Need advice please on elderly bunny care

[dinklepip]

Bella is around 7-8 now although her exact age is unknown due to her being dumped at a car boot about 7yrs ago and me bringing her home.

Bunnies moving into old age is something very new to me and I am looking for advice please on future care. I have always used dust extracted shavings with my buns and have never had any problems BUT I feel I need to move onto something else now as I think Bella may have a little arthritis (from reading up on the tell tale signs). She isn't quite able to reach her botty from watching her and as I type she has a clump of dried cecotropes which I am going to have to get the nurses at the vet to clean and clip her fur. The reason I say that is because she isn't used to being picked up, never has in fact. If you could have seen me chase her around the house just to get a towel around her to put drops in her eyes you would laugh yourselves stupid at me. I have never been confident in picking her up which stems from my little boy Cookie (whom I lost). He was a very skitty Dutch and whenever I tried he always made a real fuss and I was so paranoid and clutzy at handling him, I was scared he would hurt his back by kicking out so I gave up trying after a while.

I have recently started to use cotton towels in her hutch, which she isn't keen on because she isn't used to it and spends lots of time moving them around; in a nutshell making a real mess . What do other elderly bunny mums use and what tips would you give me please?

If a mucky bottom is going to be a regular thing I will HAVE to make a concerted effort in picking her up to clean her because of the dangers of flystrike. How do other mums pick their bunnies up that arn't used to it? I pretty much know how to do it but I just don't find it easy. When she is at the vets and scared out of her wits, then I can do it really easily because she doesn't move or struggle.

In general her health has been really really good and (touch wood) I have never had any real health issues with her apart from the odd dental WHICH instead of say once a year has suddenly changed to three months. She had spurs on the back in January and moderate ones again last month. I know how things to change so quickly with bunnies when there are problems and I am always right on top of it in seeking vet help, let's just say I am a bit of a worrier when my pets are concerned.

I have a supply of Meloxidyl on standby which my vet gave me which helps her now and then

Her diet is fine and she eats well, I have been weaning her back onto fresh grass the last few weeks and she is up to date with her jabs. She is currently indoors since her last dental because I didn't want her outside in the cold on her own (which made her depressed) and probably didn't do her arthritis any good as I noticed she couldn't be bothered to come out of her hutch for days (even with her heating pads).

She has plenty of the mixed hays (Vitakraft) and also your bog standard hay from a local pet shop. She has a small amount of the Science Selective pellets most days with small amounts of fresh veg/apple some days, fresh grass and dandelions.

Is there any form of supplement she can have for the arthritis? Do I need to change her diet in any way (her weight is perfect).
Are there any other general changes I should make that I haven't mentioned?

 

[dinklepip]

..........

 

[HouseOfRabbit]

It may be that you haven't had an answer because your post is in housing rather than health. I'll help bump this up for you for other suggestions though as looking after OAB's with arthritis isn't something I've done yet even though I have had a 11 year old bunny.

Re the cotton towels, just a thought but maybe you could try vet bed instead perhaps? I'm guessing that Bella is indoors from what you said about chasing her around the living room so maybe you could cut some pieces to fit where she sleeps in the hutch. Alternatively maybe she's enjoying playing with the towels or is just saying I don't want them where you do? I've swapped my rabbits over from hay bedding to fluffy dressing gowns (from charity shops) and they always move them around if I've tidied them up.

Also you could try leaving out her carry cage and training her to hop into it every day for a favorite treat and use it to pick her up that way. I've managed to teach my lot that when I say "basket" they hop in and will get a reward for doing so. Makes rounding up for vet trips a lot easier (most of the time :lol.

 

[Jbun]

Being rude isn't exactly a good way to elicit help from people who are volunteering their valuable time to answer questions free of charge.

Sometimes threads get inadvertently missed due to time of day when posted, as well as the day itself. Some days and times there are more active users on than others. It isn't likely to have anything to do with people being 'clicky'. And the amount of times the thread is viewed, doesn't necessarily mean anything as this can just be unregistered users browsing the forum, and won't be the people that would be able to provide answers to your questions. There is also the fact that you are asking complex health related questions and not every forum member has the knowledge to be able to answer what you are asking, so you have to patiently wait for the right people to be online to get your desired answers, or politely bump up your thread if you haven't received an answer after a day or two.

