Best of Friends

Charlie and Oreo! Very rarely separated until now. Do not, I repeat DO NOT read on if you have a weak stomach. Oreo's not dead, just sick and healing, but seriously DO NOT read on if you get disgusted easily.

Poor Oreo (the bunny) has had a rough couple of days. I found a sore on the side of her neck while giving her a bath 2 nights back. I thought Charlie might have bitten her, but not the case. When I looked a little closer at the wound there was something moving in and out of the sore. I got Jared upstairs quick as a wink and we found there was actually something in there.

We called Jared's Aunt Sue, who is a Vet for Farm Animals. She said it was probably a grub, which the cows get quite often and we can pop it out like a zit. But if that didn't work we could call her daughter, Jared's cousin Lisa, who is studying to be a Vet Tech. Well, the zit plan didn't work so we called Lisa. She told us to take Rubbing Alcohol, or Iodine (which we had) and fill the hole with it. Then when the grub comes up for air grab it with the tweezers.

I think Jared pumped about 10-15 cc's into the hole when the thing finally came up for breath. We were able to extract a 1 inch grub from our poor little bunnies neck. BLECH, EW, YUCK!!! You have no idea. I was so sick, I wanted to puke.

I called a local emergency Vet the next day to ask what to do next because the hole is obviously still there and the area around is black and smells. This Vet told me to just keep it clean and use Neosporin for the next week, and to just keep a close eye on it. She may have to have antibiotics to avoid infection, but the dead skin will eventually sluff itself off and she should be ok.

So I know how absolutely disgusting this is but keep this in mind. There is a type of Fly that is around and about in the Spring and Fall that actually lays it's egg on the necks of Rabbits, Kittens, and Puppies. This eventually hatches, crawls out, then burrows back into the fat tissues of the animal. BLECH!! The Vet said we were lucky we got it all out because had we punctured the Grub the juices released could have caused our Bunny to go into Epileptic Shock, and could have killed her.

At this point, she is warm and happy. And will be living inside for the rest of Spring, though in her cage with minimal contact from the kids till she's 100% again. I've warned my neighbors who recently got new puppies and one who has a rabbit too. I'm just glad we brought her inside and bathed her when we did, I don't even want to know what would have happened had we left that in there.