In October of 2021, a wonderful animal advocate working at a local shelter reached out about a bunny set for euthanasia. The reason stated was a jaw abscess causing him “severe pain” but this angel knew rabbits well enough to know that Greg deserved a chance. Greg was eating well and acting normal: two big signs that a rabbit is not in severe pain. Once I saw his picture, I couldn’t get him out of my head. Rescuing more animals under the mission of HH was still a dream at the time and I wasn’t sure we should take on a medical case… but we did anyway. The plan was to rescue, get him the medical treatment he needed, rehabilitate, and rehome. But once Greg was in our care we realized the “rehoming” part was never going to happen.

Greg did have a jaw abscess that needed surgical intervention along with having 6 teeth pulled. He also had a healed broken back right leg and fused front right elbow all on the same side as the broken teeth that most likely caused the jaw abscess. When found, Greg was covered in fleas and urine stains. With this new information it became clear that Greg had experienced physical and most likely emotional trauma in his short life. Flea baths and a lot of grooming cleared up his coat, the trauma to the legs thankfully wasn’t causing him any pain but did cause him to hobble a bit, but the abscess was the biggest issue.

After countless surgeries and dentals to try and fix the abscess we have accepted that it is chronic and something that will just need to be managed. Greg gets his abscess regularly cleaned and a daily dose of antibiotics helps keep it at bay. During his whole treatment process Greg has never missed a beat. He loves to eat no matter what and is a friend to everyone he meets. We are so thankful for the medical teams at Middletown Animal Hospital and Nautilus Avian and Exotics that have catered to him and cheered him on. One day the abscess may be too much for Greg to handle and he will let us know, but for now he is living his absolute best life and deserves every extra day he’s gotten to be loved and cherished.