Overall, I am having a great summer, rabbit wise. The rabbits inside the patio are going about their business like normal, most don't even seem bothered by the heat. The ones that are outside are getting the brunt of it, with the lack of fan, and the tarp is like a sauna. I like to keep a water bottle in their cages, and they just attack it with licks and paws, digging and scratching at it.
There was one exception to the rule, and that would be Toulouse. There are always people or animals that can't handle the heat as well as other people. I don't know why, but there is something that their bodies just can't stand. Toulouse was one of those. I would always try my hardest to keep a water bottle in his cage, a frozen water bowl, and just to monitor him daily.
Over the weekend we had a particularly cool day, and then the next day was also pretty cool. Much cooler than it's been. So, I figure "he'll be fine, it's nicer outside than any other day". Well, I was wrong. I walked out there about 6 or 7 to feed, and I went to his cage first. It was incredibly obvious that he was having a stroke. I quickly brought him inside, took the appropriate measures to cool his off, and regulate his temp. While I was doing this, I noticed "twitching". I pushed that to the back of my mind, and sat there for an hour trying to get everything back to normal.
After that hour passed, I placed him in a single carrier, and noticed he was still twitching. It's almost like a seizure, but not quite. His movement was stiff, and he was having trouble staying still, so he cornered himself, head first.
When we hear of heat stroke, most know what it is, and even the basics at fixing it (a vet isn't really necessary, despite what you read). What we all forget, and I didn't even think of, is the lasting effects that a stroke causes, such as organ and brain damages. This is with anyone; people, rabbits, dogs, etc. My husband did some googling, and we realized that Toulouse had developed Ataxia.
"a neurological sign consisting of lack of voluntary coordination of muscle movements, as in walking. Ataxia is a non-specific clinical manifestation implying dysfunction of the parts of the nervous system that coordinate movement, such as the cerebellum." - Wikipedia
Toulouse had this from the moment I brought him inside. We hay have fixed the stroke, but the damage was done. With any neurological damage, it can't be reversed. In humans physical therapy, and medication can help control or suppress the symptoms. Methods unheard of with rabbits. Plainly put, he would never live a normal life, he would never heal from this. We had to put him down.
I'm not writing this to scare those who read it, I'm just trying to tell my story, and my first experience with heat stroke. All it took was one day of careless ness for this to happen. Do I feel bad? Of course! I also know that if it wasn't today, it could have been any other day in the summer. Could have been tomorrow, next year, next month, any day that I would have been gone all day, this could have happened. This rabbit wasn't built for the heat, and if I realized the signs sooner, I could have made him a permanent resident inside the house, but I didn't.
This is the first time that was able to assess the situation, and make the decision on what to deal with him. It was hard, and it's never going to get easier. It's not supposed to be easy to do, but with what I was given, the end result was for the best.
How I suggest dealing with heat stroke:
1. Bring the rabbit inside
2. Wrap a wet towel (I use a cold towel) around the ears
3. A fan blowing around (not directly on) the rabbit
4. Place the rabbit on a cold (wet is fine) towel
5. Patience - It takes time, as long as the rabbit remains alert, you may have gotten there in time
6. Provide electrolytes and room temp. water. Syringe or in a bowl, whatever they'll take
7. DON'T go to the vet. They can't do much more than what is listed above. Maybe an IV fluid. You're going to be slapped with an outrageous bill for something you can do at home. If you feel you must go to the vet, by all means do. Personally, I will do what I can at home.
8. Remember it is NOT your fault. Coulda shoulda woulda, no matter how you slice it, in any situation, there will always be something you could have done better. Just because you didn't do those extra things, does not meant you need to feel guilty. Just take it as a learning experience to try and prevent this from happening again.
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| FP's Toulouse |
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