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Pain / Arthritis in old rabbit (pic heavy)

Stator

Warren Veteran
Hi Everyone,

This is Roo, she is 11 years old and has been on Metacam for about a year.
The last few weeks she has been up and down and it sometimes seems she is in discomfort / pain and that the metacam takes longer to work and doesn't last for as long.
Having said all that, today she is an absolute nutter and running about like crazy. I'm worried she is going to make herself in pain tomorrow. I think she is active today as the weather has turned and it's now sunny, a case of spring fever I supposed.

I've taken some photos and I would appreciate input, as I find it hard to judge if she's in pain and how bad the pain is. She doesn't grind her teeth that I can tell. I think sometimes she grimaces at me, she doesn't like me being near her or touching her, and I'm worried I confuse that with pain sometimes too.

She has a vet appointment on Monday with our rabbit vet but I would appreciate any input

This is during early afternoon, the metacam should still be working and I don't think she is in much pain:
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Here we have unusual, sometimes lopsided flops. I'm guessing these are discomfort but not sure how much pain is going on:
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These are the photos where I think she is in pain. Her eyes have narrowed. Most of these are taken in the evening, when I think the breakfast metacam has worn off and some are taken after she has had her dinner and evening metacam, which I think takes longer to have an effect than it used to:
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Last of all we have her behaving oddly in the cage. I'm not sure why she is sat here and looking so odd. Do you think she is in a lot of pain?
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I think its really hard to tell, I do notice my arthritic bun, Luna, does prefer to sit in a ball or "bread loaf" position more often than not. her friend Orion doesn't tend to as much. but I'm not sure if its preference or to actually help with any pain she might be feeling.

I do notice while mine are indoor, on the colder days the house is cooler too, she seems to be a bit more stiff and less active. during the summer she was more active and more bouncy, but now that its coming to winter she's more balled up. she often feels cold too compared to Orion but I'm not sure if thats just Luna being Luna. at this time of year I'm starting to offer snuggle safes (microwavable heat pads) that she seems to love, often she perches her butt on it, or lays next to it. I guess it provides some warmth for her, and she looks a bit more comfortable too, often preferring to stretch out.

it is said that due to the fast metabolism, rabbits should/could have two doses of metacam a day to help them take the pain off. it might be something to discuss with your vet?

anyhow, I'm not very savvy when it comes to arthritis in buns, I am still learning plenty with my little one. but I didn't just want to read and run :)

beautiful little bun by the way :love:
 
Have you checked her ears ? It might seem an odd question, but some arthritic Rabbits develop ear problems as they are less able to groom themselves. Some of her mannerisms look as though they might indicate an ear issue.

Has the Vet mentioned any additional treatment for the arthritis ? I am thinking of acupuncture, laser therapy, physiotherapy, massage ? There are other analgesics that the Vet could prescribe, as well as Metacam.

Does she have sore hocks ? Another potential secondary problem for arthritic Rabbits.

Is she eating and pooing well ?

Is she having her renal function monitored- ie blood tests ? This may be advisable for a Rabbit on long term Metacam. NSAIDs can impact on renal function when used long term.

Some Vets may prescribe Ranitidine to a Rabbit on long term Metacam to protect the stomach from ulceration, a potential side effect of NSAIDs. That said, Rabbits seem to be less prone to this issue than do other species.
 
Thanks for the replies.

She is eating and pooing fine, one of the ways I know she is feeling bad is because she doesn't come running for her food, I have to bring it to her. But she is still eating fine.
She doesn't have sore hocks, I put a very thin layer of sudocream on her heels every day to prevent it. I've not found any other way of stopping it with indoor rabbits.

She's not on any other medication, just the metacam, because up until now it's been very mild. It was just that she was less active and not running for her food previously, when the metacam started she went back to normal, so I've been adjusting the doses to find the minimum level required. For the past month or so she's been on maximum dose, as it's not working perfectly anymore.

I will give her ears a check, the vet will give her a good checkover tomorrow too.

She hasn't had blood tests.

I haven't considered alternative treatments because she is a very nervous rabbit, I think the stress of someone else handling her would outweigh any benefits. Being half wild she is petrified of anyone but me.
 
She is beautiful :love: I can't tell if she is in pain, she reminds me of Joey having a kip. I've just started my Mouseypie on Oxbow Joint Support tablets, inspired to a great extent by all the amazing reviews about how they helped arthiritic & less mobile buns. It might be worth discussing those with your vet as you are there anyway?
 
Thanks.

Does anyone have any idea what's going on in the video? For her to sit there like that was very wierd. Usually she's either tell me to get lost, or she'd move away from me and go into the corner, or go into the litter tray.
I'm not sure if she just had the hump with me or if she was in real pain.
 
As expected I think she is sore this evening, seems to be in a bit of pain. Eating fine and everything. But I wish she hadn't run about so much today, jumping on the sofa and running and jumping about. I think it's the highs and lows of metacam on the twice daily dosage. Not sure what to do.
 
As expected I think she is sore this evening, seems to be in a bit of pain. Eating fine and everything. But I wish she hadn't run about so much today, jumping on the sofa and running and jumping about. I think it's the highs and lows of metacam on the twice daily dosage. Not sure what to do.

I'd speak with the Rabbit Savvy Vet about possible options taking into account your Bunny's inability to cope with a lot of 'hands on' care. Sometimes adding Tramadol in with Metacam can help. The Tramadol may not need to be given all the time, just on 'bad' days. That is what I am having to do for my Arthritic Rabbit, as directed by my Rabbit Savvy Vet x
 
Hi Tim

What I did for my arthritic bunny was add in Tramadol. I found it made quite a difference to the pain levels and enabled a more comfortable life. What I would say is that if you think of doing that, also ask your vet about adding in Ranitidine, as it protects the stomach against NSAIDs and any other drugs that might irritate.
 
Just to add to the excellent advice you’ve already been given, as the metacam appears to be wearing off between the 2 daily doses you are giving is it possible for you to split it into 3 doses?
One of mine was on max dosage split into 3. X
 
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