What else is new? For anyone interested in exotics, here's an update on my bunny:
Hazel has chronic nasal issues (sneezing, snorting, snoring, etc.). So after running the gamut on medications and home treatments, my veterinarian and I decided to move a step further to figure out what's going on. So Hazel had to get a CT and a nasal flush/culture done last week. Any time a rabbit goes under anesthesia it's scary; they don't respond well to it and have to be closely monitored. Of course, my damn rabbit likes to NOT BREATHE when she's under, which doesn't help with my stress level whenever she goes to the vet. However, she made it through both procedures just fine, and was rightfully pissed off when I brought her home. Her CT results showed that she actually has a bony growth in her right nasal passage! It isn't malignant, isn't inflamed, and it isn't disrupting any of the surrounding bone in her nose. However, the growth could be trapping bacteria behind it or around it, causing chronic infection, along with the mere presence of the growth as an irritation. Now we're just waiting on the results of the culture and sensitivity test, which determines what bacteria are present and which antibiotics they are sensitive to. This takes a few weeks, since aerobic and anaerobic bacteria are tested for. So we'll see what the next step is. In the mean time, Hazel is on NSAIDs (Metacam) to reduce the inflammation in her nose and hopefully reduce the sneezing/snotting. We'll see. Luckily she eats that stuff up like candy (thank god for oral meds) so she is easy to medicate.
Speaking of Hazel, I've been surprised by the reactions of my classmates when I tell them about her trips to the vet. They ask me if it's "worth it to spend so much money on a rabbit," or ask why I've gone to such lengths to figure out a chronic snotty nose. I could understand this coming from "regular" people, but vet students? Our whole profession is built on people thinking their pets are worth it. Exotic veterinary medicine is a growing field because of the burgeoning interest in the proper care of exotic pets, including rabbits. There's a whole department dedicated to it at our own veterinary school. Would these same students respond that way if I said it was my dog or cat going in for a CT? Doubtful. Rabbits are seen as worth less by the general population, as they inhabit a strange place somewhere between livestock and pet. Most people think that rabbits should live outside in a small cage, and that all rabbits do is "sit there" or bite when someone goes to pet them. Rabbits actually make wonderful INDOOR pets that can be litter trained like cats, and require as much exercise and maintenance as a dog.
My rabbit is spayed, litter trained, and has free range of my apartment. When I come home and sit on the couch, my rabbit hops up and lays next to me. She loves attention. She licks me. She follows me around. She knows her name and comes when called. She plays, runs, and jumps around; she's constantly active and exploring. Hazel is just as much of a companion as a dog or cat, and as a member of my family deserves the best care I can give her, especially when I have access to the resources and facilities to do so.
I think that's an important lesson for would-be veterinarians, including myself, to learn: Don't be hasty to judge the bond between an owner and their pet. We want to become veterinarians because we believe that animal lives have worth, no matter the species.
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