Breathing Deeply: My Life With Cystic Fibrosis

Over the course of the last year I've become a pet person. I worry about whether my little fuzzy bunny is getting enough to eat, getting enough play time and whether he seems content and happy. Last night I was practically in tears over Gimli's well-being. He hadn't touched his hay all day, and his water dish was still completely full when I returned from work. Also, I had changed his litter pan that morning and there were no "cocoa puffs" as we call them in it at the end of the day. Not a good sign for a bunny.

The nurturing animal lover in me took over. I immediately got out the stethoscope and listened to Gimli's tummy. No sounds. Then I took his temperature and no, that didn't involve coaxing him to hold the thermometer under his little tongue. His temp was only 99.1. Rabbits are supposed to be between 101 and 103. His ears felt too cool to me and he was lethargic. I wrapped him in a warm kitchen towel and held him on my lap in a position so that I could rub his tummy to help move along anything that might be stuck in his gut.

3 hours and no change. He didn't even fight against having the towel around his ears. Normally he hates being confined in any way. He also wouldn't eat a carrot even though there were plenty of them sitting right in front of his little nose. I was heartbroken. I worried that the end might be near for my little fur ball.

Finally, after what seemed like far too long, his intestine and his colon must have come to some sort of agreement and had negotiated a release. He slipped out one little poo and looked like he immediately felt relieved.

Gimli is feeling and looking much better today. He's eating again and is up to his old tricks, and has even learned a new one! The video below isn't the best quality, but you can still see what's going on. Gimli has learned to jump over a pole with relatively little prompting from me. At first he used to just walk back and forth underneath it. He typically jumps over about 3 times before he demands a treat for his performance.