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I'm worried about Flopsy. Update - 1300 hours

J

Jackaroonie

Mama Doe
Recently I have been noticing Flopsy has been pooing and having accidental wee's outside of the litter trays - It has been going on about a week or so. Originally I thought it could be the hot weather and Flopsy being too tired to have the energy to make it to the litter trays - what with it being so hot previously I did not think much of it.

The heat has cooled down and unfortunately I am still finding wee's out of the litter tray, Not all the time but occasionally. I know it is his wee and not Lily's because his has quite a strong kind of antibiotic smell - it is hard to explain but it is his.

I don't know what it could be really, A UTI possibly or maybe his kidney functioning could be failing. He was diagnosed with Kidney disease late May and had been doing OK on the fortekor - He had some bloods done in June time I believe and although there was no improvement , they were still the same.

I am so worried, I thought he was doing well.

I'm going to try and contact John tomorrow and hopefully something can be done. I just don't want him in any pain or discomfort, He does look quite frail now which is heartbreaking.

Any suggestions would be great, I will be putting puppy pads down with towels on top of the second level now to soak up any accidents.
 
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We've obviously already spoken about this, but good luck with getting some answers and all the best for you and Flopsy!

He's a fighter and will do his best to please you :)
 
Maybe you could get a urine sample for testing? I hope it's something easily treatable and not her kidneys :( sending mega vibes x
 
Has anything else changed recently?
my buns di little pees outside the litter tray when they are annoyed at me and also if I've been a day late cleaning them :lol:

Either way hope hell be ok best to pop to the vet to keep your mind at ease.
 
ripminnie said:
Maybe you could get a urine sample for testing? I hope it's something easily treatable and not her kidneys :( sending mega vibes x
Click to expand...

Thank you , I suppose a urine sample would be a good idea but I am not overly sure how I would take it from him? I am going to try and get hold of John on the phone tomorrow and see what he suggests - I am just so worried :cry: I feel like I am failing him, I am always so paranoid at the littlest of signs but every time I have been right and something is wrong :(.

natsusakura said:
Has anything else changed recently?
my buns di little pees outside the litter tray when they are annoyed at me and also if I've been a day late cleaning them :lol:

Either way hope hell be ok best to pop to the vet to keep your mind at ease.
Click to expand...

No nothing really has changed at all, Just that I have been putting a small pile of his green oat hay next to the litter trays on a water hyacinth chew mat. Not enough to mistake it as a litter tray I don't think anyway.

I Just don't want to do tests and things if things are OK though as they are not very cheap. I highly doubt anything can be done with just a vet consult, He would most likely need x-rays, bloods etc and that would come to around £300. Three of the buns are due their combi jab too this month and that will be £90 for three. I think I will have to pay in instalments and start applying for jobs.

I have not told my mum yet, I think I am going to keep a close eye on him tomorrow and see how he is from there.
 
Hope Flopsy is okay. I noticed yesterday that Hopscotch had done some poos behind his bed (he lies there a lot during the day), and then my Mum told me that she'd found a load in his bed too :roll: So I'm not sure if he's just being lazy or what!
 
Aww vibes for Flopsy... My bun Freckle did this when he had a UTI a few months ago so hopefully it will be something simple like that for your little man
 
Maybe Flopsy has a bit of arthritis making hopping into a litter tray a bit uncomfortable :? Rabbits with mild arthritis can still seem relatively active, but subtle things like a not using a litter tray any more, uneven wearing down of toe nails or developing a bald/sore hock may be what draws our attention to a problem.
 
Jack's-Jane said:
Maybe Flopsy has a bit of arthritis making hopping into a litter tray a bit uncomfortable :? Rabbits with mild arthritis can still seem relatively active, but subtle things like a not using a litter tray any more, uneven wearing down of toe nails or developing a bald/sore hock may be what draws our attention to a problem.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your reply Jane, I am now thinking this is more likely the problem now rather than a UTI.

