| Dear Friends,
We have welcomed many bunnies who have come to us from dire circumstances. Many others were suddenly homeless because their people could no longer care for them. Everyone has felt the effects of the plummeting economy. Yet, space has been available and resources have materialized, like magic, thanks to people like you.
JJ has become our new barn bunny. He is a wonderful ambassador for all rabbits with his beautiful, soft, rex fur and his super social rabbitude. It is our good fortune that JJ was abandoned here due to a complicated medical condition.
We have said good-bye to some of our dearest friends this year. Barney, Titan, Bandit, Merlin, Troi, Sunshine, Josie, Blue, GiGi, Oreo, Tiffany, Salsa, Bonnie and Binkies have left their paw prints on our hearts.
 The infamous Copper now calls Rabbit Haven home. Wow! He is a great little guy. His story spread like wildfire when it appeared that his behavior would result in a very short life for one little bunny. He just loves visitors, especially those that bring parsley. Thank you to everyone who championed his rescue and donated for his care. (Copper needs no help opening gifts)
We at Rabbit Haven hope the New Year brings peace, health, love and many happy binkies and snuggles with your fuzzy bunny kids.
As always, thank you for your support,
Sue, the volunteers, and all the buns
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| Ben and Jerry Say Thank You! |
 Hi! - I'm Ben (the handsome black & white guy on the right) and this is my friend Jerry. We just wanted to thank you for supporting Rabbit Haven and helping bunnies like us. You've literally saved our lives! We were living in an outdoor hutch where we were attacked by a coyote who broke my leg and bit off Jerry's. It was pretty scary! We didn't get any medical care and finally the people dropped us off at a farm store where they (ack!) butcher little guys like us. A nice lady named Jessie saw us sitting outside in a wire cage. She said it was 16'F but to us it was just really cold! She asked the store owners for some cardboard to give us shelter from the wind and they said "no", as they were going to be (ack!) butchering us within the hour. Our Angel Jessie immediately talked them into letting her take us with her. She than contacted Chris, a volunteer at Rabbit Haven, and then brought us here.
Sue took us to see a doctor right away. My leg will never work right and Jerry lost his foot but we still get around and we love the soft rugs they have here. The volunteers at Rabbit Haven took good  care of us and we're feeling much better. Now we get fresh food and hay every day and have people-friends who adore us and think we are perfect just the way we are! Rabbit Haven couldn't have saved us, and bunnies like Copper without your support, so Thank You Very Much!
By the way, we like it here but we think we're ready to find our safe forever home. We're friendly, on the small side (about 2.2 pounds each) and we don't need anything special, but we do like having a rug in our area for traction. Come check us out! |
Does Your Bunny Have A Runny Nose or Watery Eyes? Is He Washing His Face More Than Usual? Is He Sneezing?
 The particular cause may require a visit to your rabbit-savvy vet for diagnosis, but here's some possible causes.
Upper Respiratory Infection aka "Snuffles"
May cause a runny nose, runny eyes, nasal and/or ocular discharge, or sneezing. Rabbit URIs are caused by bacteria, most likely Pasteurella multocida, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bordetella bronchiseptica, and Staphylococcus aureus, though there are others. The best way is to have your vet culture and sensitivity test bacteria from the nasal passages to identify the specific bacteria and prescribe a rabbit-safe antibiotic effective at killing the bacteria.
Lower Respiratory Infection aka "Pneumonia"
A rabbit with pneumonia may have loud, raspy breathing and requires immediate medical attention. An experienced rabbit vet will often nebulize to open the airways and may add an appropriate antibiotic to the nebulization mix.
Foreign Bodies
It may be the case that a foreign object such as a piece of hay has lodged in the nasal passages. It may be the cause of a runny nose and could lead to a nasal infection. Your vet may require an endoscopic examination to locate the item. Bunnies with long facial fur may need the hair carefully trimmed if it is irritating their eyes.
One of the most common causes of chronic "snuffles" is undiagnosed dental problems.
Because rabbit teeth grow continually, the visible portion of the teeth may appear normal though it may be that tooth roots are being pushed into the skull. It is only with an Xray that the root problem may become visible. A rabbit's molars are located almost directly under the eye socket. When molar problems (spurs, root intrusion, abscess) develop, symptoms such as runny eyes can be a clue of a medical problem that needs attention.
Whatever the cause of your bunny's problem the sooner it is diagnosed and treated, the happier you and your bunny will be.
