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Kirsty is Limping Intermittently

LagomorphLion

LagomorphLion

Warren Scout
Hi all, I was wondering if you could give me your thoughts and some vibes please.

Yesterday morning, Kirsty jumped out of his hutch (on the bottom storey like he does everyday) into his run, however as he did so the blanket he was on slipped out from underneath him, causing him to land slightly awkwardly. I could tell he was a bit spooked as he stood in the same place for a few seconds, but then hopped away. This was the first time it was clear he was not putting as much pressure on his back left paw. I decided to leave him as normal to rest for the day, he's got lots of soft fleece in his hutch which he can rest on.

Two days prior to that, I had a feeling that he wasn't moving quite right,but then I realised he had done a bit of mushy poo and stood in it so had a fair amount of dried poo stuck to his back paws. I cleaned it all up with some warm water and cotton wool, and as far as I could see he seemed to be back hopping normally. I did notice while cleaning his paws though, that he didn't have quite as much fur around the base and hocks of his back paws - whether thats true or not I don't know as it was wet.

He also has some plastic keys he plays with, which he hopped on a got a caught around his foot, he didn't seem bothered at all, and with just two hops they came off.

Back to yesterday evening, I brought him inside to weigh him and check his hopping out. He was fine with putting pressure on his toes when reaching forward for a treat. When he hopped he didn't want to put much pressure on his hocks and the base. But then he did a fair few normal hops...and some lifting his paw up completely, and some with just putting pressure on the front of his paws. He was also fine with standing on his back paws to wash his face and stretching both of his back legs and paws out to clean them.

He his 9 years and 4 months so I'm really hoping he's just scuffed his hocks, possibly bruised his paw when he stood on the keys, or his paw is just a bit sore from the dried poo.

We had already booked a vet appointment for 11:45 this morning to check out his eyes, but I'll definitely prioritise his paws first.

Throughout this he's still bright and active, he still threw himself down his ramp when he saw me this morning to give him his breakfast and hopped straight back up when he heard me open the top door, and stood on his back paws again. His appetite is brilliant, he's been doing so well with his hay recently (which is usually his weak spot), I just really hope it can be sorted and he's not in too much pain or discomfort.

Any advice would be much appreciated, sorry for the long post.
 
LagomorphLion said:
Hi all, I was wondering if you could give me your thoughts and some vibes please.

Yesterday morning, Kirsty jumped out of his hutch (on the bottom storey like he does everyday) into his run, however as he did so the blanket he was on slipped out from underneath him, causing him to land slightly awkwardly. I could tell he was a bit spooked as he stood in the same place for a few seconds, but then hopped away. This was the first time it was clear he was not putting as much pressure on his back left paw. I decided to leave him as normal to rest for the day, he's got lots of soft fleece in his hutch which he can rest on.

Two days prior to that, I had a feeling that he wasn't moving quite right,but then I realised he had done a bit of mushy poo and stood in it so had a fair amount of dried poo stuck to his back paws. I cleaned it all up with some warm water and cotton wool, and as far as I could see he seemed to be back hopping normally. I did notice while cleaning his paws though, that he didn't have quite as much fur around the base and hocks of his back paws - whether thats true or not I don't know as it was wet.

He also has some plastic keys he plays with, which he hopped on a got a caught around his foot, he didn't seem bothered at all, and with just two hops they came off.

Back to yesterday evening, I brought him inside to weigh him and check his hopping out. He was fine with putting pressure on his toes when reaching forward for a treat. When he hopped he didn't want to put much pressure on his hocks and the base. But then he did a fair few normal hops...and some lifting his paw up completely, and some with just putting pressure on the front of his paws. He was also fine with standing on his back paws to wash his face and stretching both of his back legs and paws out to clean them.

He his 9 years and 4 months so I'm really hoping he's just scuffed his hocks, possibly bruised his paw when he stood on the keys, or his paw is just a bit sore from the dried poo.

