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Pet Forum / Mammals / Rabbits / September 2005Scooter's e-collar diary
Hi all, 2 days ago I posted about Scooter's broken toes and the vet's plan for a cast and e-collar. I thought I'd keep writing in to document the difficulty of dealing with Scooter's collar in the long-term. Searching through the archives, I did find this helpful photo (6th down on the page): http://cottontail.home.att.net/Ralph which helped us see how far back we might trim the collar. I'm actually planning on bugging the vet again next week to get a new collar fit - the one we've got is actually closed with duct tape, and we can't trim that area of the cone, so Scooter is stuck with a lop-sided shape that keeps rotating around to the worst possible position. We'll get a new one that is pre-trimmed before being applied. Emotionally, I think Scooter has gone from freaked-out to annoyed. At first he would run around the living room in an effort to escape. Now he just spends his free time licking at it. This is understandable, as he has nothing better to do (can't groom himself.) He is more willing to chill out and sleep for short periods, which is a big relief. Food-wise, we are having some problems. The only things we can get him to eat are breakfast cereal (Quaker Oat Squares) and carrot greens. For anything else (including loose oats, his usual favorite), he'll take one bite and then get upset, wriggling around in the collar. Hopefully he'll learn to relax more. In the meantime I guess it's carrot tops and parsley every day. Several people have posted about his need for cecals. I plan to address that when we've made more progress on the basic mechanics of eating. That's it for now, I guess. Only 33 more days to go. If anyone has additional advice, of course, it would be much appreciated. howdy dave, i'm right across the water from you in middletown, nj. my suggestion is for you to do one of the following: 1. call your vet and ask for a new collar. 2. go to your local petsmart and buy a collar that fits better (yes, they sell them there for approximately $8 - 20 depending on the size you need.) 3. make one yourself or fix the one he is currently using. i would NOT continue feeding the oat squares cause scooter's cecals will most definitely INCREASE and that can get awfully smelly. you also chance poopy butt which is something you definitely don't need at the moment. does scooter eat hay? that should be easy enough to eat even with the collar. the nice thing about the ones you buy is that it's easy to take on and off. so when you're home, you'll be able to moniter scooter as he eats. (poor guy.....nose rubs to him.) who is your vet? are they rabbit savy? mickey, morgan & dipper thumper from the bridge > Hi all, > [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > That's it for now, I guess. Only 33 more days to go. If anyone has > additional advice, of course, it would be much appreciated. I was also going to suggest removing the collar while you can monitor him. Perhaps D., the owner of the immortal Ralphable of e-collar fame, will check in and share some hints. Cathy > howdy dave, i'm right across the water from you in middletown, nj. my > suggestion is for you to do one of the following: [quoted text clipped - 62 lines] >> That's it for now, I guess. Only 33 more days to go. If anyone has >> additional advice, of course, it would be much appreciated. Hi all, Thanks for the suggestions so far. We are making lots of progress, and it really does seem like keeping Scooter in a collar for 5 weeks may turn out to be fairly tolerable after all. We've finally got the correct trim on the collar - enough so that he can stick his mouth out past the edge, and uniform all around. We tend to hand-feed the more chunky, substantial veggies (like carrots, broccoli) because he is still very clumsy - he will accidentally push the food under his feet and then, unable to see it, keep walking forward. But he clearly likes it when you hold the food at eye level - he'll polish off a good one- or two-inch chunk. Aside from that our mainstays are carrot tops, parsley, and hay as a backup. (Thanks for the tip on that, Mickey.) I think he is eating almost as much as he used to. In general, he is returning to the sweet, laid-back bun he used to be. I think that as long as we keep lavishing extra attention on him he will be all right. Cheers, -Dave Smey Glad to hear all is working out. Keep us posted on Scooter's progress. > Hi all, > [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > Cheers, > -Dave Smey  Signature8-) Professor :-P Merlin & ;-) The Jump i gang, Don't know if anybody will find this update, but I figure I'll post it for posterity. We are almost done! Scooter is going into his 5th week with the cast and e-collar. In general he is OK - a little chafing on the ears, but otherwise fine and acting very normal. He spends a lot of time "fake grooming" himself through the plastic of the collar. I thought I'd addess a topic near and dear to many rabbit owners - cecals. Scooter is loose on our (very cheap, office-style) living room carpet. He used to be very fastidious with cecals, simply reaching down and eating them from the source. Now he drops a little bunch on the carpet and tries to wheel around and pick it up. Sometimes he is successful, but on a bad day he tracks it around. (Ugh.) One trick I've found, when he leaves it intact but simply fails to find it, is to take a little cocktail straw, spear it, and offer it up. He always eats it gratefully (though he is also very intrigued by the seemingly chewable straw.) So anyway, he is getting his cecals. Overall, this worked out pretty well. I was convinced it was a disaster and a big mistake, but, assuming that he will have a usable foot in a week or so, I guess it was the right way to go. -Dave Smey Brooklyn, NY Thanks for the update. :) >i gang, > [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > > Signature8-) Professor :-P Merlin & ;-) The Jump YAY Scooter! So glad to hear that he's getting his nutrients AND is soon to be done with his ordeal! Thanks for posting the update, Dave! Heather Clover and Raleigh |
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