Hello my friends!
Your visits always bring joy to my day.
Thank you, for the sweet comments you so graciously bless my heart with.
The photos in this post are not in order of what I am sharing with you,
just random from the day we brought Lakota home to his passing.
God bless you!
On Tuesday January 24th the life of our precious rabbit, Lakota,
Your visits always bring joy to my day.
Thank you, for the sweet comments you so graciously bless my heart with.
The photos in this post are not in order of what I am sharing with you,
just random from the day we brought Lakota home to his passing.
God bless you!
On Tuesday January 24th the life of our precious rabbit, Lakota,
came to an end peacefully as he rested in the loving arms of my husband.
Lakota reached his 8th birthday two days prior to his passing,
a birthday we didn't expect him to see after a health issue
that began on December 5th over one year ago.
A parasite (which is common in rabbits) went to Lakota's brain,
he had an inner ear bacterial infection that brought his immune system down.
he had an inner ear bacterial infection that brought his immune system down.
Lakota then got what they call "Head tilt" a balance disease.
Head tilt in rabbits is difficult to cure. Treatment often takes weeks
or even months of medication and supportive care.
The key is commitment, perseverance and a lot of love.
In most cases your bunny can be back on their feet and doing binkys,
but unfortunately that was not the case with Lakota.
or even months of medication and supportive care.
The key is commitment, perseverance and a lot of love.
In most cases your bunny can be back on their feet and doing binkys,
but unfortunately that was not the case with Lakota.
You can Google or U Tube Head tilt in rabbits, but let me forewarn you, it's a sad sight.
With the help of our veterinary and her assistant,
we chose to care for Lakota rather than put him down.
In many cases people will put their precious pets down
believing they will not return to normal, we were willing to go the distance
and take the chance that Lakota would be well again.
We're thankful we made that choice, because this past year
through heartache and tears yes, but oh such enjoyment and love we experienced
as we cared for him and looked after his many needs
hopeful day after day that he just might pull out of it.
A couple of months after he was diagnosed it was looking promising
until the parasite returned and made another attack,
this time with no hope of coming out normal.
But what is normal?
No, he wasn't able to walk or even stand at times,
but he fought to be a rabbit and we owed it to him to go the distance
as long as he was willing to fight and survive.
Lakota was willing to be a rabbit, even if it meant lying on his side
where he found comfort with his balance.
Lakota was a brave and valiant fighter unwilling
to let go of life without a battle.
God graced our lives with over a year of precious unforgettable time spent
with our Lakota, and all the while we believed we were doing the right thing.
We're thankful we made that choice, because this past year
through heartache and tears yes, but oh such enjoyment and love we experienced
as we cared for him and looked after his many needs
hopeful day after day that he just might pull out of it.
A couple of months after he was diagnosed it was looking promising
until the parasite returned and made another attack,
this time with no hope of coming out normal.
But what is normal?
No, he wasn't able to walk or even stand at times,
but he fought to be a rabbit and we owed it to him to go the distance
as long as he was willing to fight and survive.
Lakota was willing to be a rabbit, even if it meant lying on his side
where he found comfort with his balance.
Lakota was a brave and valiant fighter unwilling
to let go of life without a battle.
God graced our lives with over a year of precious unforgettable time spent
with our Lakota, and all the while we believed we were doing the right thing.
♡
In the beginning stages Lakota was on critical care,
between my husband and myself we spent many hours
feeding Lakota by syringe, which was our only hope of keeping him alive.
Was it time consuming? Oh yes. Would we do it all over again? Oh yes.
I was no longer working with hospice due to my own balance disorder
which freed me up to care for Lakota and his needs.
Jokingly, I said that my role had changed from caring for people
to now beginning "Hospice for Hares."
to now beginning "Hospice for Hares."
Lakota certainly required a lot of one-on-one care and I was more than happy to give it.
Over the coarse of this past year my husband and I have learned a great deal
in the way of how to care for your Head tilt rabbit.
This may sound like a clinical post and maybe it is,
but our hopes are that we can encourage others who may find themselves in this same situation that we found ourselves in and take comfort in knowing
there are ways of helping and keeping your rabbit (or any other animal) alive
until you believe it's time to put them down.
We told ourselves that his eating or lack of would be our deciding factor
as to when the time was right in putting him down.
Lakota ate and loved to eat right up until he took his last breath.
My husband was sensitive to the cries of Lakota in the night hours
and was blessed to hear his last cry.
