It's so so hard (Mimi) UD She's gone :(

Hello everybody, I've been really busy so haven't been on here in a while.

For those who don't know her my Mimi is now 9, possibly 10, and has arthritis in her back legs and spine. She's now on the highest dose of Metacam I can give her.

In the past 2 days she has started dragging her back right leg a bit more and seems quite unstable. This morning she got over excited coming for her breakfast, fell over and couldn't get back up again She is still interested in food and even tried to steal some of my cereal :lol: But I'm starting to question her quality of life now. She doesn't move around much atall, only to get to her hay and water really. That said I keep her comfortable, clean, she's getting spoiled with treats and adored by her husbun Timmy as always. I don't think she's miserable yet, but I don't want her to get to that point

We're going to see a specialist on Tuesday so I guess we'll see what she says, I'm thinking it might be time for steroids atleast.

I know I have got this decision coming up though and I cry about it all the time. I have to make it totally by myself because ex isn't interested anymore. OH and friends are amazingly supportive but no one wants the responsibility of helping me with this, which I can understand.

How do you know RU?

My elderly bridge bun Dylan went on tramadol for his arthritis once the metacam wasn't working sufficiently. It made a huge difference to him and he came out of his hutch more. It isn't a cure but it did extend his quality of life.

I had him put to sleep when he was losing weight (the vet thought it was a result of the metacam he had had for a very long time) and lost interest in everything really. I didn't want him put through a barrage of tests to find out why he was losing weight and the vet agreed that, given his age and his arthritis, it was kinder to let him go to the Bridge.

Is tramadol an option for Mimi?

I'm sorry to hear Mimi and you are struggling.
I may have to consider different medications for Mimzy too. He is around 9 or 10 and had early onset arthritis at 3 years. He is pretty creaky since his head tilt 4 years ago and getting more crooked as he gets older and he isn't the most mobile bunny either. He's got a foot that sticks out on his left rear side because he has a spur on that hip and spondylosis. I don't want to push him past his limits, but I think extra or additional pain relief might give him a bit more mobility back. He can get feisty enough when something is happening that he's not on board with, so the fight in him always gives me hope.

As far as knowing 'when'...just went through this with my cat who had kidney/thyroid disease. I don't think you ever really know. You can only take your cues from your animal companion and when it becomes evident they are not enjoying life anymore, it is time. I tried going by the 'day too early' rule, but somehow it still didn't feel right. I am not certain it ever does.

So sorry you are going through this. The hardest part of caring for a beloved animal friend is reaching these later stages. That being said, if Mimi might be made more comfy, there could be quite a bit of time yet. Only you will really know though if she is happy, and bunnies are so good at camouflage. You know her best. Sit with her, talk with her, listen and see what she is telling you. If she continues to eat, have comfortable moments relaxing or can still enjoy her partner's company and he is not bullying her, I'd say she might have options left.

You are in my thoughts and prayers. I hope something can be done to gain her more comfy time and that you both have lots of good memories yet to make. xxxxx

Rihanna: Thankyou, I will definitely discuss tramadol with my vet. It's kind of at the stage where any things worth a shot.She eats like a horse but is losi weight all the time

Mimzmum: Mimzy sounds exactly like my Mimi. She also has a leg that sticks out a bit now, seems to have gotten worse over the past few days I would be reluctant to put her through X-rays and tests to find out why at this point to be honest. Funny you mention Mimz"s head tilt too, Mimi had the same about 5 or 6 years ago now. I'm sure the residual tilt and the fact she has never been as sure on her feet again since has contributed to her condition now.

Thanks so much for your responses ladies xxx

Hugs xxx. Sad to hear about Mimi. I hope painkillers or something can improve the back legs.

