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Help please.....dragging back legs

Wonder whether fhb ever looks on here for the entertainment value? :oops: :lol:

I wouldn't be able to resist if I was in her shoes. I've never said which forum I use but I've often waffled during the consultations quoting this that and other that 'it said on the forum' :oops::oops: I think I must give entertainment value :oops: It's like I'm saying the forum the second highest authority of knowledge to herself.

I don't know if you've set off yet Claire but good luck. I feel really privileged to have FHB at my bunnies' regular vet. I know you'll get good value out of your trip. Finger crossed she can help your lovely bunny, you're seeing the best, doing the very best for your little Stew.


*sending good news vibes*
 
I hope it goes well, Claire. Fingers crossed for Stew.

Sadly Zebedee is being PTS on Saturday, but I will check back here tonight with interest to see what has been said by your specialist.
 
Carrie i am so sorry about Zebedee, what's happened since your last post?....poor you, i'll be thinking about you both saturday xxx
We are back with Dumpling who is pining for Stew so god knows how she is because she is the one who hates to be parted from him :(
Well, Fhb confirmed she thinks stew is not in any pain and as her bowel/bladder has improved slightly this week depending on what they find she could carry on as a disabled bunny. She still has slight feeling in some areas of her back end but not much. She doesn't think it is ec but possibly injury or something else. We talked about her options - she said her husband is the surgeon who specialises in spinal surgery etc and said rabbits have every right to treatment the same as dogs and cats have. She said the x-rays may show something up now, she is having myleography (think that's spelt right) tomorrow afternoon.She talked about depending on what this shows of course stew could possibly end up with some 'wheels', as her husband can do this for other animals if he can't help any further and said stew could be the first candidate for such treatment, or possibly even send her to her son in cambridge who is a specialist and could do ct scans etc and surgery if needed.
I felt really positive when we came out, but am really worrying about the cost as well. The insurance covers a further £1700 then that's it and i would give that bunny every last penny i have but only have at a stretch a few hundred more i could put to the bill. I hope something shows that can be treated or at least we can get a positive outcome for her to carry on as she is. She asked me how i feel about keeping her as a disabled bunny and i said 100% we will do everything we can for her and as long as she is in no pain and can live a decent life it's not even an issue for us. I hope we can get this sorted, the next 24 hours are going to be very long :?
Poor Dumps is sat with his back to me in Stew's furry bed (which he ahtes normally and drags out of the cage - i could cry for them both, my hubby said i did really well not crying in front of Fhb cos he could see i was filling up:oops:)
 
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Well Stew is in the best possible hands.
If she is not in pain and is enjoying life as she is then 'doing nothing' may be an option-ie no pioneering surgery but possibly just a cart if Stew would accept one. I am sure FHB will run through all possible scenarios with you once the results of the diagnostics are ready.
 
I agree with Jane that doing nothing is probably an option here if there is no pain involved and she can otherwise enjoy life - ie keep herself clean etc. I know from speaking to my own specialist that things like CT scans and MRI scans cost several hundreds of pounds (MRI about £1000) and then surgery will be even more on top. That's on top of the money you are spending with FHB and the myelography (which sounds great btw). The thing is, CT scans and MRI scans diagnose but don't treat, so they will eat up the insurance money without actually even beginning to cover the treatment. When you use powers of deduction, you will see that there are only a small number of possible treatments and they will probably end up coming back to the cart. However, I am just thinking aloud so it is up to you and the funds you have available.

With the insurance company, ensure they will pay for things before going ahead with them. I have had horrible things in the past where I have, for eg, sent a horse off to a horsey hospital for investigations and surgery, with my insurance covering up to £8000 vets bills, only to find it wouldn't cover the hospital treatment/specialist vet hospital investigations. So even though you are probably very clear about your policy and what it offers, just double check as the last thing you want right now is a nasty shock in that sense.

I wish you the very best of luck. I saw a bunny with wheels on a programme called Special Needs Pets. This particular bunny also wore a nappy as he was in the house and couldn't use a tray etc. The wheels look so cool.

Good luck.
 
Thank you for keeping us updated. I've no additional advice - just to say I empathize with the long wait - we're in there with you, & hoping with every thing crossed.
Judy & Thumper xxx
 
Some good points there Carrie i hadn't thought about...i think depending on what they find tomorrow i may leave it at the no treatment option as long as she is happy and pain free, when the time comes for her i'm sure i will know and have to go from there. The insurance won't last forever and as awful as it sounds we just don't have money to go on forever, if i physically had it i would spend it but we don't. I just hope for some good news tomorrow afternoon. Poor Dumpling is really missing her now and isn't really eating or moving about so i can only imagine how she must feel :(
and forgot to add as well as the money i don't want to keep putting her through tests, anaesthetics etc unless i have to!
 
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wow that thread is amazing, thank you!
I'm not too comfortable with the cart idea either but she's so full of life and if it comes to it that could give her some freedom for some of the day, although she gets around amazingly now (she even ventured onto the wood floor and under the sofa yesterday much to my disapproval, i was wondering what she was doing.....then her beloved treat ball came rolling out :lol:)
Hopefully we will know more tomorrow and i trust Fhb and her hubbys judgement so i will go with their advice as long as they don't think she is suffering. My hubby had a tear on the way home, she really has changed his opinion of small animals (he's still a bit scared of Grumps :roll:)
They helped me get through a difficult time and provided a welcome distraction for me when we got them, i hope i can return what she did for me and do the best by her....even Fhb said she was a 'very pretty little thing' (although i bet she tells all the buns that :lol:)
 
I've had the call from Fhb.....she said they had to go no further than x-rays. They found a congenital defect in her spine which is obvious.
She said she was putting the ball back in my court about pts or not. In her opinion she is not in pain and it's a miracle she has ever hopped at all and can still get about as well as she does. She said the decision to pts cannot be reversed but if we don't give her a chance we will never know and if there is a worsening in her condition then we can makethe decision later.
I feel so sad for her that she has always had this and is only so young, we said we want to give her a fighting chance because she has fought so hard herself and is still happy and her usual lively self.
Do you think i'm doing the right thing keeping her going???:(
also makes me wonder now how our vets haven't seen this from their x-rays :?
She also said they have never given a rabbit a cart before but they could try for her if we decided we wanted one
 
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