We had already booked a vet appointment for 11:45 this morning to check out his eyes, but I'll definitely prioritise his paws first.

Throughout this he's still bright and active, he still threw himself down his ramp when he saw me this morning to give him his breakfast and hopped straight back up when he heard me open the top door, and stood on his back paws again. His appetite is brilliant, he's been doing so well with his hay recently (which is usually his weak spot), I just really hope it can be sorted and he's not in too much pain or discomfort.

Any advice would be much appreciated, sorry for the long post.
Click to expand...

It sounds as though he may have been experiencing some back pain/stiffness for a while. All the 'symptoms' you describe- mucky bum/back feet, loss of fur coverage over hocks/tender hocks, stiff/abnormal gait, uneven weight bearing are all pointers to the possibility of some spinal arthritis. Not at all unusual in a 9 year old Rabbit. Jumping out of the hutch and then slipping on the rug could have jarred his spine, aggravating the pain and inflammation already there.

The Vet will hopefully carry out a full examination and if he/she thinks that arthritis is a possibility he/she may prescribe a trial of a non steroidal anti-inflammatory eg Metacam.

It would be a good idea to change Kirsty's set-up so he does not have to do any jumping up/down. Also, I would secure any floor rugs so they dont slip as he hops on them.

I hope that the Vet can help Kirsty to feel more comfortable, good luck x
 
Sending loads of vibes for Kirsty for his vet visit this morning. It is good that you already had the appointment arranged so that the vet can examine his foot and establish what the issue is. Let us know how you get on.
 
LagomorphLion said:
Hi all, I was wondering if you could give me your thoughts and some vibes please.

Yesterday morning, Kirsty jumped out of his hutch (on the bottom storey like he does everyday) into his run, however as he did so the blanket he was on slipped out from underneath him, causing him to land slightly awkwardly. I could tell he was a bit spooked as he stood in the same place for a few seconds, but then hopped away. This was the first time it was clear he was not putting as much pressure on his back left paw. I decided to leave him as normal to rest for the day, he's got lots of soft fleece in his hutch which he can rest on.

Two days prior to that, I had a feeling that he wasn't moving quite right,but then I realised he had done a bit of mushy poo and stood in it so had a fair amount of dried poo stuck to his back paws. I cleaned it all up with some warm water and cotton wool, and as far as I could see he seemed to be back hopping normally. I did notice while cleaning his paws though, that he didn't have quite as much fur around the base and hocks of his back paws - whether thats true or not I don't know as it was wet.

He also has some plastic keys he plays with, which he hopped on a got a caught around his foot, he didn't seem bothered at all, and with just two hops they came off.

Back to yesterday evening, I brought him inside to weigh him and check his hopping out. He was fine with putting pressure on his toes when reaching forward for a treat. When he hopped he didn't want to put much pressure on his hocks and the base. But then he did a fair few normal hops...and some lifting his paw up completely, and some with just putting pressure on the front of his paws. He was also fine with standing on his back paws to wash his face and stretching both of his back legs and paws out to clean them.

He his 9 years and 4 months so I'm really hoping he's just scuffed his hocks, possibly bruised his paw when he stood on the keys, or his paw is just a bit sore from the dried poo.

We had already booked a vet appointment for 11:45 this morning to check out his eyes, but I'll definitely prioritise his paws first.

Throughout this he's still bright and active, he still threw himself down his ramp when he saw me this morning to give him his breakfast and hopped straight back up when he heard me open the top door, and stood on his back paws again. His appetite is brilliant, he's been doing so well with his hay recently (which is usually his weak spot), I just really hope it can be sorted and he's not in too much pain or discomfort.

Any advice would be much appreciated, sorry for the long post.
Click to expand...


I'm glad you're going to see the vet anyway, as it can be hard to judge whether something is serious enough to warrant the journey to the vet.

