Jessica and Calvin on DisapprovingRabbits.com

Great news! I sent a copy of the first picture in the Last Photos of the Happy Couple posting to the Disapproving Rabbits website, and they picked it for their Valentine's Day posting. At least Cal and Jess weren't disapproving in all of their pics, though I know that they loved each other regardless of their "public" persona (personae?, personaes?) in the first photo.

Mama

Last Photos of the Happy Couple

I got the photos taken of Calvin and Jessica at the Red Door's Spa Day on Jan. 19th. They turned out wonderfully!







The last one's my favorite, with Calvin's smooshed face :-)

Jess has been gone for about a week now. Calvin and I are carrying on, but I can tell he's lonely. Hopefully next weekend we'll have a few bunny dates and the next Mrs. Calvin Parsley will join our warren.

Mama

Jessica Donna, 4-17-2004 - 1-27-2008

This morning, I had to say goodbye to my bunny girl, Jessica.



Yesterday morning, Jess wasn't eating, was lethargic, and obviously wasn't feeling well. She went through this a few weeks ago, so I just loaded her into the carrier and took her to the vet, thinking that we'll just do antibiotics and she'll be okay again, even if we had to start tracking down what the underlying problem was. The vet felt a mass on her left side, and she suggested we get an ultrasound down at Purdue this coming week. She gave me some pain medication and antibiotics to give to Jess, and she told me that she had the pager this weekend if I needed anything.

This morning, Jess was even worse. She hadn't even licked off the Critical Care that had gotten stuck on her lips last night when I syringe fed her, and she was barely able to swallow the little bit of pain meds I gave her this morning. Most of the antibiotic came back out when I gave it to her. She also moaned a few times when I was petting her head. I called my vet and was told that she'd be in at the hospital in an hour. When I put Jess back into her house, she could barely hop out of my arms. I didn't think there'd be much we could do for Jess, and I put her and Calvin both into the carrier when it was time to go to the vet.

They took a few x-rays, and they showed that nothing was moving in her GI tract. The mass wasn't anything diagnosable from an x-ray (like a kidney stone or something). The vet said that she could start Jess on IV fluids and some pain meds, but there was a very good chance that it wouldn't do anything. She gave me some time to think, and I already knew what we'd have to do, but I stood and stroked my girl for a few minutes before being able to say it.

We sat Jessica on the floor on a nice quilt. Calvin was on the floor, too, and hovered near her, coming to me, the doc, and the two techs for support. The doc gave Jess the injection. We all sat on the floor, stroking Jess and reassuring Calvin. After about 20 mins, Jess still wasn't gone, and the doc gave her a little more of the drug. We all knew how much spirit she had, and I joked that Jess was probably negotiating with God (like for how much papaya and oatmeal she'd get every day) before transitioning. At around 11am, Jess was gone. It was very peaceful, and I'm very thankful for that. This was the first time I had an animal euthanized, and it was the last gift I could give my special girl - to relieve her pain.

Calvin sat beside her for a little while after she was gone. He's so brave, like Jess was. I picked out a small wooden box for Jess's ashes (it can hold a photo, and it'll be engraved with her name, adoption date, and today's date) and a small, heart-shaped pendant to wear that will also have a small part of her ashes. I also clipped two chunks of Jess's fur to keep as a memento.

I asked the doc to do a necropsy, and it turns out that Jessica had cirrhosis of the liver. The doc thought that something might have been up with Jess's liver, for Jess's skin was a little yellowish this morning. The doc said that it wasn't anything that I had done, and I understand. We all must die sometime, and life will go on.

Calvin is doing okay tonight. I sat on the floor with him when I was watching TV. I think he really understands that Jess is gone. He hasn't looked for her at all. Bonded partners can grieve deeply for their lost friend, but Calvin is eating and showing signs that he'll be okay. When he's ready, we'll talk about getting him a new partner.

Jess left a hole in my heart that will never be filled, and I know she'll be waiting for me at the Rainbow Bridge when my time comes to go. She'll probably give me that look of hers and thump at me, because I won't have a treat for her. I'll have to remember to ask St. Peter for one so I don't go into our reunion empty handed. Or maybe I won't ask for one, so I can hear her thump at me just one more time.