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On January 25th Rabbit Haven's founder Sue Brennan will be speaking with the residents of the Purdy Women's Prison about the necessity of rabbit rescue, the general care of rabbits, and the difference between rabbit and other animal pet care. Most of the women inmates are already involved in dog "care and rehabilitation" programs and are interested in learning about rabbits and career options beyond prison. Sue is currently planning to take Tom & Jerry and Currier & Ives with her. No doubt Tom & Jerry will win their hearts and Currier & Ives' size and hijinks will give them something to talk about. |
 Kona - we suspect she was an Easter gift that was no longer wanted. She's very friendly and would rather have pets than eat. She will soon be altered and then ready to meet a nice young male friend
Oscar
Ben & Jerry (see their story above) |
 Tango
Oscar from Arrivals above was adopted too! |
| Does Your Employer Match Donations? |
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We are always looking for volunteers to help clean and hold bunnies, but did you know that some companies pay for volunteer time?
MIcrosoft's employee giving program matches all donations dollar for dollar and contributes $17 per hour for volunteer time. Starbuck's also donates in correlation to the number of hours volunteered as part of their V2V (Volunteer-to-Volunteer) program.
Check with your employer about matching and volunteering at a non-profit.
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If you're in the area and would like to donate, we could sure use the following around the barns:
Gig Harbor
- **FIREWOOD** for the woodstove that heats the barn
- bleach for laundry
Carnation
- Clorox Colorsafe bleach
- Kleenex
- bunny-safe playchips
- heavy-duty (6ml) garbage bags
Both locations
- HE laundry soap
- veggies (things like: broccoli, bell peppers, carrots, celery, etc.)
- greens (favorites are: green leaf lettuce, parsley, cilantro, kale, etc.)
- paper towels
- vinegar
- chewable bunny toys
If you're not local and would like to donate, you can do so in a variety of ways. Cash donations may be made through JustGive, PayPal or by sending a check to Rabbit Haven at the address below. You can also find our Wish List on Amazon.com. Please check with your employer about "matching" your donation. 100% of donations support the bunnies in our care.
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Help Rabbit Haven win a $10,000 grant!
Starting this Monday, vote for us at www.theanimalrescuesite.com and we could win $10,000 to help rabbits in need.
The Animal Rescue Site is hosting a special challenge for eligible Petfinder.com member shelter and rescue groups. The grand prize is a $10,000 grant, and they will be awarding many other grants to rescue groups with the most votes - a total of $100,000 in grants for animal welfare organizations.
Think how many bunnies we could help for $10,000!
Help us win! All you have to do is click to help rescued animals, and then vote in The Animal Rescue Site $100,000 Shelter+ Challenge. Both of these actions are absolutely free! You can vote once a day, every day, from January 18th through April 18th, 2010. Every time you vote, or tell a friend to vote, you are making a huge difference for us.
Sign up for their Daily Click Reminder email to make it easy to vote everyday!
Be sure to choose:
Rabbit Haven, Gig Harbor, WA
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Don't Toss It Out Just Yet!
Did you receive a cowboy cookie jar that doesn't fit your kitchen decor? Or maybe with company coming, you treated yourself to a new dinette set. Donate your gently used unwanted items to us for our spring Barn Sale and help the bunnies.
The dates are set: The Barn Sale will be Saturday and Sunday, May 15-16, and we're already collecting items. So as you put away your holiday gifts or start your spring cleaning, please donate your unwanted goods to help raise money for Rabbit Haven.
Please contact Sue or Angie to arrange delivery or pickup.
Don't forget our new vehicle donation program. It include cars, boats, trucks, RVs, motorcycles, snowmobiles, vans, jet-skis, motorhomes and even buses. They don't need to be running, you just need clear title to donate.
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Bunnies in the Spotlight
Currier and Ives love to explore and find new ways to play. These brothers are a total of 32 pounds of bouncing bunny joy. That's right, each of these Flemish Giant bunnies weighs in at around 16 pounds. They'll bound right up to you like a couple of excited puppies, ready to be petted and fussed over. They don't like to be picked up, but hey, it's probably better for your back that they don't.
These boys are too big to be caged so will need a room or x-pen enclosure that is at least 6'x6' when they find their forever home.
Good thing our adoption fees aren't calculated by weight!
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Holiday Letter
Our holiday letter went out a little late due to problems at the Post Office. If you received a broken ornament, please let us know and we'll send another.
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About Us
We are a non-profit shelter and sanctuary dedicated to the care of unwanted and mistreated rabbits ... until they all have homes.
The barn is in Gig Harbor with an annex in Carnation, WA.
Rabbit Haven
PO Box 2268
Gig Harbor, Washington 98335
425-788-8148
http://www.rabbithaven.org
Rabbit Haven is a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization and your donations are fully deductable to the extent of the law. Please contact your tax advisor if you have any questions. | |
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