Second Chance for a Rescued Bun

In March 2023, I rescued Connie, a 6y/o rabbit, who had been living in a 2×2 cage, without ever having seen a vet, for her whole life. Her owner knew me from a local rabbit group, and after repeated calls, told me she planned to abandon poor Connie if she couldn’t re-home her. I reached out to every local rescue, but no one could take her in. Because she had nowhere else to go, I took her in myself.

At her first vet visit, Connie was diagnosed with stasis, several kinds of cancer, severe dental problems, and malnutrition. Her issues were so severe, several of her nails fell off during the examination.

Over the past year, she has undergone 5 surgeries and around-the-clock-care from my partner and I. She is now, thank goodness, cancer free. However, she still has ongoing dental issues which require thousand-dollar surgeries every few months. I make $32K/year and support both myself and my partner, who also has severe health issues and cannot work. Connie’s treatment to date has put me deeply in debt. She has another tooth surgery scheduled for tomorrow.

I humbly ask for your help to give Connie the life she deserves.

Connie (Consolata) came into my life a few days after my long-time companion bun (and, truly, one of the loves of my life) Cookie, passed away. I rescued Cookie in 2016: at that time, Cookie was scared, anti-social and semi-aggressive. But over years of learning and growing together, we bonded deeply. It remains one of the highlights of my life to have seen Cookie blossom into the confident, super loving and very happy bun they became with patience, love and a second chance at life.

When Connie’s owner reached out to me days after Cookie died, I was still in shock from the loss. I couldn’t imagine welcoming another bun into my home so soon, and told her that—I just wasn’t emotionally ready. However, this woman continued calling me and in our conversations, I realized how badly Connie was being treated. In honor of Cookie’s memory, I realized I couldn’t walk away from giving Connie the same second chance at life and happiness that I had given Cookie, and agreed to take her in.

While our first few months together were hard—vet visits 3-5x week, multiple surgeries, complications, medication every 6 hours, wound-tending, and more—I got to know her by sitting by her side. I found Connie to be a strong, hilarious bun who is, at her core, a survivor. In the face of everything—immense pain, leaving the life she knew behind—her message was clear: she wanted to live, and would fight as hard as she had to for this second chance. Her passion for life and her commitment to healing, even when it seemed, at times, impossible, comforted me in my grief about Cookie, and opened my heart to find a new love, this perfect little two-pound bun, Connie.

Connie is now, for the most part, healthy and—if I do say so myself—extremely happy. I can tell by her daily flops, nightly binkies and love of pets and cuddles. She reigns over her kingdom (free range on the second floor of a brownstone) with her bonded mate Chaos (their outfits match perfectly), and especially enjoys perching on top of the wooden castle Cookie loved to survey the lay of her land.  Her last owner fed her cheerios and never gave her hay, and she has come to realize the unlimited Timothy and morning selection of greens she gets are not to be avoided but devoured—in other words, she LOOOVES food! Connie is tough, bossy and demanding. She is also extremely cute, and every time she runs to greet me, or hops on my lap for treats, she reminds me why I love these creatures.

I am so happy Connie is in my life—she fills my days with joy and laughter. I want to offer this sweet, sweet bun a long and happy life—I want to continue learning about her fierce personality and no-nonsense attitude. But the financial burden of caring for her has been beyond stressful, and the financial scope of her ongoing care is much beyond my means. It is not sustainable for me to keep accruing debt from her healthcare, yet I am all she has and cannot bear the thought of having her suffer.

If you are able, I am desperate—please help me continue to treat the physical effects of abuse and mistreatment from Connie’s former life. With your help, this lovely bun will have the second chance she deserves—a life that she, in all her sassiness, would, I’m sure, demand.