Link

Sadie Gilbert, Wildlife & Exotics Coordinator, tells the story of Link, a mini lop bunny:

 

Link was found by a kind family after he had been dumped at a park here in Houston. They took him in, kept him safe, and reached out to us for help. He arrived at the shelter on June 25, 2026, and right away, we knew he had a long road ahead of him.

 

 

At intake, Link was extremely underweight. For a mini lop, he should weigh somewhere around 4.5 to 6 pounds, but this little guy came in at just 3.75 pounds. You could easily feel his backbone and hips. Even more concerning was his front right foot, which was badly broken and pointing in the wrong direction when we set him down on the scale. His radiographs who just how significant the injury was.

 

 

 

That first night, we genuinely weren’t sure if he was going to make it. He wasn’t eating, looked absolutely terrified, and I was especially worried about him developing GI stasis. I gave him some banana-flavored Critical Care and let him rest and decompress for the night. I think Link got more sleep than I did, because I was WORRIED about that little fella!

 

The next morning, he was the first animal I checked on. To my relief, he had started nibbling at his food and seemed to be out of the woods when it came to GI stasis.

 

We worked with Chief Shelter Veterinarian Dr. Poche and shelter vet tech Mykenzie to get Link on pain medication while we figured out the next steps for his injured leg, and it helped a TON. Once he was comfortable, he started acting like his foot wasn’t even broken! At that point, our biggest challenge became convincing Link that he was, in fact, injured. We had to restrict his activity to keep him from doing any further damage while we waited for surgery.

 

On July 16, Dr. De La Prida at Houston Humane Society Veterinary Clinic performed Link’s amputation and neuter at the same time. His incision was closed with skin glue and staples, and he was back in our care the very next day.

 

Link quickly became a favorite among the shelter techs. Kalli was always bragging about how good he was at taking his medication! His staples came out on July 27, and his little nub looks great. Losing a leg hasn’t slowed him down one bit. He still has a little trouble grooming himself and can’t quite reach one side of his face, but we’re more than happy to give him a hand with the spots he misses.

 

 

I also want to give a very special shout-out to the Hall family, Melinda, Margaret, and Madeline, because they’ve become such an important part of Link’s story.

 

The Halls actually adopted a rabbit from us when we were just getting the exotics program started, and for the past few months, they’ve also been volunteering with us. Every Tuesday, they come in to help with mini mammal and rabbit care, cleaning, and socialization. They’ve been a massive help, especially when it comes to making sure our rabbits ( and other mini mammals) get plenty of attention and feel extra loved while they’re here.

 

When they heard about Link and everything he had been through, they immediately fell in love with him. They asked about him constantly and would stop by to love on him whenever they had a little extra time.

 

At one point, I mentioned in passing that because Link is now a tripod, he might benefit from special bedding to help keep him comfortable and prevent pressure sores. Without hesitation, Margaret decided she was going to make it happen. She spent hours learning how to sew just so she could create custom bedding specifically for Link.

 

Now he has his own one-of-a-kind, super-soft bedding, custom-fit to his enclosure and made especially for him.

 

It’s difficult to put into words how much gestures like that mean to us. Link’s recovery has taken a village, from the kind family who stopped to save a dumped rabbit, to our medical team, shelter staff, and the volunteers who have loved him every step of the way.

 

The Hall family has been a huge part of that village. Their kindness toward Link is such a wonderful example of the impact our volunteers have on the animals in our care.

 

Link came to us as a critical case, weighing only 3.75 pounds. Just over a month later, our little guy is now a healthy 5 pounds! He’s healed, neutered, learning how to navigate life on three legs, and surrounded by people who absolutely adore him here.