PAWS Rescue Clinic Story
Moonlight
The Bionic Bunny
A story of chronic ear disease, innovative surgery, a custom stent, and a rabbit whose life changed because nobody gave up.
JOURNEY
2024 – ongoing care
SUPPORT GIVEN
Advanced ear surgery and stent care
Meet Moonlight
Moonlight was surrendered to Romeo’s Rabbit Rescue with a severe chronic ear abscess. Thick infection kept building up around his ear canal and, despite cleaning and antibiotics, the problem kept returning.
He was bright, affectionate and full of life, but his ear disease was serious. It was painful, persistent and complicated by changes around the base of the ear and facial nerve involvement. Moonlight needed more than routine treatment. He needed a new way forward.
Veterinary care donated
Over $3,300
Through Little Pet Vet and the PAWS Rescue Clinic, Moonlight received advanced diagnostics, bacterial culture testing, repeated ear care, lateral ear canal surgery, custom stent implantation, hospitalisation, medication, pain relief and months of recheck care.
Ear abscess care
Culture testing
Advanced surgery
Custom stent
Long-term monitoring
Scope camera images
Normal Moonlight
A relentless ear infection
Moonlight’s ear disease was not a simple infection. Thick pus repeatedly accumulated within the diseased ear canal and surrounding abscess cavity, and although cleaning and antibiotics helped temporarily, the infection kept returning.
His carers cleaned the area multiple times each day, supported him with medication and monitored him closely. He remained bright and willing to eat, but the disease was affecting his comfort and could not be ignored.
When standard treatment was not enough
Conventional treatment gave Moonlight temporary relief, but it did not solve the underlying problem. The diseased canal and abscess cavity created a space where infection could become trapped again and again.
Each flare-up meant more cleaning, more medication and more discomfort. Eventually, the team had to consider a more advanced approach: creating a permanent drainage pathway so the infection could no longer seal itself away.
Designing a new solution
Moonlight’s case needed creativity. The goal was not simply to remove infected material, but to stop the cavity from closing and trapping infection again.
A custom approach was planned using a small nitinol stent designed for humans. The stent would help hold the surgically created opening open, allowing ongoing drainage and access for cleaning while the tissues healed around it. It was a carefully considered solution for a very difficult problem.
The surgery that made him “bionic”
Moonlight underwent advanced ear surgery. The abscess cavity was opened, infected material was drained, diseased tissue was carefully managed, and a stent was placed to help keep the drainage pathway open.
It was an innovative approach for a rabbit with a difficult chronic ear condition. The surgery did not magically make everything simple, but it transformed the infection from a closed, recurring abscess into something that could finally be accessed, cleaned and managed.
Weeks of cleaning, checks and careful hope
Recovery required enormous commitment. Moonlight’s carers cleaned and monitored the site multiple times each day, while the veterinary team checked the stent, managed scar tissue and adjusted treatment as needed.
There were anxious moments. At times, tissue began to narrow around the stent and there was concern that the new drainage pathway could close. But each setback was met with careful reassessment, ongoing cleaning and a plan to protect the progress already made.
A new lease on life
Gradually, Moonlight improved. The overwhelming discharge reduced, his comfort improved and he remained bright, playful and interested in food. The infection that once dominated his life became something that could be managed rather than something that controlled him.
Today, Moonlight still needs monitoring, but he is back to doing what rabbits do best: eating, exploring, playing and enjoying life with the people who refused to give up on him.
Moonlight’s journey
A simple timeline of the moments that shaped his story.
April 2024
Moonlight was introduced by Romeo’s Rabbit Rescue as a rabbit with a severe ear abscess requiring intensive cleaning and antibiotic support.
Ongoing treatment
Repeated cleaning, medication, culture testing and veterinary reviews helped manage the infection, but the abscess repeatedly refilled.
Surgical planning
Because conventional treatment was not enough, an advanced surgical plan was developed to create a more reliable drainage pathway.
Stent surgery
Moonlight underwent advanced ear surgery with placement of a custom stent designed to keep the drainage tract open.
Recovery
Weeks of cleaning, rechecks and close monitoring followed. The stent site required ongoing care but gave the infection a way to drain.
Today
Moonlight continues to be monitored, but the surgery transformed a recurring, painful infection into a condition that could finally be managed.
What PAWS support helped provide
Veterinary consultations
Ear flushing and cleaning
Bacterial culture testing
Advanced ear surgery
Custom stent implantation
Hospitalisation and nursing
Pain relief and antibiotics
Frequent rechecks
Long-term management plan
“Moonlight’s story is what PAWS Rescue Clinic is all about: refusing to accept that complex animals are beyond help, and finding creative ways to give them comfort.”
“He was a brave boy who just wanted love and food. The stent gave him the chance to enjoy both with far more comfort.”
The Team Behind Moonlight
Romeo’s Rabbit Rescue
Gave Moonlight safety, advocated for advanced care and supported a difficult treatment journey when standard options were not enough.
Foster Carers
Provided daily cleaning, medication, monitoring, transport, comfort and the patient home care that made his recovery possible.
Little Pet Vet
Provided diagnostics, culture testing, advanced ear surgery, custom stent placement, pain management, medication and repeated rechecks.
See more of Moonlight’s story at Romeo’s Rabbit Rescue
Here
Moonlight’s legacy
Moonlight’s story is one of innovation and persistence. His chronic ear disease did not respond to simple treatment, but that did not mean there was no hope.
Through the partnership between Romeo’s Rabbit Rescue, Little Pet Vet and the PAWS Rescue Clinic, more than $3,300 worth of veterinary services were donated to support Moonlight’s treatment journey.
Today, Moonlight is remembered as the “bionic bunny” — a rabbit whose custom stent transformed a painful, recurring infection into something that could finally be managed, giving him comfort, freedom and a far better quality of life.
Thank you for being part of Moonlight’s journey and for supporting animals in need.