I too hope that the Specialist Vet can suggest some different treatments that will be of benefit to Mimi. I'd ask the Vet to have a really good check of her ears as well as her spine/hind legs. Sending lots of vibes for her xx

see if the specialist thinks secondary muscle wastage might be the issue. it was for bisc and he was given an anabolic steroid injection which although only lasts 3-5 weeks, can be useful as a one off. bisc hasn't needed another and i do think it has helped him strength wise since. we have the option to give another at a later stage, and then even regularly if needed.

when we saw a different vet to our usual (still rabbit savvy), he was going to go down the tramadol route as bisc is already on higher metacam. when we saw our usual vet though, he thought going down the muscle wastage treatment instead was best.

one thing i would check is the dose of metacam. i know all vets do things differently but ours think it's important to use the higher end doses, at the very least initially, to get the inflammation under control. although what different vets class as higher end can often be very different!

i guess it also depends on whether the main issue is inflammation, or nerve pain, bone, a combination. i know it can be a complex condition.

best of luck for your appointment with the specialist x

biscandmatt1 said:

see if the specialist thinks secondary muscle wastage might be the issue. it was for bisc and he was given an anabolic steroid injection which although only lasts 3-5 weeks, can be useful as a one off. bisc hasn't needed another and i do think it has helped him strength wise since. we have the option to give another at a later stage, and then even regularly if needed.

when we saw a different vet to our usual (still rabbit savvy), he was going to go down the tramadol route as bisc is already on higher metacam. when we saw our usual vet though, he thought going down the muscle wastage treatment instead was best.

one thing i would check is the dose of metacam. i know all vets do things differently but ours think it's important to use the higher end doses, at the very least initially, to get the inflammation under control. although what different vets class as higher end can often be very different!

i guess it also depends on whether the main issue is inflammation, or nerve pain, bone, a combination. i know it can be a complex condition.

best of luck for your appointment with the specialist x

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I've found this has helped tremendously with muscle tone and therefore all round better movement!

Our Pineapple has had stiffness in her hips which may be arthritis for the past year. She's turned 10 (estimated).

Since last summer she has been on both tramadol (1/4 of a 10mg tablet twice a day) and metacam (0.2ml twice a day).

She's also been on Nutraquin+ (cat version) supplement to help her joints and has 1/4 capsule daily or 1/2 capsule every other day. I cut her a large but very thin slice of apple and sprinkle the powder onto it and shake off the surplus, adding more etc until it all sticks. It has no flavour so she takes this readily.

She has also been having fortnightly physio and accupuncture chez vet. The 10 or 15 minutes of physio by a vet nurse trained in physio loosens her up before the vet starts sticking pins in her. The cost of this is covered by our Petplan insurance.

The other thing you could think about is switching to a pellet formulated for older rabbits as they usually include a supplement to support the joints very like the one in the Nutraquin+. Both of ours are now on the Burgess Excel nuggets with cranberry, ginseng and glucosamine.

A year on Pineapple is thin but bright, eats like a horse and still gets around. She still begs and can still sit on her haunches and wash her face with both paws. When I sat out in the garden with her free-ranging a week or two ago she was off exploring all over the garden, which I guess she wouldn't do if she was in pain or discomfort.

I don't have any advice, but I'm sending lots of vibes xx

Thankyou so much for your advice and good wishes for Mimi.
She has taken a turn for the worse today, she's been quiet all day (although still eating and drinking) and in the last few hours has become really weak in her hind legs. She fell over and couldn't get up.
We're seeing the specialist tomorrow, but I'm not feeling very hopeful right now

Good luck tomorrow, I can imagine how you are feeling. You need to do what's best for your bunny, you know her best, if you feel she needs more time make your feelings known.

Sending lots of vibes for you and Mimi tomorrow. xxx

Thankyou x

Thinking of you and Mimi and sending lots of vibes xx

You and Mimi will be in my thoughts and prayers for tomorrow, Gemmapookie. I do hope that there may be some way to help her. (((((((Huge hugs)))))) xxxx

Millions of vibes for tomorrow. Xxxxx

Sending lots of vibes. I'd want to try other things before making a decision but it does depend on her quality of life. She does sound like she's struggling and tramadol may help with that, as well as steroids or maybe acupuncture. I'm sorry you are in this situation. Fiver is beginning to slow down and I've just started to use tramadol for him. He has spondylosis and is 9 years old just like your Mimi. Acupuncture is really what helps him most but lately this doesn't seem to be as effective.

sending tons of vibes your way. Let us know what the specialist suggests. Xxx

Sending vibes x

Thanks everyone.

She seems to have given up today, she is eating albeit slowly but looks so sad and barely bothers to move. She's losing weight so rapidly it's scary. Obviously I will jump at the chance to try anything that might help her, but if they suggest it will be kinder to put her to sleep I have decided to go with that. She has "told" me this morning in her own way

I feel sick