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British Rabbit Gets Wheelchair
Ethel, a lop-eared rabbit from the UK, lost the use of her hind legs after falling ill. Zoe Holbourne, her owner, decided to give her rabbit another chance at mobility and ordered a custom wheelchair from Dogs to Go, a Texas company that makes carts for disabled pets. It was the first wheelchair the company had shipped to the UK.
According to Holbourne, “At first she struggled to keep her balance and kept tipping over, but she soon got to grips with it, especially on flat surfaces. Now she loves it. The wheelchair is very effective and it stops moving as soon as she wants it to. It doesn’t roll along when she is standing still.”
I have seen disabled bunnies using carts before, but I’m not sure how common it is. From what I’ve seen, some people have been able to build their own bunny wheelchairs, and there are several companies that can custom build them as well, including:
Here’s a video of Blueberry, a disabled rabbit at the Toronto Humane Society, using a cart.
For more info: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/3483678/NEEDSPICDisabled-rabbit-gets-wheelchair.html
Tags: blueberry, carts, disabled rabbits, dogs to go, ethel, toronto humane society, uk, wheelchairs
November 20th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
How great. Quite a few miles to a bale of hay!!!
November 20th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
How wonderful! What a great invention!
November 27th, 2008 at 10:42 am
I loved this so much, I had to mention it in my own blog! Love this story! I’d do the same for my pet rabbitt. Where do you find great stories like this?!
December 1st, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Thanks Michelle! Glad you liked the post. I basically scan the news for interesting things related to rabbits. This story especially caught my attention. It was interesting to see that there are a fair number of disabled bunnies using wheelchairs- either handmade or professionally constructed.
June 21st, 2011 at 12:17 pm
I am the builder of Ethel’s chair. She was our first bunny to have wheels! Since Ethel became so famous in the UK, we have build over 150 carts for other rabbits worldwide. They really do take to them quite well.
We started out building wheelchairs for dogs in 1999 and when Ethel’s MOM contacted us, we said, “why not!” She has helped so many other rabbits get the wheels they need from having her video published on youtube. Thanks Ethel!
Laurie Miller
Dogs to Go!
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:22 am
Thank you such an amazing story. My rabbit is getting the same problem and we are trying to make a wheelchair for him. He is a mature dwarf bunny. I was wondering if you guys are selling the wheelchair or if not, can you show me how to make one for him. Thank you
March 8th, 2013 at 11:43 pm
how much is the rabbit chair my little needs one