It could be a bit of arthritis that has been exacerbated by his antics, or it could be a small sprain. I have known both in rabbits and they have caused the same symptoms. Perhaps, if your vet doesn't mention it (and you see this in time) you could ask for some Metacam? A course of a week/ten days should help settle any strain as it's an anti inflammatory as well as a pain killer.

Good luck for Kirsty for today xx
 
Thank you all so much for your vibes and advice - especially you Jane, being amazing as per usual! :D

Our normal vet wasn't in today (which I already knew) so instead we saw a different lady, she was ok but not as good as Emma!

I'll start off with Kirsty's eyes: The vet agreed with me that his left was looking a bit pink, but said that the clear discharge I'm seeing is normal (not too satisfied with that but going back to normal vet this Wednesday so we'll see) she prescribed him with isathal for his left eye only, every 12 hours for 5 days. I'm happy with that as it has worked before when he's had eye trouble. However I've always been told to bathe the eye area with warm water and cotton wool, but today she told me to use vaseline by rubbing it in the direction away from his eye - I have no idea whether this is a good move or not so some more words of wisdom would be gratefully received!

Now the leg: She wanted me to put him on the floor to see him move about, to which I refused as he's not vaccinated (will be once all of this is sorted out, they've just got strand 2 in stock!) and he was so stressed that he would have just frozen anyway. I held him against my chest with his tummy facing her as she had a good feel of his leg. She's happy there's no obvious fractures (phew :shock:) but did say of course that we can't rule out small ones. Especially after your advice Jane, and the receptionist (who's rescued more rabbits than I can count!!) we we're talking to whilst waiting, I'm edging more towards arthritis. His leg was manipulated a fair amount, and I noticed no difference in his breathing whilst she was doing so, which will usually get quicker if he's not happy about something. She was very reluctant to give any meds because of his mushy poo, I did try to explain that it was because he had had some extra veggies, and his tummy is sensitive and he had done normal poos alongside it but she had already made her mind up. If she was going to prescribe something it would have been Loxicom, I have a feeling this is Metacam - or is that something else? She mentioned possibly giving him some in two days, but you know what it's like at the vets - so much information to take in and stress that I didn't quite get what she was saying! I've taken his ramp out, he's on hutch rest at the moment, with loads of soft blankets and his lovely new microwavable wheat bag I got him the other day so he's pretty content - and still munching away on hay bless him! Does this sound ok, or should I push for the anti inflammatory?

Thank you so much again, sending hugs to all three of you :love:
 
I think Loxicom is Metacam but someone more in the know will be along later. Glad he seems ok in himself and again I have never heard of Vaseline being used but we will see what others say. Good luck with him.
 
LagomorphLion said:
Thank you all so much for your vibes and advice - especially you Jane, being amazing as per usual! :D

Our normal vet wasn't in today (which I already knew) so instead we saw a different lady, she was ok but not as good as Emma!

I'll start off with Kirsty's eyes: The vet agreed with me that his left was looking a bit pink, but said that the clear discharge I'm seeing is normal (not too satisfied with that but going back to normal vet this Wednesday so we'll see) she prescribed him with isathal for his left eye only, every 12 hours for 5 days. I'm happy with that as it has worked before when he's had eye trouble. However I've always been told to bathe the eye area with warm water and cotton wool, but today she told me to use vaseline by rubbing it in the direction away from his eye - I have no idea whether this is a good move or not so some more words of wisdom would be gratefully received!

