Sanctuary Rabbits: Glenna Gets her Jaw Moving at Acupuncture

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Here is little Glenna at a recent acupuncture appointment right after she's had a needle removed from her left jaw. First let me quickly say that's her breakfast she's got all over her face. The Critical Care is very hard to clean off and dries as hard as cement. And as soon as I clean it off, she gets more on! She puts her whole face down into the bowl of slop and so it gets all over her face.

So we just left her breakfast on her face and hopped down there. You'll see in the video that she is moving her lower jaw (mandible) around pretty good, she can do it! But she still has this TMJ disorder thing because, I'm pretty sure, her upper and lower incisors are just so horribly misaligned that it's caused her jaw to freeze shut. We don't even run her down to the vet for incisor trims anymore, the vet instructed me how to do it at home with a Dremel and special cutting wheel! (don't try this unless your vet has told you how to do it and which wheel to use!)

So what to do? Well, I'm almost certain that if we have both the upper and lower incisors completely removed, and which the wise doc has advised anyway since they have the potential to abscess, that her TMJ disorder will resolve after a few more acupuncture treatments.

The catch is, of course, money. It will cost a little over $500 to have both the upper and lower incisors removed. Dr. Stahl has done this many times and I have total confidence in him, he's the best of the best. As my dad would say, he's a wagon wheel (been through it all). And then Glenna would have a chance at a normal life eating normal food - hay, veggies, etc.

That's not to say she isn't doing great. She eats her Critical Care mixed with carrot baby food heartily and has actually doubled her weight since the recent drama where one vet recommended she get a nasogastric feeding tube or be euthanized as she was basically 'starving to death.' Now she's doubled her weight and is working on a dewlap, on both ends! (yea they can get butt dewlaps, it's pretty cute)

So now that I have the estimate, it's time to post a fundraising thermometer for Glenna's incisor removal! I'll probably do that tomorrow. I just wanted to post this video first to show everyone how close we are to getting her jaw back to normal! It is exciting to me. Glenna is inspiring to me and she is a great bunny as are all the bunnies and other animals of Bright Eyes Sanctuary! But Glenna, well, she's my hero.

And once again, I want to extend deep appreciation and gratitude to the kindly Cynthia Clarke of Hands on Health in Rockville, Maryland, for so lovingly attending Glenna and providing such expert animal acupuncture. Cynthia truly loves Glenna and Glenna loves Cynthia! Glenna is so happy to see Cynthia every time she goes to her appointment that she will not know what to do when she doesn't need acupuncture anymore!