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I'm not sure the meds are helping :-(

S

sparklefairy

Wise Old Thumper
My little Gypsy is still very wobbley :cry:

Those of you with arthritic bunnies, When your bunnies first started the metacam how much difference did it make? did you notice a lot of improvement?

I don't know if I am hoping for a miracle, but with Gypsy she is still very wobbley :-( she is a little bit faster but I'm not sure how much the metacam is helping.

She also has a messy bum. Something she never got before :(

She is 2.68 KG and on 0.6ml metacam a day. The vet said I could adjus the dose but I don't know what I'm doing :cry: I don't know how much more is safe for her.

It's mad, I didn't ever expect Gypsy to be the one with joint problems. It was always Storm I was more worried about, being a big boy. I didn't see this coming with Gypsy at all. She is only 8 :cry:
 
Here is my little girl

BunniesJuly2012037.jpg


She is not as well known on here as many others, but to me she is stunning :love: I love her very much. I don't want her be get old :cry:

I'd better go and give her a bath now :(
 
thank you x

I just feel really down :cry: The vet did tell me that it was a low dose and that I could adjust it but I really have no clue on how much to give or if once or twice a day is best. I'm worried I'll get it wrong.
 
Has the Vet suggested and physio or massage therapy as well as the Metacam ?

Acupuncture can be beneficial too, if the individual Bunny can cope with it. Some cant as they find the procedure too stressful.

C does Acupuncture, I will ask her if there are specific energy points that you could massage on Gypsy. Is the arthritis in her spine and hips ?

Her messy bum is probably due to the fact that she is less able to clean herself. If you could get her a bit more agile in that respect it may help. Hence my thinking that some complementary treatment may be useful.

Is it the Dog Metacam that she is on ?
 
Hi Jane :D

Gypsy is on dog metacam. A dose of 0.6ml. Her arthritis is in her spine. She is still quite mobile but a bit wobbley. She tends to lean to the side a bit. She cannot periscope anymore :cry: but can stand on her hind legs if " holding on," to something.

The vet didn't suggest anything, just confirmed that she has arthritis in her spine, said she was a " good," age. Checked teeth, heart, lungs, eyes, ears, all very very good for an 8 year old, apparently.

This was very first messy bum ever. I had to give Gypsy her first bath in 8 years!. Luckily she did not get stressed.

Gypsy has a low sided dog bed as a litter tray, her and Storm both have lots of room to hop around. I don't know how else to help her :(

I don't believe that Gypsy is unhappy in any way, she is still eating well and still bosses me around. She still has her spirit. I just wish I could help to keep her more mobile. I'm not sure if she has actually worsened since being on metacam :?
 
The maximum dose of Metacam my Vet would prescribe would be 1.07ml a day. So you do have a good margin to increase the dose if your Vet is in agreement.

The muscle wastage that can occur as a result of osteoarthritis can cause the Bun to be wobbly.The wobbliness is not necessarily indicative of pain, but of loss of power so-to-speak. Is Gypsy on a substrate with good traction ? Tiles or wood flooring can be big problem for arthritic Buns

I would keep a check on her ears as when a Bun is less able to groom/clean themselves well they can also get very gunky ears.

I empathise with Gypsy, us ladies of mature years do have our problems !! Thus far I have not got a mucky bum or gunky ears though :thumb:
 
glad your ears and bum are ok :lol:

Thankfully Gypsy's ears are clean. I have seen her groom her ears and face with one paw while keeping her balance with the other front paw on the floor. She can lift 2 front paws off the floor for a few seconds for those more hard to reach bits. Her back legs are a bit weak :( I initially thought it was due to her EC. The vet thinks her muscle wastage isn't too bad.

Gypsy is unable to walk on slippy floors, but this may be due to the fact that the bunny room has always had carpet. I am now discovering what a terrible flooring choice this is for older bunnies!! it is impossible to keep clean :cry: I will have to change it to something like lino with the non slip vetbed over the top maybe :? I will never ever put carpet down in a bunny room again!

I feel old too as I also have osteoarthritis in one hip :cry:
 
Sadly, my arthritic bun Dylan went to the Bridge last week:(

He became jaundiced which I think may have been a result of the long term metacam use. I had increased the dose and gave it to him twice a day as he had stopped eating. He was also prescribed tramadol which I believe really helped him.

I feel bad that the medication I gave him probably contributed to his death but before that he was in pain - kind of a rock and a hard place situation.
 
Rhianna said:
Sadly, my arthritic bun Dylan went to the Bridge last week:(

He became jaundiced which I think may have been a result of the long term metacam use. I had increased the dose and gave it to him twice a day as he had stopped eating. He was also prescribed tramadol which I believe really helped him.

I feel bad that the medication I gave him probably contributed to his death but before that he was in pain - kind of a rock and a hard place situation.
Click to expand...

I was so sad to hear about Dylan :cry::cry:

How long was he on meds for? if you don't mind me asking.

It really is a rock and a hard place ((hugs)) we never want our buns to be in pain, but we don't want to give them other problems either :cry: It's sometimes so hard knowing what the right thing to do is :?
 
I'm not sure - probably well over a year. He was on a small dose and then stopped eating so it was increased. Then he stopped again a few months later and it was increased again and I gave it twice a day and then that didn't work so we gave tramadol as well which probably gave him some extra time.

We were going to try vetergesic but sadly Dylan was too poorly by then and didn't respond to the steroid injection he was given.
 
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