Ask any dedicated rabbit carer and they will all tell you, "There's only one thing that's simple about rabbits and that's loving them!" Read Henry's story and you will see how true that is.

Henry was diagnosed with a muscle injury and came home on the 11th December.

I posted this on the Happy Hoppers Forum that evening....

He arrived home about 2-15 pm, the vet has lent us a dog crate to use as his hospital (sorry, jail!). My four foot crate was just too big for the sitting room so Richard found a three foot job. I put double carpet on the floor and put in all the usual things, litter tray, food and water, and a couple of chewing toys then offered the travel box up for his Lordship to hop over. He stuck his head in, eyeballed the lot then tried to do an escape number, but I foiled him and he was soon shut inside.

It was like watching a new arrival at Colditz, he was immediately plotting escape! It took him seconds to see there were gaps between the very bottom bars and the floor of the crate that were big enough to put his head through. So I soon found a new use for draught excluders and tied them along the bottom of all four sides ..... it now looks like it has flotation tanks strapped on and is ready to go to sea! But they have stopped him getting his head stuck!

He's eating... hay, nuggets and some greens. And he is napping in his litter tray! Oh, and giving me looks that would slay a T.rex!

We are waiting for further blood test results for Toxoplasmosis and ecuniculi. He's not on meds as Richard thought if he was on painkillers it would encourage him to be over active and that could result in him doing more muscle damage and delay his recovery. He is eating well, and moving about his Jail so he's not in great pain.

It's a case of time heals!

Spare a thought for the poor jailer!

Post on Happy Hoppers Forum Saturday 12th December...

I think it was another "down day". I noticed he was favouring his left hind a bit and didn't always look very comfortable.... not in bad pain but just "aware" of something. I just hope this confinement without pain relief will work. The idea is that being aware of discomfort will stop him straining himself further and the confinement will do the same on the good days when he does want to roam around and play.
Getting the blood test results will "hopefully" help.
What I also need to know is just how long will he need to be caged and how will I know when to free him?
I don't know which test worries me most, toxoplasmosis or ec. I know there is a good chance they will find ec but I don't think that's what's causing his muscle problems. I am scared it's toxo as that would mean it's my fault because I will have fed him something with the larvae on it. I'm so fussy when gathering forage, I check both sides of every leaf and every blade of grass looking for slug slime or poo, mould or bugs. But I could have missed something ......

I'm now on the hunt for a shallower litter tray. Still need a big one that he can get his fat arse in but one where he doesn't need to leap out. His current tray is about four inches deep and I saw him jump out this morning and immediately react. He was miserable all morning afterwards. I've improvised and got a shallower tray (of sorts) but need 2 proper trays. His big green seed tray won't fit through the crate door.

In the end I got out my trusty hacksaw and cut out a section along one of the long sides of one of his trays. The cut's a bit uneven and rough but serviceable and he will still have high sides to keep in the pee.
He is eating pretty well but I think I've spotted where his muscle pain is.... he often lies with his left hind leg stretched straight. So I'm guessing the problem lies there abouts.
He is being quite sulky today... as well as feeling sore. So he's not wanted to know me, except for food!

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Six days passed and there was little change. Sometimes there was a glimpse of the old Henry, at others he'd lie in the shadow of the sheet I had draped over the corner of the crate to provide shade from the electric ceiling light. He looked utterly dejected. Whether this was because he hated being caged or because he was suffering, I couldn't say.

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On the 18th December I posted this on the Happy Hoppers Forum ...

This morning Henry was his old self for all of thirty minutes! He was a very helpful little nuisance when I was trying to clean out the cage but very soon he was the usual picture of misery: eyes half shut, head drooping, ears flat, body in the flat bread loaf position and not relaxed. And that's how he is everyday, all day, except for feed breaks. That's the only hopeful thing I can hold onto... he is eating well.
I'm feeling really rough myself with my "lower region" problem which four Doctors have all, so far, failed to identify, let alone cure. The last Dr saw me on Wed. and took a swab for analysis and she said it wasn't what the others had said.... all I know is it's bloody misery. And it began the 3rd October ... about the same time, maybe slightly before, I began to notice little things about Henry... you know, those little niggly things that you can't be sure your actually seeing or merely imagining...
I'm starting to wonder if we are in sympathy with each other, and if so... which of us is really poorly and which is empathic?
AND... having written that last bit.... am I still sane?

On Sunday the 20th December I posted this ...

It's been a strange day today.
For starters I finally succumbed to the call of my pit at 4-15 this morning and over slept. (Only the third time I've been in my bed since all this began.) Having intended to rise at 8-00 to have his brekkie ready for him at 8-15, I woke with a start at 9-50!!!!!!
Needless to say HE WAS NOT IMPRESSED ... which pleased me no end because it showed he was having a good day!
I got his feed and, as usual, while he was eating I made to change his litter tray and tidy the cage as much as possible.

Then, with some nifty paw work, he slipped by me and was out of the crate. He gave me a cheeky look and buggered off on a nosy around.

Thinking, "Sod it!" I ran for the hoover and gave the crate a thorough cleaning.
He really enjoyed that hop around. Nothing strenuous but so pleasing to the nose! He came back in the crate of his own accord and for the rest of the day he has seemed more relaxed and like himself.
But.... (oh,how  I HATE 'buts') he did do something a little odd this evening. He flopped on his right side and I saw the right hind paw twitching, like we would open/close our fingers! It looked like a nerve thing to me.
Yes, you've guessed it.... Now I'm worried about a nerve problem!
This bun will be the death of me!

Posted on 24th December ...

Well it would seem he is okay. I say 'seem' he is okay because I TRY not to tempt fate and I'm ever a pessimist. But his vet rang this morning and we discussed how he is doing and he says all 'seems' to be going well and that Henry 'seems' to be making progress and that he is well on the road to recovery.

And what's the result of the blood test results I've waited for so long?

I'll never know as the damn lab. lost the samples!

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We had a quiet holiday season, just me and Henry. Throughout the week he continued to have good and not so good days. But he was eating well and that cheered me and brought me hope.  He left the crate and became a free roaming rabbit again and the crate was sent back to the vets. I watched him closely over the following weeks,  waiting for the games to commence again, and he did seem much brighter and happier but there were no more "Bunny 500's" and it seemed the binkies had been put on strict rationing. But he was my gentle, loving boy again and there was no doubt our relationship had ascended to a higher level. I didn't return to my bed but stayed with him, sleeping on the hearth rug with him and sharing a blanket.

2016 arrived.

January came and went, I put Henry back on Baytril as he was sneezing and snuffly again.

February progressed and I saw no change in the established pattern of "good days - bad days". In fact the bad days became worse and the end of the month saw me nursing a very sick bunny.

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