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RIP Dilios (neglected bunny)
Update: A few days after I posted this request, this poor bunny got sick and didn't make it. Donations are being returned because he never had the surgery he would have needed. Thank you to Joseph, to the vets at Acris, and to everyone else who did what they could to help Dilios.
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Dilios is named after a character in a movie who loses an eye in battle, then goes back to narrate the rest of the story so no one will ever forget. Dilios' story is a very sad one--he is the sole survivor of a family of rabbits who were being kept in neglectful conditions at a public school. Joseph, a foreign teacher at the school, bonded with the rabbits and did his best to improve their conditions, but he was stuck out in a remote rural area with no car and limited public transportation options. Furthermore, the school he worked for didn't seem to understand or care that conditions in the rabbit pen were unacceptable.
As many ARK members are aware, rabbits need very specialized vet care (http://rabbit.org/faq-how-to-find-a-good-rabbit-vet). Local vets in Joseph's area lacked rabbit experience and were ill-equipped to help this poor family, so he sought the advice of knowledgeable rabbit people on an Internet forum (http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f27/help-diagnose-young-rabbit-71017). After many delays he was finally able to get Dilios' son treated for a severe case of ear mites. Sadly, the young rabbit died later of an unrelated illness--possibly the result of being kept in unsuitable conditions and entrusted to a vet with limited rabbit experience.
This all happened a few months ago--although Joseph has invested time and money in this rabbit family, and has worked hard to educate himself about rabbit care, transportation barriers and other obstacles prevented Dilios from receiving prompt care for an eye infection and he has lost the use of that eye altogether.
Although there are no recognized rabbit specialists in Korea, Acris Animal Hospital in Seoul (near Hak-dong Station) has many rabbit patients and a good reputation. Earlier this week, Joseph managed to get a lift to Acris and the vet recommended surgery to remove the bunny's non-functional eye (and prevent it from developing into gangrene). The cost is much more than Joseph ever expected when he first got attached to Dilios. There was even talk of having Dilios "put down" for financial reasons, but Joseph gave it some thought and agreed to go ahead with the surgery.
Before agreeing to post this request I went to visit Dilios at Acris, talked with the vet who is treating him, and also talked with Joseph over the phone. (I wanted to check out the situation personally before asking anyone to donate because it's hard to know what to believe on the Internet.) Dilios wasn't very active when I saw him, but he was eating a bit. He's scheduled for surgery on Saturday because the vet feels he isn't strong enough yet. The surgery does carry a risk, but it seems to be his only option and the bill (excluding funds that have already been raised) will be at least 330,000 won. However, the actual cost will certainly be higher because Dilios will need post-op care and medicine. He's also going to need a good permanent home with a dedicated rabbit person.
Here he is at Acris:
Dilios' PayPal account is [email protected] and Joseph is the account holder.
- Updated Jun 26, 2014
- 4476 Views
Comments
cornflakes
Jun 13, 2013 20:56
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Thanks so much for your help! I wish we could have saved his son, but it is great to know that one-eyed Dilly now has hope because of caring people from everywhere. The other forum I first started the thread at is mainly a North American based site, but initially I joined that site just to get information about rabbits and rabbit health/care, since I had no previous experience ever dealing with rabbits. I'm really thankful someone recommend this site to me to reach out to more local people nearby who might be able to help. Three people have so far donated and helped to raise $220 thus far. There is another person who just informed me she'll make a donation tomorrow via paypal....every little bit is helping a lot despite the huge costs we still face up ahead. Thank you so much for everyone's support!
marlajoy
Jun 13, 2013 21:23
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You are awesome for doing what you did to help the rabbits! :) I wish more people were willing to fight for rabbits the way you did! Thank you. :)
cornflakes
Jun 14, 2013 09:41
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thanks marlajoy for those kind words!
cornflakes
Jun 14, 2013 09:39
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Just another fundraiser update, I received 2 more donations from members of the rabbitsonline forums. They are from North America. In total, we have received donations from 5 people (1 in Korea, and 4 in the US). Every little bit helps so much! Thank you again.
cornflakes
Jun 15, 2013 06:58
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I just returned from Seoul a few minutes ago. I'm so sorry but he did not make it. I got the call while riding the subway from the hospital that he had a weak heart beat and they told me it was an emergency. I was already on the way there and when I got there, they told me he had died just a minute or so before I arrived. He was laying on the table, half covered in a blanket and the vet nurse was very sad with tears in her eyes also explaining what happened.
The cause of death is not really known, but it is believe not to be as a result of the eye infection, but due to his general health/condition which was getting worse each day. He had stopped eating or eating regularly about 5 days ago when I had him at my workplace and was giving him oral antibiotic. I stopped giving it to him when I saw it was robbing him of his appetite just like the amoxicillin did a week previous. He didn't much at all during the 2 days prior to sending him to the big city hospital. Then while he was hospitalized for 3 days there, they had given all sorts of food but he hardly ate...maybe only sparingly and they said they tried to syringe feed him too but he wouldn't eat still. Combined with the fact that he was under extreme stress during these days (the travelling, the examination, the new environment at the hospital), I believe he died of a heart failure. He was breathing really fast during the ride and I'm sure his heart rate didn't settle down during the 3 days there too.
So he did not have to go through with the surgery or anything else, which I was visiting there today to pay for anyways. As a result, I have refunded all the donations made to me back to you and truly appreciate and thank all of you for your support and help in this time. It's been stressful for me too, but having received such generous and caring support from people I don't even know from all over the world, means so much to me.
Maybe his story is a bit of a sad ending, but maybe it's a good thing he's now no longer suffering and I believe there is an afterlife where I can see them again one day and they'll know me and I'll remember them.
I think I will take a break now from these forums......it's been such a rollercoaster of emotions and now that everything has been taken out of my hands and it's a done issue, I can just sort of let it go and put everything at peace now. Thank you all so much again for your time, patience, support, and everything else you did to help me through this. It means a lot to know there is a such a loving community of animal (rabbit) lovers out there who care this much.
God bless you all.
This is the last picture of him....he was already dead when I arrived but his eye was open and I was petting him the whole time while talking with the vet.
red dog
Jun 15, 2013 07:03
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Thanks for doing everything you could for the poor little guy. I'm sorry he couldn't hold on long enough.
cornflakes
Jun 15, 2013 07:05
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I had made a "in memory of" video for Lucky Star (his son) when he died back in March.....i don't think I can stomach making another one but I thought I'd just share the quick
video I made for him....as images and videos of dad rabbit too and pics of mom rabbit (before she died also 1 year ago). The ending in korean just means that i will miss them so much and one day in heaven I will see them again and bring them lots of yummy and delicious food for them again (like I did during their time on earth). I fed them for almost 3 years every day.
In Memory Video (repeat from Lucky Star)
http://tinypic.com/r/24x2jr4/5
marlajoy
Jun 15, 2013 11:25
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I'm so sorry to hear he didn't make it.
Karen
Jun 16, 2013 21:18
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So sorry to hear the sad news about Dilios.
Rocko321
Jun 18, 2013 19:55
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So sorry to hear that. :(