bisc's updated health thread *u/d he's gone*

i seem to be creating threads here there and everywhere so i'll link them below and then continue to use this one:

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...-tummy-spondylosis-diary-fibafirst-readigrass!
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?454485-bisc-won-t-go-near-his-trays-area
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...-vets-with-bisc-*u-d-p62-worried-vets-booked*

right, bisc's currently at the vets.

- the vet checked his range of movements whilst bisc was asleep under GA and bisc has the full range of movements he should have in his hips, pelvis and legs, although when awake and using them this could well be different and he may have some slight discomfort which the metacam he is already on should help control. the reason his hip dislocated and why he may be more likely to hurt himself is because he has muscle atrophy...

... so the muscle atrophy is probably the main cause of why he's not been himself. he will be having an anabolic steroid injection for that.

- on xray, there are no other issues with regards to his lower body, and his spondylosis has actually not progressed that much so the metacam is working well for controlling that currently. he won't be going onto tramadol at this time.

- on examination this morning, the vet found a small lump on bisc's right side of his spine, which is similar to the one on his left but not quite the same so he's taken measurements of that and we will need to keep an eye on that and reassess it regularly aswell. eta: he thinks it is just fibrous tissue. measures 3.6mm at the moment.

- bisc's teeth actually weren't too bad, just a few small spurs which have now been sorted out. no other issues on xray.

- his ears had some wax but again, not anything major, but they've now been cleared completely.

- the vet thought that it was best to vaccinate bisc today aswell and said it would be safe to do that. he thought this best rather than having to put bisc through another long journey in a week or so. he thought it best to get everything done today and then let bisc come home and fully rest and recover now, especially after his two visits last week aswell, and all the stress he's been through.


think that is everything for now. and i can go and collect him later on all being well. i'm missing him so much.

eta: i didn't even consider muscle atrophy and now reading about it, bisc has so many of those symptoms.

eta again: missed out his eye! he has some changes to his right eye. it's a bit 'cloudy' and looks to be age-related as no other issues with it like inflammation etc.

eta again: snuffle wise, he still has quite a wet nose and is still snuffly but nebulising has helped alot this past week. lungs clear.

You haven't said how you feel about these results, but I know if it were me I would be doing a little happy dance Basically for his age it seems he is doing very well and those issues which he has can be easily managed.

I hope he can come home soon and will soon get over his vet ordeal.

Omi said:

You haven't said how you feel about these results, but I know if it were me I would be doing a little happy dance Basically for his age it seems he is doing very well and those issues which he has can be easily managed.

I hope he can come home soon and will soon get over his vet ordeal.

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thank you. i'm not really sure how i feel to be honest. glad that things weren't as bad as i'd feared.. well apart from the muscle atrophy anyway. i don't know too much about it though or about the use of the steroid injections so that makes me a bit uneasy. the vet hopes it will help bisc get back on track though so i guess we'll take one step at a time. i feel guilty, like it shouldn't have got to this point and that i should have noticed earlier or taken him in before now for a check-up. i tried to balance the stress of the journey etc but definitely left it too long. i won't do that again though and more regular checks from now on.

feel like my mind has been a bit closed off to beable to cope with going there and leaving bisc there. i can't relax until i'm actually with him again. i'll try and process the rest later. hope he's ok. he seemed ok this morning going there actually and the vet nurse he seemed to really like because she gave him nose rubs. just hate being apart from him.

x

biscandmatt1 said:

i seem to be creating threads here there and everywhere so i'll link them below and then continue to use this one:

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...-tummy-spondylosis-diary-fibafirst-readigrass!
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?454485-bisc-won-t-go-near-his-trays-area
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...-vets-with-bisc-*u-d-p62-worried-vets-booked*

right, bisc's currently at the vets.

- the vet checked his range of movements whilst bisc was asleep under GA and bisc has the full range of movements he should have in his hips, pelvis and legs, although when awake and using them this could well be different and he may have some slight discomfort which the metacam he is already on should help control. the reason his hip dislocated and why he may be more likely to hurt himself is because he has muscle atrophy...

... so the muscle atrophy is probably the main cause of why he's not been himself. he will be having an anabolic steroid injection for that.

- on xray, there are no other issues with regards to his lower body, and his spondylosis has actually not progressed that much so the metacam is working well for controlling that currently. he won't be going onto tramadol at this time.

- on examination this morning, the vet found a small lump on bisc's right side of his spine, which is similar to the one on his left but not quite the same so he's taken measurements of that and we will need to keep an eye on that and reassess it regularly aswell. eta: he thinks it is just fibrous tissue. measures 3.6mm at the moment.

