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'Keeping her comfortable' - Orthopedic Bedding for rabbits?

Becki xX

Warren Veteran
My beautiful Rhia isn't going to get better, she has severe arthritis in her back & hips and it is a matter of keeping her comfortable and pain free now :cry: I'm devastated & trying to be proactive instead of moping, so - Has anyone used Orthopedic Bedding* for rabbits before? Would this actually be any more beneficial than say, a folded duvet & lots of blankets/vet bed/flectabed piled up? She is reliant on her head pads but they cant be very comfortable to lie on, is there anything similar that might be comfier?


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Personally, I'd have thought a heat pad covered with thick vet bed would be just as good.
 
Awww bless her, no idea I'm afraid. Might acupuncture be a possibility? My cat is currently having acupuncture for her arthritis and it does seem to be helping; others on here said that they have used it to good effect with bunnies too. I do hope you are able to keep Rhia comfortable and happy for a long time to come :)
 
Awww bless her, no idea I'm afraid. Might acupuncture be a possibility? My cat is currently having acupuncture for her arthritis and it does seem to be helping; others on here said that they have used it to good effect with bunnies too. I do hope you are able to keep Rhia comfortable and happy for a long time to come :)

Thank you so much for the suggestion, I will look into it !
 
oooh... Poor wee soul... Hope you manage to find something suitable to help her....

Fee x
 
I second the suggestion of acupuncture. Also, massage can be beneficial.

With regards to bedding, the surface needs to be pliant but not too soft.

Is Rhia an indoor Bunny these days ?
 
I second the suggestion of acupuncture. Also, massage can be beneficial.

With regards to bedding, the surface needs to be pliant but not too soft.

Is Rhia an indoor Bunny these days ?

Are there rabbit masseuse out there, or do I do it? :oops: If so, what do I do? I am so scared of hurting her :cry:

She is still outdoor, purely because the few stints we have tried inside she hasn't settled/been happy. I'm having new Xrays done next week (Due to the hideously fast decline) so I'll maybe think about moving her inside then & just see how she goes. She has lost a lot of weight in the last month & is very boney so if I feed her up & she still cant maintain it, she's going to have to come in regardless.

Absolutely gutted.
 
Are there rabbit masseuse out there, or do I do it? :oops: If so, what do I do? I am so scared of hurting her :cry:

She is still outdoor, purely because the few stints we have tried inside she hasn't settled/been happy. I'm having new Xrays done next week (Due to the hideously fast decline) so I'll maybe think about moving her inside then & just see how she goes. She has lost a lot of weight in the last month & is very boney so if I feed her up & she still cant maintain it, she's going to have to come in regardless.

Absolutely gutted.

Bless her. The weight loss may be due to muscle wastage as a result of her not being very mobile.

If she is OK about being handled/touched then massage is something you could do. You just gentle massage the areas most effected. Usually this is from the neck down the spine and over the hips. Obviously if she is not a 'hands on' Rabbit then it wont be such a good idea as she would just get stressed.

Stable matting is a good base for arthritic Rabbits. It is pliant but not so soft that the Bun has to struggle to hop on it. Duvets etc can be a bit tricky for arthritic Bunnies to hop about on. They are fine as a resting area though.
 
Are there rabbit masseuse out there, or do I do it? :oops: If so, what do I do? I am so scared of hurting her :cry:

She is still outdoor, purely because the few stints we have tried inside she hasn't settled/been happy. I'm having new Xrays done next week (Due to the hideously fast decline) so I'll maybe think about moving her inside then & just see how she goes. She has lost a lot of weight in the last month & is very boney so if I feed her up & she still cant maintain it, she's going to have to come in regardless.

Absolutely gutted.

My Flora is exactly the same and she'll be 10 in a couple of months. She doesn't enjoy being indoors and is clearly happier outside. Due to arthritis, her whole kennel area is covered with either megazorb and hay, carpet or fake grass in order to provide either a soft or grippy surface to make it easier for her to get about and have somewhere soft to rest. She has an aluminium Pet Nap electric heat pad permanently on so that she has the choice of a warm area on which to rest her aching joints - especially when it's cold and damp. She still enjoys freeranging in the garden but does everything at one level and can't jump up onto walls or into pots anymore.

What age is Rhia? I only ask because Flora has has bad arthritis for about 2 years now and still enjoys a really good quality of life, despite having trouble with grooming etc.
 
Bless her. The weight loss may be due to muscle wastage as a result of her not being very mobile.

If she is OK about being handled/touched then massage is something you could do. You just gentle massage the areas most effected. Usually this is from the neck down the spine and over the hips. Obviously if she is not a 'hands on' Rabbit then it wont be such a good idea as she would just get stressed.

Stable matting is a good base for arthritic Rabbits. It is pliant but not so soft that the Bun has to struggle to hop on it. Duvets etc can be a bit tricky for arthritic Bunnies to hop about on. They are fine as a resting area though.

That would make sense as she really isn't moving around much. I'm going to try & improve this too.

She is fine being handled & I am the apple of her eye, so to speak - So thankfully she'll let me have a gentle massage I think. Its all in her lower back, hips & back legs :( Hadnt even thought that a duvet would be difficult to hop on, not that she is doing much moving around. But I will have a look at that weigh it up, I'll just use lots of blankets for the next week or so & if she continues to lose weight I'll bring her inside instead.
 
My Flora is exactly the same and she'll be 10 in a couple of months. She doesn't enjoy being indoors and is clearly happier outside. Due to arthritis, her whole kennel area is covered with either megazorb and hay, carpet or fake grass in order to provide either a soft or grippy surface to make it easier for her to get about and have somewhere soft to rest. She has an aluminium Pet Nap electric heat pad permanently on so that she has the choice of a warm area on which to rest her aching joints - especially when it's cold and damp. She still enjoys freeranging in the garden but does everything at one level and can't jump up onto walls or into pots anymore.

What age is Rhia? I only ask because Flora has has bad arthritis for about 2 years now and still enjoys a really good quality of life, despite having trouble with grooming etc.

Oh, Really? That sounds positive. Rhia is almost six. She started with it in April but in the last four weeks the severity is just heartbreaking. Even the vet couldnt believe it. She is holding herself so badly, and is completely tensed up. Its really upsetting to see. What medication is Flora on, can I ask?
 
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