Our Sanctuary/Medical Bunnies
Our Sanctuary Bunnies are our pride and joy. Many of these bunnies were facing euthanasia due to non-lethal medical conditions. We gladly take these bunnies in and provide them with the best medical care we can provide for them. Our medical cages are in an isolated room away from the rest of the bunnies and kept quiet from the stressors of everyday life. These bunnies are offered their space for the remainder of their natural life if needed. While we actively seek out qualified homes for these bunnies, adopters must meet stringent extra requirements in order to qualify for their adoption. Every time one of these bunnies is adopted, we are able to save another high risk bunny that needs a little extra TLC. To qualify for one of these medical cages, rabbits must meet one of the following criteria:
Pregnant mothers
Babies under 6 weeks of age
In need of daily medication regimens
In need of bandaging/splinting/bracing
Disability such as blindness, deafness, or paralyzation
In need of significant rehabilitation
Surgery preparation and recovery
If you feel as though you may be able to provide adequate care for any of these animals, feel free to email us. Veterinary references will be required as well as extensive rabbit care experience to be considered. Even though these animals may not be able to be adopted out, their high level of cost requires us to use a lot of donation money for their care. Consider sponsoring one of these bunnies and being their guardian angel! Your donation will not only cover their cost of care, but allow us to use other donations to save another rabbit... Think of it as saving TWO rabbits with just one small donation!
Just $5.00 covers a month of bandaging materials for splints and braces.
$10.00 covers daily antibiotics and ointments.
$20.00 covers the monthly veterinary visit many of these animals require.
$50.00 covers the spay/neuter procedure or a set of x-rays.
$100.00 will pay for up to a year of basic care for our special babies!
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Hi, I am Sally! I came to the sanctuary when my mom died and her family didn't see me as a part of their forever family. I was dropped off at a high kill shelter in Chicago where a nice lady saw me and said that she knew I would make someone really happy. She scooped me up and put me in a box and threw me in her car. I heard her talking to this other girl and then my box jostled around a lot and when I came out of the box, the other lady had me and was telling me everything would be ok now. I wasn't feeling so well so when she said that, I wasn't sure that I believed her. I was really hungry, my hips hurt real bad, and my vision was less than good so all I knew was I was somewhere new and just hoped it would be warm, permanent, and that they would treat me nice like my old Mama did.
This new lady gave me lots of food and cleaned me up. You see, I'm getting older and I just can't keep up my pretty coat as well as I used to so sometimes I need a little help. I also can't see real good and so the new lady is really nice and says "Hi Sally! You want some snuggling?" before she comes in my cage. Then she pets me in my favorite place, right on my nose, before she picks me up and helps me get cleaned up. Sometimes when she is cleaning my cage I get a little scared and growl at her but then I remember she is a nice person and so I nuzzle up to her. I hope she knows that means I'm sorry! Well anyway, the really good food they are feeding me and the nice warm place to sleep (and extra blankets the lady gives me) have made my hips feel lots better!!!! I am feeling a lot better and I'm starting to believe the lady really knew what she was saying when she said everything would be ok!
I really do like it here but I think I would like it even more if I had a real Mama again. I would like it to be a quiet home with no kids because I get real scared with loud noises or when people don't let me know they are coming before they reach in my house. If you think you have a nice warm bed for me to sleep in and think that maybe I am the kind of bunny you would like, can you please talk to my lady and maybe she will let you take me home. I think that then everything really would be ok!
**Update! Sally was adopted by a family who can't wait to give this sweet girl the forever home she deserves. She was spayed and given a clean bill of health. We know that sweet Sally will be loved unconditionally!
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Hi there. My name is Floppity. This has been a rough couple of months for me and has been the cap on a rough life. I hope things turn around. I really do, but I really need your help to do that. Lets start with a quick re-cap. When I was just a bitty bunny, I got really sick. I mean really sick. My Mom and Dad took me to the vet and the vet said something about sleeping. I don't know what that meant, but it made mom really sad and she said no. Well in order to keep me from putting the sleep in (I still don't get it) I had to take a lot of medicine for a really long time. I really loved my Mom and Dad so if they said that it was what I had to do, I did it. I finally started feeling better a couple of months later but Mom says my head was always a little sideways because of it. I don't really mind it, Mom said it made me look cuter!
