Tango Appeal
A bunny called Tango, an orange rex only about a year old, was living with
an elderly couple in South London, where the husband was looking after his
poorly wife. The husband died recently, leaving his wife, who was unable to
cope and had to go into a care home - Tango obviously had to be given up.
Delia and Jim of Bobtails took him on with a view to neutering him, pairing him up and rehoming him. Last week Tango was neutered by their regular vet, who neuters males through a small hole in the abdomen, rather than the more usual way - this leaves a couple of stitches. This has been done hundreds and hundreds of times before over the years and there has never been a problem. Well for some reason, Tango began to nibble at his stitches and although he was checked very regularly (Delia and Jim have over 100 rabbits to look after) his gut had begun to come out through the hole. It was after hours and the regular vet was on holiday, so they took him to the emergency vet to be stitched up. They were quoted a fee of between £200 and £600 for the operation, the bigger amount would represent a scenario where a part of the gut that is damaged would be cut away. As this would represent a serious threat to Tango's life, Delia and Jim prayed that this would not be the case. Luckily the gut did not have to be cut away and the operation went smoothly, and a bill of between £200 and £300 was expected, so they were absolutely stunned when they were charged over £600!! They asked for a discount, being a charity, and were told that only an organisation like the RSPCA would get a discount, not them.
Bobtails is a registered charity, which is mainly funded by Delia and Jim personally, and this extraordinary bill has left a terrible hole in their finances, meaning that other rabbits neuters/spays will have to be put on hold for the time being. They work tirelessly and they have never refused a bunny who is unwanted - even biters and those in desperate need of medical care. They are at a loss right now as to how to get the funds back on track, and if anyone feels they can support them with however little, they would be grateful.
Update
Tango has completly recoved from his operation and is doing well.
Bobtails' Address:
Jim and Delia Cordell,
44, Arundel Avenue
East Ewell
Surrey
KT17 2RG