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Elderly Bunny- Rupert

Yaya990

Yaya990

New Kit
I have had rabbits all my life, but was wondering if anyone had good ideas/day to day tips for looking after an elderly house rabbit.

My mini rex rupert is 7 1/2, since turning 7 he has been getting recurring health issues.....
Intermittent recurring water diarrhea- the vet could find no cause for this after 4 visits (he has had antibiotics, a change of diet and parasite treatments). He recovers really well with probiotics, but i was wondering if anyone had any ideas or had experienced anything similar?

Recurring choking and aspirating on his food, this happens at least once a week. I hand feed him his pellets now which has helped but he chokes on his hay mostly. I have switched to dust extracted hay, however this has made no difference. This also means that i don't like leaving him home alone with hay in his cage. - anyone have any other ideas about how i can prevent this?

He has free rain of the downstairs of the house and a cage to contain him when we are out/ overnight. He has a comfy spot in the corner of the living room with his litter tray and toys. I have started using blankets and sheets in his cage and his spot as they are quick and easy to wash and tumble dry.
I love him with all my heart and will do anything for him.

Has anyone experienced any similar health issues with an aging rabbit? Any thoughts would be really helpful.
 
Yaya990 said:
I have had rabbits all my life, but was wondering if anyone had good ideas/day to day tips for looking after an elderly house rabbit.

My mini rex rupert is 7 1/2, since turning 7 he has been getting recurring health issues.....
Intermittent recurring water diarrhea- the vet could find no cause for this after 4 visits (he has had antibiotics, a change of diet and parasite treatments). He recovers really well with probiotics, but i was wondering if anyone had any ideas or had experienced anything similar?

Recurring choking and aspirating on his food, this happens at least once a week. I hand feed him his pellets now which has helped but he chokes on his hay mostly. I have switched to dust extracted hay, however this has made no difference. This also means that i don't like leaving him home alone with hay in his cage. - anyone have any other ideas about how i can prevent this?

He has free rain of the downstairs of the house and a cage to contain him when we are out/ overnight. He has a comfy spot in the corner of the living room with his litter tray and toys. I have started using blankets and sheets in his cage and his spot as they are quick and easy to wash and tumble dry.
I love him with all my heart and will do anything for him.

Has anyone experienced any similar health issues with an aging rabbit? Any thoughts would be really helpful.
Click to expand...

Hello

7 1/2 is not 'old' for a Mini Rex. Most of mine have lived for 10=13 years.

What is Rupert's daily diet - type of foods and quantities ?

Has the Vet run any diagnostics to try to establish the cause of the intermittent gut problems ? Things such as a full blood profile, fecal samples for microscopy, cultures and sensitivities ?

Are his fecal poos a good size and quantity ? Does he eat all of his cecotrophs ?

The 'choking' episodes may be a separate problem or one associated with a gut problem

Sorry for all of the questions, but a little more detailed information would be useful :)
 
Last edited:
Yaya990 said:
I have had rabbits all my life, but was wondering if anyone had good ideas/day to day tips for looking after an elderly house rabbit.

My mini rex rupert is 7 1/2, since turning 7 he has been getting recurring health issues.....
Intermittent recurring water diarrhea- the vet could find no cause for this after 4 visits (he has had antibiotics, a change of diet and parasite treatments). He recovers really well with probiotics, but i was wondering if anyone had any ideas or had experienced anything similar?

Recurring choking and aspirating on his food, this happens at least once a week. I hand feed him his pellets now which has helped but he chokes on his hay mostly. I have switched to dust extracted hay, however this has made no difference. This also means that i don't like leaving him home alone with hay in his cage. - anyone have any other ideas about how i can prevent this?

He has free rain of the downstairs of the house and a cage to contain him when we are out/ overnight. He has a comfy spot in the corner of the living room with his litter tray and toys. I have started using blankets and sheets in his cage and his spot as they are quick and easy to wash and tumble dry.
I love him with all my heart and will do anything for him.

Has anyone experienced any similar health issues with an aging rabbit? Any thoughts would be really helpful.
Click to expand...

Hi there and welcome to the Forum :wave:

It sounds like you love Rupert very much :)

I wouldn't say that 7 and a half is particularly old, but some rabbits can develop 'old age' symptoms earlier than others.

Regarding the choking episodes, what has the vet said about his teeth? Bear in mind, that in a conscious rabbit a vet can only see about 50% of the back teeth, so will probably miss any spurs or sharp points that may be affecting his eating. Few vets do what I call 'conscious dentals' which is looking at and dealing with the teeth without anaesthetic. This would be my preference for an older rabbit :)

I also have my elderlies on 24/7 electric heated beds when they like to go on them, as it really helps with arthritis and joint pain, especially in the winter.