First off, for bedding instead of towels, vet bed works well and can't be dug around as easily and messed up like towels can.

For picking up, a bunny burrito works well when needed. The bunny is snuggly wrapped in a towel to perform the necessary task, leaving out the necessary body part for cleaning, trimming, etc.

http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Transport/Towel/Towel.htm

You will also need to examine the cause of the uneaten cecotropes if you haven't already. It could be due to her arthritis or dental problems. But there are also other causes such as not getting enough fiber from hay, too many carbs/protein, or food sensitivities. The pellets, apple, fresh grass, or veg can all possibly be a contributing factor. If the cecotrope problem is due to her arthritis, you may find alleviating those symptoms with medication will resolve the issue, as this can help enable her to be able to reach down more easily to eat the cecals.

For arthritis many vets will prescribe daily metacam to help with the symptoms. Other things that are sometimes used are glucosamine as well as cartrophen injections.

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/Osteoarthritis_rabbits.htm

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

 

[Amy104]

My Elderly bunnies get ArthriAid. There are mixed views on Glucosamine use in rabbits so you might want to look into it yourself so you can make an informed decision, but I have certainly seen an improvement since using it. I have also used the oxbow joint hay tablets which also helped, they do take atleast a month before you see any real benefit though so don't expect immediate affects.

If she is regularly uncomfortable I would talk to a vet about possible regular daily pain relief as opposed to just now and then. There are side effects of this, so it can be a bit of a balancing act, hence needing vet input.

Does she have a litter tray. If so I use these:

The low front makes it easier for them to get into.

I do agree however that you should get her teeth re-checked to rule out the non-grooming as a dental issue as she has history.

 

[dinklepip]

i apologise profusely for my outburst, menopausal symptoms,worry for Bella, nursing my 19yr old cat and looking after my elderly parents is taking it's toll so again I apologise, I am so sorry, just not dealing with anything at the moment

 

[dinklepip]

It may be that you haven't had an answer because your post is in housing rather than health. I'll help bump this up for you for other suggestions though as looking after OAB's with arthritis isn't something I've done yet even though I have had a 11 year old bunny.

Re the cotton towels, just a thought but maybe you could try vet bed instead perhaps? I'm guessing that Bella is indoors from what you said about chasing her around the living room so maybe you could cut some pieces to fit where she sleeps in the hutch. Alternatively maybe she's enjoying playing with the towels or is just saying I don't want them where you do? I've swapped my rabbits over from hay bedding to fluffy dressing gowns (from charity shops) and they always move them around if I've tidied them up.

Also you could try leaving out her carry cage and training her to hop into it every day for a favorite treat and use it to pick her up that way. I've managed to teach my lot that when I say "basket" they hop in and will get a reward for doing so. Makes rounding up for vet trips a lot easier (most of the time :lol.

Yes Bella Big Bum is still indoors at the moment, I brought her back in in January after she had dental as I didn't want her to catch cold. She does play with the towels and spends lots of time rearranging them but she doesn't like change and is a bit of a grunty bunty at the moment. Never thought of trying anything with manmade fibres because of her chewing and swallowing bits. I have 3 hutches with attached run that I have to re-arrange somehow to bring it to a lower level because I need to get shot of the ramp now, which she might be struggling with because when she was outdoors, even with the ramp down, she never came out for 3 days!

Don't normally have a problem with the pet carrier as she is used to going in it if I have to round her up downstairs to take her back up to her pen, although it's the same basket that she also goes to the vet in lol. I have to practice what the vet nurse showed me in picking her up but I haven't tried yet since the other day as I thought I would let her destress a little

 

[dinklepip]

My Elderly bunnies get ArthriAid. There are mixed views on Glucosamine use in rabbits so you might want to look into it yourself so you can make an informed decision, but I have certainly seen an improvement since using it. I have also used the oxbow joint hay tablets which also helped, they do take atleast a month before you see any real benefit though so don't expect immediate affects.

