Farewell to Our Dear Oreo

After 10 happy years, our dear Oreo passed away on July 19, 2023. She was 12 and a half years old.

The vet says Oreo must have got a virus. We can only guess that it was from the boarding place because she and Peter got very sick and malnourished when we fetched them from the boarding place after our month-long trip overseas. 

Oreo was cremated and is buried at the foot of our little tree in the front yard. That tree is special because it was planted shortly before Oreo and Cookie were adopted.

Peter had an operation and was placed on antibiotics after a vet visit in August. They had to shave his lower body to treat his raw inner thighs and feet, which were infected by bugs. 

Peter has since grown back most of his fur. He wears a puppy diaper because he can't hop to the litter box like he used to. 

Peter's hind legs are now permanently disabled, but he still tries to move around with his strong front legs and continues to lift up our spirits when he begs for treats. He continues to have a good appetite and attitude.

Here's Peter enjoying his greens. 

It's the Year of the Rabbit

We can't let this year pass without writing a tribute to my favorite bunnies, Oreo and Peter.

They're both senior bunnies now and have all sorts of health problems, but they're our babies forever.

It has been years now since Oreo got cataracts on both eyes, but she's now used to them and can sniff her way around. 

She still bumps into things when she goes too fast, but her legs are working fine and she's still her feisty self. 

She acts like the chihuahua who thinks it's a German shepherd.




Peter now has a bad back, so he can't do his signature begging where he sits on his hind legs and raises his paws.

He just raises his nose now when he wants a treat.

Peter loves chewing cardboard, so I keep patching up or replacing their hiding boxes.

Sleepy Time

Oreo and Peter are the funniest when sleeping. They get tired easily and sleep everywhere now just like human seniors.

Here are a few of their funny sleeping pictures. 🤣

Have a great Hoppity Year of the Rabbit!

It's 2022

We survived two years of working from home and online school. 

The biggest beneficiaries of the quarantine were our pets. 

Oreo and Peter loved the special attention because their bunny mom, dad, and brother can't resist their cuteness.

In fact, Peter gained some weight from all the begging for treats. He's about twice as heavy as Oreo now. Here's a video of Peter's begging technique.

Now that we've returned to regular school and working in the office, Oreo and Peter get to enjoy more quiet nap times instead of the sometimes loud virtual meetings and noisy conversations around them.

Oreo develops cataracts

Oreo is now nine years old, which is pretty senior for bunnies. 

Early this year, just when COVID was beginning, Oreo developed cataracts in both eyes. We took her to the Los Altos Adobe Animal Hospital to get her checked out and they confirmed that she did have mature cataracts. The hospital staff gave us a flyer with recommended vet ophthalmologists and we picked one in Fremont.

The ophthalmologist at Animal Eye Care in Fremont said the same thing -- that Oreo had mature cataracts; but they wouldn't do surgery for rabbits and only for dogs and cats. What a waste of time and money that was!

Anyway, the vet in Fremont told us that we need to go to US Davis for rabbit eye surgery, so I called UC Davis and they aren't taking any surgeries right now except for emergencies.

So it is, my poor little Oreo is now blind and not her most cheerful self. 

To help her through her new normal, I built accessibility features in the house, such as soft bump guards on her usual route, soft rug pathways to lead her to the litter box and her hallway rest areas, and also ramps to help her over the higher sides of her litterbox.

Accessibility ramps

Fortunately, she had adapted and can still find her way around albeit slowly. 💗

 

Let's Talk About Peter

We first saw Hank in February 15, 2014 at an adoption event of the East Bay Bunny Rescue (EBBR) in Dublin, CA. 

We were looking for a new friend for Oreo because she just lost her sister Cookie. 

When Oreo was introduced to Hank, Hank immediately started grooming her (unlike the others who were growling or biting).

Since my son was only 6 and a half years old and loved Peter Rabbit, we renamed Hank as Peter. 

Peter started off very shy and scared, but eventually warmed up and became friendly. 

He learned many begging techniques from Oreo, such as licking and nudging. His signature begging move is sitting on his hind legs and lifting his paws like a dog. Sometimes, he would even rest his two front paws on us.

Peter is cautious about what he eats. He normally wouldn't touch any unfamiliar veggies unless Oreo was already eating it.

Sharing some kale with Oreo

Peter enjoying dandelion leaves

One thing for sure, Peter loves banana. He gobbles it up and chews noisily like a dog eating peanut butter.

Oreo grooming Peter

Peter and Oreo have been together for five years now.

They get along most of the time; but just like anybody living with somebody, Peter does have moments when he annoys Oreo. 

Otherwise, they're usually snuggling in one place.

Peter is our fuzzy, furry boy who sheds a lump of white fur in the summer. He gained a pound this year and is a bit lazy, but we love him just the same.

Update on Oreo's Illness

She's back!!!

Our little sweetheart is back to normal, enjoying her greens, and begging for treats.

This is the longest illness that Oreo has had. Both Oreo and Peter aren't shedding as much fur anymore, so the tummy problems have abated. As a precaution, we brush their beds and vacuum frequently to make sure they don't ingest too much fur again.

Oreo's Harrowing Experience

Saturday, the 30th of August 2019 was a normal day. I did a major clean up of the bunny areas because they had been shedding like never before. Oreo and Peter were their normal selves enjoying their morning banana, so we left home around lunch time to grab a bite, run errands, and take my son to his swimming class.

We got back home around 3:00 pm and the bunnies were napping as usual. Normally, Oreo would come out around 4:00 pm; but this time she didn't. I thought nothing of it. Maybe she's just being lazy today. Later at night, she was hiding in the box still, even when Peter has been out and about as usual. Late at night, Oreo should be hopping around, exploring, and begging for treats. I figured there was something wrong, so I tried to give her treats in the box. She wasn't showing interest - bad sign for a bunny!

I called two emergency pet clinics, which were open; but they didn't have a bunny doctor on site. That's when I had to text Kimberley with whom Oreo and Peter board when we go on vacation.

She came over at midnight and saved little Oreo's life. Oreo started having stringy poop in a few minutes but not eating yet. The next day (August 31st), she started taking little bites of banana and eventually came out to enjoy her favorite kale and cilantro salad.

Our nine-year-old sweet bunny is on the mend. Here she is now preparing for a nap with Peter at their favorite morning lounge area by the stairs.

She's looking outside her window, enjoying it now that she's feeling much better.