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    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

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what lenght do you go to!

bunnylove

Wise Old Thumper
i just wondered what lenghs do you go to for the bunnys reguarding vets, do you take them for everything?, do you treat them for everything? regardless of the cost? i am just wondering if there is anyone that just lets mother nature play her part!? other than things you can prevent ie.. with vacs and preventing uterous (sp?) cancer in does!

Eve x
 
Well I pretty much go to the vets with anything I'm concerned about, I'm not worried by the cost, I'd take out a loan if I had to. Good old credit cards!!

With some buns though, once the vet has diagnosed and done whatever is possible, you do have to wait + see. For example Princess had mammary lumps when I got her which had been diagnosed as the early stages of cancer. There was nothing more the vets could do, save stripping her completely of her mammary glands (quite big op!). We decided to give her quality of life, but she amazed us all and her lumps have shrunk and she is still with me a year later! Goodness knows what cured it, but whatever it was thank goodness!

Personally, I would do whatever was needed for my buns, on the vets advice. With regards preventative measures, I use Echinacea to help boost the immune system and would use other herbal remedies if I thought they would help!

I think we all love our buns so much here we would pay whatever, obviously lots of other ppl wouldn't.

Nicola
 
Hmm, :? well many conditions would 'run their course' but may take a long time to do so and so 'paliative care' ie pain relief, would be necessary which would require veterinary involvement. What sort of conditions were you specifically thinking of?? I guess opting against surgical excision of an abscess is sort or letting nature take it's course but even if the use of antibiotic therapy to control the abscess were not used many cases would probably require pain relief. I do think it important to have a vet you trust to know when to 'call it a day'. Quality of life is of utmost importance and sometimes just because complex proceedures CAN be done it is not always appropriate that they are done. Jane and Buns xx
 
I've been incredibly lucky with my Rabbits (touch wood). None of my lot has needed any drugs/operations etc. I have only ever taken two to the Vets for a once over, as I wasn’t sure about something.

I would ALWAYS get a Rabbit neutered with the exception of old age and health problems. (Again I’ve been lucky in that all my Rabbits came already neutered).

Most of you know I don’t use conventional vaccines. In place of this I use a Homeopathic program.

Certain things such as a weepy eye, early bloat etc I would try and treat at home first as I believe the stress of taking Rabbits to the Vets actually does more harm then good in some cases.

If I thought any of my animals was in any pain we would be straight to the Vets or an emergency Vet call out if I thought an animal was to sick to be moved.

Like Nicola has said money wouldn’t matter. But I would take into consideration quality of life.

Basically I know my limits and anything I was concerned about I would be at the Vets with it.

Louise
 
If there was something wrong with a pet that was possible to have a good outcome if it was treated, I would get it treated whatever the cost, even if it meant taking out a loan. I would go with the advice of my vets, as they ae very good with small creatures, and have much more experience than me!!
I have insurance for Jack but not for my smaller animals.

However, I do believe to some extent in letting nature take its course: I don't know if I could have a pet PTS, I see it as interfering with nature, but then I guess I'm contradicting myself as giving medications is a way of interfering with nature too... If one of them was in great suffering and nothing could be done... it is hard to know having never had to make that decision, I'd go with gut instinct.

My hamster has just been diagnosed with testicular cancer, and I opted not to get it treated as the outcome of the operation is not promising. He is not in any pain. If/when he starts to show signs of pain I would pay for the operation even though his chances are slim rather than having him PTS. But its quite possible he may live out his natural life without it causing him any suffering, even though he will probably die of cancer related problems, so I guess that's letting nature take its course too.
 
I would always take my bun to the vets if he was ill, no matter the cost.
If you don't think you could afford the treatment, either get insurance, or think about whether you really shoud get a bun if you potentially wouldn't be able to afford to look after it properly (ie take it to the vets if it was ill). I know this might sound harsh, but there's only so much you can leave to nature... :wink:
 
Hiya, well I think this is a very difficult question to answer , as there are other factors to take into account, for example, whether you are an individual rabbit keeper, or have multiple numbers of bunnies in a Rescue or Sanctuary.
Plus what your personal rabbit care experiences are, age and usual health status of now poorly bunny, what expectations of a quality of life could be after any veterinary intervention, and stress of removing a poorly rabbit to vet clinic.
In summary, there is no one single answer, as every situation needs to be taken on its own merits.

Personally we do absolutely everything humanly possible to help all the little darlings in our care. :D :D
our philosophy is that every one of the 35 rabbits here should be given the exact same care as if we just had one bunny :)

Rescues and Sanctuaries can rarely insure bunnies as many have health problems on arrival. On the other hand, lots of rescues are run by experienced rabbit keepers who are able to deal with most basic bunny illnesses themselves on site.
Here at the Sanctuary, we work closely with our lovely vet, but he acknowledges that I can do most of the nursing care myself, but he checks a poorly bunnys progress along the way :)
Any rabbit who displays any severe symptoms, or has an injury, or is in pain, is taken to the vets without delay.
Otherwise we make them comfortable and very carefully monitor them, round the clock if necessary.
We would never leave a rabbit in pain, or who was not responding to usual treatment without vet care.
I would never sleep at night if I felt I had neglected a poorly bunny :cry:
i think it is all about finding a balanced approach :)
We do everything we can to help all the bunnies have the very best quality of life they can. :) I also feel that having a beloved bunny put to sleep is the right thing to do if their quality of life is seriously compromised , much as it breaks my heart, I would rather opt for that than allow suffering to continue.
 
I definitely agree with Adele, it is very individual. Everybody takes a different approach. Reading what everybody else has said I would treat minor complaints such as cuts or early bloat (as I have gained lots of knowledge from Adele and others :D ) but anything severe would involve vet + like Louise said, quality of life is most important.

