As a veterinarian, I am often asked how often I get bitten. Surprisingly, I have learned to read the emotions and stress levels of most pets so I can tell when they have reached the point of actually biting. Many people think that large dogs would be the worst ones to bite but is actually small dogs and cats that bite us the most often. Large dogs will usually give a warning growl or lift an upper lip to show their teeth and we can then get some assistance or use a soft muzzle. Cats and smaller dogs will sometimes bite merely because you are in their personal space. With the distance from tail to teeth so small their quickness to bite is more often successful.
When asked what was my worst bite people are also surprised when I tell them it was from a rabbit named Wee-wiggle-nose. When Wee-wiggle-nose's caregiver arrived she warned me that he might bite and I had to chuckle thinking of the Monty Python movie of the attack rabbit. The rabbit seemed docile enough and, living up to its name, its little nose wiggled playfully side to side.
Wee-wiggle-nose sat quietly when I petted him and I smiled as I explained that I was going to take him to the treatment room and give some hairball medication. Wee-wiggle-nose hadn't been eating as well as normal and I thought a hair blockage was a possibility. I had a veterinary technician hold him and I syringed a thick syrupy molasses based medication into his mouth. Rabbits have a small mouth and I could see most of it was beginning to ooze back out.
I picked up the large glob exuding from his mouth and proceeded to pack it back into Wee-wiggle-nose's mouth. With rattlesnake like speed he struck out and his long incisor teeth reached out and grabbed my index finger right through. To make matters worse, after his teeth pierced my finger he decided to not let go.
There I stood, helplessly unable to move with a small rabbit attached to my finger. It almost seemed like the rabbit just needed to show me who was boss and then he finally let go. For the next two weeks I remembered that rabbit every time I used that finger or put on surgery gloves. I wore a small bandage and of course it was the topic of conversation and embarrassment for me as I went from one examination room to the next…..Wee-wiggle-nose had gotten the better of me.
