I swear he's out looking for trouble tonight.

After a couple of rather quiet days, during which he has slept a lot (heavy moult to blame?), tonight he's prowling!

Yes, definitely prowling.

He has a decidedly shifty look about him and he's been flitting about going up on his hinders inspecting a few drawers and cupboards; I fear he may be sussing out possible means of access? I caught him earlier sitting in the log basket looking like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth but with a decidedly dodgy gleam in his eye. And it's only five minutes since I nearly jumped out of my skin at the weird noise caused by him humping his nylon tunnel ... yes, I've been encouraging him to go in to it ... but not in that way!

He really does have a look about him tonight!

Actually that prowling ended with a sleepy bun cuddled on the hearth rug with his mum. We had a lovely hour or so until he snuggled up too close to my face and I began to get moulting fluff up my nose! Now he's destroying his carrot cottage.

The next night....

Back to being a bugger again tonight.

First he dropped his toast in his drink dish and I snatched it out in the hope it wouldn't be too soggy, but it was so I lobbed it out the window for the birds and fetched a new piece, but he was still convinced the last bit was in his drink dish and kept looking for it, dabbing with his nose, but after a minute or two he lost patience and picked the damn dish up and tipped water all over.

He also got himself entangled in the door curtain and refused any help to set him free. Then, just a few minutes ago he hopped into the laundry basket on the wet washing and his paw prints are all over my pristine white towels ... he had been sniffing out trouble in the coal scuttle just minutes before. He's flat out sleeping now and his chin is black from chinning in the coal scuttle! Twit!

I'm sure Henry has an obsessive personality. He may even have a form of OCD (not with the compulsive cleaning element though). He has become increasingly obsessed with a small shelve unit I have in one corner of my sitting room. He tries to get behind it and under it and spends an inordinate amount of time sniffing and licking and nudging it. He became obsessed with the forage box I put down for him and that is now rationed to an occasional treat.... how can I ration furniture? This thing with the shelve unit is getting freaky. I've tried moving it and letting him see behind and under it and I've emptied the shelves so he can inspect them more closely, but that hasn't cured him. I sprayed it (and the carpet around it) with WeeAway, and wiped the skirting and wall too, just in case there was a trace of Loll's scent left that was bothering him. But he's at it now, trying to worm himself under it. Mad damn rabbit!

Next day....  

Well, the reason for the obsession with the shelf unit became apparent this afternoon. After he had been driving me nuts throughout most of the morning with his efforts to get underneath it, I decided to have another shot at finding out what was so interesting. I unpacked the shelves, moved the unit out into the room and sat back to watch what he did.

A few minutes was spent sniffing where the unit had stood, then he came back to the piece itself and after circling it a few times he began trying to get under it again. I reasoned, whatever it was, was not in the corner where the shelves fit, or on the shelves themselves nor anywhere else visible ... So, it had to be under the unit, actually on the underside. I turned the unit over and Henners was like a sniffer dog after dope trying to push his way in.

Now, I know for certain sure that he is one weird rabbit, for what we found under the unit was a big cobweb housing one of the biggest spiders I've seen in a long time. I quickly righted the unit so Henners couldn't get at the spider and went to get a jar and some card. I felt rather bad about turfing the poor spider out of its home but I made sure it was safe in the wood shed. Then I had to let Henners inspect the remains of the empty cobweb before removing it and putting everything back in place. He got a few web tatters hung on his whiskers!  but things are quietening down a bit now even though he still keeps nosing around .... living in hopes I expect.

I guess he had heard the spider moving and wanted to sort it! Looks like I've got a hunting rabbit on my hands. I am now tempted to sit back and watch Henners instead of going on cobweb hunts myself! I've no idea what he would have done with/to the spider had he been given the chance, but I do know Loll was not the spiders best friend and I remember him once sitting on a poor innocent woodlouse ... it was never the same again. 

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Henry's a real nutter. When I first saw him at the rescue I was too caught up in my grief for Loll to allow him in and so I didn't take away any big first impression; same the second time I saw him. It was my friend, Annette, who raved about him. She couldn't shut up about him and went on and on about what a character he was, and how there was something special about him, and that he was just right for me. It took me four months to open up and take notice of what she said and to let him in and recognise his potential.

Now? Well now I sometimes feel slightly overwhelmed by his personality. He's a real bunkey! (In case you're wondering that's a cross between a bunny and a cheeky-monkey.)

