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advice for my old rabbit

S

stephengp

New Kit
Hi all,
Am new to this forum an just looking for some advice about my rabbit called mucky.

He is very old at 14 and dont know if he will live much longer as recently he has completely lost his balance and if he tries to run he will fall over.

Do you guys think this is simply the old age taking its toll?

Not sure its worth taking him to the vet as they may say its best to put him to sleep due to his age? On the other hand i dont want him to suffer :(

Any advise will be appreciated.
cheers, Stephen.
 
Defo, really gonna miss him when he goes. To have bred him that long ago and to still have him is amazing but am resigned to losing him now :( just gotta make the most of my time left with him. Also will still have pete who's only a baby at 4.
 
Balance can be an age thing or an inner ear problem etc. Your best bet would be to decide whether he is suffering or not, if he seems happy enough and has no other symptoms, I'd enjoy him as much as you can.
If he seems miserable it may be kindest to have him pts.
You really must have looked after him well to get him to 14! Well done you! Just bear in mind he has had a long and happy life with you, whatever you decide will be for the best x
 
Hi Stephen
Is your OAB still eating well and generally happy apart from the occassional loss of balance?
I think it would be a very good idea to take him to your Vet as the Vet may be able to advise you as to how to help your OAB remain as comfortable as possible. No Vet would put an animal to sleep just because he/she is old. I think if you can give your Bun lots of extra TLC, make absolutely certain he is able to keep himself clean (cleaning him yourself if necessary) Grooming him EVERY day, providing a tastey diet and making sure he is ALWAYS warm and dry. Your Vet will examin your OAB and may pick up an age related arthritis. If so Bun would greatly benefit daily anti-inflammatory medication.
I would urge you to take your Bun to your Vets
:D :D

Janex
 
He still eats well but he can no longer clean himself properly. His head is now constantly lowered to the ground now so maybe he is depressed but he does perk up when he sees me. he is also rapidly losing weight and some fur loss which is revealing skin.

My thoughts were he may have had a stroke.
Never taken him to the vet ever.

Im 23 an cannot believe i was only 9 when he was born. I have noticed some improvement in him in last few days but i still wake up each day expecting the worst :(

All good things come to an end so may be best to not involve vet to let him go quietly.
 
stephengp said:
He still eats well but he can no longer clean himself properly. His head is now constantly lowered to the ground now so maybe he is depressed but he does perk up when he sees me. he is also rapidly losing weight and some fur loss which is revealing skin.

My thoughts were he may have had a stroke.
Never taken him to the vet ever.

Im 23 an cannot believe i was only 9 when he was born. I have noticed some improvement in him in last few days but i still wake up each day expecting the worst :(

All good things come to an end so may be best to not involve vet to let him go quietly.
Click to expand...

If his head is hanging down it is likely to be due to arthritis in his spine.
Please do take Bun to your Vet as anti-inflammatory pain relief will make bun much more comfy. Even if it is only for his last few days :(

Janex
 
.

sorry to say bt the nicest thing u could do is have a weekend just u n him spoil himand then take him to be pt to sleep if all wot is happening to him as u say then its time to say goodnite god bless.i did it with one of mine 4 years ago. :cry: :cry:
 
Definitely take him to the vets. Even if he only lasts a short while his quality of life could easily be improved dramatically, and you may find it's a fully treatable condition and he still has a while left in him.

Trust me it's always worth giving these things a shot! Good luck.

AMETHYST
 
Cheers for the advice guys, will defo take him to vet to see if they can help as I don’t want him to be suffering unnecessarily.

Hopefully they can give him a chance but I have very good memories of him which I won’t forget and I am very impressed he has made it to a ripe old age :) .
 
Hi Stephen,

I have always lived by the belief - IF MY PET IS STILL EATING THEN THEY HAVE THE WILL TO LIVE. Having said that, if any of my pets have been ill and I have had to syringe feed them and if they pull through, then they have had the will to live also.

