trystinn | Energy Request for Sam

Looking at my Flist most of us are caught up in the emotional highs and lows of the elections, which is why I'm hesitant to put forward this request right now and haven't mentioned it until now.

Sam needs emergency care. We'll be taking him in tomorrow morning to be sedated so the vet can trim his teeth and possibly remove his top ones. He's a very little guy and sedation is never easy on a bun, so please keep him in your thoughts.

What happened (likely) is this. Someone bought him and ignored the advice offered that he needed hay. It's messy and expensive if you buy it retail. So instead of his teeth being gradually worn down by a 90% hay diet, Sam ate nothing but pellets and possibly a few garden cuttings. His top teeth (think the long buck teeth) have grown so long, they've curved back towards his throat to lie on his tongue when his mouth is closed. Its roughly a 270 degree turn, I kid you not. His bottom ones appear to be okay, but are also too long. Part of this scenario is worsened because of his head shape - he has a very snubbed face, he may even be part dwarf which raises the possibility of these sorts of things. I literally have no idea how he's managed to be such a sweetheart when this is obviously hurting him, frankly I can't imagine how he's eating but he is. Nature finds a way.

Here's where things get dangerous. Those teeth constantly grow during a rabbit's life. They can grow through the soft palette and into the hard one, causing horrifying pain and death. Fortunately, because it's so painful and hard for them to eat, they usually die of starvation or opportunistic infections beforehand. Fixing this isn't a choice, its a moral responsibility. He may require professional teeth trimming his whole life, hopefully we can keep things under control without that pricey maintenance.

Sam needs ya, folks. We're doing out part (wallet = ouch), but he's going to need us to pull out the stops and support the little guy while medicine does what it can. Light those candles, darlings!