help needed

Hi all....I'm in a right pickle my nethie Alan has been diagnosed with arthritis he is on metacam twice daily and arthritis join support (prescribed by vet) he has heat pad and very low rise littler tray...he is a house bunny he lives with maisey who is larger than him.... he has been learning on her a grate deal lately but he falls over on his back and cannot get back up its happening more and more as the days go by we are checking him constantly and putting him back on his feet constantly he has no strength in his legs at all u can literally blow him over .has anyone else experienced this it's dip distressingly .I wish they did mobility scooters for bunnies x

I'm so sorry, I have no idea but could your vet or specialist suggest something. I've never heard of a bunny getting stuck on their back but it must be so distressing to see. I didn't want to read and run but have no useful advice!

It is awful to see I have picked him up 3times today already. I wrap him in a towel he likes that but he can't stay like that for ever. Thanks for replying xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

emmaclaire said:

Hi all....I'm in a right pickle my nethie Alan has been diagnosed with arthritis he is on metacam twice daily and arthritis join support (prescribed by vet) he has heat pad and very low rise littler tray...he is a house bunny he lives with maisey who is larger than him.... he has been learning on her a grate deal lately but he falls over on his back and cannot get back up its happening more and more as the days go by we are checking him constantly and putting him back on his feet constantly he has no strength in his legs at all u can literally blow him over .has anyone else experienced this it's dip distressingly .I wish they did mobility scooters for bunnies x

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Emma I'm sorry to hear about Alan.

I had this discussion recently with my vet, and we thought about tramadol instead of Metacam, and also a series of 6 acupuncture sessions, which have been shown in the past to help greatly.

You can also massage his legs yourself, and gently stretch them (your vet can show you how) to get more life and feeling into them.

Is the vet sure it's arthritis? Has e.c been ruled out?
Also acupuncture can be quite effective, however, I'm not sure if it would help weakness in his legs.

I do massage him daily .the vet gave him a thorough examination she said all the joints in his front and back legs are extremely stiff and crunching when moved. Alan is 9 the vet said he is in some discomfort but not severe pain as I thought because of the way he sits.as I see it Alan isn't going to build up the strength in his legs if he doesn't move about more and u can't force someone to move more .what is tramadol what does it do differently to metacam xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

emmaclaire said:

I do massage him daily .the vet gave him a thorough examination she said all the joints in his front and back legs are extremely stiff and crunching when moved. Alan is 9 the vet said he is in some discomfort but not severe pain as I thought because of the way he sits.as I see it Alan isn't going to build up the strength in his legs if he doesn't move about more and u can't force someone to move more .what is tramadol what does it do differently to metacam xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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Hi Emma

Tramadol is (in my experience) a stronger pain reliever than Metacam. Some people use Metacam alongside Tramadol, as Metacam is also an anti-inflammatory. In some rabbits, Tramadol makes them sleepy, but not all, and it's a good level of pain relief

You are right - he needs to move as much as possible to get the joints working better.

Alan is a netherland dwarf a very tiny one at that and his legs are so tiny they feel like little sticks. He eats well drinks poos wees all ok apart from weeing everywhere as its too much effort to keep going to litter tray x

I will ask my vet about tramadol do u mean he can have both together he is on 1m of metacam twice daily could this be increased x

emmaclaire said:

I will ask my vet about tramadol do u mean he can have both together he is on 1m of metacam twice daily could this be increased x

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That sounds like quite a high dose of Metacam for a little Nethie

Ask your vet about Tramadol. Sometimes I prefer to ditch the Metacam and see how the Tramadol works on it's own, and then add the Metacam back in if necessary

I've been meaning to do a thread on how well my bun Chloe is doing on Tramadol/loxicom. She's been on it for about 3 weeks now and is like a new bunny.

MummyBunnyEm said:

I've been meaning to do a thread on how well my bun Chloe is doing on Tramadol/loxicom. She's been on it for about 3 weeks now and is like a new bunny.

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Thank you for posting that!

I'm sorry I can't remember what she was taking before? Can you remind me please?

MightyMax said:

Thank you for posting that!

I'm sorry I can't remember what she was taking before? Can you remind me please?

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She wasn't on anything before MM. She had Tramadol and loxicom for about a week and then I took her off it but noticed she was still having issues with her legs. She's back on it and doing really well

emmaclaire said:

I do massage him daily .the vet gave him a thorough examination she said all the joints in his front and back legs are extremely stiff and crunching when moved. Alan is 9 the vet said he is in some discomfort but not severe pain as I thought because of the way he sits.as I see it Alan isn't going to build up the strength in his legs if he doesn't move about more and u can't force someone to move more .what is tramadol what does it do differently to metacam xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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Tramadol is an opiate like analgesic which is effective when bone pain is involved. Metacam is also an analgesic and it also has anti-inflammatory properties. It is known as a 'Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory' I have a Rabbit on a combination of Metacam and Tramadol to manage his arthritic pain. He has also had acupuncture and massage.

I expect that Alan's hind leg weakness is due to a loss of muscle mass around his rear end. This frequently occurs when a Rabbit has severe arthritis. Physiotherapy can help, under the guidance of a Rabbit Savvy Vet. In other species hydrotherapy would be very beneficial as it is a non weight bearing form of exercise. But it is not suitable for Rabbits.

Another drug option may be Cartrophen

http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/?id=-446153

As with many drugs it is not licensed for use in Rabbits but a Vet can use it 'Off License' as per the Veterinary Prescribing Cascade.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-cascade-prescribing-unauthorised-medicines

Tumeric as a dietary supplement is known to be beneficial to Horses who have joint stiffness

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/features/benefits-turmeric-for-horses-523592

It is possible that Rabbits may benefit in similar ways, but you would need to discuss this with your Vet.

MummyBunnyEm said:

She wasn't on anything before MM. She had Tramadol and loxicom for about a week and then I took her off it but noticed she was still having issues with her legs. She's back on it and doing really well

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Ah thank you

I must say it's lovely to see a rabbit thriving on painkillers when they've previously been hampered by arthritis