Last year we took in a rabbit from one of the local animal shelters. At the shelter Duncan was displaying many behavioral problems, the most concerning was that he was biting the staff, not just little nips but hard enough to break the skin and leave bruises. The shelter was going to euthanize him if they couldn’t find rescue placement. The shelter reached out to us and when I read his story I knew we needed to take him in. Oftentimes when rabbits are biting people there is something more going on. They might be in pain, stressed, or scared. In Duncan’s case I believe he was in severe pain. As soon as Duncan arrived at the rescue we immediately noticed issues with his ears. Duncan is a lop eared rabbit; these guys often have ear issues, but Duncan’s were the most severe we have ever seen. His ears were hard as bone and he was clearly irritated by them. He went to the vet the next day where we learned he had both a bacterial and fungal infection in both ears. We also learned that the reason his ears were so hard is because they were completely calcified. Duncan’s infections were treated and once they cleared up we decided a surgical approach would be his best chance at a pain free, comfortable life. Duncan’s next adventure was to Stahl Exotics for a CT scan of his head and ears to see if there was structural damage and to determine if he was a good candidate for a surgery called a lateral ear resection. The vets determined he was and a date was set for surgery. During surgery it was discovered that both ear drums were ruptured so the vets had to remove them. Incisions were made along the sides of his ears which now allow us to flush out his ears and clear the debris and wax that build up and cause him discomfort. Duncan had a rocky recovery post surgery. He scratched out his sutures and the incisions became infected. We had to try a few different antibiotics, but eventually the infection cleared and his ears healed up nicely. Duncan still requires daily care for his ears. He lives with one of our board members who flushes his ears out every few days. He is also deaf and occasionally startles if he doesn’t see you coming. Duncan still bites from time to time, likely due to being deaf, but he has made huge improvements! We are all so proud of Duncan! (fb)

Hey all, our next Virginia Grooming and Adoption day is Sunday, June 1st from 12 to 3 pm. The address is: Tango Pet Depot, 11213 Lee Highway Fairfax, VA 22030. Here is the link to sign up! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F44A5A62DAAF9C52-57022315-forgrooming (fb)