Ask Button #4

Dear Mr. Button,

I hate to ask, but you keep mentioning that you are blind. What happened to you to make you blind? I'm sure you have been asked this before, and you don't have to share if you're not comfortable!

Love,
Button's Biggest Fan
Franklin Lakes, NJ



Dear Button's Biggest Fan,

WOW! I've been waiting to meet my biggest fan for some time now! I'm glad that there are people out there who love and support me! For a while there, I thought no one was reading my posts. It takes me so long to type (in fact, sometimes I need my mom to type for me) and I was about to give up the column to a faster bunny typer.

Don't worry about asking personal questions! I'm happy to share my story with you, although I'm sure it will make you a bit sad.

I was found outdoors in a very busy city-like town in Bergen County, NJ. When I was rescued, I was dehydrated and wasn't moving on the side of the road. My fur was all matted and tangled in knots that extended over 3 feet away from my body! I was in such a horrible state. To top it off, my eyes were sealed shut with thick disgusting crust. They were hurting me so I didn't want to open them. I think after living in an abusive situation for so long (my past "people" really did a number on me) and then living on the streets (can you believe they just let me go to fend for myself??) I was just in horrible shape. When the Animal Control officers took me to a nearby county shelter, I was actually a bit relieved. At least there I was safe from the elements and could try to find my way around without opening my eyes. I actually got food and water there too, which is not something I was getting before.

After living at the shelter for a few days, Hug-a-Bunny was alerted to my sad situation. Jamie from Hug-a-Bunny came to see me and immediately pulled me out of the shelter. I was still in horrible shape- my nails were so long, my fur was all matted, and my eyes were in so much pain. She immediately took me to a vet where I got eye ointment and pain medication to help my painful skin and eyes. The next stop was to try to be shaved by a veterinary technician. After 45 minutes and 2 technicians, they only made a tiny dent in my fur. It was matted so horribly and the fur was pulling on my skin so badly that they had to go very slowly! I just couldn't stay there any longer. So, I went back home with Jamie and started my process of rehabilitation.

Here I am settling into my home with my painful eyes shut

After relaxing and eating a bit, Jamie got to work on my horribly matted fur. It couldn't wait since the veterinary technicians found that the fur was matted so horribly that it prevented my legs from moving! My breed is a Jersey Wooly, characterized by our amazing majestic hair. In this case due to so much neglect, the hair grew in knots around my body. In some spots, the skin was actually ripping open already. I sat patiently for 10 minutes at a time while Jamie uncovered my tender skin using tiny scissors. This worked better than the clipper that the vet techs were using. She was so careful not to cut me. Each snip of the scissors freed another part of my body and after 3 short sessions (I would rest and eat in between) I had some of my back exposed and I could hop again! I felt so great, but we still had a long way to go.

This picture shows some of the fur Jamie got off of me from my tail and back leg area. I already felt better, but we had so much more to go!

So, we kept working at it and after over two hours of clipping (and stopping for breaks a lot) I was finally freed from my horrible matted fur! In my fur, Jamie found staples, sticks, and other small household items. It was clear that I hadn't been cared for in some time. My fur (and body) smelled so horrible and was discolored. It came off in thick disgusting clumps of fur. The backs of my legs were so raw and tender, but I knew that it would only get better from here! In my first picture after having the gross hair off of me, I actually opened my eyes and looked around a bit! Look how much better I look already! You can see that my eyes are very cloudy- which the vet said was likely from damage to them from living in the elements for so long. It's possible that I was housed outdoors (before they let me go) without any protection from the elements.

I felt so great after all of the gross fur was off of my body!

Jamie kept calling me "Button," which struck me as interesting since all of her rabbits (aside from Apple) are named with the letter "B" as the first letter. I knew almost immediately that we built a bond and after hearing what she started calling me, I wasn't surprised when this safe haven became my "forever home" shortly after. Since all of her other rabbits live in pairs, I was the only single bunny and bonded with Jamie immediately! I also fell in love with my cousin Parker, who is a rescued poodle mix. He and I get along so well together and he comforted me on the very first day I came to my house! You can even see Parker behind the gate in the picture below.

Learning how to hop again after my legs were freed! My cousin Parker is behind me cheering me on!

As the days went on, the crust began to leave my eyes. I opened them more, although I couldn't see much. The damage to my eyes had caused scar tissue to form leaving cloudy white spots in front of both eyes. At that time I was completely blind and had a hard time even seeing light. Over time, and with tons of TLC, even these white spots began to fade a bit. I now keep my eyes open all the time, but do have a very hard time seeing directly in front of me. While my eyes feel 100% better, I do still have some trouble seeing. I rely on my senses of sound and smell a lot more than sight. I prefer people to approach me very slowly and talk to me before touching me. I now can see light and I know when someone is approaching me, although I often don't know who they are until I hear or smell them. I also have big fears of being out of my cage, unless my mom is right there with me, since I am always afraid of what's out there if I can't see it to protect myself. My mom keeps saying there's nothing dangerous in my home, but I'm still nervous. Even the smallest sounds startle me and cause me to panic. So, I like to be out of my cage when I'm with my mom- or my favorite...on the bed with her watching TV! I'm a big snuggler and actually love to lick my mom!

I'm confident that my sight will continue to improve, or at least I'll start dealing with it better. As you can see from more recent pictures of me, I keep my eyes open all the time now and I'm feeling great. My fur has since grown back and I love to have it brushed. Sometimes I still like to be clipped down, but most of the time I wear my hair long. I'm so happy where I am and I'm getting more confident every day! I was even offered to write this column since I love to talk and hang out with people!

Here's a picture of me only a short time after joining my home. Look how good I looked! Wow, I'm handsome!

Anyway, sorry to be so long-winded about my story. I'm sure you've learned a lot more about me!

Take care!
Love,
Button