Rescue & Adoptions

Healthcare with Heart Stories

Rabbit Health Checks with our California Caregivers

Ask any caregiver at either our New York Shelter or California Shelter, and they'll tell you, at Farm Sanctuary, animal healthcare is a serious business. Our shelter staff loyally fulfills their duties as caretakers, making sure each individual animal's special needs are met. For the animals who call Farm Sanctuary home, this care and concern likely means more than we can imagine. Rescued from terrible abuse and neglect, and commonly viewed as production units rather than living beings, most have never received proper medical care or individual attention of any sort.

In an incredible departure from what they're used to, each individual animal at both of our shelters undergoes a complete health examination every four to six weeks. During rabbit health checks at our California Shelter, for example, all of the bunnies are groomed and checked for any sign of injury or illness each month. Caregivers check the length of their toenails and trim them if necessary. They check the rabbits' mouths for overgrown teeth, brush any rabbits who look shaggy, and check each rabbit's ears for mites or excess wax. Keeping an eye out for any sign of loose or unhealthy stool, they also visually examine the fur around the tail and genitals of every rabbit.

Wary of even more serious conditions, caregivers watch for weight loss, check eyes for discharge or ulcers, and take note of any rabbits who are sneezing, coughing, or have runny noses. If any of the rabbits exhibit these symptoms, their condition is evaluated closely and antibiotics may be administered. Rabbits are very territorial animals, and they do fight at times, so our shelter staff also regularly checks each rabbit for lumps, bumps, or wounds. If any wounds are found, caregivers clean them out and then apply a topical antibiotic ointment. Any signs of more serious illness or injury may require a visit to our local veterinarian or to the veterinary hospital at UC Davis. We never hesitate to make these trips, if necessary, because we want our rabbits, and all of our farm animal friends, to be as happy and healthy as possible.

When animals at Farm Sanctuary do get sick -- and it does happen -- rest assured that they are being given the best care around, and that we are doing everything in our power to help them feel well again. We all see it as our duty, and our pleasure, to provide for these courageous survivors the best life imaginable ...they certainly deserve it!