The recent list of medical problems has got me down...

Hi all!

I don't post here very often, though I lurk a lot. Recently, my old girl has been slowing down and having some problems. (8 years old, unspayed NZW) We took her in to the vet and the visit went rather well. I was pleased with the care we got, and the plan moving forward. But now I am feeling down at how old and fragile she is getting, even if we can manage her issues for now.

Going in, we had noticed several things in the past few months: weight loss, inability to choose when she urinates, less mobility, and rear end weakness.

The diagnoses we got were: urine sludge and retention (her bladder is huge!!), spinal degeneration, totally shot knees. It's nothing short of a small wonder that she can hop at all.

We have her on Metacam now, have changed her diet, and I express her bladder daily. It just has me so down to see her so weak. She trips a lot. She can't get to her cecums as easily, and often times will pull her feet out from under herself while trying to get to a cecum. She also has a tough time getting in and out of her nest box now.

Worst of all, we rent and I cannot allow her to hop around the house since she leaks urine everywhere. Her bladder is so large that even when I have expressed it, there is about half as much left in there. (As we saw on X-ray after the vet expressed her)

Any tips on how I can make her life happier and easier in these golden years?

Also, does anyone know of a super low profile and heavy litter or nest box I could get for her? She is 10 pounds now so we need something that doesn't slide around. Already using an under bed type storage box and it is too high for her to clear.

Also, any tips to get her to eat her Timothy hay are appreciated! She won't eat regular hay, so we provide hay cubes. But I'd like to see her eat more.

Hi, I'm sorry to hear about your bunny and her problems. I once had a bunny called Barnaby who lived to be at least 11 years old.( Ex rescue.)

Could you buy a dog bed and your bunny use it as a litter tray? Easier to hop in and out of.
Barnaby was also incontinent, so most of the floor was covered with newspaper and towels on the top. I did have to limit him as to where he could roam. In his final months though he slept most of the time.

I will try and remember some of the other things I did to help him.

Noserubs to your bunny. x

Thank you for your reply! I'm not sure I can think of a dog bed that would work well for a litter tray? I'm in the US, so perhaps there are other dog beds in the UK? Do you have a link so I might try to find something like that here?

My girl does sleep a lot, but has been for a while now. Mostly I just see how difficult it is for her to hop. I think her knees are the worst on her list.

Have you tried a garden potting tray as a litter tray? Something like this :- http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tidy-Tray-great-compact-potting/dp/B001IPYM9Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356094569&sr=8-1. I've always found them good for elderly buns with mobility problems, although my 10 year old bun can still manage to get into a regular tray at the moment. These potting trays are large so should be fine for your bunny.

That looks fantastic for her!!! Thank you so much!!