Now the leg: She wanted me to put him on the floor to see him move about, to which I refused as he's not vaccinated (will be once all of this is sorted out, they've just got strand 2 in stock!) and he was so stressed that he would have just frozen anyway. I held him against my chest with his tummy facing her as she had a good feel of his leg. She's happy there's no obvious fractures (phew :shock:) but did say of course that we can't rule out small ones. Especially after your advice Jane, and the receptionist (who's rescued more rabbits than I can count!!) we we're talking to whilst waiting, I'm edging more towards arthritis. His leg was manipulated a fair amount, and I noticed no difference in his breathing whilst she was doing so, which will usually get quicker if he's not happy about something. She was very reluctant to give any meds because of his mushy poo, I did try to explain that it was because he had had some extra veggies, and his tummy is sensitive and he had done normal poos alongside it but she had already made her mind up. If she was going to prescribe something it would have been Loxicom, I have a feeling this is Metacam - or is that something else? She mentioned possibly giving him some in two days, but you know what it's like at the vets - so much information to take in and stress that I didn't quite get what she was saying! I've taken his ramp out, he's on hutch rest at the moment, with loads of soft blankets and his lovely new microwavable wheat bag I got him the other day so he's pretty content - and still munching away on hay bless him! Does this sound ok, or should I push for the anti inflammatory?

Thank you so much again, sending hugs to all three of you :love:
Click to expand...



I am glad you've seen the vet :D

Firstly, I wouldn't use the vaseline :)

Secondly, Metacam is Loxicom :D
 
LagomorphLion said:
Thank you all so much for your vibes and advice - especially you Jane, being amazing as per usual! :D

Our normal vet wasn't in today (which I already knew) so instead we saw a different lady, she was ok but not as good as Emma!

I'll start off with Kirsty's eyes: The vet agreed with me that his left was looking a bit pink, but said that the clear discharge I'm seeing is normal (not too satisfied with that but going back to normal vet this Wednesday so we'll see) she prescribed him with isathal for his left eye only, every 12 hours for 5 days. I'm happy with that as it has worked before when he's had eye trouble. However I've always been told to bathe the eye area with warm water and cotton wool, but today she told me to use vaseline by rubbing it in the direction away from his eye - I have no idea whether this is a good move or not so some more words of wisdom would be gratefully received!

Now the leg: She wanted me to put him on the floor to see him move about, to which I refused as he's not vaccinated (will be once all of this is sorted out, they've just got strand 2 in stock!) and he was so stressed that he would have just frozen anyway. I held him against my chest with his tummy facing her as she had a good feel of his leg. She's happy there's no obvious fractures (phew :shock:) but did say of course that we can't rule out small ones. Especially after your advice Jane, and the receptionist (who's rescued more rabbits than I can count!!) we we're talking to whilst waiting, I'm edging more towards arthritis. His leg was manipulated a fair amount, and I noticed no difference in his breathing whilst she was doing so, which will usually get quicker if he's not happy about something. She was very reluctant to give any meds because of his mushy poo, I did try to explain that it was because he had had some extra veggies, and his tummy is sensitive and he had done normal poos alongside it but she had already made her mind up. If she was going to prescribe something it would have been Loxicom, I have a feeling this is Metacam - or is that something else? She mentioned possibly giving him some in two days, but you know what it's like at the vets - so much information to take in and stress that I didn't quite get what she was saying! I've taken his ramp out, he's on hutch rest at the moment, with loads of soft blankets and his lovely new microwavable wheat bag I got him the other day so he's pretty content - and still munching away on hay bless him! Does this sound ok, or should I push for the anti inflammatory?

Thank you so much again, sending hugs to all three of you :love:
Click to expand...

Well, the Isathal will hopefully sort his sore eye out. Personally I would not use vaseline around his eye, I'd just bathe around it with some cooled boiled water.

I would speak with your usual Vet re the Metacam, which contains the same active ingredient as Loxicom, (Meloxicam), they are just made by different Companies. I would also raise the issue of Kirsty possibly having some arthritis which could have been aggravated by his awkward landing. The Vet today may not have grasped that that is what you were trying to say.

A warm wheat bag will be lovely for him if he is feeling rather stiff and sore. I am sitting with one on my sore back at the moment !!

I am sure you will make certain that you check Kirsty's bum a few times a day now as if he is getting a mucky bum due to mobility problems he will be at a higher risk of flystrike.

