08.15.12
Posted in New news!, The Friendly Farms Crew at 12:30 AM by Lori
Update 10/3/12: Maggie is now healed and we have put her with one of our sanctuary herds. She is a happy little piggy, chasing the other girls and following her friend Archie around. She still has a tendency to self-mutilate, so we keep her left rear foot wrapped in tape so she can’t scratch herself raw.
If you would like to help us provide medical care to more homeless and abandoned guinea pigs like Maggie, please contact the Avian and Exotic Clinic and make a donation to the Friendly Farms Medical Fund.
Clockwise from upper left: Reese, BonBon, Archie, Maggie, Cocoa Puff.
Little Maggie came to the shelter with her underside dyed red, some of her toenails painted pink, and so itchy from lice that she was having seizures. The shelter vet treated her for the lice and our vet gave her antibiotics and anti-inflammatories to help heal the wounds where she had scratched herself raw. An abscess on her chin was opened and flushed until it healed.
Over the weeks that we have had her and gotten to know her better, it has become evident that the extent of her medical issues is even greater. We have discovered that she also has neurological problems. Now she needs surgery for a wound that did not heal and is growing larger on her neck. Possibly a tumor? We aren’t sure, but it needs to be removed, so that is her next hurdle.
Despite all of the vet visits and medications, Maggie has kept her sweet disposition. We will care for her until she is healthy enough to go to a loving home that can meet her special needs, or let her spend the rest of her life here at the sanctuary. Can you help with her vet bills? Please contact the Avian and Exotic Clinic of the Monterey Peninsula at 831-647-1147 and contribute to the Friendly Farms Medical Fund. Tell them it’s for Maggie.
Update 8/26/12: Maggie had surgery to remove the mass from her neck and we are waiting for the lab report. She is a spunky girl, and even though the surgery site is not healing as quickly as we would like, her appetite is good and she is active.
Maggie’s vet bills have added up to $500 now. If you can help, please contact the Avian and Exotic Clinic and make a donation to the Friendly Farms Medical Fund. Thank you!
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05.14.12
Posted in The Friendly Farms Crew at 5:03 PM by Lori
Gidget has fallen for Nigel, one of our sanctuary boys, and is now a permanent resident of Friendly Farms. See our Adoptables page for listings of available guinea pigs, or go to Petfinder.com.
Gidget is about 2 years old now. She was surrendered to the shelter because the child in her family became allergic to her. Whether that is a true story or not we do not know, as sometimes people use “allergies” as an excuse to dump a pet that no one wants to care for, but here are some ideas for when allergies do become heightened around guinea pigs. We have found that wearing long sleeves when handling timothy hay stops our arms from breaking out, and others have reported that feeding second cut timothy hay (leafier, without the seed heads) or orchard grass eliminated the problem for the allergy sufferer.
Gidget is a little shy and not used to being handled a lot, but she has not nipped since we have had her. She enjoys living next to the other guinea pigs, however she has not been compatible with our pigs and may prefer to always have her own space. She is fine with the rabbits.
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05.31.10
Posted in The Friendly Farms Crew at 5:24 PM by Lori
Update 3/25/11: Claire has been bonded with Peter and Deanna and is now a permanent resident of Friendly Farms.
Deanna, Claire and Peter sharing a bowl of pellets.
Claire showed up in our driveway on a lovely full moon night in April (clair de lune means ‘moonlight’). We called in a found animal report to Monterey County Animal Services in case someone was looking for her, but no one contacted them, so after 30 days she officially became a Friendly Farms foster bunny.
Claire is a sweet and lovely girl who enjoys attention. She is getting used to being a house bunny now, and is very good with her litter box. Playing with her toys, grooming and cuddling with her stuffed bunny, and doing cute little binkies are her favorite pastimes. She may be open to the idea of having a bunny friend, if you have a neutered male or friendly spayed female looking for companionship. Claire has been spayed.
Please contact us here at Friendly Farms if you are interested in adopting this wonderful girl.
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02.05.10
Posted in The Friendly Farms Crew at 6:13 PM by Lori
Update 4/9/10- Cadbury is now living at Friendly Farms! He and lovely Angel have hit it off, and are sharing a pen, meals, and cuddles. Her seizures do not bother him, and she enjoys his sweet bunny kisses, especially on her ears!
Handsome Cadbury is a friendly boy who already knows all about being a house bunny. He is very sweet and loves to be petted.
Cadbury is looking forward to hanging out with a new family who will bunny proof some rooms for him so he can be in on all of the action. He has been neutered and is good with his litter box.
Cadbury can be met Tues. – Sat., noon until 5 pm at Salinas Animal Services. His shelter number is: A054901. Contact the shelter or Friendly Farms for more information about this great rabbit.
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10.12.09
Posted in Life on the Farm, The Friendly Farms Crew at 10:37 PM by Ross
Update 11/10/09: Paco has moved outside with the flock again. We miss his cheerful presence in the house, but we do sleep better without the crowing at 3:30 am.
