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Elderly Rabbit / Mobility Problems

cara

Alpha Buck
Following on from my earlier thread on pain relief, can anyone advise me please ....

Rosie is around 13 years and I have just started her on Metacam.

Just recently, quite rapidly really - over a few weeks, 2/3 months, I have noticed she has difficulty 'motivating' her back legs. I say back legs, but it could be her back end so to speak.

I suspect it is worse on one side, than the other. Her resting posture has changed also. Today, I thought she looked really odd ... and realised she was sat, mostly supported by her back 2 legs which were very far forward, whilst her front paws were placed towards the back - if that makes sense. She wasn't resting on her front legs at all. Also, more often than not, her head rests on the floor.

She seems to have difficultly with the placement of her back legs (one of them anyway). When she gets up to move, her back legs struggle and she 'jumps' into position - rather than her legs actively placing themselves appropriately for movement.

Otherwise, she is eating enthusiastically, pooping, peeing and moving around the garden. She is grooming quite well under the circumstances (her rear end is clean!), but I can see it is difficult to balance when going through the rigors of grooming her ears etc. She can overbalance. Also, I can sometimes 'see a grooming thought' in her head (it is subtle - she goes to, say clean her ear), but then almost thinks better of it and abandons the idea :(

Does this point to anything other than say, arthritis? Muscle weakness? She has been to the vets today and I am quite annoyed at myself for not suggesting she see Rosie move! She did give her a good check over though and didn't think she had any particular weakness muscle wise.

Any thoughts please?
 
Rosie may have some vertebral disc degeneration and this can cause compression of the nerves. This would lead to hind leg weakness. Rabbits with this type of problem often rest with their hind legs either side of their body so they sort of take their rear end weight on their bum, IYSWIM ? They can also have altered sensation in their hind legs/feet, one side often seeming to be weaker/more profoundly effected than the other. Sitting up and washing their face with both front paws is often difficult, they tend to just use one front paw at a time using the other to keep their balance. They can get gunky ears too as they find it difficult to scratch their ears using a hind foot.
 
Following on from my earlier thread on pain relief, can anyone advise me please ....

Rosie is around 13 years and I have just started her on Metacam.

Just recently, quite rapidly really - over a few weeks, 2/3 months, I have noticed she has difficulty 'motivating' her back legs. I say back legs, but it could be her back end so to speak.

I suspect it is worse on one side, than the other. Her resting posture has changed also. Today, I thought she looked really odd ... and realised she was sat, mostly supported by her back 2 legs which were very far forward, whilst her front paws were placed towards the back - if that makes sense. She wasn't resting on her front legs at all. Also, more often than not, her head rests on the floor.

She seems to have difficultly with the placement of her back legs (one of them anyway). When she gets up to move, her back legs struggle and she 'jumps' into position - rather than her legs actively placing themselves appropriately for movement.

Otherwise, she is eating enthusiastically, pooping, peeing and moving around the garden. She is grooming quite well under the circumstances (her rear end is clean!), but I can see it is difficult to balance when going through the rigors of grooming her ears etc. She can overbalance. Also, I can sometimes 'see a grooming thought' in her head (it is subtle - she goes to, say clean her ear), but then almost thinks better of it and abandons the idea :(

Does this point to anything other than say, arthritis? Muscle weakness? She has been to the vets today and I am quite annoyed at myself for not suggesting she see Rosie move! She did give her a good check over though and didn't think she had any particular weakness muscle wise.

Any thoughts please?

Arthritis can manifest in different ways. You say she keeps her rear end clean, but has trouble with her ears! It's most likely to be connected with arthritis. Do you know whether she is on a good dose of Metacam to cope with any pain?

She is the same age as one of my elderlies. Lovely to be able to get them to that age :love:
 
I have the same thing happening at the moment with my elderly BH. When he moves around for a long period, eventually the weaker of his hind legs caves under his body and he ends up lying in the position you describe. He has been diagnosed with arthritis and is now on a high dose of metacam. He also has problems balancing to wash & clean his ears, so I've been using an ear cleaner, and occasionally assisting with washing his rear end with a damp flannel and drying with a towel.