Flash to present day, 4 years later. About a month ago my Mom and Dad told us they were getting a Divorce. I was really sad about this because I liked my Mom AND Dad! This was really hard on us kids and I'm not sure if its why, but my neck really started hurting around that time. Mom was the only one taking care of us at that point and when she saw that I had a bump on my neck, she made sure to get me to the vet. This vet told my mom that it was going to cost a LOT of money to fix and Mom didn't know what to do. That's where K&R came in. These girls agreed to take me in and help me get the surgery that I needed to feel better! They got me into the vet real quick and the nice Doctor they took me to took care of me really well!!!! I am healing up now but I will soon be looking for a Mom and Dad that will love me and let me be part of a family again. I really liked being part of a family! If you think that I look like the kind of bun you would like to have in your life, and if you think my crooked head makes me look cuter than the average bun, talk to these people!!! I would love to make you as happy as you will make me!!!
** Floppity is now living at The Rainbow Bridge. After a second surgery to prevent further abscesses, Floppity passed away while waking up. She will now be able to eat carrots and do binkies for eternity!
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Hi, my name is Walter! I was born in March of 2009 and grew up outside in a breeders barn. My family noticed I wasn’t doing as well as my siblings and so they posted me on Craigslist free to a good home. Well the nice ladies at K&R Sanctuary found that ad and were scared about what was going to happen to me. They talked to my mom and adopted me... and my little sister, Flipper, who is kind of like me!
When I came to the sanctuary I only had one leg that worked. The other three all went the wrong directions and I couldn’t get around very good. This picture on the left of me is when I first came to the sanctuary. As you can see... life wasn’t so good. My mom had me checked out by a vet the very next morning and they found out that my bones were shaped a little funny. My muscles didn’t know how to compensate and the vet thought I might not have a life worth living. My mom disagreed because she had seen me eat a banana (I really really LOVE bananas... I get super happy!) She knew I was happy even if I wasn’t like a normal rabbit. She gave me a chance.
Now I get splints put on my legs every day. I sit pretty well for this but sometimes... well I would like to just be a normal rabbit with normal legs so I put up a little fuss! When I have my braces on though, I can hop around good as new. My one front arm can’t be helped, the shoulder has no muscle attachment, but as long as I can hop I'm happy! I almost hopped all the way out the top of my cage! I think I am really happy that Becca and Kristin decided I was worth saving. I think they are pretty special and I think some of the other bunnies here are pretty special too. You should come and meet us. We like to meet new people! Here is a picture of me today... and the vet said Id never be happy...
**Update: Walter was adopted along with his little buddy Spot by a loving couple. He has free run of the house and could not be happier getting doted on and loved on every moment of every day! Here is a pic of Walter in his new home.
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What you see in that picture is about all I could do. The lady who had me in her barn was worried when I wasn’t able to eat and was nice enough to bring me inside. Here I was kept on a Rubbermaid lid in the family room and the daughter in the house would have to hold food and water under me so I could eat.
Becca and Kristin came to pick me and Walter up and my mom almost started crying on the way home because she noticed how uncomfortable I was the whole time. Finally she took me out of the cage and held me in her lap the whole way home. When I went to the vet the next day, like Walter, he thought I didn’t have a quality of life. I didn’t like the sound of this and was worried what it meant. My mom was so enamored with me though that she said she had to think a little and took me home. I knew what I had to do. When mom would get me out to stretch my legs I would give her kisses the whole time she was stretching my legs. When she would pet my head I would nudge her back so she would pet me more! Then she introduced me to bananas.... I knew what I was born for! I can eat an entire banana in one sitting! And I am smaller than a banana! I even eat the peel. They might be the best thing ever invented.
Well mom stretches my legs every day and I can get around pretty good now! You should see me when she puts food in the cage. I go FLYING across my playpen to get to the food dish! I really like my brother too. There are some things I can’t do too well, like flip over, so my big brother Walter helps me out. He is always there to snuggle with me and help me when I need help. I know without my mom and my brother I wouldn’t be happy like the vet said. Thanks to my mom, I think I am a pretty happy bunny and I wouldn’t ask to be any different! Here is a picture of me now happy and healthy!
