Please Note - Medical Advice
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.
You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.
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Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.
But at least they didn't look as dire as they did about a week ago when I gave him a nail trim and they were very inflamed, so the neosporin helped. And even though I'm using as much soft bedding as I can find for him, the vet would like me to utilize polar fleece blankets to help Fiver find more comfy positions. I just have to hope he rests on them and doesn't eat them! They have been a great help. I feel a little better about taking Fiver with us when we move now, as he may be more comfortable for the flight since he has better pain cover on board (provided it works!) xxxxThank you eveyrone
Well, not as bad as I thought, but a few things I wasn't keen about.
First, his heart. Vet said it sounded very good and he did take a long time listening, it began to worry me when I saw his eyebrows go up at one point, but he didn't seem to think anything untoward was going on. Now I do wish he'd taken a film of his chest, but he didn't think that was necessary. There is a possibility that the wheezing and snoring then is coming from a tooth issue, or some abnormal tissue in the palate area, so if Fiver needs a dental soon we may make an attempt at getting more diagnostics done at that time. For now he wants me to monitor Fiver's respiratory rates while he is at rest and cooled down, instead of when he's all amped up and at the vets.
His hocks are pretty bad.
He wants him to move about more...kind of difficult these days, Fiver was very active as a youngster, but is much more sedate now and getting him to bung about without stressing him further is something I haven't mastered yet. He'd also like him to drink more water. He did take an xray of his abdomen to see what has been going on since Fiver's bladder stone surgery. There appears to be mineralization of some sort forming, but it's in an odd area. It's hard to describe without the films themselves, but I didn't think to have him email them to me. :?
The area of concern is actually on the forward part of the bladder, high up towards where you'd guess Fiver's navel to be. Now it could be part of the scar from his surgery calcifying a bit, but it's not anywhere near big or solid enough for the vet to consider it a stone. But he does think it should be re-scanned in about 4 to 6 months. If it does appear to be a stone, it will have to be removed. Personally I don't think Fiver would survive another surgery like that one, so I'm hoping it's just scar tissue.
There is no chest congestion. His ears, despite him not being able to clean them properly, are fine. In fact, overall he said Fiver looks to be in very good shape for an 8 year old minirex.
To try to encourage him to move about more, and to better control what we believe may be his arthritis advancing, his vet has prescribed gabapentin, 0.1 mls once a day for at least the next 14 days, then if it appears that is not doing the trick we can up the dose. He does not want to see Fiver's metacam increased.
It's been extremely hard to find exercise time for Fiver of late as we are all madly trying to clear out the house for the move. But I'm hoping that if he is feeling better in himself with the new medication, that he will enjoy the play time I can give him a bit more, since he won't be spending most of the time he is supposed to be exercising by just laying about and trying to get his old, tired muscles to cooperate!
I have been told that gabapentin is an anti-seizure medication. Could anyone with experience of this drug tell me how it has helped or affected your bunnies and what side effects I should be looking for? These are a few questions I didn't really get cleared up by my vet and I'd appreciate hearing some personal experiences if anyone has any.
Thanks again so much for the vibes!
I remember Marie Kubiak, does she still practice?Thank you Jane.
Yes, my vet was commenting on how fortunate he was that he had access to studies on gabapentin in rabbits because they are not widely available. I don't know how he gets his information, but he seems well versed.
I really hope the gabapentin will help Fiver. My vet was going to prescribe it for Jenna too, recently, when we were figuring she was having back pain. I'm a little concerned that it is not good for bone pain, which is what I think Fiver may be having trouble with. If the gabapentin does not work would something like tramadol cover that issue?
My little guy is currently sitting next to me in bun loaf position. I haven't seen him sit like this in awhile, so I hope he's feeling better in himself for his day out. Our road to and from town is peppered with potholes and dips and we had quite the time getting him there and back again without jostling him too much. :shock:
I am not looking forward to the move, but I am at the same time. Does that make sense? It's a hassle going through stuff and trying to let go of most of my belongings, and of course other issues crowd in when my brain is idle...but relocating somewhere that I may be able to have my own life again is a tempting carrot. I just don't want to get anymore stick! :lol:
Thank you so much for responding. ((((Hugs))))) I hope you and yours are doing as well as possible. xxxx
Thank you Jane.
Yes, my vet was commenting on how fortunate he was that he had access to studies on gabapentin in rabbits because they are not widely available. I don't know how he gets his information, but he seems well versed.
I really hope the gabapentin will help Fiver. My vet was going to prescribe it for Jenna too, recently, when we were figuring she was having back pain. I'm a little concerned that it is not good for bone pain, which is what I think Fiver may be having trouble with. If the gabapentin does not work would something like tramadol cover that issue?
My little guy is currently sitting next to me in bun loaf position. I haven't seen him sit like this in awhile, so I hope he's feeling better in himself for his day out. Our road to and from town is peppered with potholes and dips and we had quite the time getting him there and back again without jostling him too much. :shock:
I am not looking forward to the move, but I am at the same time. Does that make sense? It's a hassle going through stuff and trying to let go of most of my belongings, and of course other issues crowd in when my brain is idle...but relocating somewhere that I may be able to have my own life again is a tempting carrot. I just don't want to get anymore stick! :lol:
Thank you so much for responding. ((((Hugs))))) I hope you and yours are doing as well as possible. xxxx
Oh I'm so sorry Fiver is in such a sorry state.
My only experience with gabapentin is in humans (myself!) It definitely makes me drowsier and more forgetful - but I'm not a rabbit.
In my experience Tramadol is very effective for managing bone pain. Most of my previous arthritic Rabbits had Tramadol introduced alongside Metacam at some stage. Some also had Acupuncture, which proved to be very beneficial. It even meant that the analgesic doses could be lowered in some cases.
Yes, Marie is still in Practice and she is highly respected
The weather here is awful, 34c yesterday
Better get on with the cleaning out before it gets even hotter again today !
J x
This was what we were going through just a scant week ago. I think the jet stream is giving everybody in the northern hemisphere the business! :evil: I may have to ask the vet about tramadol as an alternative, for both bunnies. I'm sure he'd want me to try the gabapentin first, but I'd better know what my options are in switching the two drugs before we get started, and what effects that would have on Fiver.
Last night, as I went to bed rather late, he went into a thumping fit. I couldn't figure out what was setting him off but his display was really bothering Jenna too, she was trying to sleep after a surprise bath (she decided to squat over a group of nasty looking toadstools during her walk and also grabbed some sticky seedpods from the ferns here) and whenever Fiver starts stomping she wants to run away with all due speed. :roll:
