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Willow is dying, i'm sure of it now...

It's her breathing and weight that are the worry. She seems quite alert in herself, but she has her head constantly tilted right back and her mouth open struggling for air. She is also slowly loosing weight. She had another long lasting steriod injection on Saturday, but there really is no improvement. I can't tell how much she is suffering, but she does not seem to be getting better. What do I do? Should I say tomorrow that's it, or should I carry on taking her to the vets everyday for injections that don't seem to make her any better? I just can't make a decision and the vets are no help. Everyone seems to say 'you know your own rabbit', but you cannot tell if they have had enough. :cry: :cry: :cry:
 
Rex Rabbity said:
It's her breathing and weight that are the worry. She seems quite alert in herself, but she has her head constantly tilted right back and her mouth open struggling for air. She is also slowly loosing weight. She had another long lasting steriod injection on Saturday, but there really is no improvement. I can't tell how much she is suffering, but she does not seem to be getting better. What do I do? Should I say tomorrow that's it, or should I carry on taking her to the vets everyday for injections that don't seem to make her any better? I just can't make a decision and the vets are no help. Everyone seems to say 'you know your own rabbit', but you cannot tell if they have had enough. :cry: :cry: :cry:
Click to expand...

I am so, so sorry :cry:
Did the Vet comment on Willow's heart? I know she has had X-rays and I wonder if they showed any heart enlargement indicating heart failure. Has the Vet mentioned using a Diuretic? This would shift any fluid built up in the chest cavity/lungs/abdomen and make it easier for Willow to breathe.
If Willow is extending her neck and mouth breathing its a very bad prognostic sign :cry: The steroids she has had would reduce inflammation but would not do anything useful if her heart is not working efficiently. As Willow has had a long course of abx too my UNQUALIFIED thoughts are that its not an infective/inflammatory problem which really leaves either a malignancy or a heart problem.

Perhaps you could discuss the possibility of heart failure with the Vet. I so wish I could do or say something more helpful....

:cry: :cry: :cry:

Janex
 
This is just so sad :cry: Believe me, it's hard to describe knowing when you just know that it is enough - we have been through it so many times :cry:
What you have to think of is her quality of life - is she living or just existing? If it's the latter then it's time to let her go.
We always look at the buns life - if they are eating well, bright eyed and alert and have shiny responsive eyes then we keep on going until that changes - if it changes and the eyes are dull and they are not as happy and responsive then we have no choice but to let them go :cry: :cry:

I truly hope that Willow can be saved and that you have a word with the vet about what Jane has said - I so wish that I lived nearer and could come and sit with Willow for a few hours to give you my thoughts on the matter :(

I'm sending loads of vibes to her and calming ones for you - xxxx
 
Hi Rex Rabbity,

Honestly, just hang in there! If it was me, I would stop the injections and see what happens. It may seem harsh to say, but in my experience, especially with Rex's, I'm sure that Willow will pull through! I can't stress enough, that rabbits usually go quite quickly if it's something severe :( but Willow is still here, which has to be a step in the right direction :thumb:

Also, if rabbits are in pain, they usually grind their teeth, stop eating & drinking very quickly and sadly pass away within a couple of hours, if you don't help them to the bridge first, by means of the vet. This is when I have taken them to the vet, to be helped to the bridge peacefully.

On several occasions, at least 2 of my Rex's have been as far as mouth breathing, only eating certain things, and generally displaying poor signs. However, I've hung in there, and my bunnies have pulled through!

Keep your chin up, I'm certain that Willow will come through this! :D

xxx
 
Rex Rabbity said:
It's her breathing and weight that are the worry. She seems quite alert in herself, but she has her head constantly tilted right back and her mouth open struggling for air. She is also slowly loosing weight. She had another long lasting steriod injection on Saturday, but there really is no improvement. I can't tell how much she is suffering, but she does not seem to be getting better. What do I do? Should I say tomorrow that's it, or should I carry on taking her to the vets everyday for injections that don't seem to make her any better? I just can't make a decision and the vets are no help. Everyone seems to say 'you know your own rabbit', but you cannot tell if they have had enough. :cry: :cry: :cry:
Click to expand...

I will be thinking of both you and Willow today. Personally I would NEVER just stop treatment without the say so of a VET. I am sure that you will do right by Willow as You and your Vet are really the only people in the position to judge.
You have done so well nursing Willow through her protracted illness and if your Vet feels no more can be done it does not mean you have failed. Any decision you make for Willow will be based on how much you love her and want what is best for her.

Sending you a supportive hug and a gentle nose-rub for Willow

Janex
 
Hi Rex Rabbity

As an owner of Rex rabbits for years, I stand by my previous advice. It has worked for my rabbits and I will carry on using this method. I think the world of my rabbits, and would never put them through anything that would hurt them.

I am certain Willow will pull through this! :)

xxx
 
Hi Rex Rabbitry,

It's Nicola from Plymouth here.

I'm so sorry that Willow is so poorly.

Has Willow been spayed? Sorry if you've already answered this question. It's just that I went through a similar scenario last year with one of the older female rex buns that I rescued from the Devon breeder. My vet felt she was too old to be spayed as she was a old girl and wasn't confident she would pull through a GA.