How savvy is your vet? If you feel the need to seek a second opinion, you can simply call another vet and get another viewpoint on how he's doing, whether he should be on meds, and what diagnostics for him to have.

If you wish to find a vet recommendation from the members on here, simply start a new thread with "Rabbit Savvy Vet in (your location)" in the title.

Good luck and welcome again :D
 
Thanks for your help.

He is definitely becoming a senior bunny and has developed some wrinkles.

After this weekend we will probably seek out a second opinion. The vet did check out his teeth etc. But I think a more in depth investigation is needed. He hasn't had any health issues in the past so our regular vet has been fine but will probably look for a more specialist bunny one!

I have started wondering if the diarrhoea is linked to stress, he had it really bad on Saturday afternoon after a choking episode and it was gone by Saturday evening.

I have also moved him to a warmer part of the house as we are getting to winter.
His regular diet is a small handful of selective nuggets (he didn't get on with burgess) and unlinited hay. He gets fresh veg- which veg usually depends on how he has been.

It is frustrating as he has completely normal poo/cecotrophs and still has a ferocious appetite.
 
Yaya990 said:
Thanks for your help.

He is definitely becoming a senior bunny and has developed some wrinkles.

After this weekend we will probably seek out a second opinion. The vet did check out his teeth etc. But I think a more in depth investigation is needed. He hasn't had any health issues in the past so our regular vet has been fine but will probably look for a more specialist bunny one!

I have started wondering if the diarrhoea is linked to stress, he had it really bad on Saturday afternoon after a choking episode and it was gone by Saturday evening.

I have also moved him to a warmer part of the house as we are getting to winter.
His regular diet is a small handful of selective nuggets (he didn't get on with burgess) and unlinited hay. He gets fresh veg- which veg usually depends on how he has been.

It is frustrating as he has completely normal poo/cecotrophs and still has a ferocious appetite.
Click to expand...

You're very welcome :D

All your suggestions seem very wise.

Regarding food, I have found that sometimes a rabbit will find a diet of pellets and fresh veg (supermarket) quite rich for their stomachs. I've had spectacular results with upping the amount of 'forage' in the diet. The fibre really helps digestion and teeth.

have a look here for inspiration:

https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/gallery/free-food-for-rabbits


https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/articles/free-food-for-rabbits/foraging


https://www.harcourt-brown.co.uk/articles/free-food-for-rabbits

In one of those links you'll find a reference to a small book by Twigs Way about foraging. She's a wonderful person, I've met her, and so knowledgable :D
 
Yaya990 said:
Thanks for your help.

He is definitely becoming a senior bunny and has developed some wrinkles.

After this weekend we will probably seek out a second opinion. The vet did check out his teeth etc. But I think a more in depth investigation is needed. He hasn't had any health issues in the past so our regular vet has been fine but will probably look for a more specialist bunny one!

I have started wondering if the diarrhoea is linked to stress, he had it really bad on Saturday afternoon after a choking episode and it was gone by Saturday evening.

I have also moved him to a warmer part of the house as we are getting to winter.
His regular diet is a small handful of selective nuggets (he didn't get on with burgess) and unlinited hay. He gets fresh veg- which veg usually depends on how he has been.

It is frustrating as he has completely normal poo/cecotrophs and still has a ferocious appetite.
Click to expand...

I think this would be the best way forward. I would want the Vet to run some diagnostics as that is really the only way of establishing the cause of your Rabbit's symptoms.

I am glad that you are hand feeding the Science Selective Pellets, they have been known to cause some Rabbits to have a 'choking episode'.

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...ng-Rabbit&highlight=science+selective+choking
 
Yaya990 said:
Thanks for your help.

He is definitely becoming a senior bunny and has developed some wrinkles.

After this weekend we will probably seek out a second opinion. The vet did check out his teeth etc. But I think a more in depth investigation is needed. He hasn't had any health issues in the past so our regular vet has been fine but will probably look for a more specialist bunny one!

I have started wondering if the diarrhoea is linked to stress, he had it really bad on Saturday afternoon after a choking episode and it was gone by Saturday evening.

I have also moved him to a warmer part of the house as we are getting to winter.
His regular diet is a small handful of selective nuggets (he didn't get on with burgess) and unlinited hay. He gets fresh veg- which veg usually depends on how he has been.

It is frustrating as he has completely normal poo/cecotrophs and still has a ferocious appetite.
Click to expand...

If you'd like recommendations from members here, begin another thread with "Rabbit Savvy Vet need in (your location)" and you should get some helpful replies :D
 
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