- bisc's teeth actually weren't too bad, just a few small spurs which have now been sorted out. no other issues on xray.

- his ears had some wax but again, not anything major, but they've now been cleared completely.

- the vet thought that it was best to vaccinate bisc today aswell and said it would be safe to do that. he thought this best rather than having to put bisc through another long journey in a week or so. he thought it best to get everything done today and then let bisc come home and fully rest and recover now, especially after his two visits last week aswell, and all the stress he's been through.


think that is everything for now. and i can go and collect him later on all being well. i'm missing him so much.

eta: i didn't even consider muscle atrophy and now reading about it, bisc has so many of those symptoms.

eta again: missed out his eye! he has some changes to his right eye. it's a bit 'cloudy' and looks to be age-related as no other issues with it like inflammation etc.

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I'm glad bisc has had such a brilliant MOT! I hope he recovers soon so you can get him home for his full recuperation

I have had 'anabolic steroid' in the back of my mind for some time concerning bisc. I remember (I think) something about 'muscle wastage' coming up in a previous post, or some such reference. I'm really glad he's going to get that, as it could also help with his anaemia

MightyMax said:

I'm glad bisc has had such a brilliant MOT! I hope he recovers soon so you can get him home for his full recuperation

I have had 'anabolic steroid' in the back of my mind for some time concerning bisc. I remember (I think) something about 'muscle wastage' coming up in a previous post, or some such reference. I'm really glad he's going to get that, as it could also help with his anaemia

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think it was over-due really. i know it's good they want to keep an eye on him for a while but i can't wait to have him back home. i was a bit worried because he's snuffly still even though the nebulising has helped alot this last week. the vet checked bisc's lungs (clear) to make sure he was ok to have the GA.

yes, muscle wastage has been mentioned. he has been looking skinny. the weight gain didn't really make sense, even though i was pleased about it. you were one step ahead of us with the steroid!

x

bisc is back home he refused to eat again after his dental and xrays so had to be syringe fed. he had his steroid injection and his combi vaccination just before we left to come home. he was pleased to see me but then was digging his blanket in the carrier half way back to show his displeasure. but then calmed down and did his sleeping hen impression until we got back.

he paced a bit once home but started eating straight away and had a drink. he did some horrible, runny, very smelly poops though. then had a rest, forgave me, and he's been eating much more hay since then, inbetween lying down for more rests.

he's done amazingly well today. i am so proud of him i know he will take a while to completely recover after all this, but he's on track so far.

not sure if it's the dental or the steroid (not sure how quickly they work) but he's already eating hay much more easily and much more than he normally would be aswell. much longer strands.

his steroid is called laurabolin. never heard of it before. has anyone else? the statement says '0.3 x laurabolin 25mg injectable'

i am sooooo glad today is done with and biscy is back home again. let's hope he continues to recover well.

eta: the vets said the steroid might make him drink more so we may notice that but it shouldn't be a problem, but to keep an eye on that. and also his spine 'lump' aswell.

biscandmatt1 said:

bisc is back home he refused to eat again after his dental and xrays so had to be syringe fed. he had his steroid injection and his combi vaccination just before we left to come home. he was pleased to see me but then was digging his blanket in the carrier half way back to show his displeasure. but then calmed down and did his sleeping hen impression until we got back.

he paced a bit once home but started eating straight away and had a drink. he did some horrible, runny, very smelly poops though. then had a rest, forgave me, and he's been eating much more hay since then, inbetween lying down for more rests.

he's done amazingly well today. i am so proud of him i know he will take a while to completely recover after all this, but he's on track so far.

not sure if it's the dental or the steroid (not sure how quickly they work) but he's already eating hay much more easily and much more than he normally would be aswell. much longer strands.

his steroid is called laurabolin. never heard of it before. has anyone else? the statement says '0.3 x laurabolin 25mg injectable'

i am sooooo glad today is done with and biscy is back home again. let's hope he continues to recover well.

eta: the vets said the steroid might make him drink more so we may notice that but it shouldn't be a problem, but to keep an eye on that. and also his spine 'lump' aswell.

