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My bunny been diagnosed with arthritis some advice please

A

andy5898

Warren Scout
Today one of my rabbits has been diagnosed with arthritis in his spine. I am lucky as I have lots of friends who have lots of rabbits who have all helped me understand it better. So I know what I am dealing with. My Roger is only 3 but as I know he can still live a long and happy life despite the arthritis.

I have just read about joint supplements for rabbits and just wondered if anyone had given them and if they worked? I don't want to buy anything which isn't going to help that much especially as we have a fairly decent sized vet bill now!
 
My recently departed Inca suffered arthritis in her hips and spine. We managed it with daily Metacam, which increased in dosage over time. When it started to get bad she had Acupuncture.

I did give her a combined Glucosamine & chondroitin liquid, which I did think helped her for about a year and then maybe she just got too bad for it to help. It was called Arthri-Aid and it is for cats & dogs but I used it for her for a while. I know of other people that have used it for their bunnies too. I found it easier to give as it was liquid form....she actually liked the taste of it and took it straight from the syringe :)
 
I have Muesli who has arthritis. He has daily metacam and we review the dosage reasonably regularly with the vets (every 6 months-ish). We also use daily Arthri-Aid glucosamine supplement, like Kermit above. Muesli has had a batch of acupuncture sessions and this has really helped him. 4-5 consecutive sessions made a big difference and his last session was about a year or more ago. He is starting to struggle a little bit again now so we may do another batch but will see how he goes.

I think warmth helps him as does plenty of opportunity to stretch his legs and run about. He does sometimes get sore hocks (red, inflamed sore bits on the heel area of the feet which can get infected) so its important to check your bunny's feet regularly to make sure the arthritis is not affecting this.

Muesli has had arthritis a while now and he does not let it get him down :D
 
I saw the arthi aid but as it said dogs and cats I disregarded it. What dosage did you give her? Just I think I will give it a go. Roger is now on daily metacam for ever by the sounds of it which I am happy with but thought might try supplements just in case they help too.
 
The back of the Arthri-Aid bottle gives a dose of 0.5ml per kg to begin with then reduce after 14-21 days.....I gave about 1ml at the start then 0.5ml afterwards. Inca was about 2.3kg.
 
My recently departed Bella had arthritis of the spine she was put on daily metacam which helped wonderfully . She was able to get on with her life fairly pain free she was in 0.7ml twice a day , it was increased a few times like when she had a badly bruised foot. Good luck with your Roger , I hope his arthritis can be managed :)
 
Flora is 10 and has quite advanced arthritis of the spine. She gets around OK but has developed a kind of 'wobbly slide' rather than a hop! She has daily Metacam but I may well try some Arthri-Aid as well. She's also had acupuncture which I believe has had positive results.
 
I don't have any advice I'm sorry, but as I have problems with my bunny I am wondering how arthritis is diagnosed. My Simba had x-rays a couple of months ago and his "bone density" was OK. I don't know what's wrong with Simba but he is nearly 7 I think.
 
Usually on an x-ray but you'll find an experienced vet can feel the 'graininess' in the joints as they no longer move smoothly or to their full extent. This coupled with other symptoms such as muscle wastage and gait etc, makes it a fairly accurate diagnosis - especially in an elderly bunny.
 
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