It's good news that Kirsty is OK within himself and eating his hay :)
 
Jack's-Jane said:
Well, the Isathal will hopefully sort his sore eye out. Personally I would not use vaseline around his eye, I'd just bathe around it with some cooled boiled water.

I would speak with your usual Vet re the Metacam, which contains the same active ingredient as Loxicom, (Meloxicam), they are just made by different Companies. I would also raise the issue of Kirsty possibly having some arthritis which could have been aggravated by his awkward landing. The Vet today may not have grasped that that is what you were trying to say.

A warm wheat bag will be lovely for him if he is feeling rather stiff and sore. I am sitting with one on my sore back at the moment !!

I am sure you will make certain that you check Kirsty's bum a few times a day now as if he is getting a mucky bum due to mobility problems he will be at a higher risk of flystrike.

It's good news that Kirsty is OK within himself and eating his hay :)
Click to expand...

Thank you, I agree with regards to vaseline, especially since I've been bathing his eye area with water now on multiple occasions and have never had any issues with it.

The practice is shut tomorrow, so I'll see if I can reach out to our usual vet on Monday, and will raise the points you have mentioned, thank you again!

Yes, thank you for reminding me, I'm keeping an even closer eye on him than usual, if thats possible!!

Sorry to hear your back isn't feeling too good at the moment, I hope it feels better soon! And he is loving his wheat bag, he's spent most of the afternoon snuggled up with it, grooming it!

I've also noticed that when he's flopped out, he's laying on his left side, so hopefully that's another pointer that his paw is not too uncomfortable and fractured. Thank you so much for all of your help again, it really means a lot to me.
 
tonibun said:
I think Loxicom is Metacam but someone more in the know will be along later. Glad he seems ok in himself and again I have never heard of Vaseline being used but we will see what others say. Good luck with him.
Click to expand...

Thank you Tonibun, I'm glad too! I've decided to go against the vaseline, just to be on the safe side. Hope you're having a good evening!
 
LagomorphLion said:
Thank you, I agree with regards to vaseline, especially since I've been bathing his eye area with water now on multiple occasions and have never had any issues with it.

The practice is shut tomorrow, so I'll see if I can reach out to our usual vet on Monday, and will raise the points you have mentioned, thank you again!

Yes, thank you for reminding me, I'm keeping an even closer eye on him than usual, if thats possible!!

Sorry to hear your back isn't feeling too good at the moment, I hope it feels better soon! And he is loving his wheat bag, he's spent most of the afternoon snuggled up with it, grooming it!

I've also noticed that when he's flopped out, he's laying on his left side, so hopefully that's another pointer that his paw is not too uncomfortable and fractured. Thank you so much for all of your help again, it really means a lot to me.
Click to expand...

Oh bless !! :love:
 
Just wanted to post an update:

After only a day of resting, Kirsty has improved more than I could have wished for; he's still sensitive on his foot but I haven't seen him limp since early this morning!

I have a feeling the most difficult thing now is going to be keeping him calm so he doesn't hurt it again!

Thank you for all the vibes and advice, I'm keeping my fingers crossed he continues to improve!
 
LagomorphLion said:
Just wanted to post an update:

After only a day of resting, Kirsty has improved more than I could have wished for; he's still sensitive on his foot but I haven't seen him limp since early this morning!

I have a feeling the most difficult thing now is going to be keeping him calm so he doesn't hurt it again!

Thank you for all the vibes and advice, I'm keeping my fingers crossed he continues to improve!
Click to expand...

So pleased to hear that he seems to be less sore now :)
 
LagomorphLion said:
Just wanted to post an update:

After only a day of resting, Kirsty has improved more than I could have wished for; he's still sensitive on his foot but I haven't seen him limp since early this morning!

I have a feeling the most difficult thing now is going to be keeping him calm so he doesn't hurt it again!

Thank you for all the vibes and advice, I'm keeping my fingers crossed he continues to improve!
Click to expand...


I'm so glad to hear he is feeling better and obviously less sore right now :D

Good luck in keeping him calm!!
 
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