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Yes, that steroid is exactly the same one as one of my rabbits has had

And no, it's not the steroid making him eat - it takes a few days to kick in. So it's the dental :thumb:

I'm glad he's forgiven you and all is beginning to be well in the bisc household

I look forward to another update tomorrow, and hopefully the smelly poops will be gone :shock:

:thumb: Good boy Bisc. Be nice to your poor mummy

MightyMax said:

Yes, that steroid is exactly the same one as one of my rabbits has had

And no, it's not the steroid making him eat - it takes a few days to kick in. So it's the dental :thumb:

I'm glad he's forgiven you and all is beginning to be well in the bisc household

I look forward to another update tomorrow, and hopefully the smelly poops will be gone :shock:

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ah good did you have a good experience using the steroid for your rabbit? i hope it will help bisc once it kicks in.

he definitely needed the dental then. this is by far the longest he's done between dentals - two years! :shock: and the least amount of spurs he's had aswell. so that is a positive.

he did a few more smelly, runny poops after i last posted, but then they stopped. he had left a few caecotrophs around this morning as expected.

he's actually doing really well. he had a long sleep through the night but he is actually looking quite bright overall. much more than we expected to be honest aidan looked after him yesterday the vet nurses are really lovely there aswell so i always feel like he's well cared for.

bunslave said:

:thumb: Good boy Bisc. Be nice to your poor mummy

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he's such a good boy probably alot stronger than i think sometimes aswell i've been getting lots of kisses so i think i've been forgiven

hope it's ok to keep posting before getting replies. just helps to note things as they happen. bisc had a little back spasm which literally lasted two seconds but which made me panic inside all the same! he's ok though and has been enjoying some parsley.

he's a bit tired still and nodded off on his plate before. but overall he's doing well.

biscandmatt1 said:

ah good did you have a good experience using the steroid for your rabbit? i hope it will help bisc once it kicks in.

he definitely needed the dental then. this is by far the longest he's done between dentals - two years! :shock: and the least amount of spurs he's had aswell. so that is a positive.

he did a few more smelly, runny poops after i last posted, but then they stopped. he had left a few caecotrophs around this morning as expected.

he's actually doing really well. he had a long sleep through the night but he is actually looking quite bright overall. much more than we expected to be honest aidan looked after him yesterday the vet nurses are really lovely there aswell so i always feel like he's well cared for.



he's such a good boy probably alot stronger than i think sometimes aswell i've been getting lots of kisses so i think i've been forgiven

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Yes, I found the steroid injection really helpful (well not me personally, you understand!). You can apparently repeat them every 5/6 weeks. It can be 'mood changing' in a subtle but welcome way

He must have been eating quite a lot of long strand fibre then to keep him out of the dentist for so very long.
Well done that chap :thumb:

I can just imagine that back spasm, as I've seen them before. I hope he continues comfortable and that you are putting all this into his ongoing journal that you are writing by his bedside :wave:

MightyMax said:

Yes, I found the steroid injection really helpful (well not me personally, you understand!). You can apparently repeat them every 5/6 weeks. It can be 'mood changing' in a subtle but welcome way

He must have been eating quite a lot of long strand fibre then to keep him out of the dentist for so very long.
Well done that chap :thumb:

I can just imagine that back spasm, as I've seen them before. I hope he continues comfortable and that you are putting all this into his ongoing journal that you are writing by his bedside :wave:

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that's really good. i hope the same will happen for bisc aswell. that 'mood changing in a subtle way' is exactly the phrase for bisc when something helps him, like this dental. you can see a change and it's subtle but for him, it makes all the difference.

the dental before that was 18 months and that was by far his best then. really pleased as they've got further apart over time. his worst was a month apart, then six weeks, and then they've moved further apart over the years. maybe this means he eats hay better than i think he does. i think with the added readigrass aswell he will hopefully do even better.

yes, my bisc journal, vets notes, forum notes.. :lol:

i'm hoping that going outside will help improve his strength aswell. he starts going out about a couple of weeks after his vaccination each year, aslong as the weather is ok. although i still need to find something to help him get in and out because it's too steep and was the way he hurt himself last year. i was thinking some kind of ramp but i think he might just jump over it altogether. will have to think about it.

biscandmatt1 said:

that's really good. i hope the same will happen for bisc aswell. that 'mood changing in a subtle way' is exactly the phrase for bisc when something helps him, like this dental. you can see a change and it's subtle but for him, it makes all the difference.

the dental before that was 18 months and that was by far his best then. really pleased as they've got further apart over time. his worst was a month apart, then six weeks, and then they've moved further apart over the years. maybe this means he eats hay better than i think he does. i think with the added readigrass aswell he will hopefully do even better.

yes, my bisc journal, vets notes, forum notes.. :lol:

i'm hoping that going outside will help improve his strength aswell. he starts going out about a couple of weeks after his vaccination each year, aslong as the weather is ok. although i still need to find something to help him get in and out because it's too steep and was the way he hurt himself last year. i was thinking some kind of ramp but i think he might just jump over it altogether. will have to think about it.

