MimzMum
Wise Old Thumper
I am noticing a coincidence between medication and pelt health in my rabbits that I find a bit disturbing but I can't be certain that the two are actually connected.
As the title says, is there a possibility that frequent or chronic metacam use (as needed for arthritis, for example) could cause a bunny to moult more, or lose their fur more often than bunnies who don't take metacam?
If anyone has a bunny who needs this kind of chronic pain relief, does your bun seem to live with a never-ending moult, especially one that the fur goes down to velvet or even skin and doesn't really come back for 6 months or longer...and then it never really sticks around after that?
For most of his almost eight years Mimzy has had varying degrees of moult, in more recent years it's been terrible and unrelenting. He's currently been shedding to skin since at least August and still hasn't grown his fur back in spots. His pelt looks terrible and I worry that people who see him think he's malnourished or worse.
Pip and Fiver have recently begun a metacam regimen also, both for developing arthritis in their rear ends, and tonight while doing Fiver's nails I came away covered in fur and everywhere that it's coming out it's going to skin and it just falls out in clumps. His fur has been steadily shedding like this for at least a few months.
Pip finished a long moult two months ago and now is loosing fur again, once more just falling out in clumps. All three mostly lose their fur from the saddle area back. The spot that gets thinnest and takes the longest to return seems to be right over where you would think the kidneys are, which is an organ that is greatly affected by NSAIDs like metacam.
I'm concerned about them and have repeatedly asked my vet if she thinks it's a problem but she says they're fine and when Mimzy recently had surgery his bloodwork was unremarkable.
I can't really take Mimz off metacam, it is essential to his quality of life. I don't know if the other two could do without it and if it needs tapering or they can just drop it. I know I need to check again with my vet but I'd like to go armed with some other views on the subject.
TIA for all replies.
ETA: I also notice that all three are showing shortened tempers as well and irritation at being touched on the back end. I figure when we next go in it'll be time to have kidney and liver function tested but I'd like to know if there's anything else I should ask about.
As the title says, is there a possibility that frequent or chronic metacam use (as needed for arthritis, for example) could cause a bunny to moult more, or lose their fur more often than bunnies who don't take metacam?
If anyone has a bunny who needs this kind of chronic pain relief, does your bun seem to live with a never-ending moult, especially one that the fur goes down to velvet or even skin and doesn't really come back for 6 months or longer...and then it never really sticks around after that?
For most of his almost eight years Mimzy has had varying degrees of moult, in more recent years it's been terrible and unrelenting. He's currently been shedding to skin since at least August and still hasn't grown his fur back in spots. His pelt looks terrible and I worry that people who see him think he's malnourished or worse.
Pip and Fiver have recently begun a metacam regimen also, both for developing arthritis in their rear ends, and tonight while doing Fiver's nails I came away covered in fur and everywhere that it's coming out it's going to skin and it just falls out in clumps. His fur has been steadily shedding like this for at least a few months.
Pip finished a long moult two months ago and now is loosing fur again, once more just falling out in clumps. All three mostly lose their fur from the saddle area back. The spot that gets thinnest and takes the longest to return seems to be right over where you would think the kidneys are, which is an organ that is greatly affected by NSAIDs like metacam.
I'm concerned about them and have repeatedly asked my vet if she thinks it's a problem but she says they're fine and when Mimzy recently had surgery his bloodwork was unremarkable.
I can't really take Mimz off metacam, it is essential to his quality of life. I don't know if the other two could do without it and if it needs tapering or they can just drop it. I know I need to check again with my vet but I'd like to go armed with some other views on the subject.
TIA for all replies.
ETA: I also notice that all three are showing shortened tempers as well and irritation at being touched on the back end. I figure when we next go in it'll be time to have kidney and liver function tested but I'd like to know if there's anything else I should ask about.
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