Mama

Jessica - "What I'm Thankful for" 2007

I'm thankful that I'm feeling better. Even though I still devour Critical Care so I feel good, it's nice to not have my teeth hurting me anymore. I've heard Mama talk about getting my peg teeth out - the two little teeth on the top have grown back - but she's assured me that it won't be as bad as when I got all of my front teeth out. (Dr. Ladd, who I tolerate, will do it, so we don't have to go to Purdue, either.)

I'm thankful for papaya, both dried and regular. Mama got me some fresh papaya when we came home from my surgery. I didn't know what it was at first, but I soon figured it out.

I'm thankful that I've learned how to use my lips for stuff, like picking up oatmeal so I can eat it. I used my front teeth for so much, so I've had to adapt. Mama tells me that people have to adapt to stuff sometimes, too, so I don't feel bad about it.

I'm thankful that I got to meet my Great-Grammies when we went to Grampy's house. Mama told me that my middle name was Grammy's name, and I'm sad that I never got to meet her.

Jessica

Three years later....

Three years ago today, Calvin and I went to Red Door to get him a buddy. Jessica was the last bun we saw and, while it wasn't love at first sight (yes, buns do this, bonding instantly), Calvin's life got a lot brighter. Despite health problems, especially her teeth, Jess has been so sweet and sassy and adorable. For her special "gotcha" day, I bought some of her favorite treats - papaya - and a new treat, a mix of hay, tiny pine cones, and flower petals.

Jess will be getting her front teeth removed in a few weeks. Surprisingly, it isn't that expensive, and it's the best chance we have of getting her molars back the way they should be - nice and even. I'll drop Jess and Calvin off in the morning and pick them up in the evening. I've been brushing Jess every night since Sunday, since she'll not be able to groom the way she's used to once her teeth are removed. Since she won't be able to pluck chunks of hair from herself (or Calvin), I want to make sure she stays looking mah-velous.

Jess... 3 years later and still a bundle of personality :-)

Mama

Teeth, the Bread and Butter of a Bun

Jessica has had trouble with her teeth for quite a while. Her left front tooth is curving to the left, and her molars are "stairstepped" or uneven. I've heard from two vets that it might be best to have her front teeth removed in order to keep them from growing too much and making her molars not meet when her mouth is closed.

I don't know how much the surgery would be, but she'd likely have to stay overnight at the vet to make sure she's eating again. I'd have to chop up her carrots and probably make lettuce and things into smaller pieces, since she couldn't bite stuff off after her front teeth are removed. I really am agonizing over this, for I feel like it'd be mutilating Jess, even if it'd help her in the long run. Hopefully I'll get to talk to our vet here in Indiana and ask her if their removal would really fix the problem with her molars. Financially (and emotionally, for Jess), that would make it worthwhile, though I'd still feel like a horrible Mom.

Jess doesn't chew on things too much (Calvin has the corner on that market), but she does use her front teeth a lot when she grooms herself, pulling out loose tufts of fur and eating them. (She also pulls hunks of Cal's fur out, too, so she wouldn't be able to do that anymore, either.) That isn't good for her digestive system, eating that much hair, but since buns groom so much, I don't know if just using her lips and tongue will give her as much satisfaction. She'd still be able to inhale parsley and stuff (lips help feed in food, even if she can't rip stuff up using just her lips) since she doesn't use her front teeth for that, and I'm watching her to see what else she'd be unable to do if the teeth were removed.

My poor, sweet, sassy girl.

