[Petbunny] Maggie

[Anne Walizer]

Hi Jane,
i hope Maggie's eyes clear up.

We had to make tough decisions for Madison this weekend.  Not ones  
that I'd recommend for anybody.  Financial means aren't a  
consideration for us when it comes to the care of our pets.    (I'm  
not saying we'd get a second mortgage for chemo treatments for a 9 yr  
old bunny...but we'd do whatever feasible to ensure the quality of  
life would be maintained).  Madison was struggling to breathe and  
sneezing blood.  No heroic measures would have aided her without  
scaring her, overly stressing her and possibly killing her in the  
process.  The tumors were just taking over her lungs.  And it was  
incredibly painful for my husband and I to watch -- to drive her to  
the emergency vets (a place we've never been and have heard  
conflicting stories about the quality of care - we found it to be  
compassionate and wouldn't hesitate to go back in a dire emergency  
again). We left the house knowing what we had to do -- in the best  
interests of Madison (and Kazi).

Sure, in my rose-colored glass world, I'd give anything to go back 2  
wks and freeze time - before i knew about her tumors, before they  
really affected her breathing.  But, I can't -- and it's too painful  
to contemplate those kinds of scenarios.  For our little family,  
cancer in our pets has proven to be terminal - very, very quickly.   
Magick was also diagnosed on a tuesday and was in completely kidney  
failure by Friday morning of the same week.  Madison was diagnosed on  
a tuesday and bleeding by Saturday afternoon.

Available lines of credit on our credit cards had zero impact on their  
care -- or our decisions as to what care to provide.  but that's our  
personal, financial decision.  As with the case of our beautiful  
Madison, we knew what we could handle - care-wise, and felt we had  
absolutely no right to keep her with us, just to have her here - while  
she was panting to breathe and sneezing like she was.  My husband went  
to Home depot and purchased a ton of breathing masks to help medicate  
her (and Kazi) because his asthma acts up horribly around so much fur  
so close to his face because he knew i needed help.  These were  
decisions we made -- but not everybody is in the same boat and we each  
have to make brutal decisions with the information/scenarios before us.

and, more importantly, we have to make decisions that we can be at  
peace with -- eventually, after the grief diminishes.

sorry for the long diatribe.  =)  I know you love Maggie and all your  
pets and you will make the best decisions for your fur family.  What  
these little fur balls give us (and the larger 73 lb doberman-fur  
balls!) can so outweigh some of the minor inconveniences we must do  
sometimes (like medications, puppy pee pads, etc).  I look back at the  
last 8 yrs with Madison and wonder where the time went.  It was  
yesterday that I held her in that dreaded petstore just around easter  
when she was "marked down" and knew that instant that she had to come  
home with us - i wasn't putting her back in that small cage with an  
aggressive male bunny (no bonding techniques were being utilized...).   
She had holes in her mini-lop ears from being attacked, and scabs on  
her neck.   She clung to me.  I blink - and there she was in my arms  
snuggling at the vet's office on Tuesday afternoon, looking at her x- 
rays.  and then we're at Saturday afternoon.

I cry because I miss her - I miss hearing her thumps when she and Kazi  
played chase or she wanted something and we weren't in the room.  I  
miss feeling her presence in the bunny room when I check on them  
throughout the day.  But I'm at peace with what we had to do and hope  
those images of saturday afternoon fade quickly as I remember all the  
wonderful times we had with our little Diva.  Kazi needs our utmost  
attention right now - he's slowing coming out of stasis and it looks  
promising.  he's got another week of antibiotic and we're cutting back  
the stasis meds tomorrow, so cross your fingers!

--
Anne
Madison, Kazi, Ben & Princess Maya
www.walizer.net

"You do what you know, and when you know better, you do better." -  
Maya Angelou


On Aug 16, 2009, at 9:56 PM, krasijane wrote:

> I can not talk to my mother.  She doesnt answer the phone.  Michelle  
> will
> try to get by next week, wake mom and call me so I can talk to her.   
> You
> would think my brother could do that, wouldn't you.  He hasn't seen  
> her in 6
> wks.
>
> I got her eye open.  I am a little amazed that I have developed the  
> patience
> to wipe and wipe and wipe for 10 and 15 mins to get all the crude to  
> melt. I
> put the tube medicine I got from Dr Z (in town vet) in her eyes just  
> to help
> her.  Also I noticed that the dark spot on her backside now sports  
> hair so
> her hair is coming back.  I told her tonight if anyone showed up and  
> saw her
> they would say she is neglected, might be true.  I am at my worst in
> Aug/Sept.  Just not a nice person, its an annual thing.  I neglect the
> plants too, tired of summer or something.  Odd time of the year to be
> depressed.
>
> In reflecting I have considered that long term Baytril maybe  
> effective and
> she should have the chance.  So I will have to go buy a tire  
> tomorrow so I
> can drive safely to San Diego.  Right front tire is not holding air
> correctly.  Looks worn along the edge.
>
> On Sun, Aug 16, 2009 at 6:43 PM, Melanie Barr <mvbarr at bellsouth.net>  
> wrote:
>
>> Of course, I vote to save Maggie. She is trying to live and if her  
>> poops
>> are better she is doing her best.  When she gives up that is the  
>> time to let
>> her go.
>>
>> Have you talked to your mother? What does she have to say about you
>> visiting her?  I wish someone could bunnysit Maggie.  Maybe the Vet  
>> can
>> board her.
>>
>> Melanie
>>
>
>
>
> -- 
> Jane, Maggie & the fosters: Fric & Frac
> krasi.jane at gmail.com
> http://community.webshots.com/user/krasijane
> Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being  
> governed
> by those who are dumber.
> – Plato, Greek philosopher (428 BC – 348 BC)
>
> Never be guilty of sacrificing the truth at the altar of peace  J.  
> C. Rely