Goodbye, Daisy
I am very saddened to share the news that Daisy has passed away. After her health and energy began rapidly declining over the last week or so, Liz and I made the difficult decision to bring her to the vet – and to have her put to sleep.
We went in to Ness Exotics, and had an examination with Dr. Ness (who reviewed Daisy’s status and confirmed our decision).
The procedure is in two parts. The first is a shot administered in the room, and it’s more of a calming sedative. The patient just gets relaxed and eventually falls asleep. And when folks are ready, the patient is taken in back for the final shot, and are officially put to sleep.
In many ways, Liz and I have been fortunate for our time with Daisy. About two years ago, we had a scare where she just started to show some weight loss – and had some dangerous liver levels. We were unsure how much time we had with her, and were going through a period of some weeks where we felt we might lose her at any time.
But she bounced back. And we got what feels like two extra years with her.
We found Daisy at the Animal Care League in Oak Park. They had a small room of rabbits, and at the time… their staff wasn’t all that well trained on rabbits (it felt like Liz and I knew more than the staff that were helping us out).
When we first met her, she was in a cage (and somewhat at eye level). Anytime anyone put their hand in or near her change, she would lunge at them. But Liz realized something, after watching this – Daisy would lunge, but would never actually try to bite. Liz ended up realizing that she was protective of her space, but not actually aggressive.
Daisy had a rough life, before we met her. She had a partner, and had a litter of bunnies with that bunny. But then he got taken away. And I think the stress of that separation resulted in her destroying the litter. Daisy was also a school room bunny for a long while. Which meant she was kept in a classroom… and had a lot of small hands, poking and prodding at her.
Our suspicion was that her time as a schoolroom bunny made her incredibly protective of her space. And made her incredibly wary of people (and hands in particular).
Of the many rabbits up for adoption, we got the sense that Daisy would not be an attractive choice for new bunny owners. And both Liz nad I got the feeling that with our experience, under our care, that we would be the ones best equipped to provide for Daisy.
And so in a lot of ways, while we found Daisy. She also found us.
A few notes on names: at the shelter, the name she was given was “Janis Hoplin” (still one of my all-time favorite bunny names I’ve ever encountered). From time to time, Liz and I use a nickname for Daisy of “Bandita Jones,” given the dark patches of fur around her eyes. But for the most part, it’s been Daisy ever since.
It took a long, long while for Daisy to warm up to us. She was wary during those initial first months. And she was a grunter (hearing her voice her displeasure with a grunt was really quite a treat). But she gradually got used to our attentions (Liz kept saying that whenever she pet Daisy, she could see Daisy melt). And I’d like to think we got her used to understanding that hands are not threats, and are things that provide food and snacks and pets and love.
When she first came to our house, her fur was wiry. It felt really rough. Our sense here was, again, that this was due to her being in a stressed out state – both in her previous life, and in her time at the shelter. But gradually, very gradually, things got better. Her fur started to feel softer, smoother. And I’d like to think that this was a result of her time with us, in a less stressful environment.
Today was a difficult thing. We didn’t want to say goodbye, but deep down we knew this was the best decision for Daisy. She’s been uncomfortable for a long while, and both Liz and I feel/hope that she is more at ease now, more at peace.
RIP Daisy. We’re thankful we all found one another, and glad to have had so many years with you in our lives.
Related:
30 Seconds of Daisy Snoring
Daisy Goes on Some Speed Dates, Red Door Animal Shelter: Part One
Look, Daisy
The Hop ‘n Flop, Revisited
Daisy Flop
Double FLop
Two Photos of the Double Flop
Daisy Eats Some Mint
The Snow Bunnies: Phineas and Daisy Experience Snow for the First Time
Showing Off the Gams
Our Photogenic Bunny
The Hay Sampler
Daisy Breaks Free
Daisy Gets Overly Ambitious With the Parsley
Daisy, Dinner
A New Bunny Rabbit in the House
A small anecdote from the morning: we got up as usual, and did our normal routine: prepped food for both Daisy and Hugo, two plates of lettuce and herbs.
For Daisy, we also just kept with her regimen: three different syringes with medication.
After their breakfast, I was in the kitchen and was going through my standard process of cleaning out the syringes and storing them. But saw that Liz had throw away our storage container.
And then it dawned on me there, standing in the kitchen that morning, that we didn’t need these syringes anymore. Because Daisy wasn’t going to be with us, after today.
avoision (February 23, 2025 at 6:07 pm)