Animal Hospital Perform First Time Procedure on Struggling Rabbit

Photo Credit: Animal Welfare Society

A rabbit in a medical pickle and a lot of pain is living his hoppily-ever-after thanks to an animal hospital’s caring team! But, this rabbit’s tale is also a cautionary one:

Cape Town, South Africa (03 April 2024) — A tale with a ‘hoppy’ ending came about for a rabbit in Cape Town recently—just in time for him to enjoy the past Easter weekend without pain.

When the owner of the four-year-old rabbit from Athlone noticed his rabbit in distress, she brought her pet to the Animal Welfare Society for guidance. As it turned out, the rabbit had two huge bladder stones the size of tiny easter eggs, which required a delicate cystotomy!

It was the very first time the Animal Welfare Society’s animal hospital team had ever performed this procedure on a rabbit—making the circumstances an important occasion for both the team and the poor pet.

Thanks to the hospital team, the rabbit soon became free of the tremendously painful stones and has reportedly made a ‘rabbit’ recovery.

Beyond the happiness of knowing they’d helped yet another four-legged friend in need (and being the heroes who helped create a relief-filled reunion between the rabbit and his owner) the rabbit’s tail is also a cautionary one!

Easter may have come and gone, but the hype surrounding the period can take some time to settle, especially for children. This means, rabbits and bunnies are still at risk of becoming the novelty of the season for many families who have purchased them out of impulse, or are still planning to do so.

“This time of the year, ‘pet’ shops do big business in Easter bunnies but rest assured they do not make for good ‘starter’ pets,” says the Animal Welfare Society.

The procedure itself cost this rabbit’s owner thousands of rands, and he will need many factors in his life (environmental and dietary) to be closely watched so that he lives hoppily ever after and doesn’t get caught once again in the trap of too much calcium.

“The moral of the story is that if you are considering getting a pet rabbit, definitely adopt from your nearest pet shelter, have them sterilised, be aware that they are rambunctious, high maintenance pets with very specific dietary and environmental needs to keep them happy and healthy and have a lifespan of +/- 10 years,” the AWS advises.

The organisation adds that chocolate or plush bunnies are usually the better option for ‘flavour of the month Easter bunny pets’. And to this, Good Things certainly agrees! Because being pro-adoption means being pro-loving and caring homes that don’t have an expiration date shorter than a box of Easter eggs!