Help Our Fur Family: Rusty & Dell’s Recovery

Hi everyone,

As many of you know, we are bun-parents to two lively and hilarious rabbits: Walter & Dale, whom we took in from our neighborhood over the course of the past few years. They are now very much a part of our lovely fur family, in addition to our two rambunctious cats Eloise & Zuko.

To our concern and surprise, our family has suddenly grown, with the addition of two more bunnies (~4 months old each, we believe) whom our neighbors desperately relinquished to us last week, and whom we successfully captured over the weekend.

The events of taking in these recent two–Rusty and Dell–is largely a rerun of what originally happened with Walter & Dale. Our neighbors kept their bunnies outside, and they roamed all over the neighborhood. Walter & Dale often hopped around our yard, under our cars and in the street, and this quickly turned into a determined quest to capture both before the elements of the outdoors (heat, predators, disease, traffic, etc.) got to them first.

Where we are now: As of Tuesday morning, Rusty is at the emergency vet at NCSU undergoing examinations, testing, and wound care due to 3 lesions on his sides and back area, as well as a limp. We theorize that a large bird or another animal attacked him before we took him in. He may need an X-Ray to check for lung & bone damage, depending on the severity of the wounds once the vet is able to get a clearer look.

The other rabbit, Dell, is in our home office. We suspect she may be carrying baby bunnies as evidenced by multiple lumps on her stomach. We will know more for certain when we take her for her vet appointment on Friday afternoon.

Where we are going: We are hoping to secure other living arrangements for Rusty and Dell, but for now, our priority is stabilization and keeping them safe with solid medical care. Our goal is to have them healthy and thriving despite all the turmoil they have already endured in their short, little lives! We already love them and their little personalities dearly.

In the meantime, we are making a plea for some financial support with the costs of the vet and supplies for Rusty and Dell. Rusty’s initial visit will be between $600 and $1200 (hopefully), and we are assuming something similar for Dell. If you are able to contribute anything at all toward a healthy, happy future for these buns, we would hugely appreciate it.

Thank you for reading and for your consideration!

Michael & Emily