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For my disabled bunnies to get out of the house I put a piece of decking and cover it with a thick vet bed. It's too far to think of jumping, and looks quite inviting to hop up and down. Last year I found them playing on it, jut going in and out so they could use the fluffy ramp :lol:

MightyMax said:

For my disabled bunnies to get out of the house I put a piece of decking and cover it with a thick vet bed. It's too far to think of jumping, and looks quite inviting to hop up and down. Last year I found them playing on it, jut going in and out so they could use the fluffy ramp :lol:

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aw a fluffy ramp i'll have to measure up and get something sorted. it's quite a high step. but i think being able to go outside again will be good for bisc because he will use his muscles more and it will also be something different in his day.

bisc's had a good weekend. he has been bright and saturday morning there were no excess caecotrophs which i was expecting there to be. he had another long rest but was otherwise well.

and today (sunday) he's been completely back to normal. he's been bright, moving around alot and eating well. he's got a bit more of an appetite i'd say and is eating more hay. he's also loving his fresh food (lettuce, thyme, parsley) and because he's been really excited about it, he's been having two types a day and has been fine tummy wise. he's also started back on the galen's garden pure timothy hay pellets again just because he's wanting more fibre and enjoying his hay so i thought this would be a good time to get him eating even more fibre! he would be having readigrass except he doesn't like the new bag i got for some reason!

when having his meds, he's always stood up and leaned against my knees but recently he stopped doing that because he would wobble too much on his back legs and couldn't manage to keep in that position for long... but today he started doing it again with no wobbling

i'm amazed at how he's coped with everything to be honest. i was wary of him having so much in one day but he's been fine and recovered really quickly. much quicker than the previous two appointments the week before.

he's still a bit snuffly and snoring a bit louder than normal but i think that will lessen as we go along with his recovery and nebulising.

it's lovely to see how he's been today

Just wanted to pop in here while I can actually get through on the internet (son has been downloading updates for his games and the wifi is struggling) to say that I've been following Bisc's journey and am so glad to see he is doing better.
I begin to think that Mimzy has something similar to what is going on with Bisc, he is really slowing down and I think it's time for a reevaluation of his condition. Hopefully there will be things we can do yet that will help him soldier on. Bisc is an inspiration!

Thinking of you both and sending vibes for Bisc's continued health. ((((Hugs))))) xxxxxxx

MimzMum said:

Just wanted to pop in here while I can actually get through on the internet (son has been downloading updates for his games and the wifi is struggling) to say that I've been following Bisc's journey and am so glad to see he is doing better.
I begin to think that Mimzy has something similar to what is going on with Bisc, he is really slowing down and I think it's time for a reevaluation of his condition. Hopefully there will be things we can do yet that will help him soldier on. Bisc is an inspiration!

Thinking of you both and sending vibes for Bisc's continued health. ((((Hugs))))) xxxxxxx

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thank you mimzy and bisc do sound very similar with their health don't they. i hope the re-evaluation will be useful. x

He doesn't like the new bag of readigrass?

Awww dear! poor bisc just can't get the service at home, can he :lol:

I hope he's not been too snuffly

MightyMax said:

He doesn't like the new bag of readigrass?

Awww dear! poor bisc just can't get the service at home, can he :lol:

I hope he's not been too snuffly

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no, he won't eat any from the bag i got after polishing off all of the sample you sent :shock: hopefully the next bag i get will be acceptable :lol:

he's been a bit less snuffly today

biscandmatt1 said:

bisc's had a good weekend. he has been bright and saturday morning there were no excess caecotrophs which i was expecting there to be. he had another long rest but was otherwise well.

and today (sunday) he's been completely back to normal. he's been bright, moving around alot and eating well. he's got a bit more of an appetite i'd say and is eating more hay. he's also loving his fresh food (lettuce, thyme, parsley) and because he's been really excited about it, he's been having two types a day and has been fine tummy wise. he's also started back on the galen's garden pure timothy hay pellets again just because he's wanting more fibre and enjoying his hay so i thought this would be a good time to get him eating even more fibre! he would be having readigrass except he doesn't like the new bag i got for some reason!

when having his meds, he's always stood up and leaned against my knees but recently he stopped doing that because he would wobble too much on his back legs and couldn't manage to keep in that position for long... but today he started doing it again with no wobbling

i'm amazed at how he's coped with everything to be honest. i was wary of him having so much in one day but he's been fine and recovered really quickly. much quicker than the previous two appointments the week before.

he's still a bit snuffly and snoring a bit louder than normal but i think that will lessen as we go along with his recovery and nebulising.

it's lovely to see how he's been today

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What a wonderful update I'm so pleased. It just goes to show what devoted perseverance can achieve.

But what a fickle little creature over his readigrass :lol: It may of course just be that now his current diet contains so many different yummy things, he considers readigrass to be just basic *fodder* and not worthy of his munching efforts.