies are hopping
around heaven, and they know how much you loved them and tried to help them not harm them. I wish you healing, and i hope that vet lnows better next time. No vet wants to kill animals. What a tragedy. Once again, i' m so sorry. Wishing you healing.

Hi Likewater, thanks very much for your reply. Yes I understand that vets are human and they make mistakes too. I even really liked our vet very much as a person. I just hope he has learned from his mistakes and I hope I can be strong enough to turn my pain around. Thanks again and take care--