He gently placed Lakota in his arms, tenderly loved on him,
until Lakota took his last breath.
We believe it was a stroke that took Lakota's life.
If you have never heard a rabbit cry you are not missing anything,
their cry is more of a scream, it's horrible!
This may sound like a clinical post and maybe it is,
but our hopes are that we can encourage others who may find themselves in this same situation that we found ourselves in and take comfort in knowing
there are ways of helping and keeping your rabbit (or any other animal) alive
until you believe it's time to put them down.
We told ourselves that his eating or lack of would be our deciding factor
as to when the time was right in putting him down.
Lakota ate and loved to eat right up until he took his last breath.
My husband was sensitive to the cries of Lakota in the night hours
and was blessed to hear his last cry.
He gently placed Lakota in his arms, tenderly loved on him,
until Lakota took his last breath.
We believe it was a stroke that took Lakota's life.
If you have never heard a rabbit cry you are not missing anything,
their cry is more of a scream, it's horrible!
We soon discovered ways in which to administer Lakota's food and medication
so that he was sure to consume it.
so that he was sure to consume it.
We experimented with different amounts of high protein pellets
trying to put weight on him. We gave him Pedialite (baby electrolytes)
believing it would help replenish his body.
Towards the end of Lakota's life he wouldn't drink water
so we were forced to syringe his water. He was like a camel,
and would often times take nothing at all
and other times drink in ten syringes at a time.
With a lack of water he would get dehydrated causing his muscles to cramp,
so we learned to massage him out of a cramping episode.
We learned to do therapy (as taught from my vestibular therapist)
for his balance in hopes it would help.
We believe these things made life more comfortable
for him, so to us, it was worth it all.
A rabbit needs their hay so we had to experiment with different
believing it would help replenish his body.
Towards the end of Lakota's life he wouldn't drink water
so we were forced to syringe his water. He was like a camel,
and would often times take nothing at all
and other times drink in ten syringes at a time.
With a lack of water he would get dehydrated causing his muscles to cramp,
so we learned to massage him out of a cramping episode.
We learned to do therapy (as taught from my vestibular therapist)
for his balance in hopes it would help.
We believe these things made life more comfortable
for him, so to us, it was worth it all.
A rabbit needs their hay so we had to experiment with different
types trying to find what was easiest for him to grab a hold of and chew.
The GI track of a rabbit needs to be constantly moving
so daily we would give one tablespoon of pumpkin by syringe to Lakota.
That was one of the delights he looked forward to,
not to mention it was good for him.
The GI track of a rabbit needs to be constantly moving
so daily we would give one tablespoon of pumpkin by syringe to Lakota.
That was one of the delights he looked forward to,
not to mention it was good for him.
Lakota went from using his own litter box to wee wee pads that we would
place him on, and believe it or not, he knew what he was supposed to do; and
even though he lost vision in his left eye and partially his right eye,
he knew to stay perfectly on that little pad circling until he found the right spot.
At one point our daughter made a cloth eye patch that we would
place over Lakota's right eye so as to keep it from wandering.
You see, because of his balance being off on the left side
his right eye would roll up and his balance would go with it
causing him to either fall over or do somersaults.
♡
*I'm going to take you down a rabbit trail for a second*
When I was seeing the vestibular therapist for my own balance problem
my therapist told me of a gentleman who's balance was so off
that he felt more comfortable standing on his head rather than his feet. Amazing!
Because I had gone through and still continue to deal with balance issues
(not vertigo by the way) our veterinarian said that Lakota
couldn't be in a better home or under better care
because I could relate to him and his balance issues,
boy was she ever right!
Many times I would catch my husband trying to place Lakota
on his right side and Lakota would scramble trying to roll over.
Till this day I cannot sleep, lay or look to my left side with out feeling off balance
which is my effected side. Lakota was the same.
Once Lakota could no longer come and go
he knew to stay perfectly on that little pad circling until he found the right spot.
At one point our daughter made a cloth eye patch that we would
place over Lakota's right eye so as to keep it from wandering.
You see, because of his balance being off on the left side
his right eye would roll up and his balance would go with it
causing him to either fall over or do somersaults.
♡
*I'm going to take you down a rabbit trail for a second*
When I was seeing the vestibular therapist for my own balance problem
my therapist told me of a gentleman who's balance was so off
that he felt more comfortable standing on his head rather than his feet. Amazing!
