Imagine you are doing the meds round. You enter one special needs shed and find Liberty, a rabbit with chronic digestive issues. She needs gut medicines to keep her stable and pain-free. You handle her, feeling how boney she is and yet how big her tummy is in comparison. She accepts her medicines well, if slightly reluctantly. You gently release her so she can stomp away but find that she does not- she turns around, follows you to the thresh-hold, puts her paws on the door frame and waits patiently and expectantly. You need to hurry up and deliver her after-med treat.
The Rescue looks after rabbits as long as they have quality of life and Liberty, despite her many troubles, was allowed a severely revised diet and all the medicines she needed for as long as it was ethically right to give them. We knew she was happy enough and comfortable enough. For a long time she even lived in Caroline's house, becoming a firm favourite.
It had become obvious in the last couple of months that Liberty was losing condition and there was nothing further the vets could do for her, as she was on all the drugs it was possible to give. On the 31st May Liberty stopped eating and despite her gut medicines, rehydrating injections from the vet and attempts at syringe feeding there was nothing more to be done and on 2nd June we set her free.
