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Disabled Rabbit Care

Cattyb123

New Kit
Hi

Unfortunately I lost my bunny yesterday after a long battle with a nerve problem. She lost feeling in one of her back legs then eventually it spread to both legs then her front ones gave in and she could only shuffle around. After months of caring for her she started to lie in rigid uncomfortable positions on her back and her skin was sore from urine and lying down all the tome.

I just thought I'd post some advice which I'd picked up here and there from forums and websites which may help someone else maintain their buns quality of life for as long as they can.

Firstly you need to bring them inside so you can keep an eye on them and they stay warm and away from flies etc. Get an indoor cage and some Vetbed. I got mine off eBay it can be called various things like pet fleece bed but as long as it's fleece on the top and a rubbery different material underneath I think it's probably the same. I got two so I had one clean at all times. I lined the bottom of the cage with newspaper and put the vet bed on top. I changed it every 3 to 4 days as it got a bit smelly but think I only did it once a week at the very beginning as she wasn't as smelly then. Just see how you go.

To clean it I used a small dustpan and brush to get out all the hay and poo then I bought a rubber brush to get the majority of fur and fluff out. I then put the vet bed inside an old duvet cover and tied the top before putting it in the wash just with regular washing powder and fabric softener. I then took it outside to shake and hung outside or on my clothes horse. also put teddies in with her so that she had things to prop herself against and they also help with feeding. Clean the bottom of the cage with anything really, cleaning wipes are good.

Try and get bowls and things as shallow as possible and give them the option of a bowl of water and a drinking bottle. In the end we hand fed her water from her bottle as she couldn't drink on her own. Make sure you give them plenty of chew yous like toilet rolls wicker mats etc

If you need to bathe your rabbit if they can no longer clean themselves you need to ask your vet about shampoo. I washed my Roo everyday for the last few months of her life. I filled the bath about 2 inches high with tepid water and used the shampoo on her dirty areas. I used one arm to rest her on head towards my inner elbow so that her side and bottom area were mostly in the water. Gently clean off any poo and give them a good rinse off with the bath water. Have plenty of towels for them as they may get dirty. I then hairdryed her to 80 per cent dry don't hold the hairdryer too close and on the lowest setting. I then applied bepanthem to her sore areas where the hair was coming away, around her legs where urine would run down and anywhere where there looked to be soreness. I gave her metacam every night to help with any pain.

After the bath I would put her in a small dog basket to sit with me and have strokes on an evening. It was a hard plastic dog basket for small dogs so she only had a few inches either side of her so she couldn't roll about too much. I folder up fleece blankets and put them inside and draped over the side to make it nice and soft and absorb any wee. I also put an old pjarma top over her in the basket to keep her warm and catch any wee spray. She was more comfortable in the basket than me holding her in the end but when she was able to move more I would put blankets in the couch and let her snuggle up on there.

Give them as much attention and treats as you can. Try and make their day interesting when you can. I'd carry her around in the basket sometimes sit with her in the garden. The basket was handy for when I was cleaning out her cage too.

Roo never bonded with another rabbit after her boyfriend passed away so I haven't got any advice on how to cope with one ill and one not. All I can suggest is to try and keep them together as much as possible.

I'm not a vet obviously I just wanted to put down my experience and hope that it will help someone and their little bun

Thanks
 
Hi

Unfortunately I lost my bunny yesterday after a long battle with a nerve problem. She lost feeling in one of her back legs then eventually it spread to both legs then her front ones gave in and she could only shuffle around. After months of caring for her she started to lie in rigid uncomfortable positions on her back and her skin was sore from urine and lying down all the tome.

I just thought I'd post some advice which I'd picked up here and there from forums and websites which may help someone else maintain their buns quality of life for as long as they can.

Firstly you need to bring them inside so you can keep an eye on them and they stay warm and away from flies etc. Get an indoor cage and some Vetbed. I got mine off eBay it can be called various things like pet fleece bed but as long as it's fleece on the top and a rubbery different material underneath I think it's probably the same. I got two so I had one clean at all times. I lined the bottom of the cage with newspaper and put the vet bed on top. I changed it every 3 to 4 days as it got a bit smelly but think I only did it once a week at the very beginning as she wasn't as smelly then. Just see how you go.

To clean it I used a small dustpan and brush to get out all the hay and poo then I bought a rubber brush to get the majority of fur and fluff out. I then put the vet bed inside an old duvet cover and tied the top before putting it in the wash just with regular washing powder and fabric softener. I then took it outside to shake and hung outside or on my clothes horse. also put teddies in with her so that she had things to prop herself against and they also help with feeding. Clean the bottom of the cage with anything really, cleaning wipes are good.

Try and get bowls and things as shallow as possible and give them the option of a bowl of water and a drinking bottle. In the end we hand fed her water from her bottle as she couldn't drink on her own. Make sure you give them plenty of chew yous like toilet rolls wicker mats etc

If you need to bathe your rabbit if they can no longer clean themselves you need to ask your vet about shampoo. I washed my Roo everyday for the last few months of her life. I filled the bath about 2 inches high with tepid water and used the shampoo on her dirty areas. I used one arm to rest her on head towards my inner elbow so that her side and bottom area were mostly in the water. Gently clean off any poo and give them a good rinse off with the bath water. Have plenty of towels for them as they may get dirty. I then hairdryed her to 80 per cent dry don't hold the hairdryer too close and on the lowest setting. I then applied bepanthem to her sore areas where the hair was coming away, around her legs where urine would run down and anywhere where there looked to be soreness. I gave her metacam every night to help with any pain.

After the bath I would put her in a small dog basket to sit with me and have strokes on an evening. It was a hard plastic dog basket for small dogs so she only had a few inches either side of her so she couldn't roll about too much. I folder up fleece blankets and put them inside and draped over the side to make it nice and soft and absorb any wee. I also put an old pjarma top over her in the basket to keep her warm and catch any wee spray. She was more comfortable in the basket than me holding her in the end but when she was able to move more I would put blankets in the couch and let her snuggle up on there.

Give them as much attention and treats as you can. Try and make their day interesting when you can. I'd carry her around in the basket sometimes sit with her in the garden. The basket was handy for when I was cleaning out her cage too.

Roo never bonded with another rabbit after her boyfriend passed away so I haven't got any advice on how to cope with one ill and one not. All I can suggest is to try and keep them together as much as possible.

I'm not a vet obviously I just wanted to put down my experience and hope that it will help someone and their little bun

Thanks

Thank you very much for sharing your experience of caring for a profoundly disabled Rabbit. It is so kind of you to think of others when you are obviously mourning the loss of your own Rabbit. I am so sorry that you eventually had to let her go, but it was the final act of love and compassion that you could give her. She must have known that you would always put her needs before your own.

When we are looking after a very debilitated Rabbit who requires a lot of 'hands on care' we develop an extra close bond with them, making loosing them especially hard to cope with.

Your Bunny will always live on in your heart xx
 
I’m so sorry you had to say goodbye to your bunny :cry: it’s so kind of you to share your experience with us, so that we can learn from it :love:

Thinking of you and sending hugs xx
 
Thank you for the advice it's nice to hear an owner providing a disabled rabbit with so much hands on care which would have took up a lot of time. She was obviously very special to you. Binky free Roo x
 
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