On November 20th, Flipper hopped to the Rainbow Bridge. She is now in heaven hopping like a normal bunny and eating all of the Bananas that she can fit in her little belly. She will never again have to worry about cleaning herself or getting around. We all will miss this little girl dearly and her bright spirit and love of life will remain in our memories for a long time. Walter needs a guardian angel Flipper; we know you will be a good one!
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Hello, My name is Snuffy. My name was Snowball when I came here, but I had a really bad cold and was pretty stuffed up so my name quickly became Snuffy instead. When my cold finally cleared up, my foster mom took me back to the vet and found out I had a bad rash in my ear. This was causing me to tilt my head to the side a little, so we had to start putting drops in my ear which I really didn’t like! They made me shake my head all over and then I would fall down and lose my balance and mom said I would "break dance" I don't know what that means but mom said she felt bad.
Finally those mean drops were done so I went back to the vet for another re-check. Mom said something to the vet about my eyes and he started shining this light at me and poking things towards my face. When he was done, they said I was blind. I can tell light and dark, but I can’t tell what is in front of me unless I can sniff it because my sniffer works REALLY well!
I don’t know what being blind means, I guess I’ve always been it. When I run around mom says I am very "careful" but she says my nose is really good. Mom likes to hide my treat jar in different places in my bedroom but I ALWAYS find it (She isn’t very good at hiding things!) There are these big bunnies that run around in my room sometimes too. They make this noise that mom says "no barking" about.... I don’t think I can bark either.... I like those big bunnies though. The one likes to kiss me even!
So anyway, that is my story. I know I wouldn’t have done very well at my old home, living in a barn, because I don’t
think I would have gotten those really tasty medicines that my mommy gave me to make me feel better. I think Ill be here for awhile, and I know that means one less bunny will get to come live here, so I think you should help someone else here go to a real home so that mommy can help another bunny like me. Maybe when you come, you can even come see my break-dance!!
Update: Snuffy has gone to his new home, all the way in DELAWARE! His new mom, who loves English Lops, drove all the way from Delaware to Wisconsin to get Mr. Snuffy and took him all the way back home where he now has the master bedroom all to himself, although he is inclined to share it with Mom and Dad. He has taken over the cat's bed and loves doing his laps and eating all his little belly can handle. His new mom has already had him to the vet and has started him on a new medication regimen of which we are praying will be the final "cure" for Snuffy. We will keep all of his supporters posted on his progress and thank his new mom and dad over and over for their love for our special boy.
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I thought I would NEVER get to tell my story! My name is Bonnie. I came to the shelter as a baby and have been here for a long time! One day when I was still pretty young, I was running in and out of my cage and my leg got stuck in my ramp to my cage. See, mom would wrap up the cage ramp, but my brother Clyde likes to dig and he had pulled the pillow case off the door. He really didn’t know Id get hurt. He felt really bad! Mommy came down stairs later and she saw that I was hopping funny. She picked me up and said "OH NO!" when she saw my ankle. She took me to the vet right away and got an x-ray. We found out that my ankle was broken real bad, and being a bunny, you can’t cast a back leg. So mom came up with a really nice splinting idea for me and would wrap my leg up every day! Daddy usually had to hold me because my ankle really hurt and I didn’t like it getting all taped up all the time. I tried to be good but I just couldn't.Well one day mommy was putting my brace back on and I pulled really hard. I just didn’t want it anymore.... apparently that was a bad idea because next thing I know I am at the vet again! Apparently I hurt my ankle worse and this time my bones slipped behind my ankle. The vet told my mommy to keep splinting it and hopefully it would just heal back up.
As of Christmas morning, 12/25/09, Bonnie will again be available for adoption with her big brother Clyde! Clyde was our first bunny of the month to NOT be adopted, and we feel as though there must have been a reason for that. So we have re-introduced the siblings and they are snuggling happily in their cage. Bonnie's leg is healed nicely and she should not require any more medical attention aside from limiting her ability to jump off of things so she does not re-injure this leg in the future. We would love these two to be our first adoption of the new year; don't you think 2010 is the year to add some bunnies to YOUR life?
After spending what seemed like forever with us, challenging potential adopters and foster homes alike, Bonnie and Clyde have finally found their forever home. These two lucky bunnies are living the life with their new family where they are loved and spoiled like the amazing bunnies they are!!!!
