Mook R11/17

Mook R11/17

Mook with us 2017-2021

Mook was a black and white lop doe born in 2012 who accompanied Ozzy and Major to the Sanctuary. She had a mucky bottom when she arrived but we soon sorted that by removing inappropriate treats from her diet. She quite likes to get some attention from Ozzy’s visitors too, especially if they bring food, but we only allow healthy options to be fed to the rabbits, such as veg, fruit or forage.

Lately Mook has developed a tear duct infection bad enough to need antibiotic treatment so she is having a regular injection of engemycin to keep it under control. While she was feeling unwell she had another flare up of her previous gut trouble so we are keeping her well topped up with probiotics. Fibreplex definitely deserves a place in every rabbit owner’s toolkit. It can sort out many rabbit problems as the gut is all important. It doesn’t have to be used at the dosage on the box. Just a small amount contains many many bacteria and will help to rebalance the gut flora. For rabbits prone to gut trouble a regular small dose can prevent bouts of bloating or stasis from happening, but remember to feed a healthy diet too. No grains or peas either obviously in a muesli or as ingredients in a pellet. We use A&P Natural Rabbit Pellets which are grass based. And never ever feed bread or biscuits or packaged rabbit treats. These are lethal. If it hasn’t been growing recently don’t give it to them. Think fresh. Vets often tell people to remove veg from the diet of a rabbit with gut trouble but in fact the dry food is more likely to be causing trouble. Although sometimes brassicas such as cabbage or kale are problematic and should be avoided. Experiment with selective withdrawal rather than depriving the rabbit of all veg.

Sadly we lost Major in summer 2020 and so then Mook just had Ozzy to snuggle with. Her gut trouble carried on and she developed breathing difficulties as she got older, sliding into chronic snuffles that we treated with regular antibiotic injections to keep her stable. Flies paid her increasing amounts of attention during 2021 and we had to be extra vigilent and not let her out when it was wet and keep the fur on her bottom well trimmed to prevent it getting mucky. Despite everything we did for her she slipped away at the end of 2021. We were very fearful for Ozzy as they had been such a devoted pair but thankfully we were able to bond him into a group straight away.