Weak elderly rabbit

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

Rabbits quite often aren't interested in food because they are in pain, so if she is suffering from arthritis the Vet can give you some pain relief which would help her get her appetite back. You also mention "dandruff" - this is usually caused by a mite which the Vet can deal with, it usually consists of 3 injections of Ivermectin over a certain period. I am surprised the Vet didn't notice this and also if there are black specks on her skin, this could be fleas which again needs treatment from the Vet. I think if these issues are dealt with her quality of life will be much improved. Good luck.

You clearly love Gracie very much and want the best for her.Your very honest post is testament to that.

I would firstly see what the vet thinks.Eight is elderly but not ancient,The vet might well be able to help her and make her feel more comfortable and I think that's your first port of call.
Her poor appetite is worrying but fortunately shes eating hay which is the most important part of a rabbits diet.Her mobility problems may well be controlled and if she has arthritis the pain can certainly be controlled.Her fur problems MAY be rabbit mites.Dont worry they wont live on humans and your little boy cannot get them.
Her issues can all potentially be addressed and a vet visit is certainly your best bet.
Do you know if the vet you use is rabbit savvy?This is quite important especially with an older bun with health issues.You will get the best advice and help with a rabbit savvy vet.If you aren't sure,you could start a thread in "rabbit chat"section of the forum asking if one is known of in your area.
Can you maybe put afew rugs down on the laminate floor so she and Charlie can run around more?

Reading your post again I realised you have seen a vet.I think a second opinion with a more proactive vet might be an idea.

Thank you both for replying, I emailed the rwaf regarding a local rabbit savvy vet and unfortunately there were none in a reasonable distance. Unfortunately we have reason to believe our local pets at home vet did not realise how serious an infected paw bite was on our cat last month (she was in a fight) and she died, the other local vet we saw was re: Gracie's problems and she didn't give us enough pain relief compared to the prescribed dose so we definitely need to find a decent vet! I will put some rugs down in the hall so our 10mo old can watch them from a distance behind the stair gate bars!

If you start a new thread 'Vet needed in ............" people here may be able to recommend someone.

I am sorry to hear about Gracie's problems. If she does have arthritis it may be pain that is causing her loss of appetite and also pain that is preventing her from being able to groom herself well. So she now has the 'flaky skin/possibly mites.

I agree that finding a Rabbit Savvy Vet ASAP is important, there is a lot that can be done to make an arthritic Rabbit much more comfortable. This usually includes daily anti-inflammatory analgesics and maybe massage, acupuncture, physiotherapy, heat therapy.

Grooming Gracie every day will help her overall skin condition as will treating for mites, if she has them. Her ears will need checking daily as Rabbits with hind leg mobility issues are prone to getting gunky ears/ear infections. Especially Lop Rabbits.

Good luck xx

hoppetylop said:

You clearly love Gracie very much and want the best for her.Your very honest post is testament to that.

I would firstly see what the vet thinks.Eight is elderly but not ancient,The vet might well be able to help her and make her feel more comfortable and I think that's your first port of call.
Her poor appetite is worrying but fortunately shes eating hay which is the most important part of a rabbits diet.Her mobility problems may well be controlled and if she has arthritis the pain can certainly be controlled.Her fur problems MAY be rabbit mites.Dont worry they wont live on humans and your little boy cannot get them.
Her issues can all potentially be addressed and a vet visit is certainly your best bet.
Do you know if the vet you use is rabbit savvy?This is quite important especially with an older bun with health issues.You will get the best advice and help with a rabbit savvy vet.If you aren't sure,you could start a thread in "rabbit chat"section of the forum asking if one is known of in your area.
Can you maybe put afew rugs down on the laminate floor so she and Charlie can run around more?

Reading your post again I realised you have seen a vet.I think a second opinion with a more proactive vet might be an idea.

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I agree with hoppetylop :thumb:

Eight is by no means ancient. I have had rabbits of 13 years old and the vet is still happy to treat where necessary, just as when they were younger

A competent vet would be able to look at her teeth and see if that were a cause of her not eating. She could have an injection of an anabolic steroid (NOT the same as a corticosteroid) to build up her muscles and blood cells and improve her appetite.

The mites could well be 'fur mites' and easily got rid of with a course of injected or spot on Ivermectin - three doses, two weeks apart. However, fur mites usually does indicate a lowering of the immune system, so you may want to think about how to 'build her up' too

As hoppetylop says, begin a new thread asking for a good vet, and put some rugs down (cheap from Ikea and pound shops) - more movement will help her build up muscle and aid circulation. All good for arthritis

Good luck :wave:

Thank you, I had to rush her to the vet earlier as she reacted badly to metacam and now has a poorly stomach the vet who saw her was agency unfortunately but was excellent and really thorough
She recommended some exercises to help her legs gave her some medicine to settle her stomach and is trialling some new pain relief (buprenorphine based) it's not licensed for use in rabbits but there is some anecdotal evidence that it can help so we are going to try it, she said unfortunately there are not many other options for her if anti inflammatories upset her stomach. She also had some flea treatment as well.

Laureyxo said:

Thank you, I had to rush her to the vet earlier as she reacted badly to metacam and now has a poorly stomach the vet who saw her was agency unfortunately but was excellent and really thorough
She recommended some exercises to help her legs gave her some medicine to settle her stomach and is trialling some new pain relief (buprenorphine based) it's not licensed for use in rabbits but there is some anecdotal evidence that it can help so we are going to try it, she said unfortunately there are not many other options for her if anti inflammatories upset her stomach. She also had some flea treatment as well.

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I'm glad you've had support from your vet today

Poor little thing. It would be sad if she couldn't tolerate any pain relief. I hope she goes on OK xx

Laureyxo said:

Thank you, I had to rush her to the vet earlier as she reacted badly to metacam and now has a poorly stomach the vet who saw her was agency unfortunately but was excellent and really thorough
She recommended some exercises to help her legs gave her some medicine to settle her stomach and is trialling some new pain relief (buprenorphine based) it's not licensed for use in rabbits but there is some anecdotal evidence that it can help so we are going to try it, she said unfortunately there are not many other options for her if anti inflammatories upset her stomach. She also had some flea treatment as well.

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Did the Vet warn you that Buprenorphine can cause marked sedation in some Rabbits. So Gracie may appear to be very, very drowsy. I just thought I'd flag that up incase she seems very 'flat' and you are concerned as to why.

Giving anti-inflammatories by injection is an option, this greatly reduces any potential for gastric irritation. Also, the Vet can prescribe a medication to give alongside an anti-inflammatory to protect the stomach. I do hope that you can locate a Bunny Savvy Vet for Gracie.

Laureyxo said:

Thank you, I had to rush her to the vet earlier as she reacted badly to metacam and now has a poorly stomach the vet who saw her was agency unfortunately but was excellent and really thorough
She recommended some exercises to help her legs gave her some medicine to settle her stomach and is trialling some new pain relief (buprenorphine based) it's not licensed for use in rabbits but there is some anecdotal evidence that it can help so we are going to try it, she said unfortunately there are not many other options for her if anti inflammatories upset her stomach. She also had some flea treatment as well.

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It sounds like the vet may have given her Zantac? It's a very good idea where bunnies have sensitive tummies

Jacks-Jane the vet did warn me, she is seeing her again on Saturday to review her and the dose if necessary if it is making her drowsy I will definitely ask about injecting the anti inflammatory instead, thank you for the advice xx

Possibly mighty max she also gave me some paste-like stuff to feed her which she seems to quite like! Otherwise she's generally unimpressed with me, it has been a long day for her xx