Elderly bunny arthritis advice

Pumpkin is nearly 12 and has had artritis in his left hind hock. He has been on pain relief (metacam) twice a day for about three months.

Each morning he is very stiff and finds it hard to get up, although he is keen to eat and join in with the other two bunnies. He is now incontinent and pees wherever he happens to be (although mostly in his own space), having always used a littler tray before.

This morning, he is not able to use his front left limb either. He is holding it all stiff and straight and was only able to get up with my help. Again he was keen to eat his kale, broccoli and medicine, but could not come to me for it. He needed to lean on me to stand still and eat.

The fact that he is eating is encouraging, but i am constantly aware that i will need to make a decision as to when it is not fair to keep going. Of course, I don't want to say goodbye, but I don't want to cause him unnecessary suffering.





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millywinter said:

Pumpkin is nearly 12 and has had artritis in his left hind hock. He has been on pain relief (metacam) twice a day for about three months.

Each morning he is very stiff and finds it hard to get up, although he is keen to eat and join in with the other two bunnies. He is now incontinent and pees wherever he happens to be (although mostly in his own space), having always used a littler tray before.

This morning, he is not able to use his front left limb either. He is holding it all stiff and straight and was only able to get up with my help. Again he was keen to eat his kale, broccoli and medicine, but could not come to me for it. He needed to lean on me to stand still and eat.

The fact that he is eating is encouraging, but i am constantly aware that i will need to make a decision as to when it is not fair to keep going. Of course, I don't want to say goodbye, but I don't want to cause him unnecessary suffering.

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Hi there Milly and it's lovely to see you here :wave:

Pumpkin has reached a wonderful old age, and of course arthritis would be expected. It's hard to see our little ones suffer though, and I've bee through this myself with a rabbit that lived to be over 14 years old

Tramadol is also a good painkiller, and perhaps you could ask your vet about using that for times when things seem bad.

One thing I found really useful, and this was summer and winter, is a 24/7 heated electric pad. I don't know if that's at all practical, but even house bunnies can get a bit chilled at night when the temperature drops.

My vet also uses acupuncture, and says it's a great help with arthritis conditions. Very gentle massage and physiotherapy can also be helpful.

There's also some info on glucosamine in this thread here:

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...ne-for-arthritis-in-a-rabbit-Update-Relapse-(

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Bone_diseases/Osteo/arthritis.htm


It's important for arthritic rabbits to maintain as much muscle as possible, as muscle wastage would contribute to being unsteady on their feet. My vet has given an anabolic steroid to build up muscle - this isn't the same as a corticosteroid, and will help over a period of about 6 weeks usually.

It would also be worth your vet checking to make sure that little Pumpkin is on the maximum dose of Metacam, to make sure he's as comfortable as possible.

Good luck

Thank you so much for all that info! I will defo be looking into all of that - anything to make him feel as good as possible for as long as he is happy to keep going.

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millywinter said:

Thank you so much for all that info! I will defo be looking into all of that - anything to make him feel as good as possible for as long as he is happy to keep going.

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I have had several elderly Rabbits who developed arthritis and they all benefited from a combination of medication, acupuncture and a physiotherapy regime specifically tailored for the needs of the individual Rabbit. More recently Cold Laser Therapy is being used to treat arthritis and it has been reported to be very useful too. An RU member, yaretzi, has a Bunny receiving Cold Laser Therapy at the moment

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...xperience-so-far&highlight=cold+laser+therapy

These links may be useful to read:

http://www.disabledrabbits.com/arthritis.html

http://www.goddardvetgroup.co.uk/pet-factsheets/Factsheets/Otherpets/24_290501.shtml

http://www.msdvetmanual.com/managem...alternative-veterinary-medicine/laser-therapy

Another issue to bear in mind is that if the arthritis causes significant immobility this can lead to the Rabbit developing secondary conditions including sore hocks/pressure sores, bladder 'sludge' and urine scald. Hopefully Pumpkin is not yet suffering any secondary problems as a result of his arthritis.

Is he due to be seen by your Vet early next week ?

I am taking him in Tuesday, he does get pee on his feet, but I make sure to keep him clean and dry myself.
I'll talk to them about all of the above.

Thank you

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millywinter said:

I am taking him in Tuesday, he does get pee on his feet, but I make sure to keep him clean and dry myself.
I'll talk to them about all of the above.

Thank you

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That's OK, I hope you both get on OK at the Vet on Tuesday x

millywinter said:

Thank you so much for all that info! I will defo be looking into all of that - anything to make him feel as good as possible for as long as he is happy to keep going.

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You're really welcome

I didn't want to overload you with reading matter, so I hope you found something useful there!

No advice but gentle nose rubs for wee Pumpkin.

Poor lil fella, such a cutie! A good age too, he's obviously been well loved and looked after
I find if an animal is keen to eat and move around, there's always hope

Quick update - Pumpkin has his check up and after a discussion, we have decided to try him on glucosamine as well as his normal pain meds, as he doesn't seem to be in pain, just more stiff! Ah, the trials of age! X

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millywinter said:

Quick update - Pumpkin has his check up and after a discussion, we have decided to try him on glucosamine as well as his normal pain meds, as he doesn't seem to be in pain, just more stiff! Ah, the trials of age! X

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Indeed !!

I hope that adding Glucosamine will be of some help xx

millywinter said:

Quick update - Pumpkin has his check up and after a discussion, we have decided to try him on glucosamine as well as his normal pain meds, as he doesn't seem to be in pain, just more stiff! Ah, the trials of age! X

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Great! Let me know how you get on

Glucosamine isn't a quick fix, but if you stick with it, it may show great rewards