Readers Beware: Graphic Images

I wasn't going to blog about this, but the story is almost too unbelievable not to share. While my in-laws were visiting, in the wee hours of the morning, Adam woke to some "sounds" outside. He woke me up and told me he thought something was in the live trap he had set in the garage. We have a pesky raccoon who loves Charlie's food and have been trying to catch him for the last few weeks. I questioned how he would actually hear an animal trapped clear in the garage...but when it comes to animals, Adam has a pretty keen ear...even in a dead sleep. Anyway, he ran outside, only to return seconds later to retrieve a flashlight. I didn't know why he would need a flashlight in the garage...but whatever. Seconds after he went back outside, I heard a little squeal/scream. Adam then came rushing back in the door yelling profanities under his breath. He darted to the basement to retrieve the appropriate gun and came upstairs to load it. He then informed me that a mink was INSIDE Bunny-Him's cage trying to eat him! I couldn't believe it! I thought that maybe the kids had left his cage open...but no, the pesky varmint had literally "weaseled" it's way into the cage by half-way pulling out the food trough (not an easy task). And, for those who don't know, our bunny cages are at least 4 feet up off the ground.

Mink are aggressive little carnivores, and, when hungry will even attack small dogs. There was no way Adam was going to stick his hand in that cage, and our bunny was running out of time. Once the mink was taken care of, I went out to assess the damage. Both Adam and I questioned whether or not Bunny-Him was unharmed enough to be spared. I was surprise he hadn't died of shock! This was the second time Bunny-Him had been attacked. Last time, his cage had been torn down and rolled down the field by a couple of dogs. The dogs never managed to open the cage, but the poor bunny endured quite a scare.

Bunny-Him's face was quite bloody. I tried to take a picture, but he was having a hard time holding still. Because he's a lop and has a flat face, his nose is quite a bit lower than other bunnies, therefore his nose was still in tact. However, he was having some trouble breathing freely. Upon further investigation, we discovered that half of his right ear was missing! Poor little guy was in bad shape. We decided to wait till morning to reassess.

Bunny-Him's ear...

His poor little face :(

The next morning, I discretely went outside to check on him. I didn't want the kids to see him yet, so I was careful not to say anything. I took some celery with me, as I decided he would rather eat something fresh...and I wanted to see if he would eat it at all. I stuck my hand in the cage, and he reacted in his usual fashion. I gave him the celery, and he started in before I could put it down. I was happy, but still unsure. His breathing was still labored and his eye was starting to swell.

The next day, we took Aunt Alice's advice to apply some antibiotic cream. I was hesitant to do so as the wounds were starting to scab up and I didn't want the bunny to try to wipe the ointment off and aggravate his wounds. That was a few days ago, and he seems to be improving. Today is a hot day, and I'm still very concerned about his breathing. I don't know if his nose is actually damaged, or if it's just overly swollen. In hot weather, bunnies almost pant like dogs...but through their noses. So, Bunny-Him is going to have a rough day. I hope he heals.

After some research, Adam learned of the mink's particular breed, and that it was not native to Oregon. In fact, it was one of the many mink released by animal activists several months ago at a farm in Svensen. Check out this activist blog link regarding the story.