In January, while munching on their nightly salad, Lucy glanced up at her foster mom in a way that revealed a small piece of bare skin under her chin. At first their foster mom (who is one of KAR’s co-founders) thought some fur was missing. On closer examination she was startled to discover what appeared to be a very large abscess tucked up under Lucy’s chin in her large fuzzy mane.

The next day Lucy travelled to Toronto to see a rabbit specialist where it was confirmed that the growth was indeed an abscess. The vet assured us that it was the sort of abscess that grows rapidly and can double in size overnight, so Lucy had likely only had it for a few days. Lucy underwent surgery to have the abscess removed – it was the largest the vet had ever dealt with. Lucy came home a few days later. She required a lot of care, including forced feedings to ensure her digestive system stayed on track (very important for bunnies) when she didn’t want to eat, daily checks of her incision site, and weekly antibiotic injections. Thankfully Lucy has healed beautifully and is back to her funny, bouncy self.