I do remember now that back in May when Flopsy had his last X-ray that J did mention he found that Flopsy has a little Arthritis, Where it was I am not sure but I can ask him. I have noticed over the past month or so that Flopsy has been less active and spends most of the time out in the run snoozing and looking like he is uncomfortable position. However when he see's me coming along he bounds around with joy as if he was a young fit and healthy bun. I don't think I realise sometimes that he is getting older now (He's 6 years 8 months) and he does have health problems that effect him.

I have also noticed that some of his toe nails are uneven, is this a typical sign in buns with arthritis?. At the moment Flopsy is having 0.5ml of metacam twice daily as well as half a fortekor tablet ounce daily for his kidney disease. He has been on the Metacam since May last year (originally put on for dental and tooth root pain) and has been increased by 0.1 ml since starting. I just don't know how much more it can be increased before it starts to interfere with his kidney functioning. J did say something about maybe putting him on to tramadol (?) Not sure if I got the name right but I remember hearing it last time we saw him with Flopsy.

I was just wondering whether you could help me out with working out the dosages please Jane, I am a little confused as J does not follow the dosages on a 1ml syringe, he goes by the dosages on the metacam syringe. What would 0.5ml be on the metacam syringe? On his notes it says Flopsy should be on 7.5 kg :? He has been on this dose since last year so an increase would sound like a good idea.

I will be altering the setup so it's more suited for his needs.
 
jackaroonie1997 said:
Thank you for your reply Jane, I am now thinking this is more likely the problem now rather than a UTI.

I do remember now that back in May when Flopsy had his last X-ray that J did mention he found that Flopsy has a little Arthritis, Where it was I am not sure but I can ask him. I have noticed over the past month or so that Flopsy has been less active and spends most of the time out in the run snoozing and looking like he is uncomfortable position. However when he see's me coming along he bounds around with joy as if he was a young fit and healthy bun. I don't think I realise sometimes that he is getting older now (He's 6 years 8 months) and he does have health problems that effect him.

I have also noticed that some of his toe nails are uneven, is this a typical sign in buns with arthritis?. At the moment Flopsy is having 0.5ml of metacam twice daily as well as half a fortekor tablet ounce daily for his kidney disease. He has been on the Metacam since May last year (originally put on for dental and tooth root pain) and has been increased by 0.1 ml since starting. I just don't know how much more it can be increased before it starts to interfere with his kidney functioning. J did say something about maybe putting him on to tramadol (?) Not sure if I got the name right but I remember hearing it last time we saw him with Flopsy.

I was just wondering whether you could help me out with working out the dosages please Jane, I am a little confused as J does not follow the dosages on a 1ml syringe, he goes by the dosages on the metacam syringe. What would 0.5ml be on the metacam syringe? On his notes it says Flopsy should be on 7.5 kg :? He has been on this dose since last year so an increase would sound like a good idea.

I will be altering the setup so it's more suited for his needs.
Click to expand...

I have never used the Metacam syringes, I always use a 1ml syringe. So I dont know how the Metacam syringes are calibrated.

Tramadol is a stronger pain killer than Metacam but I am not sure if it has such good anti-inflammatory properties which are beneficial for arthritic conditions.

It may be a good idea for JC to take another blood test to see how Flopsey's renal function is doing and also to see if any other information shows up.
 
Jack's-Jane said:
I have never used the Metacam syringes, I always use a 1ml syringe. So I dont know how the Metacam syringes are calibrated.

Tramadol is a stronger pain killer than Metacam but I am not sure if it has such good anti-inflammatory properties which are beneficial for arthritic conditions.

It may be a good idea for JC to take another blood test to see how Flopsy's renal function is doing and also to see if any other information shows up.
Click to expand...

Thank you Jane for all your help, I think another blood test will be a good option- It has been exactly 2 months since his last blood test so things could of well changed with his renal function.

