Pining rabbit

Question
Can I firstly apologise fo this being so long. I wrote to you in September about my rabbit as she had gone off her hay and had a smelly bum, you were very helpful and suggested she had molar spurs, we took her to the vets and although they couldn't see any they booked her in for op, but before she could have it done she went downhill very rapidly and went into GI stasis, it was touch and go whether she survived, which fortunately she did, when she took so ill we cancelled the op for her teeth as she wasn't strong enough for it, one theory we had was that possibly it wasn't her teeth as she was eating fine once she recovered but we thought that she could possibly be pining for my son as she was his rabbit, she lived in his bedroom and spent a lot of time with him but he went away to work about 3 weeks before she took bad and unfortunately he couldn't take her with him, we had her to the vets every day for 10 days for injections and I was given antibiotics to give her at home after the 10 days, since then she has "attached" herself to my husband, she circles his feet and does little grunting noises, well a few weeks ago he had to go away on business for 3 days, about a week after he got back she had a really wet bottom (urine) took her back to vets, he said it looked like a water infection, got antibiotics to give her which have finished today, her bottom has now dried up, but I was worried about her yesterday and today as she was quite mopey, I was thinking she'd have to go to vets again, yet when my husband came in from work (he works shifts and has been on days) she perked right up, is it really possible for her to miss humans so much (I also give her a lot of attention, but she doesn't feel same about me - possibly because I do the nasty bits like give her medicine and clean her bum when it is mucky etc), and if so have you any tips on how to lessen the stress for her when we go on holiday next year!!!  

Answer
Dear Valerie,

(Sorry for the delay.  My DSL has been down--they're having problems with Earthlink all over Florida--and only now am I able to access the AllExperts site.  I'm going to have to put myself on "vacation" on this site until they get the problem fixed, so I'm sorry I might not be available for followup questions right away.)

It certainly does sound as if your bunny is one of those sensitive types who can suffer great stress when separated from the humans she loves!  If this is, indeed, the case, then the kindest and most long-lasting thing you can do to prevent her stress is to (1) have her spayed if she isn't already and then (2) let her choose a neutered mate from among the fosters at your local rabbit rescuer's foster home.

It is *vital* that you let her do the choosing, especially if she is this emotionally sensitive, as rabbits are very territorial and jealous.  If she thinks you have brought a stranger into the house to "displace" her, you might have all the same stress problems.  But if you allow her to choose, and then let the fosterer help you with the bonding process, then it will be *her* friend that's coming home with her and she will be so much happier and calmer once she has a friend of her own species to cuddle.

She will not be less affectionate towards you once she has a pal of her own, but you can leave on trips with much more confidence that she's in good company and will not be stressed nearly as much as if she were left alone without anyone for comfort.  Her bunny pal will be her *permanent* friend, and they must never be separated, even if sick, or for trips to the vet.  Rabbit pairs are forever.

You can find your local rabbit rescuer here:

www.rabbit.org/chapters

I hope this helps.

Dana