Usually, if your bun is in pain or has had enough, then they will stop eating. I think your bun just probably needs a little more spoiling in his twilight years. I'm sure you will have your bun a while yet :thumb:

However, like the other guys have said, I'd take him to the vets for a check up and even if your vet does suggest putting him to sleep, just remember if your bun is still eating, then they have the will to live and doesn't need to leave you just yet.

Best of luck

Carol
 
Hi,

Take him to the vets for a check up, he may nead a 14,ooo mile service to make him more comfortable in his last few years. I'm sure you will know when it is time to call it a day but he may just nead a bit of help from the vet to make his life a better quality for a bit more time and summer is coming.

Older bunnies require a bit more help than normal, well done to get him this far.

Maureen
 
Hiya
Wow thats impressive having a 14yr old bunny! I hope a little pain relief will help him for a while longer.
Whats your secret to getting a bunny to such a ripe old age?? What breed is he?
 
My rabbit is a cross breed. Not done anything special to get him to this age, he is just a fighter. I had many rabbits when I was younger but Mucky has out lived them all easily. Many years ago myxomatosis and even theft was claiming my rabbits but Mucky refused to let anything affect him.

Unfortunately he took a bad turn over night and can now no longer stand upright by himself. I found him curled up and thought he was dead. I said goodbye to him expecting him to be dead when I returned after work but he is still alive now and I even managed to stand him up for him to start feeding.

I cannot tell if he is in pain and really wanted to take him to the vet today but couldn’t due to work. If he is still alive tomorrow then I think I will have to take him to be put to sleep in case he is in pain as surely his number is up now.

This is really depressing me seeing him like this and really hope he isn’t suffering :( . I can tell he wants to stand but he just can't as his whole weight is just lurching to the right, pulling him over.
 
awww bless him. He certainly sounds to have led a wonderful life and well done you for giving him that life. I hope you manage to get to the vets tomorrow and that all is well xxxxxxx all the best xxx
 
stephengp said:
My rabbit is a cross breed. Not done anything special to get him to this age, he is just a fighter. I had many rabbits when I was younger but Mucky has out lived them all easily. Many years ago myxomatosis and even theft was claiming my rabbits but Mucky refused to let anything affect him.

Unfortunately he took a bad turn over night and can now no longer stand upright by himself. I found him curled up and thought he was dead. I said goodbye to him expecting him to be dead when I returned after work but he is still alive now and I even managed to stand him up for him to start feeding.

I cannot tell if he is in pain and really wanted to take him to the vet today but couldn’t due to work. If he is still alive tomorrow then I think I will have to take him to be put to sleep in case he is in pain as surely his number is up now.

This is really depressing me seeing him like this and really hope he isn’t suffering :( . I can tell he wants to stand but he just can't as his whole weight is just lurching to the right, pulling him over.
Click to expand...

Righto, gonna be blunt here.
Phone your Vets NOW. They will have emergency cover if the routine surgery is closed.
If you choose not to do so then at the very least your Bun needs to be INDOORS in a warm safe place. He should NOT be left to pass away on his own. If he wants to eat/drink but cant YOU need to help him. Softened pellet feed can be offered on the end of your finger and you can moistened his lips with water.
I hope he has a peaceful passing. YOU need to ensure that he does
Janex
 
Well put Jane.

Now is the time to really help your bunny, vets can be 24 hours if yours is not please find one.

If you really can't do that until tommorrow please do what Jane said and bring him in to the warm, prop him up between two rolled towels so that he is balanced and try to give him water.

Please make him as comfortable as possible and if it is his time you will know that you have tried your best

Maureen
 
Ok, he's inside now so at least he's warm. have also tried to steady him with two small towels and hay so hopefully he wont fall over. He's got acess to food and water but he can't move practically at all so i will be tending to him regularly to give him what he wants.

Unfortunately i dont drive so will have to rely on my mum to take me to the vets tomorrow morning. Don't know where they are either so will have to do some fishing around on the net for one.
 
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