Mama

Happy Tail

Ever since Jess had her teeth ground down and evened out a few weeks ago, she has been so active. She zips around a lot, more than she ever has since coming to live with us almost 3 years ago. What I most love is when she shakes her tail. Both Jess and Cal will shake all over, sometimes as a "half-binky" and sometimes just as a shudder. When Jess shakes just her tail, though, it tells me how happy she is. It's like when a duck shakes its tail when it settles onto water or is feeling pleased with itself. Between the tail and the bouncing ears when she hops along, I just can't help but smile at her Royal Cuteness :-)

Mama

Hoppy Spring :-)

I took the buns out for a hop today, individually since Jess runs around while Calvin is fairly stationary. Calvin went first today, and he didn't eat as much of the Great Outdoor Buffet as he usually does. There were noisy cars and an occasional motorcycle which made him a bit frightened, and he chewed on his harness a bit, too. I'm sure he'll get used to being out again - hopefully I can take him out every weekend.

Jess, as usual, didn't let any noise or strange sights bother her at all. She ran all over the place, so I got a workout, too. I think she actually played with me at one point. She ran ahead three feet, then turned sideways to get me to catch up, then ran ahead again and turned, and did it once more. It was like she was playing Follow the Leader. She hadn't ever done that before, so I think she might have been having fun. She almost got out of her harness as I was grabbing her to bring her back inside. I love how her ears bounce up and down when she runs :-)

Mama

Jess a cannibal?

Jessica and Calvin often have little tussles, with one mounting the other in a display of dominance. And, being bunnies, they also consume a fair amount of fur when they groom themselves.

Well this morning, Jess gets mad at Calvin for something and starts mounting his head. I was standing right there and, thinking that Calvin didn't do anything to deserve the treatment, I pull Jess off of him. I noticed that Jess had a hunk of Calvin's fur hanging from her mouth. I tried to blow it off of her (rabbits are very touchy about someone touching them on the chins, so I didn't feel like risking my fingers to pull it off by hand), but it didn't work. And then she starts eating the fur!

I've always kidded Calvin that he was Jess's chew toy. I didn't know that I was so accurate! :-)

Mama

PS Calvin was none the worse for the encounter. While I can see the spot where the fur came from, it's only because of the pattern in Calvin's coat - it's a darker spot because the dark undercoat is more visible. He takes chunks of fur out of Jessica, too, which leaves bare spots on her (usually on the back of her neck).

Jessica - "What I'm thankful for"

I'm thankful for Mama. I'm thankful that she adopted me and puts up with my moods. I'm thankful she realized that I can't hear very well and has taught me a few signs in American Sign Language. I'm thankful for Calvin, even though he takes too many of my treats and smothers me with affection sometimes. I'm thankful for raisins and oatmeal. I'm thankful for long head rubs and fun places to hide. I'm thankful for days Mama buys new salad, for we run out of the good stuff before running out of lettuce and parsley.

Jessica

I guess Jess doesn't trust me

Every night, I hand Jessica her carrot, and she usually runs downstairs with it, thinking she's stealing Calvin's carrot or to keep him from eating hers. Anyway, I gave her a carrot the one night, and she dropped it and started to eat it on the 2nd floor. Well, it kept moving away from her as she tried to bite it, so I picked it up and held the pointy end toward her so she could take a bite. She bit of a piece, chewed, and then grabbed the carrot and ran downstairs with it. Did she think I was going to steal it? I like raw carrots, but not at 10:30 at night. Harumpf :-)

Mama

Jessica, the Radicchio Rustler

I like to buy a variety of salad items for Calvin and Jessica, and one favorite of theirs is radicchio. Radicchio sort of looks like red cabbage except that it's red and not purplish. I will peel leaves off of the head to give them to eat until the head is smaller than my fist, at which time I'll give them the rest of the head, whole.

Well, it should come as no surprise that Jessica usually grabs the head and runs downstairs with it, leaving Calvin on the second floor of the cage wondering where the tasty radicchio went. If I remember, I peel off a chunk before I put the head into their cage, so when Jessica grabs it and runs off, I have some to hand to Calvin (much like how Jessica now steals her own carrot while still thinking she's stealing Calvin's - see #1 under Tails of Sibling Rivalry in the Sept. 05 archive.)