Update 10/23/09: Paco has finished his meds and is now spending his days outside with the rest of the flock. He still likes to come inside to sleep at night, however, so we have left his carrier set up in the living room for him. He walks in just as it is getting dark, has a good snooze, gets up to eat a few times during the night, and then heads out again in the morning.
Update 10/15/09: Paco is spending most of his time hanging out in the living room now. He has started eating on his own, and has several good crowing sessions each day. No, the bunnies don’t appreciate his vocal talents!
Paco has a vet appointment today. Fingers crossed that he is still on track to be back with the rest of the flock next Tues.
At Friendly Farms, there is a flock of about twenty feral chickens living in the area. When we moved in, they lived primarily at the neighbors. When the neighbors moved out and new folks moved in, the chickens didn’t appreciate the new dog and so they moved over to our side of the fence. This flock sleeps in a large ivy bush adjacent to the house and does a great job eradicating the snails and bugs they encounter. Our earwig population has taken a big dive with these birds on the job!
So, on Saturday, this guy comes up to our front door and lets us know he isn’t feeling so well. In fact he lay down in front of the steps and was just too weak to deal with us, the potential predators. So Lori & I sprang into action.
Do you know how difficult it is to find a chicken doctor on a Saturday afternoon? We called several locations in Monterey, Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara counties. Saturday afternoon is not the best time to find a specialist in this field! Our good friend Mia came to the rescue with the suggestion to call East Lake Animal Clinic in Watsonville. Dr. Casper was on duty, and he quickly sized up the situation. Paco was given a thorough exam and given a hopeful prognosis. The poor guy is carrying around a lot of fluid in his lower air sac and needs R & R as well as antibiotics to set him straight.
For the next eight or so days, Paco is a house guest here at the farm. He is living in a large carrier in our living room. The bunnies have gotten used to his presence and he hasn’t caused much of a stir – yet (he did start crowing this morning). He is being fed through a feeding tube twice daily. Lori makes up a tasty mash of strained veggies mixed with Exact baby bird feed. He also gets his meds (Baytril) with the mix. Here you see him out for a quick stroll. He has been making one pass around the living room and then he goes back to sleep. Please send your good wishes for Paco’s speedy recovery. We’ll keep you posted on how it goes!
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08.17.09
Posted in Life on the Farm, News You Can Use, The Friendly Farms Crew at 10:08 PM by Lori
Update 4/9/10: Angel is now living with handsome Cadbury! Contact us for more information about this sweet couple.
Update 1/20/10: Lovely Angel is doing very well! She is back to using a regular litter box, and loves to do laps through her tunnel when she is out for her run. Angel has now been spayed. She will always have a head tilt, and has occasional seizures because of the neurological damage from the e. cuniculi, but she is a very loving and happy girl.
Angel is a darling Holland lop girl with head tilt. She came to Friendly Farms when her family decided that they do not have time for a special needs bunny.
Angel’s condition comes from an organism called encephalitozoon cuniculi
(e. cuniculi, or just ec for short). E. cuniculi is a protozoan parasite that can affect the brain and/or organs, and common neurologic signs include head tilt with rolling, hind-end weakness, urinary incontinence, or kidney damage. Rabbits can contract it from ingesting spores from the urine of an actively infected animal, or from their mother through the placenta.
While many rabbits carry e. cuniculi, few become disabled. We have had many e. cuniculi positive bunnies over the years, and have several living with us at present. These include Boo, who has hind-end weakness, urinary incontinence, and a kidney stone, Sarah, who has hind-end weakness, Rose, who shows no symptoms, but has tested positive, and Cinnamon, CJ, Grisabella and Trevor, who show no symptoms, but have all lived with ec+ rabbits and therefore have likely been exposed to, and carry, ec.
Angel’s head tilt was severe when she first came to us, and she was rolling often. She needed supplemental syringe feeding, sub-cutaneous fluids, and eye lubrication, along with oral medications, and a safe, padded living space. She is now able to feed herself and hop around a bit on her own, though she does still get confused and hop in circles at times. We anticipate continued slow progress over the next few months. Many rabbits fully recover from ec episodes, though some retain varying degrees of head tilt.
Your donations allow us to save bunnies like Angel from euthanasia and assist them in regaining their quality of life. Donations can be made to the Friendly Farms Medical Fund at the Avian and Exotic Clinic of the Monterey Peninsula by check or credit card. Or contact us here at Friendly Farms if you would like to sponsor Angel.
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08.04.08
Posted in The Friendly Farms Crew at 6:08 PM by Lori
Update March 2011: Sadly, Deanna’s husbun Smokey passed away last December. Deanna has now bonded with Peter and Claire and is enjoying her new friends.
Update 8/18/08: Deanna’s incisions are healing nicely and she is available for adoption to a safe and loving home.
Lovely Deanna came into the shelter with a mammary mass. The shelter called Friendly Farms for help, and soon Deanna was at our vet having her spay surgery and the mass removed. The vet found tumors in her uterus, so it is a good thing she got medical care when she did! Over 80% of female bunnies get cancer of the reproductive organs after the age of four if they are not spayed, and having had babies does not reduce their risk.