I will contact JC tomorrow and discuss my concerns and to also book them in for their combi jabs as well and see what John suggests we do regarding his pain relief and anti-inflammatory.

I am hoping since he's been on a better diet and been eating hay more than he did his spurs should hopefully of kept down, but we will see.

Is Metacam the best drug to control arthritic pain and inflammation?
 
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jackaroonie1997 said:
Thank you Jane for all your help, I think another blood test will be a good option- It has been exactly 2 months since his last blood test so things could of well changed with his renal function.

I will contact JC tomorrow and discuss my concerns and to also book them in for their combi jabs as well and see what John suggests we do regarding his pain relief and anti-inflammatory.

I am hoping since he's been on a better diet and been eating hay more than he did his spurs should hopefully of kept down, but we will see.

Is Metacam the best drug to control arthritic pain and inflammation?
Click to expand...

In my experience Metacam has been very beneficial for arthritis. So far all my arthritic Rabbits have responded well to it's longterm use. I hope all goes well for Flopsey xx
 
Hey Jack just wanted to add one of my rabbits was acting similarly and Jane was spot on! Fraggle was less active but would bouce up to me too exactly how you have described Flopsy. She also missed her tray and had one foot pure white (clean) and one urine stained. She was leaning funny when peeing.

Definitely get Flopsy checked out. A larger dose of metacam may be all he needs.
 
Lea-Anne said:
Hey Jack just wanted to add one of my rabbits was acting similarly and Jane was spot on! Fraggle was less active but would bouce up to me too exactly how you have described Flopsy. She also missed her tray and had one foot pure white (clean) and one urine stained. She was leaning funny when peeing.

Definitely get Flopsy checked out. A larger dose of metacam may be all he needs.
Click to expand...

Hi Leanne Thank you, This is good to know.

I was getting so worried that his Kidneys were failing him or something a lot more serious going on but the signs he is displaying seem more likely down to his arthritis which hopefully we can keep under control with different meds or a higher dose of Metacam.

I will be speaking to JC tomorrow and hopefully get an appointment , I just want my poor boy comfortable his pain under control.

Thank for your reply :)
 
I was thinking arthritis aswell. My vets seem to use both the kg syringe and a ml syringe it really depends who I see but I'm sure they will convert it into mls if you ask. You could measure it in the meta am syringe and dispense into a small pot then suck it back up in a ml syringe. Wound be entirely accurate though as you'll probably waste a bit.
 
Lea-Anne said:
I replaced Frags litter tray with one of these

http://bit.ly/19Ob5Lq

Still got the high back so no misses but very low front. You can get them from most garden centres.
Click to expand...

Thank you Leanne, I was looking at these earlier and have seen some in my local garden centre so will be definitely picking 2 up for Flopsy and Lily.

How is Frags doing now, is she on metacam?

Amy104 said:
I was thinking arthritis aswell. My vets seem to use both the kg syringe and a ml syringe it really depends who I see but I'm sure they will convert it into mls if you ask. You could measure it in the meta am syringe and dispense into a small pot then suck it back up in a ml syringe. Wound be entirely accurate though as you'll probably waste a bit.
Click to expand...

Thanks Amy , having observed and watched him closely today I am pretty certain he is having arthritis trouble. All his behaviour and symptoms fit under the category. I used to do that last year but ended up wasting much more than I wanted, it made a sticky mess everywhere too.

I have the big metacam syringe that came with the bottle but not all the readings are labelled so it is a little confusing, I usually just suck up just under the number 10 and then pop the 1ml syringe on the end and it usually works out to 0.5ml. I believe I did this last year to work out the dosage conversion (I must of done) I just don't know how accurate it is. He definitely needs an increase though.
 
Update

just thought I'd let everyone know , We're seeing JC in the morning and we'll go from there. Flopsy and Lily will be having their combined jabs as they're due the end of the month.

Vibes please that Flopsy has gained weight , and doesn't need a dental ( he's not had one for about two months). I just want his pain under control.
 
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