Fifibutton
Wise Old Thumper
As some of you may know, Emrys has a thymoma. He was diagnosed last Tuesday but in reality has probably had it much longer. I am at the stage where its 50/50 about keeping him alive and I don't really know what to do. I wll outline why below.
One of the major issues is that he is not eating properly. He has gone right off pellets and eats leafy greens occasionally. He won't eat carrots or even accept a raisin. Most of his eating takes place at night and his poos are small and black, some of them soft. He does eat hay but not as much as he used to. I am considering making him some porridge just to give him something substantial. But since he did not eat mashed up pellets he might do the same with porridge. Its worth a try at least. I am concerned that he might be starving but his weight has not decreased. Unlike my healthy rabbits he shows no enthusiasm for food.
He also has to take tablets for high blood pressure. The tablets have been successful in that his eyes no longer bulge or are bloodshot and he has some vision back. But he hates taking the tablets, I put to put them right at the back of his mouth and he will do his best to get them out. I always succeed eventually but it is stressful for him.
He is resting a lot, lying down stretched out or sitting with feet tucked under. He is not hunched like a stasis bunny and always seems relaxed and at ease but he definitely wants to take it all at a slower pace.
He is not cleaning his back end properly and is slightly urine or poo stained which means I have to clean him and again he finds that stressful.
Because he is not eating as much or moving as much, I surmise that the tablets are not helping to reduce the pressure of the thymoma on his trachea and esophagus. And its only going to get bigger so his time is limited.
On the positive side, some of the pressure has been relived around his eyes and he does have short bursts of activity. He will jump through the playhouse window sometimes which requires a good deal of energy. He also made a new friend of my house rabbit and is getting a lot of grooming and attention. He has also returned this attention and even tried to hump her a bit relentlessly. In that respect he seems like a young rabbit again.
He seems relaxed and happy with us humans too and we are getting a lot of loving licks and he will happily snooze on my lap for ages.
His urine also seems normal and he is drinking as normal.
Emrys still seems to be there mentally, he is more quiet but still very loving. Occasionally he honks or grunts to assert himself but he is otherwise quite passive. He used to be a proper alpha male(despite being neutered), very territorial, very randy and bouncy. But a lot of that vigour and bounce is gone understandably. I think he knows he does not have much time
I am just not sure what to do though. The eating is the biggest issue for me right now. I can deal with the rest but the eating seems so major. Perhaps he is not that hungry though because he is using less energy. But I would say at least 70% of his time is spend sleeping now. He is due back at the vet next week for a review but I am wondering if he should be pts next week. The thymoma will only get worse and I want to spare him further discomfort and indignity. But my Emrys is still in there and I am scared of letting go too soon as well
If anyone has any dietary advice or advice on what might be best for him (perhaps I am too biased to see it clearly just now), I would really appreciate it. I have had to pts rabbits before and I have also nursed extremely ill rabbits until the end and Emrys is not at complete deterioration but I don't want to let it get to that stage. However having nursed really ill rabbits I still have a some sort of hope and a feeling that he is quite happy despite everything. But maybe I am too involved. I love him and I know he must die soon but its deciding to help him get there and when that is so hard.
One of the major issues is that he is not eating properly. He has gone right off pellets and eats leafy greens occasionally. He won't eat carrots or even accept a raisin. Most of his eating takes place at night and his poos are small and black, some of them soft. He does eat hay but not as much as he used to. I am considering making him some porridge just to give him something substantial. But since he did not eat mashed up pellets he might do the same with porridge. Its worth a try at least. I am concerned that he might be starving but his weight has not decreased. Unlike my healthy rabbits he shows no enthusiasm for food.
He also has to take tablets for high blood pressure. The tablets have been successful in that his eyes no longer bulge or are bloodshot and he has some vision back. But he hates taking the tablets, I put to put them right at the back of his mouth and he will do his best to get them out. I always succeed eventually but it is stressful for him.
He is resting a lot, lying down stretched out or sitting with feet tucked under. He is not hunched like a stasis bunny and always seems relaxed and at ease but he definitely wants to take it all at a slower pace.
He is not cleaning his back end properly and is slightly urine or poo stained which means I have to clean him and again he finds that stressful.
Because he is not eating as much or moving as much, I surmise that the tablets are not helping to reduce the pressure of the thymoma on his trachea and esophagus. And its only going to get bigger so his time is limited.
On the positive side, some of the pressure has been relived around his eyes and he does have short bursts of activity. He will jump through the playhouse window sometimes which requires a good deal of energy. He also made a new friend of my house rabbit and is getting a lot of grooming and attention. He has also returned this attention and even tried to hump her a bit relentlessly. In that respect he seems like a young rabbit again.
He seems relaxed and happy with us humans too and we are getting a lot of loving licks and he will happily snooze on my lap for ages.
His urine also seems normal and he is drinking as normal.
Emrys still seems to be there mentally, he is more quiet but still very loving. Occasionally he honks or grunts to assert himself but he is otherwise quite passive. He used to be a proper alpha male(despite being neutered), very territorial, very randy and bouncy. But a lot of that vigour and bounce is gone understandably. I think he knows he does not have much time
I am just not sure what to do though. The eating is the biggest issue for me right now. I can deal with the rest but the eating seems so major. Perhaps he is not that hungry though because he is using less energy. But I would say at least 70% of his time is spend sleeping now. He is due back at the vet next week for a review but I am wondering if he should be pts next week. The thymoma will only get worse and I want to spare him further discomfort and indignity. But my Emrys is still in there and I am scared of letting go too soon as well
If anyone has any dietary advice or advice on what might be best for him (perhaps I am too biased to see it clearly just now), I would really appreciate it. I have had to pts rabbits before and I have also nursed extremely ill rabbits until the end and Emrys is not at complete deterioration but I don't want to let it get to that stage. However having nursed really ill rabbits I still have a some sort of hope and a feeling that he is quite happy despite everything. But maybe I am too involved. I love him and I know he must die soon but its deciding to help him get there and when that is so hard.