• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

Kidney failure in rabbits?

H

halfpenny

Wise Old Thumper
The latest results for Thumper are back and indications are he is in chronic kidney failure.
I've spoken to the vet about fortekor and she is looking into doses, we will do 3 monthly blood tests to monitor. We will also continue with panacur just to cover e.c.

He is slightly anaemic and this is most likely caused by chronic disease, when my cats have had this we have given anabolic steriod injections and vitamin injections- she doesn't sound convinced but will ask the vet who suggested this for the cats.

Does anybody have any idea as to whether they would be of value to Thumper and is there anything else I should be considering. He's an outdoor bun but I think I'm going to take him inside now to keep him warmer ( rediculous in summer) and to make monitoring him easier.
 
Ginger is a chronic kidney failure bunny, but hers may be different, her kidneys just dont work properly due to genetics.

We discussed fortekor, but getting her to take it was decided to be rather difficult. She's actually learnt how to manage this herself, and drinks ~1.5L/water sometimes more per day, on her own. Yes, thats often me filling a dog bowl rather promptly twice a day at least.

Was the urea level high in his blood tests?

Not sure what other issues Thumper may have - is he on long term metacam at all?

I'd probably say that bringing him in *may* be actually detrimental to his condition, as it will be a lot warmer and the air will be dryer inside the house, so may force him to drink more, which is great for kidney failure, but may be too much for him to take in as well as taking in relevant amounts of high fibre etc.

If possible, provide him with additional drinking stimulation, 2 bowls instead of one, one laced with something tasty, like some pressed apple juice, worked for us to begin with.
 
Thanks for the reply.
Thumper's urea and creatinine were high and although eating ravenously is losing weight.

The vet has put him on fortekor (1/5 of a 2mg tablet) he happily ate it crushed in strawberry and apple baby food. She is also going to given anabolic steroids once they come in.

Any advice on doses would be helpful.
 
halfpenny said:
Thanks for the reply.
Thumper's urea and creatinine were high and although eating ravenously is losing weight.

The vet has put him on fortekor (1/5 of a 2mg tablet) he happily ate it crushed in strawberry and apple baby food. She is also going to given anabolic steroids once they come in.

Any advice on doses would be helpful.
Click to expand...

Afraid i dont have any, but bumping this for those who will know more than me, afraid i'm led by Ginger, not by anything else right now as we dont treat her issues except for nebulisation and metacam for other issues :(

Vibes for Thumper.
 
Thank anyway.
I'll keep him in his usual environment but make sure he always has a snuggle pad in case he feels cold.
I'll also make sure he has plenty of water, to ensure he doesn't run out ever.
 
The BSAVA Manual of Rabbit medicine and surgery advises nandrolone 2mg/kg s.c. if anaemia is present and benazepril (fortekor) at < 0.1mg/kg uid. It also advised stopping nephrotoxic drugs and prophylactic treatment for gastric ulceration. Fluid therapy and supplementing vitamins B & C are also indicated.

Apologies if this information is out of date, I have no personal experience of this xx
 
In general the same principles apply to a rabbit in CRF as to a cat in CRF. Fortekor is sensible if it is possible to medicate the rabbit with it. In cases where the rabbit is dehydrated then giving subcutaneous fluids at home can be helpful. The Anabolic Steroids can help to improve appetite and to maintain weight. It is also advisable to feed foods that are low in phosphates as a kidney in CRF is no longer able to filter phosphates from the blood and these are absorbed by the body. Feeding a low calcium diet is advisable so check the calcium content of any veg given and avoid an alfalfa based pellet if possible. Encouraging drinking is also advisable so offering a water bowl and a water bottle may be worthwhile.
 
