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Your views on experimental/pioneering treatments.

Would you allow your rabbit to undergo pioneering veterinary treatment?

  • I would be willing on the chance it may save my rabbit.

    Votes: 7 23.3%
  • I would be willing on the chance it would save others.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • My rabbit is not an experiment and I would rather they slipped away peacefully.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • It would depend on the procedure and the potential pain/suffering associated with it.

    Votes: 21 70.0%
  • Im undecided.

    Votes: 2 6.7%

  • Total voters
    30

Sooz

Wise Old Thumper
Well I was a bit bored on the train to Huddersfield yesterday and seen as Charlotte was remarkeably slow (she claimed to be working) responding to texts I had a bit of thinking time....always dangerous.

I was wondering if, say you were loosing your rabbit, and all conventional treatments had been tried and failed but your vet knew of or had pioneered a new technique, which may or may not succeed and could save your rabbits life.....would you try it?

Would you be comfortable to have your rabbit used as a 'guinea pig' or for potentially experimental purposes?

Would the fact they were going to die anyway mean you could morally bring yourself to try it for 'the greater good' to try and save others in future?

OR

Would you rather they were allowed to slip away peacefully instead?

Your thoughts and opinions please :)
 
Dusty is on borrowed time, and I am at the point where I would try anything to try to cure her/prolong her life. Side effects aren't really a major issue if she hasn't (probably) got long left anyway. :)() If it helped other future bunnies too, even better.
 
it would depend on what could go wrong ..and how bad the bun was ....but i think i would try

Do you think your thought process would be different if was a rescue rather than your own rabbit? i.e. Would you be more willing to take a risk?
 
I've voted that I would do it, but if it were to be an incredibly painful process, then I wouldn't. Just thought I'd clarify!

If it were a rescue bun I didn't really know... I think I'd try anything, the same as for my own. It's hard to imagine an exact scenario though.
 
I think it would very definately depend on the rabbit and how it was coping.
If it had already been through a lot, and the chances were very slim then I know I'd opt to PTS, however hard that may be.

I'm mainly swayed by previous experience of rabbits and dogs. Those rabbits that received massive veterinary input at the end never made it, and the dogs who had major surgeries passed away soon afterwards, or other symptoms occurred meaning that the surgery would never have made much difference anyway.

I think one of the kindest things we can do for our furry friends is call time when we know they have had enough, not us, or the vet (one of our family vets would keep on until their last breath, which in most cases benefitted his knowledge, but not the animal)
To put them through additional procedures with slim chances of success would not be for me, however selfish that may be.
 
I voted "it would depend" as, on principle I would be willing to try anything but, as with conventional treatments, there has to be a cut off point where you say "enough is enough, they have suffered enough"... so it would depend on the treatment but I would be willing to try most things for my bunnies! and a bonus if it could help others' pets...

cheerful topic sooz :thumb: :lol:
 
Dint just consider this to be about surgery, consider also new drugs or off licence ones or even therapy's.
 
I was working lol! I was knee deep in poop! Lol! I voted that it would depend.... but if I thought there was a chance it could save my bun and wasn't too painful or distressing then yes I would go for it. I wish there was a way we could make them live forever, I daily dread getting my heart broken by a bunny :(
 
ditto charlotte...
and sooz you know euthanasia will just descend into a HUGE argument as would breeders, abortion, religion and anything else even vaguely controversial lol
 
I voted on it 'depending on the proceedure' but, more importantly, depending on the character of the individual Rabbit.

Some Buns cope with a lot of intensive treatment, including surgery. Some get driven into stasis just going to the Vet.

Personally I feel the emotive issue of Post Mortems is something that I feel strongly about. I always have a PM done when I loose a Bun as not only does it help me make sense of what happened but it also serves to give the Vet useful information that might help them treat other Rabbits in the future

I know that some people think I put my Rabbits through too much treatment. I'll never forget the nasty PMs I got about Uncle Albert ( he had several ops on an oral fibrosarcoma) But he coped very well with all his treatments and Unky A just loved life so much. I dont regret the decisions I made for him one bit.

I guess what I am trying to say is that when refering to a Bun's Veterinary Treatment there is no 'one size fits all' and also 'just because it can be done does not always mean it *should* be done.

Janex
 
I have to say I agree totally with Jane.... when Bugsy was ill I put him through alot of treatment, but he fought so hard til the last day. He could withstand it. However for example a bun like my Lily would never stand such treatment, it would stress her out far too much. You have to make every decision based on the buns personality and will definately.
 
I know what you mean. Part of me still thinks I let Caspian go to soon though, where as I know for most people they tend to feel the opposite i.e. they should have let them go earlier.

Helen- I considered this a controverial topic, if it hasn't decended into chaos by tomorrow then I will be double checking this is really RU :shock:
 
I don't think you let Caspian go too soon.

With Clover I kept her going for as long as I had anything to try (including hay only diet etc). It eventually got to the point where I was completely out of anything, and that was the time for her to go. I do still feel bad though, as she was the sort of bunny that could cope quite well, as you describe, Jane. Her quality of life really wasn't good though.
 
I voted on the "depends on the procedure" option, I have tried new methods and drugs but only after research
 
I would be more inclined to try out new drugs than surgical operations.

I've had a couple of rabbits who I've know were terminally ill, but have seemed very bright and active...In situations like that I can't bring myself to PTS, and have explored all possible avenues.
 
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