The buns are good at sharing the litterbox, water bowl, etc., but when it comes to food, there is no such thing as yours and mine or his and hers. It's all Jessica's :-)

Mama

What I'm thankful for (Jessica)

I'm thankful for having a Mama that loves me despite my love of shredding paper and my lop ears that are so hard to keep clean. I'm thankful for hay, clean litterboxes with fresh newspaper to shred, and let's not forget treats. I'm thankful that Calvin chose me to come home with him and Mama. I'm thankful for getting to race around, to explore behind nooks and crannies, and to get nice, long grooming sessions from Calvin and headrubs from Mama.

Jessica

Bunny projects (Jessica's point of view)

"Some shots of my masterpiece."

Mama cleaned our litterbox last night, but something about how it was set up really bothered me. So, I decided to remodel.

You see, rabbits like to have little projects. We enjoy ripping paper, digging, flinging things around - so how perfect is it to rip up the newspaper lining the bottom of the litterbox and fling it all over the place? Talk about fun. I could do this all night and all day.

In fact, I think I will :-)

Jessica.

[I helped, too, but I'll let Jessica take the fall. I know where the treats come from, so I have to make sure my bunny halo is on straight. - Calvin]

Dreaming of treats

I love to flop - to lie totally on my side and just snooze away. One or both of my ears usually stick up when I do this, too. (Mama says that the first time she saw a rabbit do this - at college with Auntie Sue - she thought the rabbit, Wellington, was dead. When Mama gasped, Wellie looked up at her like, "What? Why are you ruining a perfectly good flop?")

Mama has noticed that I move my mouth when I'm flopped. Well, of course, for what will I dream about other than oatmeal, raisins, papaya, pineapple, strawberries, Critter Berries, fresh hay, carrots, dandelion, etc.? Calvin tells me that he dreams of running around and racing through the outdoors, but I'm a lady, so I prefer more dainty dreams. Lady humans might be demure and only pick at their food out of some sense of propriety, but rabbits don't buy into that sort of thing. If I can't be scarfing down treats in real life, I can at least dream about it when I'm sleeping.

Jessica

I hate the vet!

I knew something was up when Mama kept hovering near the cage after she gave us our salad. She was sneaky this time, setting up the carrier with some fresh hay and salad where I couldn't see her do it. Then, she reached in and snagged me.

She tried talking to me on the long car ride to the vet, but I just ignored her. I feel fine, so I don't get why I have to go see the vet again. My ear infection is all gone, my teeth are fine since the vet floated them last month, so there's no reason to be happy to be going back.

A different vet saw me this time. She took me into the back and did all sorts of unspeakable horrors to me, like sticking that metal thing in my mouth to look at my teeth. I told you they were fine, but you wouldn't listen. And she took my weight! How embarassing, for a lady never reveals her weight, or her age.

Mama told me that we don't have to go back until December, which I'll forget about until she grabs me and puts me in the carrier again. Next time, though, Calvin gets to come, too, for a physical. He had better still treat me like a queen when we get back home.

Jessica

Hi, I'm Jessica

Jessica Donna
Adopted from Red Door Animal Shelter on April 17, 2004

"What? I'm not doing anything."

Hi! I'm Jessica. I'm queen of the warren, and woe to anybunny and anyhuman who thinks otherwise. I fought with Calvin a little bit when I was first living here, but now I have him wrapped around my little finger. Well, bunnies don't have fingers, but you know what I mean.

Mama says that she doesn't play favorites, but I think she likes me best because I like to cuddle and I'm a diva, so I like getting brushed and my nails trimmed.

I have anger control issues, for whenever something makes me mad, I stomp a back foot so everyone knows how I'm feeling. I used to absolute HATE Mama picking me up and holding me, but I've gotten resigned to the fact that she's gonna do it anyway and, if there are head rubs and/or treats involved, I'll put up with it.

I was given up by my previous owner, and I'm glad Red Door took me in and gave me a foster home. I was able to work through some of my issues before Mama and Calvin took me in. Mama thinks I was abused or something before Red Door got me, but I don't really remember anything except being upset.

If you are thinking of getting a rabbit, please adopt one instead of buying one at the pet store! Shelter bunnies like Calvin and me have a lot o' love to give!!

Jessica