Fluffy overcomes adverse living conditions, cancer

Fluffy is a Holland Lop bunny who continues to amaze us with his will to live and be happy.

Fluffy came to SC CARES in 2011 at 7 months old, making this his third home. Fluffy’s life began in a breeding mill/backyard breeder and at a very young age was sold to a pet store. He was purchased by a family with small children who apparently had no idea how to handle a rabbit. After being tortured by those children, Fluffy was given to another family, once again with young children and making it worse, a dog.

Rabbits being instinctive of predators can be stressed very easily. This second home was more than likely even worse than the first, not only did these children not know how to handle rabbits but the canine in the midst made for a very stressed and nervous bunny. Rabbits have only two defenses, run away or bite. Since Fluffy was unable to run away, he chose the latter.

When Fluffy arrived he was traumatized to say the very least. We gave him his own space in our rabbit room and gave him time to settle in. This poor bunny was so tense that even reaching in to get his food and water bowls he would jump at you, growl and try to bite or scratch.

After a little time we began to pick him up, hold him tight and give him love showing him that not all human touch was bad. Each time whispering to him that we loved him and he was safe, stroking his fur and telling him everything was alright. It took a while but after about a year he stopped being so jumpy and suspicious of people and would allow us to handle him.

This year, 2015, Fluffy had a knot on his front right leg and after being examined by our vet it was determined to be cancer. We originally opted to just observe the growth because anesthesia would be risky for him. That plan soon changed as the tumor continued to grow rapidly and there was no other choice. We had to take the risk in order to give him the quality of life he so deserved.

Fluffy made it through the surgery that amputated his leg and now one month out he seems to be doing well. He gets around, is eating and drinking and seems to love the attention he gets when we hold him like a baby and give him kisses.

This rehabilitation, reconditioning and second chance (or his case 3rd chance) to know what it’s like to be loved, happy and live in peace is what SC CARES and it’s wonderful volunteers is all about. Fluffy is currently 4 years old and could live a lifespan of 10 years, if we’re lucky.

If you’re ever considering increasing your family to include animal companions, please adopt and don’t buy.

To find out more about us go to www.sc-cares.org to view the animals that live here, to help by donating for these creatures (501c3) or set up an appointment for a tour. We can be reached at 843-546-7893 or 236 Abbeville Dr. Georgetown, SC 29440.

This story was originally published October 8, 2015 at 8:18 AM with the headline "Fluffy overcomes adverse living conditions, cancer."