Because I had gone through and still continue to deal with balance issues
(not vertigo by the way) our veterinarian said that Lakota
couldn't be in a better home or under better care
because I could relate to him and his balance issues,
boy was she ever right!
Many times I would catch my husband trying to place Lakota
on his right side and Lakota would scramble trying to roll over.
Till this day I cannot sleep, lay or look to my left side with out feeling off balance
which is my effected side. Lakota was the same.
Once Lakota could no longer come and go
from his home (rabbit hutch) on his own my husband made a carpeted ramp
that made it easier for him, but that didn't last long.
Soon after we tried using the ramp to assist Lakota we found that he was too
unstable falling and doing somersaults down the ramp,
we knew then that Lakota would soon became house bound,
that made it easier for him, but that didn't last long.
Soon after we tried using the ramp to assist Lakota we found that he was too
unstable falling and doing somersaults down the ramp,
we knew then that Lakota would soon became house bound,
sort of like bed bound. :(
Though he could pull himself up and move slowly around his cage ,
a greater part of his time was spent lying on his left side leaving him in a position where
he would be laying in his urine, not good.
Though he could pull himself up and move slowly around his cage ,
a greater part of his time was spent lying on his left side leaving him in a position where
he would be laying in his urine, not good.
We discovered that fleece (made from plastic by the way) is not absorbent,
so we then placed the wee wee pad underneath a piece of fleece material
allowing his urine to go through the fleece and on to the pad keeping him dry.
One of the issues we dealt with on a regular basis was the thrashing that took place
with Lakota in his home.
Remember, it's all about balance, and he did all that he could to stabilize himself.
We created bumpers around his home, sort of like bumper pads in a babies crib
to prevent him from catching his feet in the bars of his home,
plus, he could use those bumpers to support himself on his effected side,
or rest his head upon for comfort.
We were amazed at watching Lakota make adjustments
that would help him to do what was needed so he could manage as a rabbit.
But many times my husband and I would have to make changes
and come up with new ideas for making life easier and more comfortable for Lakota.
We created a safe haven for Lakota to live in.
Lakota would spend many hours of the day in our laps
or wrapped up in a blanket and snuggled into a covered cat bed
belonging to our cat Toby.
Toby was kind in sharing his bed with Lakota,
just as Lakota was willing to share his home and water with Toby.
Toby and Lakota were buddies especially in Lakota's early years of life,
they would chase one another through the house,
of course Toby in the lead as I believe he was the instigator.
Toby used his fluffy Persian tail to antagonize Lakota to run after him.
Toby's behavior caused me to think on some verses in Proverbs ~
"It is sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding has wisdom."
One of the issues we dealt with on a regular basis was the thrashing that took place
with Lakota in his home.
Remember, it's all about balance, and he did all that he could to stabilize himself.
We created bumpers around his home, sort of like bumper pads in a babies crib
to prevent him from catching his feet in the bars of his home,
plus, he could use those bumpers to support himself on his effected side,
or rest his head upon for comfort.
We were amazed at watching Lakota make adjustments
that would help him to do what was needed so he could manage as a rabbit.
But many times my husband and I would have to make changes
and come up with new ideas for making life easier and more comfortable for Lakota.
We created a safe haven for Lakota to live in.
Lakota would spend many hours of the day in our laps
or wrapped up in a blanket and snuggled into a covered cat bed
belonging to our cat Toby.
Toby was kind in sharing his bed with Lakota,
just as Lakota was willing to share his home and water with Toby.
Toby and Lakota were buddies especially in Lakota's early years of life,
they would chase one another through the house,
of course Toby in the lead as I believe he was the instigator.
Toby used his fluffy Persian tail to antagonize Lakota to run after him.
Toby's behavior caused me to think on some verses in Proverbs ~
"It is sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding has wisdom."
*Proverbs 10:23*
"My son, if sinners entice thee,consent thou not."
*Proverbs 1:10*
During Children's Church I used Toby and Lakota as character illustrations
pointing out the Scriptures and what they tell us about following after fools.
My husband took pictures of the two getting into mischief
and I used those photos as my props.
Lakota was used for the Lord in sharing the Truths of His Word.
In Psalm 148 the psalmist called everything to praise the Lord.
He included in his call sea dragons (v.7 )
beasts, cattle, creeping things and flying fowl ( v.10)
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Even though animals do not praise the Lord with words,
animals bring glory and praise to God by their very existence.