If she is regularly uncomfortable I would talk to a vet about possible regular daily pain relief as opposed to just now and then. There are side effects of this, so it can be a bit of a balancing act, hence needing vet input.

Does she have a litter tray. If so I use these:

The low front makes it easier for them to get into.

I do agree however that you should get her teeth re-checked to rule out the non-grooming as a dental issue as she has history.

Thank you Amy, this is all very new to me, she hops about well but after a short while of mooching around lounge she flops down, sometimes with her back legs splayed at the back but mostly in her normal position. The vet nurse seems to think that the arthritis may be more in her lower spine rather than her legs and reading up on this, either is likely and arthritis does appear to be a common prob with bun buns.

She doesn't have a litter tray, I gave up on those years ago as both buns just kept moving them out of the way and widdling in the corner - on my carpet lol. I use newspaper and kitchen roll indoors which is easily removable each time she goes because I am very allergic to her and when she is in I have to take a Benedryl or I get severe symptoms. In her pen she just widdles in the corner on shavings which I have now removed because of her sticky bum the other day. I put kitchen roll in the corner which I just take out a couple of times a day after she has been. I have in actual fact ordered some incontinence pads which many dog owners use for puppy training; thought I would try them. As regards her hutches I have to re-arrange all that and will probably try the pads in her wee wee corner, see how I get on with them.

She had her teeth done again last month but they were only moderate spurs; but I was shocked she even had any because she only had them done in January! I would normally only need to get them done once a year but I suppose with her age it is now going to be a regular thing?

 

[dinklepip]

thank you JBun, I am not even sure they were cecotropes compacted to her botty when she went in for a clean the other day. I have also noticed the last couple of days that she is recycling more when she has pooped. Normally she would have a couple but when she has pooped a dozen or so at one time she is eating most of them. I think her water intake has also increased, don't know by how much exactly as she has a bowl.
She is refusing to eat the bog standard hay at the moment and prefers the Vitakraft varieties I give her - female with expensive taste

I have a supply of Meloxidyl anyway which I had back in January to give her after her dental and she has the odd dose here and there if I think she is having a bad day as my vet thinks she has a little arthritis anyway. She normally has a dose of 0.4 if I think she needs it but otherwise I give her half that. Should I now be considering giving it to her daily? I won't give her any tonight as I just want to watch her to see how she moves about so I can compare how she is when I have given a dose - if that makes sense lol

She is due to go back early next week to have some Rearguard as I can't take the risk of flystrike now if she isn't able to clean herself properly

 

[Amy104]

Drinking more can be a sign of pain so I would definately get a rabbit savvy vet to re-evaluate her condition.

 

[Jbun]

Daily metacam/meloxidyl can certainly benefit buns with arthritis, but this will need to be something you discuss with your vet, as well as the dose to give. The vet will likely want to run a blood panel as well if one hasn't been done recently, to ensure healthy kidney function.

As I mentioned previously, giving daily metacam to help with arthritis pain and stiffness, may resolve your rabbits poopy bum issues. But if it continues even after the arthritis pain is under control, then there may be some other cause for it occurring. You may want to keep a close eye on how much hay she is consuming. It could be her poopy bum and increase in dental spurs is due to a decrease in hay consumption. If you are finding she isn't liking some of her hay varieties, you may want to try different types to see if that encourages her to eat more of it. One type that may have benefits for dental buns, is orchard grass hay, due to it's high silica content which helps with tooth wear. I know another RU member was having similar issues with her bun needing frequent dentals, but once she switched to orchard grass hay, this seemed to resolve the problem.

Puppy pee pads work well as long as your bun won't want to dig or chew on them. I have an older rabbit with urinary problems, and puppy pads are what I use for her. They soak up the urine and are easy to dispose of. If you need a soft surface for your bun, then you can place some vet bed over the puppy pads.

I'm sorry for your current difficulties and understand how stressful life can get. It can be difficult caring for older animals and finding ways to manage the problems that come with advancing age. All we can do is provide them with the best comfort and care that we are able to.

 

[tulsi]

Nothing to add to the advice given but wanted to say that I sympathise re; stress, menopause, caring for ill pets. Hope you and Bella big bum are ok.