As I've mentioned in other posts we are having new power lines strung across the valley and I've had an underground line installed from the edge of the wood to the cottage. Today work began replacing the posts and the job is expected to take about ten days. For that time I, and three other households, will be on a generator. This morning the men brought it and connected us up and switched it on. That meant someone had to come in the cottage and do a check on the power levels before the work began.

The man knocked on the door, was very polite and took off his boots before coming in.

It just so happened that he came as Henners was having his breakfast.

My confident buck carried on crunching the Burgess, but when the man began showing an interest in him he picked his dish up and struggled with it into his log tunnel. There he turned his scut on us and carried on chewing loudly!

Just proves, you should never disturb the O'Shaughnessy breakfast!

They had said at the rescue that he was a bit of a prima donna, a right diva. He HAD to be first out in the mornings, first fed and last to bed at night. Henry had to be cleaned out first as well. He would sulk if he wasn't always first in everything. They had said he was a real attention seeker and very good at making his point and making sure he got his way. And they were right. He often moves his dish away when he's finished his food, or even shifts it to a different location when I set it down, and he gets a tad peevish if he spills any of the contents whilst doing so.

Though he came from a rescue, I'm sure this bun was never badly treated, he's way too confident and loving and has too strong a personality to have ever known cruelty. His back had been shaved when he arrived at the rescue but I'm sure there was a good reason for it and it wasn't abuse.

Another vet trip....

Since I got him Henners as had an intermittent runny eye. At first I thought it was a reaction to coming indoors and the open fires, and because it was not "permanent" I didn't rush him off to the vets immediately. He had his tear duct flushed on New Years Eve but there was no apparent problem and the flushing didn't seem to make any difference. Things are fine for a couple of weeks then I'll get up one morning and find his eye is wet. It's just like a little reservoir has filled and spilled over. It never runs permanently,  just one spill that dries quickly and I clean the stiffened fur and things go back to normal for a couple of weeks ... then another spill. It doesn't bother him. He never rubs it or shuts it and there's never been any soreness... afterwards it's like it never happened. Today though I asked Wendy (his vet) about it. She was giving him his three month physical. It had spilled this morning so it was as fresh as she was ever likely to see it. She gave his eye a thorough checking over, including the horrible orange paper test, but everything's fine; no ulcers, conjunctivitis etc. His eye is fine. And his teeth are spot on. She checked the X-ray Richard took when he flushed the tear duct at New Year (that X-ray was done to check for any tooth root problem that might cause the eye to run). Nothing had shown up then, so today we decided to see how things go until July when it's booster time. I've decided it's just an "Henry Thing". Of course, should it get worse he will go back.

I was very proud of the way he conducted himself with Wendy and very proud at her comments. I asked if he had lost weight because I thought he looked thinner. She had weighed him on 25th Nov. the day I got him, and he had weighed 3.5. Today he weighed 3.55. She said he had lost some fat but had gained muscle. She said there was no sign of the tooth spurs he had had back in Nov. and commented that he must be on a good diet and getting plenty of exercise. She and the nurse were very complimentary about his looks and behavior and at the end of the consult she declared him to be, "In excellent condition, a lean, mean hopping machine!"

The BIG moult... July 2015

This moult  is nothing like the one back in Feb/Mar. He is really going for it this time and there are patches of fur of all lengths all over him, and there's wisps of hair floating off in his slip stream as he charges around. I spend ages brushing/plucking him. He looks a right mess, but he's full of energy and eating like a dozen buns ... the hay is disappearing so fast, which makes me very happy. But I can't remember any of my other rabbits ever moulting like this

August ... at the Emergency Vets.... 

It was so fast. About 11pm I posted on Happy Hoppers about him watching for our spider friend, Baden, little knowing that at 1-30am I would be rushing him to the Emergency Vet.

It was around midnight when I glanced through into the dining room to see if Henry was still on watch. He had left his post and was in his litter tray. I could see Baden just under the dresser. I decided it was time for bed and switched off the computer. I went to get Henry his bedtime treat of dried plantain and nettle but when I offered it to him he turned away and then I saw how stiff and tensed up he was. And he was shivering. It didn't take a genius to see he was in considerable pain. I felt his tum but it didn't seem bloated or hard but he definitely didn't like me touching him.

