Muffin's First Vet Visit

When we first adopted Orwell, the shelter told us he would only need two vet visits to complete his vaccinations.  During his first vet visit, the vet told me he had two more visits left after that one (wait, that makes three).   Then at the second visit which was over twice as expensive as the first, the vet said he had two more visits after THAT one (that makes four).  That vet also said we needed to switch him to a wet food diet.  That vet also treated him for ear mites as a preventative measure since mites are so common in animal rescue centers.  So Orwell has become one expensive critter, and that doesn't count the four costly floor rugs he has shredded or the leather sofa he distressed for us when he made it his scratching post.  Ugh.

Then, we began to wonder if Orwell gave Muffin ear mites, which are transferable between the species.  The back half of each of Muffin's ears began to turn dark gray while the front remained light tan or cream.  I thought nothing of it at first since sable point lops are always changing colors.  But then we realized she was losing a lot of fur, not just changing color, and saw where fur loss was a sign of ear mites, so we took her to the most expensive and only vet that treats rabbits nearby in a neighboring city.

Sorry, Muffin, but as I learned at a very early age, having a brother automatically means you will often find yourself in the headlock. The secret to getting out of this position is to tickle your brother's feet. It worked every time for me.

I also shared with my vet my concerns over Muffin's change in temperament and frequent spraying and litter training issues making her way more trouble than I could stand.  She thought Muffin was remarkably calm during the visit, and Muffin certainly did enjoy all the rubbing and attention.  Friends with bunnies as pets tell me Muffin doesn't even belong in the rabbit species, for she is more like a dog in the way she sits in our lap, licks our face, and just enjoys being cuddled.

Muffin made my boy and me laugh with her ears out like airplane wings while in the bunny burrito wrap for the examination.  The vet said her ears look great and that since the shedding is symmetrical, she's probably just going through a molting period.  She had not seen anything quite like it, though.  Then today, I came across this picture of Muffin's maternal grandfather, Mr. Honey. In this pic, his ears look the exact same way, so apparently this ear thing is genetic, but I hope it looks normal again soon as it is worrisome to watch.

Mr. Honey, Muffin's grandfather

The vet suspects that Muffin's behavior is a combination of wanting more attention now that Orwell is in the family and being in heat.  She probably smells some leftover pheromones from our previous male bunny, Cody.  So I cleaned the furniture with enzymatic cleaner to rid it of any remaining scents.  She has still had a few accidents, so worst case is she has a UTI causing her to pee more, but her mood seems to be more normal now, especially if I give her one-on-one attention each day.