However after about 7 months of her being with me she developed laboured breathing and was finding it difficult to breathe. I rushed her to the vets where they checked her tummy/uterine area for lumps and bumps but couldn't find any. They put her laboured breathing down to pneumonia so I was given a very powerful antibiotic to inject once a day. However after several days on the injections there was no sign of improvement so I called the vet and we arranged for Betsy to come in to be assesed again. They gave her an even stronger injectable antibiotic. Again there wasn't any improvement.

I arranged fot Bets to go and see the vets again. However on arriving home my poor Betsy had passed away. The vets carried out a post mortem and it showed that she had developed uterine cancer and it had spread to the lungs, which is why the antibiotics had not made any improvement on Bets condition. The tumours were quite small but they had spread which is why my vet couldn't feel them

I have just read another of your posts and it says that Willow has had x-rays so I would have thought that tumours would have showed up on that but I'm not 100%?

I just wondered whether Willow had been spayed.

Is Willow eating? When Betsy was ill she wasn't interested in food and I was having to syringe feed her. However she didn't even want the syringable food and would push my hand gently away with her nose. The only thing she did show an interest in was chopped up veggies.

I'm really sorry that dear Willow is so poorly. I'm not sure whether your vet would have suggested it but you can get certain drugs which help open the airways which allows the bun to breathe more easily. I think they are called bronchodilators.

It is such an awful situation to be in. How is Willow today?

Sending you both lots of love.

Nicola and Harvey xxx
 
been off here for a while so i have only just read your post....huge hugs to you & willow & i will be praying for both of you...god bless you both xxx
 
How is Willow doing?

Jane, would Bisolvin (I can't spell the damn word :oops: ) help Willow's breathing at all?

I think you just need to let Willow have whatever she wants to eat, porridge oats will help get some weight back onto her, obviously she would need it very sloppy if she's mouth breathing

That would also get her fluid intake up as well, if she's not drinking enough

All fingers and paws are still crossed here for gorgeous Willow :love:

Huge supportive hugs to you as well Rex Rabbity (Don't know your name-sorry! :oops: )
 
Gem said:
Jane, would Bisolvin (I can't spell the damn word :oops: ) help Willow's breathing at all?
Click to expand...

If it were used it would have to be nebulised as Willow's problems are in her lower respiratory tract. It might thin out the secretions but from what has been said by RR and the description of the chest X-ray findings my unqualified opinion is that it would be unlikely to help :cry:

I am still sending peaceful vibes for Willow

Janex
 
I have not posted for a few days. For those who are interested, I will give an update on the situation. When we first took her to the vets nearly a month ago now, she weighed 2.6 kg. She slowly lost more weight. She is now down to 2.2 kg which she has maintained for the last 10 days. She is eating better, but the weight is still not going on. 2.2 kg for an adult Rex is painfully thin. She has 'up' and 'down' days, it's really strange. Today was a down day. She looked so lifeless and weak. She was in some unusual positions too, with her front legs spread out and her back end dragging on the floor. Her ears were right down and her eyes half shut and head back. Only yesterday she looked the total opposite. Moving around, ears up, not struggling for breath etc. She is having injections of steroids and pain killers every 3 days now. Her next appointment is Tuesday. I still think the treatment is just prolinging the inevitable, but I just have to go on. I get my hopes up on the good days, but today she looked awful.

Check out this picture I took of them both together today. It makes me want to cry. This is the most graphic image I have seen to show how ill she is. Just look how thin and lifeless she is, ribs showing. She used to be much bigger than Flopsy. She was very dominant and strong. See how she is cuddling into him. He is really looking after her. He is constantly grooming her. I'm sure he knows what is going on. :cry: :cry: :cry: Sorry about the size of the pic, but I want you all to really see how she is now compared to Flopsy.


poorly.jpg
 
Rex Rabbity said:
I have not posted for a few days. For those who are interested, I will give an update on the situation. When we first took her to the vets nearly a month ago now, she weighed 2.6 kg. She slowly lost more weight. She is now down to 2.2 kg which she has maintained for the last 10 days. She is eating better, but the weight is still not going on. 2.2 kg for an adult Rex is painfully thin. She has 'up' and 'down' days, it's really strange. Today was a down day. She looked so lifeless and weak. She was in some unusual positions too, with her front legs spread out and her back end dragging on the floor. Her ears were right down and her eyes half shut and head back. Only yesterday she looked the total opposite. Moving around, ears up, not struggling for breath etc. She is having injections of steroids and pain killers every 3 days now. Her next appointment is Tuesday. I still think the treatment is just prolinging the inevitable, but I just have to go on. I get my hopes up on the good days, but today she looked awful.

Check out this picture I took of them both together today. It makes me want to cry. This is the most graphic image I have seen to show how ill she is. Just look how thin and lifeless she is, ribs showing. She used to be much bigger than Flopsy. She was very dominant and strong. See how she is cuddling into him. He is really looking after her. He is constantly grooming her. I'm sure he knows what is going on. :cry: :cry: :cry: Sorry about the size of the pic, but I want you all to really see how she is now compared to Flopsy.
Click to expand...

Oh God

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

I really dont know what to say. Poor Willow and poor you

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

Janex
 
Oh poor Willow! She does look painfully thin when you see her next to Flopsy. :cry:

Looks like Flopsy is her big fluffy rock! :love:

Hugs to all of you. x
 
I am new to this forum but I have just read the whole thread. It looks as though Willow is a fighter!! I have everything crossed for her!! Come on Willow - Keep fighting!!
 
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