I rang the Emergency vet at 12-15. It was Alex, and after apologising for disturbing him I explained all Henry's symptoms. Because Henry was in his tray and his tum wasn't bloated or hard Alex suggested I leave him for about half an hour to see if he passed anything that would ease him. If after half an hour he was no better I should bring him in.

At 1am I rang a friend and they agreed to take us, so I rang Alex back and at 1-30 we arrived at the vets.

Alex examined him and agreed he was in considerable pain from his gut and gave him a shot to ease it. I have had to leave my boy with Alex. He thinks if there's no improvement after an hour or so then he will X-ray him to see if there's anything naughty inside. He hopes it's only a bad tummy ache. It all came on so fast, and I'm feeling a tad shell-shocked, and I'm worried and missing my goofy boy.

He's home but he's far from okay. He's not out of the woods yet.

He's on Cisapride 0.3ml twice a day (5 day supply) and Loxicom 0.7ml once a day if needed. If he isn't eating okay and improving by tomorrow morning (or if his condition worsens before that) he may need surgery and that is risky.

He as passed 11 good sized poops and nibbled a couple of bits of hay. I've syringed him a dose of Cisapride. Now he's sleeping. But he is far from being a happy rabbit.

It's fingers crossed! Just got to be patient and keep him warm and quiet.

Next morning....

He's eating but very, VERY small amounts and there's been no poop in the last five hours. I've syringed CC and given Loxicom and his Cisapride. And he has a blanket over him and a hot water bottle beside him.

But since mid afternoon yesterday I've noticed he has started sneezing a bit. Not much at first but over this evening it's become more frequent ... I may be taking him back to emergency surgery yet ... I hope not, I'd like him to have a quiet night ... And I need a quiet night myself, I'm really frazzled.

We are in the sitting room with just a table light on and all is silent.... a long, long night ahead.

It's nearly 5am and I'm totally done in. I've managed to stay awake and keep Henry warm. He has drunk some water (with Protexin in), and more than just a couple of mouthfuls, but I had to  I hold the dish. Though he's touched no hay and the Burgess (or Fenugreeks) haven't been touched, he has eaten a couple of mini shredded wheat, one with Loxicom in it. That's encouraging.

I'm beginning to think that it's not just moulting and hair in his tummy alone that is causing this because he seems to want to eat hay but once he starts chewing it he stops and sits with it sticking out of his mouth, like he's in a trance.... that seems to say "DENTAL" to me. And he seems to be very stuffy in his nose, blowing (not quite sneezing) down one nostril. His breathing, especially when stressed, like when I'm preparing to syringe feed him, sounds like his nose is blocked.... could that point to dental issues I wonder? Maybe I'm at the point in sleep deprivation where I'd swear the moon really is a lump of Cheddar! I'm here, typing this, in an attempt to stay awake; it was Monday night when I last saw my pit and closed my eyes for longer than a blink.

No sleep. Stayed to keep him company and keep him warm with a hot-water bottle. I was tempting him with all manner of goodies. He would eat a little soft hay, just a few stalks, and I got some Loxicom into him on a mini shredded wheat. He hates being syringe fed but I got about half a giant syringe full of Critical Care down him ... the rest is on the towel and my t-shirt!

His nose isn't runny in the slightest, nor is his eye running (remember he has one eye that spills over once in a while). I was getting worried because he hadn't peed since coming home at midday yesterday but then at 8am he went into his tray and peed for his country!

At vets at 10-45!

An examination gave the all-clear on his stomach and gut ... things back to normal there. No tooth spurs, tushies okay. However he has an infection in his nasal passage. He's on Septrim anti-biotic twice a day for that and I'm syringing him Rabbit Recovery every three to four hours. He will take the RR better than he did the Critical Care I was giving him. Now his gut/stomach is okay I'm feeding him a little fresh grass and a few dandelion leaves which he his enjoying. But he is still sitting around with his eyes closed looking miserable ... hope that's just due to the nasal infection and exhaustion, nothing worse.

I left him for a couple of hours to go do the weekly shop and he was still sitting miserably in the same spot when I got back. But now he's taking the RR and eating grass I feel a little more optimistic. He's booked for another vet visit tomorrow afternoon at 4-15 but only if there's no improvement.

Next day....

Felt a trip to the vet would stress him and he does appear to be making progress, albeit slow.

