This post is dedicated to my beautiful companion Poko, my pet mini lop eared rabbit.
Yesterday morning at 11:00am, my mother and I found Poko deceased in her eating/toilet area. She had been perfectly fine over the weekend and had shown no signs of being ill, nor did her routine change. My boyfriend had seen her alive and happy when he left for work earlier in the morning and within 3 hours she had died.
Poko and I were one and the same, she had a hard start to her life due to a medical illness and I nursed her back to health, most people would probably have given up on such a small creature. Through having my own medical experiences as a child and wanting to help her through her illness we developed a really strong bond, she completely trusted me and was so loyal to our friendship.
This is Poko’s story.
When she was 2 months old she began to suffer from a head tilt and became unbalanced in her walking. After taking her to a local vet, they deemed that it was probably just an ear infection and prescribed antibiotics. After 2 weeks Poko had not improved and her head was almost completely horizontal, I knew that this was not just an ear infection and after doing a lot of research I found that she may of had Encephalitozoon Cuniculi - I searched around looking for the best vet in Sydney who specialised in treating only small mammals like rabbits and reptiles and took her to see him and his team.
Poko was indeed diagnosed with E.C., which is a parasite that moves through the blood stream and it does not respond to antibiotics like bacteria. It is spread through the urine of other infected rabbits. There is no cure, only preventative treatment.
During her 2-3 month recovery, I had to nurse her, wrapped in a towel and keep her in a small box to prevent her from hurting herself. She could no longer walk or stand up, due to her head tilt, she would continually flip over and roll all over the place. She could not eat or drink by herself and I had to syringe feed her. She also had to be given 3 medications twice a day by syringe.
Poko made a miraculous full recovery after 3 months, and her head tilt was completely gone. She was perfectly healthy again and continued on to have a happy bunny life.
We have no idea why Poko died suddenly, perhaps she had a heart attack or perhaps she was suffering from an infection. She showed no signs or symptoms of being unwell.
I am devastated at her passing, as she was a beautiful soul. She was always supposed to be mine so that I could give her a chance at having a happy life. I know that I gave her an extended 2.5 years of life, that she may not have had otherwise and I know that she was really thankful for that. I miss you Poko and I love you.
9 weeks old:
Snoozing by the heater:
Just chillin’:
The first night we brought Yuki home:
My mum took her to her farm property “Paradise” and buried her in the main garden and placed some hay and roses over the top.
Rest in peace my darling. We all love you.
