Bertram is a sweet 1 year and 10 month old lionhead bunny! When he was a tiny baby, he was found outdoors by a couple while they were on a hike. They scooped him up and brought him into a local Petco in a plastic bag. Knowing I'm a bunny person, one of the employees called on me to help, and the rest is history!
On Monday, March 30th, Bertram was lethargic and not being himself. His regular vet was overbooked even with emergencies, so I took him to Access Specialty Animal Hospital to start treatment. He was diagnosed with bloat, which can be deadly for rabbits. Over the next 24 hrs, his kidneys stopped working. On Tuesday, we transferred him to his regular vet, Dr. Kanfer, at Exotic Animal Veterinary Center, where he had emergency, life saving surgery to remove the blockage in his small intestine. After surgery, he needed constant monitoring and treatments. He was finally well enough to come home on Friday night! I am continuing treatments here, and watching him closely.
He goes back to his doctor on Tuesday, for a recheck, bloodwork and x-rays.
I did get insurance for Bertram as soon as took him in. Unlike insurance for dogs and cats, there was only one company that offered coverage for rabbits, and they only offered one plan. The maximum they reimburse per year for illness is $3000. While I am very grateful for that, after his recheck on Tuesday, we will have reached a bill of about $14,000.
After paying $3000 to Access, I was able to get a Care Credit loan of $6000 and a Scratchpay loan of $3500, so he could get the care he needed to save his life. All of that needs to be paid back, and there will still be some follow up visits to make sure he continues to heal properly.
Funds raised will go directly to pay off the vet bill loans, and pay for any future treatments. Please consider donating. Green Bean, his Pug brother, and I appreciate your support and caring! Bertram is a very brave and strong boy!
All the medical details!
Bertram was bloated on Monday. He had a small piece of fur stuck in his small intestine. His blood pressure was low and he was in shock. For the first day he received a large amount of IV fluids that did not stay in his bloodstream and instead pooled in his stomach. He needed 2 gastric decompressions but still had low blood pressure and the blockage had not started moving. When there is low blood pressure, there is decreased blood flowing through the organs. This caused his kidney values to become quite elevated and stop working, and he did not produce urine. His potassium level was life threateningly high at one point. With the lack of eating his liver became unhappy as well, called Fatty Liver disease. Because of not eating and the high does of that type of IV fluids, his Albumin protein levels bottomed out and became life threateningly low. Calcium is bound to Albumin, so when it dropped so low, so did his Calcium. Calcium is required for many bodily functions, and his was dangerously low as well. We performed emergency surgery to move the blockage from the small intestine into the large intestine. We gave his IV meds to increase his blood pressure and rehydrate him. We gave IV calcium, antibiotics, intestinal stimulants, pain relievers and medicine for stomach ulcers. We corrected the electrolyte imbalances and got his kidneys working again We started getting food/protein into his gut shortly after surgery using a feeding tube through his nose. Over 3 days, we got his kidney values and electrolytes down to normal, his Albumin and Calcium and liver vales improved, and he started eating. He still had some gas in his stomach on Friday, most likely due to gastric ulcers.
Hopefully his kidneys and gut will heal without any further problems.