Hi, I have 2 mostly indoor bunnies, Gracie is my girl bunny she is approximately 8 years old and we took her to the vets because her hind legs occasionally fell to one side when she tried to run and she walked with her legs rather than hopping. We feared she had a stroke but the vet said there was still flexion which was good so more likely to be arthritis.
I am embarrassed to admit my lovely bunnies have not had the life they deserve with me for the past year or so (I moved in with my boyfriend, he has laminate flooring which they don't like and they have not been outdoors over winter so their activity has been very restricted. I had a bad pregnancy and my little boy takes up a lot of my time and although it is no excuse I really want my bunnies to have a good life again.)
Gracies current health issues include:
Her mobility being poor due to potential arthritis (probably more age and lack of activity which I am trying to remedy)
Slightly flaky skin, poor fur condition (looks like rabbit dandruff but a mixture of black and white)
Very poor appetite, she shows no interest in pellets and has a diet of mostly dry hay and grass. She doesn't show a lot of interest when I offer fresh fruit and veg but I'm not sure if I'm not offering enough variety. I can't feed her separately to my boy bunny as she is very anxious without him.
She sounds in a sorry state and I am planning on taking her back to the vets but am worried they will recommend having her put to sleep. Obviously if this is in her best interests i will definitely have to agree but I want to exhaust other options first, as she still seems happy with Charlie, grooming each other and lying together and she even just ran the length of the garden (in a wobbly fashion) and did a mini binky. Any advice on how to improve her quality of life would be greatly appreciated.
TIA, Laura
I am embarrassed to admit my lovely bunnies have not had the life they deserve with me for the past year or so (I moved in with my boyfriend, he has laminate flooring which they don't like and they have not been outdoors over winter so their activity has been very restricted. I had a bad pregnancy and my little boy takes up a lot of my time and although it is no excuse I really want my bunnies to have a good life again.)
Gracies current health issues include:
Her mobility being poor due to potential arthritis (probably more age and lack of activity which I am trying to remedy)
Slightly flaky skin, poor fur condition (looks like rabbit dandruff but a mixture of black and white)
Very poor appetite, she shows no interest in pellets and has a diet of mostly dry hay and grass. She doesn't show a lot of interest when I offer fresh fruit and veg but I'm not sure if I'm not offering enough variety. I can't feed her separately to my boy bunny as she is very anxious without him.
She sounds in a sorry state and I am planning on taking her back to the vets but am worried they will recommend having her put to sleep. Obviously if this is in her best interests i will definitely have to agree but I want to exhaust other options first, as she still seems happy with Charlie, grooming each other and lying together and she even just ran the length of the garden (in a wobbly fashion) and did a mini binky. Any advice on how to improve her quality of life would be greatly appreciated.
TIA, Laura