I am very worried. Is this normal aging? Video post 8

Could Julie be loosing strength in her back legs? For a while now everyday the floors seem to get slipperier everyday. She use to do fine on the tile now she slips like crazy everyday more and more. She can barely stand without slipping to a flat out position. The OH thinks that as she ages she has less strength to hold herself up on the slippery floors. She is absolutely fine on the rugs and can hop on the tile if she is going fast enough but can not get up from a laying down position if not on an area rug or hoping slower. All of our floors are tile or wood laminate. I have put out more area rugs which she seems to hop from rug to rug and lies on the rug then can get up no problem. She does not act like she is in any pain or really bothered by this. It is painful for me to watch her feet going a hundred mile an hour and her going no where then eventually ending up lying down flat out. Is this normal rabbit aging? She is a large breed but not a giant and almost 8 years old. She does not really act like she has arthritis as she can hop perfectly normal on the big area rug. She also jumps up quick from a lying down position if on a rug. Is something wrong or does this sound like normal aging? Like I said she is not bothered nor does she act frustrated. If she is having trouble she just slides along on her belly? It is worrying me.

I don't really have much experience with older buns (mine have mostly died prematurely) but I didn't want to read and run. What I did want to say is that just because you can't see she's in pain, it doesn't mean it isn't there. As a prey species, rabbits are just SO GOOD at hiding pain that you might never notice.

I was also wondering about the onset. If it is a gradual onset problem, hopefully it is just ageing and some other member will be able to advise on whether it is something you should be worrying about. But if it's something you have noticed only recently, when she has been fine previously, I would be having her seen in case of any physical or neurological problems.

Sorry I haven't been of more help, hopefully someone with more experience will be along soon.

It is possible that your bun may have the early stages of arthritis. My bun, Gypsy, has been having trouble with slippy floors and her back legs are not as strong as they used to be. Some days she is worse than others but she does not show that she is in pain. Gypsy has arthritis in her spine.

Can your bun still periscope? Is she jumping as high as she used to? does she ever lean to one side more than the other or seem a bit wobbley?

A vet would be able to tell you more. Our vet examined Gypsy and told me straight away what was wrong. She is now on metacam which helps a lot.

Early signs or anything are always hard to pick up as bunnies will hide their pain and discomfort so well.

I didn't notice Dylan had arthritis. My vet picked it up during a pre-vaccination check. I did notice Dylan being much more active once he was on metacam. He now has tramadol as well.

I would take Julie to your vet.

Coineanach said:

I don't really have much experience with older buns (mine have mostly died prematurely) but I didn't want to read and run. What I did want to say is that just because you can't see she's in pain, it doesn't mean it isn't there. As a prey species, rabbits are just SO GOOD at hiding pain that you might never notice.

I was also wondering about the onset. If it is a gradual onset problem, hopefully it is just ageing and some other member will be able to advise on whether it is something you should be worrying about. But if it's something you have noticed only recently, when she has been fine previously, I would be having her seen in case of any physical or neurological problems.

Sorry I haven't been of more help, hopefully someone with more experience will be along soon.

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Okay ...here is the weird part. Julie is really just slipping if she is lying on the tile and trying to get up or walking around slow. She came flying out of her cage this morning hopping just fine to the OH when he was getting his breakfast. She them sides between his feet on her belly into a lie down position. She is fine when she takes off from the rugs that I placed around the kitchen also. She is fine when she hops fast if she can take off from something other than the tile then she hops normal. She slides to lie down which does look graceful but getting up her feet of going nowhere.

The slipping was a gradual thing to get to her this point of really slipping like she is now but it all started in September when we had all the carpets pulled out and replaced with the wood laminate floors. From that moment the new floors were in she could hop fast on the floors but would slide into a lie down position to rest and then had trouble getting up with sliding. The laminate floors are a lot slipperier. Julie is based in the kitchen but hops the house when supervised. When the carpets were replaced is when the tile floors in the kitchen seem to gradually get slippery everyday.
Maybe a video would help?

I don't have any suggestions sorry, but it might be worth asking Hugo's There as she's had loads of experience with elderly buns.

A video may help too!

xx

dizzyg said:

I don't have any suggestions sorry, but it might be worth asking Hugo's There as she's had loads of experience with elderly buns.

A video may help too!

xx

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Thanks good idea. I am working on getting a video of her.
sparklefairy, Julie does still stand on 2 feet to beg for food.

Here is a short video from today.

No I don't think that's normal. Your bunny looks to have some degree of hind limb weakness. There are a number of possible causes so I would book her in to the vets so they can have a look. They may want to do x-rays of her spine and hips and I think treatment for E. cuniculi would be a good precaution too xx