FIVE HOURS OF ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

Henry has eaten grass, dandelion leaves, mini shredded wheat, a tiny bit of toast, some F L Parsley and now occasionally takes a mouthful or two of hay of his own accord. He's getting Rabbit Recovery every 3 to 4 hours and he just ate a soft pellet! He's very sleepy and doesn't move about much but he's more relaxed and lying at full stretch. It's just his stuffy nose ... nothing wrong with his airways or lungs, no runny nose or eyes, just a stuffy nose. Putting out a bowl of Vicks to help clear his nose.

At least I can go to bed with hope!

Over night he ate a Naturals Meadow Hay Cookie that I had left down for him and after syringing RR this morning he gobbled up grass and dandelion leaves. He is eating his soft pellets and he eagerly devoured a Fenugreek Cruncher at lunch time. I brought in some plantain, bramble shoots, grass, dandelion leaves and hawthorn a few minutes ago and he tucked in happily. Not touching Burgess yet... but the Recovery is substitute for Burgess, and the hay cookie provides a hay substitute.

The old nose is much improved too. There's the occasional mild sneeze, which under normal circumstances I wouldn't even think about, and his breathing when I syringe fed him was normal!

Oh, how he hates the antibiotic syringing! It smells foul to me and must taste pretty rubbish too. He likes the RR and licks it from the syringe but I'm dreading wrestling the next antibiotic dose into him tonight. The better he gets the stronger he struggles! And me? I went to bed at 1am this morning and intended to get up at 6am but didn't wake till 8-30!! I was punch drunk from lack of sleep. Woke in a panic and rushed down stairs to find the messy aftermath of the cookie feast ... and I smiled!

Later that day....

He is back eating Burgess and actively seeking food without any tempting. He gobbled a Fenugreek Cruncher with such relish this afternoon I wanted to hug the bones of him.

There is a downside to his recovery ... on Wednesday and Thursday I was his Dear Mum, the sweet human who was saving his life .... NOW, I'm the miserable bleeding cow who's out to kill him with that foul gunk, and the interfering bitch who won't leave his fur alone!

Definitely better....

Can't win!

Vet says, "All clear!"....

At the vets this afternoon and he was given a clean bill of health. Richard was pleased with how he's responded, though he pointed out he still needs peace and quiet and careful nursing. I have to  watch his poo, and get him back into his old feeding routine, and concentrate on a hay/pellet diet with any veg/forage foods given as treats. And groom, groom, groom.... nothing new there then! When will this damned moult end? He was given a really good rear end plucking by the vet and he eye-balled him angrily throughout, but, thankfully, he refrained from having a go at him as he would have done to me if I had plucked him like that. I think half of his remaining moult fur went at that session. Oh, how I wish it was all gone!

Richard checked up his nose and all was clear and no sign of infection.  And his teeth are good, though he did point out a potential problem with a tooth root on his right cheek. But for now, no more syringing and he's to rest and de-stress..... just what I want to do to.

The best bit was the attack Henry made on my shoe laces when we got home! Oh, and no charge at the vets!

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Footnote to the Emergency....

I am a non car owner and since the local Pet Taxi service ended I now rely on either the vet coming here, a friend taking us to the surgery, or using a local taxi firm (expensive after a couple of trips). When Henry first needed the emergency vet at 1 o'clock in the morning I tried three taxi firms who were all fully booked by 'Clubbers' and wouldn't be free for at least two hours. So I phoned a friend, who was in bed, but was at my house within ten minutes. (Thanks Ian.)

But it's concerning the last trip that I'm writing. My best friends husband, Mike, took us in. Now Mike is very proud of his car, a Jaguar XJS, and he tends to fuss over it like an old mother hen. I got in the rear with Henry in his travel box (a front loader box which I positioned facing forward) and we set off on the ten minute drive.

I was quiet as I was half dead from lack of sleep and still worried. Mike was quiet because he was feeling rather overwhelmed by the presence in his home of his sister-in-law, who was on an overdue, over long stay. Henry was quiet too .... until he turned his rear to the front of his box, lifted his scut and let fly! Wee shot between the front seats onto the gear shift area ... and I nearly died!

Mike didn't appear to have noticed and I couldn't think of what to say .... when in doubt, shut up! So I kept shtum. The pungent pong of bunny pee crept through the car and I waited for comments... nothing.

So far I've said nothing, Mikes said nothing ... and Henry sure as Hell aint said anything!

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