By early Friday morning he was just nibbling at random hay and pellets, was lethargic, felt cool to the touch, and acting confused (signs of dehydration) but was able to poop and pee a little bit from all of the feedings. We called around to multiple exotics vets in the area and were turned away due to schedules being fully booked, no exotic vet on staff that day, and refusal to see a rabbit as an emergency case that hadn't been treated at that facility before until we finally spoke with Barberton Veterinary Clinic, who took care of him as soon as we could drive there (about 35 minutes away).
After giving him pain meds, fluids, blood tests and x-rays they discovered that Amos had a liver lobe torsion (one of the five lobes of his liver had twisted on itself and cut off the blood supply to the twisted lobe) which had caused internal bleeding into his abdomen, kidney damage, and changes to his GI tract that required emergency surgery. We got to see him and tell him how brave he was, how he was being such a good boy, and that we loved him before they whisked him away (along with Mr. Giraffe) to give him the best care they could.
Amos made it through the surgery where they removed the right medial lobe of his liver. As he was recovering from anesthesia while still intubated, he threw a blood clot that caused him to lose his basic reflexes. Our sweet boy never regained consciousness.
We were told that the reason for otherwise healthy rabbits suddenly developing a liver lobe torsion is still unclear, but that Holland lops are one of the more common rabbit breeds seen to have it as well as male rabbits in general.
I just wanted to share Amos' story to help others recognize the symptoms to look out for so that they might have a better outcome for catching it early. I don't think we could have done anything differently as it was the clot that ultimately took him from us and that's a risk with any surgery.
We brought Amos home so Naomi could understand that he was gone and say her own goodbyes. She's hanging in there and has been using Mr. Giraffe as a security blanket and will sleep with her ear draped over him in a hug. We're giving her all of the love, noogies, treats and attention she can stand.
Two years was not enough.
I'll try to post again next Monday.
6 comments:
I don't know what to say other than I'm so sorry. It's so unfair when these things happen, this little man caused a great impact in the two years he was here, and he will surely be missed. You did all you could and gave him as much love as he deserved. Hoping all of you are doing alright and that Naomi isn't having a hard time
Poor sweet baby Amos, I'm at a loss for words, and I'm so sorry for your loss and that you had to go through this in the midst of handling your father's estate. You all did everything right and got that little guy the medical attention when he showed signs, he was a brave little guy all the way through. But it was unfortunately very untimely.
Even though we only knew him for a couple of years I'll always remember the little guy. I'm glad that Mr. Giraffe is comforting Naomi right now. Please take your time and keep each other close.
I am so sorry for your loss, and dealing with it on top of another loss as well. Thank you for sharing him with all of us for the last two years. Wishing you and yours peace and comfort.
Hi Mónica,
Aww, thank you. I'm so glad we got to share our lives and home with the little fella and that even with his too short time with us, he managed to make others smile.
We're just muddling through and trying to find our new normal now.
Hi Tarosagi,
Thank you so much. We’re just so shocked by the suddenness of his loss and how few symptoms were different from the typical GI stasis ones. It’s hard to not feel guilty about not picking up on the severity of the issue sooner, but you’re right—sometimes you can do everything right and the outcome just isn’t what you were hoping for.
We’re showering Naomi with all the attention (and treats) and she’s got all of their little buddies giving her snuggles and kisses along with Mr. Giraffe, who is her bestie now.
Hi Anna,
Thank you. It really has been a rough year so far. It’s a good legacy that Amos’ sweet, silly little self could help brighten the days of others and we both take comfort in that.
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