They show forth God as the Creator, the Creator who loves life so much that
He creates in seeming endless variety.
With God as the Designer and Artist, I see animals to be a
living display of the natural beauty God has built into creation,
and we have the joy and blessing of His wonderful goodness.
The psalmist was lighthearted when he described the joy animals feel ~
"There go the ships: there is that leviathan (sea creature)
whom thou hast made to play therin."
*Psalm 104:26*
♡
"Surely the mountains bring him forth food,
where all the beasts of the field play. "
*Job 40:20*
♡
All things were created by God and for His good pleasure.
He gave us the pleasure and joy of caring for one of His created animals.
"My son, if sinners entice thee,consent thou not."
*Proverbs 1:10*
During Children's Church I used Toby and Lakota as character illustrations
pointing out the Scriptures and what they tell us about following after fools.
My husband took pictures of the two getting into mischief
and I used those photos as my props.
Lakota was used for the Lord in sharing the Truths of His Word.
In Psalm 148 the psalmist called everything to praise the Lord.
He included in his call sea dragons (v.7 )
beasts, cattle, creeping things and flying fowl ( v.10)
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Even though animals do not praise the Lord with words,
animals bring glory and praise to God by their very existence.
They show forth God as the Creator, the Creator who loves life so much that
He creates in seeming endless variety.
With God as the Designer and Artist, I see animals to be a
living display of the natural beauty God has built into creation,
and we have the joy and blessing of His wonderful goodness.
The psalmist was lighthearted when he described the joy animals feel ~
"There go the ships: there is that leviathan (sea creature)
whom thou hast made to play therin."
*Psalm 104:26*
♡
"Surely the mountains bring him forth food,
where all the beasts of the field play. "
*Job 40:20*
♡
All things were created by God and for His good pleasure.
He gave us the pleasure and joy of caring for one of His created animals.
"For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.
I know all the fowls of the mountains,
and the wild beasts of the field are mine."
*Psalm 50:10&11*
♡
In this life we will in counter the good the bad the ugly
some wonderful moments sad moments hurt and pain tears and joy
and those sweet and precious moments that make life what it is.
Every day is a blessed day in which the Lord gives us,
a day for which we are to be thankful for.
We had 8 years of pure enjoyment with Lakota, our pet,
and now he's no longer with us.
But, how about life in general?
Do we take and make every day the best that we can
with what God has graciously given us?
Are we grateful for our own lives, the lives of our loved ones
and those with whom God brings across our paths,
even if some aren't so lovely?
In this life there are seasons that come and go.
Are you graciously receiving what God places in your life with a thankful heart
and making the best of your days with those whom
you have been blessed to share life with?
Many times it's our losses that cause us to reflect on life in a deeper way.
♡
We received the most beautiful pet sympathy card from a dear friend and I just had to share the words with you.
♡
A pet is a special part of your family
who will always have a special place in your heart.
They are gone from our sight...
but never our memory.
Gone from our hearing...
but never our hearts.
Gone from our touch...
But their presence is felt,
and the love that they gave us never departs.
God's Blessings
~ Debbie ~
I know all the fowls of the mountains,
and the wild beasts of the field are mine."
*Psalm 50:10&11*
♡
In this life we will in counter the good the bad the ugly
some wonderful moments sad moments hurt and pain tears and joy
and those sweet and precious moments that make life what it is.
Every day is a blessed day in which the Lord gives us,
a day for which we are to be thankful for.
We had 8 years of pure enjoyment with Lakota, our pet,
and now he's no longer with us.
But, how about life in general?
Do we take and make every day the best that we can
with what God has graciously given us?
Are we grateful for our own lives, the lives of our loved ones
and those with whom God brings across our paths,
even if some aren't so lovely?
In this life there are seasons that come and go.
Are you graciously receiving what God places in your life with a thankful heart
and making the best of your days with those whom
you have been blessed to share life with?
Many times it's our losses that cause us to reflect on life in a deeper way.
♡
We received the most beautiful pet sympathy card from a dear friend and I just had to share the words with you.
♡
A pet is a special part of your family
who will always have a special place in your heart.
They are gone from our sight...
but never our memory.
Gone from our hearing...
but never our hearts.
Gone from our touch...
But their presence is felt,
and the love that they gave us never departs.
God's Blessings
~ Debbie ~
♡Forever loved♡