Deanna is currently resting in a foster home. She will be available for adoption after her incisions have had some time to heal. The vet was able to get clean edges during her surgery, so her prognosis of being cured of cancer is very good, though her chances of getting cancer again someday are a little higher than for the average spayed bunny.
If you can help with Deanna’s surgery bills, please contact the Avian and Exotic Clinic and donate to our Friendly Farms Medical Fund. We can only help bunnies like Deanna through the generosity of our donors.
Contact us here at Friendly Farms for more information about adopting beautiful Deanna.
Update 9/9/08: Sweet Deanna has found love with Smokey, and the two are now bonded snuggle bunnies! Congratulations to the happy couple! They are now both sanctuary rabbits here at Friendly Farms.
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05.01.08
Posted in The Friendly Farms Crew at 4:01 PM by Lori
Update 5/12: Carmen is now a sanctuary resident of Friendly Farms.
Are you ready for some sizzle in your life? This lovely girl is full of spice!
Carmen is a gorgeous English spot mix girl who loves to be in on the action! She has many interests that she enjoys spending time at everyday- running, digging, playing with her toys, and redecorating, to name a few. Her favorite thing of all, however, is staying alert to the goings on of the household to make sure she doesn’t miss out on anything!
Carmen would do best with a family who can give her lots of space, and is bunny experienced. We will gladly assist her new parents in discovering entertaining ways to channel her energy into appropriate activities.
For more information about Carmen, please contact us at Friendly Farms. Carmen has been spayed.
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04.16.08
Posted in The Friendly Farms Crew at 2:04 PM by Lori
Update: Sweet Oliver has fallen for beautiful Diana, one of our sanctuary rabbits, and they are a bonded couple! They are now both sanctuary bunnies, and will be cared for for the rest of their lives.
Update, May 20: Oliver has healed completely now, and has had his neuter surgery. He is available for adoption to a loving family who wants a fun and energetic bunny! Please contact us for more information.
Hello! My name is Oliver, and I would like nothing more than to come out and play! My foster mom says I still have a lot of healing to do though, so I have to play quietly by myself for awhile yet!
I was found stray and came to the shelter with a huge lump on my side! The vet says it looks like a cat bit me twice, and the wounds got infected. She took 3 cups of pus out of those wounds the first day!
Lots of times young bunny boys like me who aren’t neutered get into trouble with cats because we want a girlfriend really bad, and if a girl bunny isn’t around, we go after the cat! All our humans have to do is take us to the vet and get us neutered when we are 3 or 4 months old, and it saves us all a lot of headaches! And we are better with a litter box once we are neutered as well!
The shelter asked Friendly Farms if they would help me, and so I visited their vet last week and had surgery to remove my abscesses. One of them was very deep and had to be left open so it can be flushed out everyday. The flushing is not fun, and I don’t like the medicine I have to take everyday one bit, but I am okay with the hot compresses and all of the kisses and strokes I get for being such a good sweet boy!
I really want to run and play like young bunnies like me love to! Can you help by making a donation to the Friendly Farms medical fund? They cannot rescue hurt bunnies like me without your assistance! Please contact the Avian and Exotic Clinic to donate, and tell them Oliver sent you!
Oliver will be ready for adoption once his wounds have healed and he has been neutered. For more information, please contact us at Friendly Farms.
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03.20.08
Posted in The Friendly Farms Crew at 2:56 PM by Lori
Update 5/12: Muggins is now a permanent resident of Friendly Farms.
Update: 4/15/08 – Muggins’ wound has healed nicely and his fur has grown back. He has been neutered and is ready to move into a loving home!
Please consider helping a rabbit like Muggins this Easter with a donation to the Friendly Farms Medical Fund.
Hi! My name is Muggins! They called me Smokey at the shelter, but my foster mom says there is already a Smokey at Friendly Farms, so I will be called Muggins from now on!
I know the big wound on my back looks pretty bad, but it is healing now that I have had an abscess removed from there. I am active, playing with my toys, digging, and doing other fun bunny things like any other young rabbit boy! My surgical staples will come out in 2 weeks, my fur will grow back, and I will be as handsome as ever!
My brother and I got into a terrible fight at the shelter. I hurt him pretty badly too, but the shelter vet was able to fix him up. My abscess wasn’t getting any better, so the shelter vet recommended that I have surgery. The shelter asked Friendly Farms if they would help me. Thankfully they opened their hearts to me and took me to their vet for surgery, because I have heard that it is not a good thing when animals leave by the back door of the shelter instead of the front.
For now, I am enjoying my stay at Friendly Farms, but when my foster mom tells me how good life will be at my forever home, I can hardly wait! Will you be the person to share love and good times with me for the rest of my life?
Muggins will be available for adoption after his wound heals. We would greatly appreciate help with his medical expenses. Donations can be made directly to the Friendly Farms Medical Fund at the Avian and Exotic Clinic of the Monterey Peninsula or contact us.
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