I am asked to type a story with a minimum of one hundred fifty words or more for your understanding about my beloved Jesame. I remember when I got her from Georgia of Bunny Central a breed in Concord CA and also I got Jesame’s mate Casum a Dwarf Hotot. I watch Jesame grow from a small sixth month old baby into a full grown adult mini-lop bunny weighing in at six pounds. Her coloring was gorgeous. Mostly white with light grey coloring patches. Her face was adorable with the grey patches and further complemented with her grey lop ears. Each eye was surrounded with white coloring and grey. She would love to rest on the carpeting in the garage in front of the washing machines. There I would sit with her for hours petting her and stroking her. Jesame preferred to be on the ground rather than be held.
I enjoyed my weekly routing with/for her of taking care of her. Feeding her her pellets; oates; timothy hay; vegatables; etc. This was also the same for her mate Casum I would do for him. Jesame had five littres in all through her lifetime with Casum being the father of them all. Each time was an accident. Then four years later I had Casum neutered to stop the breeding and his spraying. A not about the fifth littre Jesame had only three babies. I kept one of them because I felt no suitable party would be understanding enough to take care of it for the journey of its life. I named this little one Baby. He also lived in the garage too. I wished Baby and Casum would bond but they did not. They did not like eachother and would fight when close to eachother. Casum would be the aggressor and Baby would avoid contact with Casum. Jesame did not mind the company of either of them when I left Casum or Baby alone with her. When two of them would be together they would sit next to eachother maybe for body warmth ot just companionship.
That was bonding as I saw it for all three of them. I had Casum for four years. And I had Baby for three years. I had Jesame for six and a half years. Baby shared most of Casum’s domintant features; his white coat and darkened eyes. Baby also featured one trait from Jesame in that his ears were all the similar grey Jesame had in her coat. What tears me apart now is they are all gone. I lost Casum on October 5 2011 to fly strike. Then just one week later I lost his son Baby also to fly strike too. I was unclear what got Casum sick the night he was taken to a nearby pet hospital to be put down. It was with Baby that I understood what sickness took Casum’s life as Baby was ailing bad.
I took him to the hospital because he was not eating nor pooping for over one full day. There at the hospital it was discovered he had the condition of fly strike- maggots all over his butt. The doctors tried to operate and save him. Then I got two calls from the doctor; one to tell me an update on the operation then a second to tell me the maggots were in his stomach and damaged his liver leading up to the doctors encouragement of me giving her permission to put him down. The maggots infested Baby to death. I blame myself for this happening to the both of them. They were my responsibility and I also was to be their protector. Too Jesame it was late in the same month of October I took her to the hospital too because she was not walking normal anymore. I thought she dislocated her right hip.
She got scared at a cat I am foster caring for so she stomped so hard on that right leg that she broke it on the concrete garage floor. I did not know she broke it. The doctor took x-rays and confirmed why she could no longer walk normal. I am to blame for this too. At the same time for this hospital visit Jesame spotted some blood on my white shirt. I told the hospital receptionist about this and have the doctor check why Jesame was bleeding. I was called by the doctor when I got home and requested my permission for emergency operation as the bleeding was a discharge causation by a cancerous tumor in her breast. I said yes immediately. The doctor performed a masectomy on her and the lab report later that came out stated Jesame was “Clean”” of cancer.
| Jesame Barbano |
| Gary Alan Barbano |