I would just keep an extra eye out that she doesn't get wet/messy underneath especially in this hot weather and the risk of flies.
 
Arthritis can manifest in different ways. You say she keeps her rear end clean, but has trouble with her ears! It's most likely to be connected with arthritis. Do you know whether she is on a good dose of Metacam to cope with any pain?

She is the same age as one of my elderlies. Lovely to be able to get them to that age :love:

Yes, indeed - it is such a pleasure to have a rabbit at such a grand age :) The vet has prescribed .9 mg of Dog metacam but we only started it today so not sure if enough or will be effective (she weighs 2.2 kg).
 
Rosie may have some vertebral disc degeneration and this can cause compression of the nerves. This would lead to hind leg weakness. Rabbits with this type of problem often rest with their hind legs either side of their body so they sort of take their rear end weight on their bum, IYSWIM ? They can also have altered sensation in their hind legs/feet, one side often seeming to be weaker/more profoundly effected than the other. Sitting up and washing their face with both front paws is often difficult, they tend to just use one front paw at a time using the other to keep their balance. They can get gunky ears too as they find it difficult to scratch their ears using a hind foot.

I guess an x-ray is the only way to be diagnose this condition? Can it be managed in some way if this was her condition?

I am really torn because both Rosie and her partner, Teddy, spend all day in the garden. Rosie has taken a liking to a spot in a rather soil(y) border and so gets quite grubby as she lies awkwardly in it - including getting soil on her nose. I really don't want to keep her in and if I did, it would mean Teddy would have to stay in as well as I would have to close off the access to their kennel/shed. I think I should perhaps let her make her own lifestyle choice, may be? The reality is that quality time is probably now at a premium and may be limited - so why deprive her of what she wants to do .... I just don't know though!
 
Yes, indeed - it is such a pleasure to have a rabbit at such a grand age :) The vet has prescribed .9 mg of Dog metacam but we only started it today so not sure if enough or will be effective (she weighs 2.2 kg).

Well it will be interesting to see if the Metacam makes any difference. I have a little old lady, and I would never have known she might have arthritis problems if it weren't for the fact that she leaves the odd speck of dirt on her fur. She never *ever* would have done that in her younger days :D
 
How is Rosie doing now? :wave:

Thanks for asking.

Rosie has now been on Metacam for a few days. I am probably a bit naughty as the vet said .9mg but I have upped it up to .10mg. That allows a little leeway as I am putting it on a small piece of toast and she could drop the odd crumb. I really don't want to syringe it, as she hates being handled.

It is hard to quantify if she is in less pain or not BUT, I actually think she is perkier and more mobile. I definitely feel there is a difference :) I will continue to monitor her over the next couple of days but yes, I do feel optimistic! All being well, I shall get a prescription from the vets (£10.50 for around 6 months worth), and then buy it online as it is so much cheaper.

She (and her partner) are going into boarding in a couple of weeks and I am so grateful the staff are trained in giving medication :) Such a bonus!
 
I used to use Weetabix to get meds into Doughnut but I discovered she loves her meds so much, including metacam that she will come over and put her mouth over it while I push the syringe. You may be able to give this a try once Rosie discovers that it tastes nice. I've posted a little video :)

[video]http://vid1268.photobucket.com/albums/jj579/Doughnutpic/video-2013-09-11-18-23-29_zps7cd5eb62.mp4[/video]
 
Thanks for asking.

Rosie has now been on Metacam for a few days. I am probably a bit naughty as the vet said .9mg but I have upped it up to .10mg. That allows a little leeway as I am putting it on a small piece of toast and she could drop the odd crumb. I really don't want to syringe it, as she hates being handled.

It is hard to quantify if she is in less pain or not BUT, I actually think she is perkier and more mobile. I definitely feel there is a difference :) I will continue to monitor her over the next couple of days but yes, I do feel optimistic! All being well, I shall get a prescription from the vets (£10.50 for around 6 months worth), and then buy it online as it is so much cheaper.

She (and her partner) are going into boarding in a couple of weeks and I am so grateful the staff are trained in giving medication :) Such a bonus!

I'm glad you feel it's making a difference! Great stuff :thumb:

I hope they do well at their boarding and you have a great holiday :D
 
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