After being in our care as a permanent resident since 2016, Easter developed a heart issue that was impeding her quality of life. She was relieved of her suffering at the vet in the loving arms of her foster mom.
We can’t thank Easter’s foster mom enough for giving her the best life possible. This sweet, wobbly bunny was beyond loved and spoiled every day until her last, and that’s exactly what she deserved.

From Easter’s foster mom:
“A couple of weeks ago, I had to say goodbye to my best friend and the love of my life. 🌈
Easter’s entire existence on this Earth was nothing short of a miracle, and not a moment was taken for granted. Hers was truly a charmed life, and I believe Easter knew how lucky she was to have been rescued. It’s impossible to put into words how much she meant to me and how grateful I am that @ladybirdanimalsanctuary took a chance on a wobbly stray rabbit and then bestowed upon me the honour of being her forever foster home during her golden years. She was the best bunny in the whole world, and every day I shared with Easter was a good day.
Easter gave the sweetest little kisses and was the squishiest cuddler with the softest fur. She somehow always knew exactly what time her medication was due and would patiently wait in front of the fridge to encourage me to give her a snack . . . even if she’d just had one. Caring for, and doting on, Easter has been the greatest privilege and the best thing I’ve ever done. For nearly five years, Easter was the heart of my home and the centre of my universe. I loved her deeply, and she loved me just as much.
I will miss her forever.
Until we meet again, big girl. 💫”

Rest in peace sweet Easter. We will never forget you.

Follow Easter’s adventures in her foster home on Instagram by following @easter_the_rabbit

We rescued Easter from Hamilton Animal Control. Easter came into HAC as a stray. Easter had been suffering from serious ear and skin issues for quite some time. HAC staff sent Easter to the vet where they diagnosed her with severe ear mites. The vet flushed Easter’s ears out as best they could and applied a topical flea treatment that also treats mites. She was then sent her back to HAC to wait out her stray time. When we rescued Easter from HAC and took her to our own vet, they agreed that it was a serious ear mite infestation, but also diagnosed Easter with ringworm and a secondary bacterial infection.
Easter was put on medication and sent to her foster home to recover. Once Easter started feeling better, she started moving around a lot more. With that, we noticed that she was very wobbly on her feet and sometimes fell over if she was startled. She was eating, drinking, and using the litter box normally, so our vet suggested getting a better look into her ears when she was under for her spay surgery to see if the ear infection may be causing the problem. Though she came through the surgery with flying colours, unfortunately, Easter’s ears were perfectly clean, and nothing else could be seen in her ear canal. The vet prescribed another medication in hopes that it would help, but after a few weeks, it was obvious the medication wasn’t doing anything.
Next stop to try to diagnose Easter’s wobble; the Ontario Veterinary College Companion Animal Clinic.
Over the course of a few weeks, and many back and forth drives to Guelph for appointments, Easter had blood work, a CT scan and a spinal tap, none of which told us why she was the way she was. Finally, an MRI showed that she has a degenerative brain disorder called cerebellar atrophy. It’s genetic, progressive, and sadly, not something that can be corrected with surgery. So…Easter may stay as wobbly as she is now and will live out her life as normally as she can, or, she will progressively get worse until her quality of life becomes such that we will have to make the decision to humanely euthanize her to end her suffering.
This was not the outcome we were hoping for, but for now, Easter’s foster family are spoiling her, and giving her all the love and tasty greens that she wants. With this condition, Easter is not a candidate for adoption, so she will stay with us as a permanent resident.

Easter has been a trooper through all of this. She has a sweet and gentle personality and she loves nothing more than a cuddle with her foster people. We all love her very much and will see her through to the end.

When something is wrong with one of our animals, we do everything we can to diagnose the issue and seek treatment. Even if the end result, as in Easter’s case, there is no cure, we still need to know we made every effort to do right by that animal. Sometimes it can be very costly to do so.
Your donation, no matter how big or small, will help us continue to give animals like Easter the care they so deserve. Click on the DONATE NOW button or visit the donation page to see all the ways you can help.

Easter should be a reminder to everyone that rabbits do not make good gifts at Easter time. So many pet store “impulse buy” rabbits end up in shelters, and sadly, some of them are in the same shape as Easter or worse. Statistics say that four out of five rabbits purchased during the holiday period are abandoned or die of neglect within twelve months. Rabbits are social and intelligent creatures and they can live 10-12 years. They require specialized care and are not low-maintenance ‘starter pets’ for children.

If you’re thinking of giving a rabbit as a gift this Easter, make it a stuffed bunny instead.