Thank you for replying. Having seen quite a few cats in renal failure, I think Thumper is in the end stages now. However he is on fortekor and I have started him on sub cut fluids twice a day, the vet has also dispensed anabolic steriod and vitamin injections. He has had all these today.
I hope it will keep him comfortable a bit longer, I don't want to take him to the vet again unless he perks up. I will not stress him with another journey and if he doesn't pick up and I have to say goodbye this week, the vet will come out to PTS rather than drive him to the surgery.
 
halfpenny said:
Thank you for replying. Having seen quite a few cats in renal failure, I think Thumper is in the end stages now. However he is on fortekor and I have started him on sub cut fluids twice a day, the vet has also dispensed anabolic steriod and vitamin injections. He has had all these today.
I hope it will keep him comfortable a bit longer, I don't want to take him to the vet again unless he perks up. I will not stress him with another journey and if he doesn't pick up and I have to say goodbye this week, the vet will come out to PTS rather than drive him to the surgery.
Click to expand...

Hoping for more comfortable time for Thumper but i know you'll say your goodbyes when he's ready :love:

Subcut fluids really changed Ginger's life when she was first diagnosed, but she learnt to carry herself and we havent had to provide them for a good while now.

Please keep us informed, will be thinking of you all.
 
Thumper is still very bright, interested and eating, although he only seems to be eating baby food and a bit of mix- his appetite is keen though. I'm going to try and soak some pellets and get some science recovery food from the vets, in the hope they will satisfy him more.
He is wobbly on his legs, which worries me it is weakness, he's not as wet and I don't think too dehydrated. I am worried I upset his tummy but if I can't get him to eat I'll lose him anyway.

Sadly he is not the only end stage terminal animal we have. Foula the sheep has filled with abdominal fluids. Her last set of blood results came back, the vets conclusion she has either a liver or gut tumour. We are trying to keep her comfortable, and I am collecting injectable diuretics (£7) a day to see if they help, this is just to try and keep her comfortable and may not help but at least then l have given her as much consideration as any of the small animals- just because she's a farm animal should not discount her from the same care and attention.
 
Bionic Bunny said:
In general the same principles apply to a rabbit in CRF as to a cat in CRF. Fortekor is sensible if it is possible to medicate the rabbit with it. In cases where the rabbit is dehydrated then giving subcutaneous fluids at home can be helpful. The Anabolic Steroids can help to improve appetite and to maintain weight. It is also advisable to feed foods that are low in phosphates as a kidney in CRF is no longer able to filter phosphates from the blood and these are absorbed by the body. Feeding a low calcium diet is advisable so check the calcium content of any veg given and avoid an alfalfa based pellet if possible. Encouraging drinking is also advisable so offering a water bowl and a water bottle may be worthwhile.
Click to expand...

Well that saved me from having to put my 'intelligent thinking' cap on:thumb::thumb:

It more or less summarises what we were told with Blackberry . .

except that often the high calcium is in the water in some regions rather than in fresh foods -

we stop giving pellets in final stages (actually they choose not to eat them any more) and give all fresh greens (weeds) and low calcium water (usually the cheapest bottled water in tescos is very low calcium - about a 100th of the calcium content that comes out of our taps!! - which is like rocks . . )
 
One of my bunnies is in kidney failure too. He has been on Fortekor for 3 months now and is doing really well on it. He has his down days, but overall he is happy, eating well and drinking much less. I just put the piece of tablet on a spoon and he eats it straight from there like a treat. :D They are palatable, so it's worth trying whether your bunnies would take it like that too.
 
parsnipbun said:
maybe not all do go off pellets - I have had three with kidney failure and all stopped eating pellets - but each case is probably different
Click to expand...
Tommy has been diagnosed with kidney failure around three months ago and he is still eating his pellets very well. I guess it depends how much they like them. :)
 
Thumper deteriorated rapidly over yesterday, there is nothing more we can do.
The vet is coming to the house this afternoon to put him to sleep.

Thank you to those who replied and supported us.

We will miss our big, handsome, curious boy!:cry:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

L
Opinion on Mouth Ulcer / Kidney Failure
2 3 4
Replies
71
Views
3K
Omi
O
E
My bunny has renal failure
Replies
7
Views
348
joey&boo
joey&boo
Lord Trellis
Can rabbits get kidney failure from hard water?
Replies
4
Views
535
Shimmer
S
Back
Top