Nicola
 
We would go to the ends of the earth and back for them :D
We are able to treat a lot of the buns at home as the vet has given us medication to have on hand - however, we still phone the vet to let them know that one of the buns is sneezing more than usual, has gas, is having trouble with cystitis etc - this way the vet can advise us on which way to go.
We will always go that extra mile for them as long as the vet says so - if Sally thinks there is even the slightest chance and that they are still getting a good quality of life, then we will take that chance for them. If bun doesn't give up then we don't either :)
If Sally calls time then we take her advise but it kills us as you all know :(
The majority of buns that come here have some kind of illness or disabilty already and we take them to the vet and get tests done to see what can be done for them. Our most important goal is that the bun gets a good quality of life and hopefully, we have always been right up to now. A disabled bun can have just as much of a good life as any other :D We have quite a few here that are living proof of that.
When we first opened up an idiot taught me how to inject and do other things - that was soon put right and Sally taught me the proper ways - now I can inject at home and give sub-cuts etc - this saves stressing an ill or compromised bun by having to take them backwards and forwards to the vets.
Many's the time that we have had to get the vet up out of bed :shock: Little Melinda was poorly the day before we lost her, we had her to the vets that day and then again at 2.45am - unfortunately, we lost her just after 8am but she was at home with her partner and with us.
If a bun is suffering then we call a halt - we will not see them suffer as it takes away all their dignity and also the happiness that we have shared whilst they have been here.
John and I think we deserve a nice comfy chair at the vets and a kettle to make a cuppa with :roll: :lol:
 
I'd agree it depends on the suitation. If you've got lots of experience you might do things differently to your first bunny or first experience of the problem.

For example if your bun gets a little cut some people might be more comfortable going to the vet with that where as others would clean it and monitor it and only go to the vet if a problem developed.

Another example - one of my rats currently has several lumps - these are common in rats and I know that at her age and this being the second time she's developed one surgery wouldn't be an option. There is nothing else that the vet could do so she hasn't been to see one. I've been in the same circumstances before, where as if it was the first time I'd have gone to the vet for advice.

Tam
 
I pretty much take them for everything, and I trust my vets 100% with my bunnies and am happy to take their advice. Whether everything should be treated, well I guess I consider each case on its merits, in terms of prognosis, quality of life etc (but not cost!).

For example, blood tests and palpation/symptoms etc have diagnosed my 18 year old cat with a liver tumour, but having discussed with my vet, we have decided not to do a biopsy for further information or operate, as at his age we just don't feel it is fair on him as he just will not heal well at his age and it could do more harm than good. Instead he is being treated with steroids and antibiotics as necessary, but he is not in pain and he is still happy and active (well, as active as you'd expect an 18 year old cat to be!) He is thriving on his tablets so we will continue to fight his tumour and visit the vet regularly until he tells us that he has had enough.
 
I (fortunelty) dont have much experiecne myself, but my dear friend (who is back in hospital again :cry: ) had a very bad time with her bun last year. She had myxi, but had been vaxed so vet said it couldnt be :? , so treatment was started antibiotics, painkillers and so on. Some weeks later the biopsy came back as myxi, but by that time Sophie was getting better. She has recovered, but both my friend and her bunny went thro a terrible time. She now reflects that she probably should have ended Sophies suffering, but she was so much in love with her that she couldnt bear to lose her. Sophie is now recovered, but she was so ill and in so much pain at times......the only saving grace was that she never went totally off her food.....but my friend has said that if another bun got myxi she would have her pts rather than suffer as Sophie did :cry:
 
I rarly have to visit the vet as i have most things to hand [supplied by them]. Any major problems then its off to the vet of course. But i do believe in not throwing good money after bad and if its fairly certain that the outcome is not going to be good then i will pts.You may say that its only money but when your running a rescue money is a constant problem and has to be put to good use. Of course if its a pet then its different. As for my own rabbits they are treated the same I dont beleive in treating things like myxi or anything that is going to cause great pain with no certain degree of success. I include myself in this i would not want to be kept going when there was no chance of getting better. Take two examples ive had to deal with in the past, one smale rabbit had a bad break in a back leg. Outcome was a good chance of a good life after amputation. The other a giant rabbit with a simeler break in a leg, could have been amutated but long term prognosis was bad because of there size it would not have been able to continue without problems because of the sheer weight of its boddy on three legs. Each case has its own merits and has to be carefully judged. Quality of life is everthing and if they carnt do what comes naturaly pain free then its time to call a halt.val
 
i havent been to the vets as none of my buns have needed to yet!
millie is going in january for vacs though! i havent taken her yet as i want to get christmas out of the way and i dont think myxi is in the area- on top of her beiing house rabbit!

will get her vaccinated though! and maybe spayed :D
 
If anything out of the ordinary happened I would definitely take them to the vets. Squidgy is prone to tummy problems (not as often now though) and I do deal with that myself. Obviously, if things didn't improve it would have to be a vet visit.
When Nougat was poorly, I was there with her every other day, basically because I wanted to be assured she was in no pain.
 
I am Miss Paranoia and have taken mine to the Vets with symptoms as vague as "she's not herself" - ended up being the first signs of stasis, to "she wouldn't eat the carrot tops and other treats and is very subdued" - diagnosed as in distress but no other, obvious symptoms of problems.


I think of rescues/ sanctuaries operated like me, all Vets would be millionaires and all rescues bankrupt :oops:
 
I think the something's not quite right is a good time to go to the vet. Experience can help you deal with a problem when you know what it is but if you don't know or aren't quite sure then you should definately get a vet involved.
 
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