My sweet girl has gone | My old girl is winding down

Gosh, I hope I'm overreacting. My remaining wonderful bun Illy, who turns 12 in March, suddenly seems to have so many problems. It's so heartbreaking not being able to just fix things for her. This post isn't for advice as such, but I just needed to write it out to people who understand. That being said, if anyone has advice, please share!

She's just been started on special drops to treat Glaucoma, but her eye pressure actually went up the week after we started them (up to 41, the pressure should be <20) so we're now doing the drops twice a day. She's on two lots of pain relief to help with her arthritis, as well as Vetmedin for her enlarged heart, bisolvon to keep her chest clear, ear drops and now also panacur as she's turning left and keeping her head turned left suddenly. She's also got muscle wastage, particularly on her left hind leg. She did have a respiratory infection the last couple of weeks too, so we've been doing nebulising treatments. Thankfully, the respiratory issues seem to have passed now.

I just had a small scare with her, as I could hear her breathing loudly across the room. She had flopped but couldn't get up. Usually, if I put my hand against her heels she can then use me as a push off point to right herself. Today though, she just ended up shuttling across her enclosure on her side as she couldn't bring her legs under herself to get up. I righted her, then she hopped off and stomped to let me know she was annoyed :shock: She was still breathing a little heavily from the exertion, but now seems to have settled down.

She's eating, drinking, pooping as normal and still enjoys throwing her baby cups around, as well as still being sassy. She's currently sulking in her cardboard hut after the indignity of me helping to right her :lol: She does spend most of her time asleep.

My vet is *amazing* and I completely trust her judgement, and it doesn't seem like we're in PTS territory yet. But it's on my mind that I want my Illy-Billy to have the best quality of life. It's been hard for her since her sister passed away suddenly at the end of 2020 How do we know when it's the right time to let a bun go? I don't think it's yet, but I don't think it's as far away as I would like

Only you and your Vet are in a position to judge when it is time to PTS. There is no set rule book for the decision.

I am in a similar situation with one of my Rabbits atm, so I empathise x

Oh, your Illy sounds lovely. I'm sorry she's dealing with so much, gosh, but I'm glad she still enjoys playing with her baby baby cups and being sassy and letting you know that she doesn't need your help, thank you very much. :lol: I'm so glad she has such an amazing vet. That's so important. How sad that things have been hard for her since she lost her sister, though, poor girl. Deciding when to put them to sleep can be so hard... I have no advice, but it sounds like you keep a close eye on her quality of life, so I think you'll likely know when it's not good enough anymore for her and it's best to let her go. You're the one who knows her best.

She sounds an amazing bunny character, and still has spirit by the sounds of things I just think you will know when that time comes, you know her, she knows you, I think she will let you know. I really hope that isn't for a good while yet

There isn't a right or wrong answer at times like this, but I think you do know when they've had enough. While she is still OK with life and is coping, just enjoy the time you have.

Bless her, she sounds like she has a lot going on, but also a wonderful owner, you clearly want the best for her! It's a difficult time, particularly with an elderly or unwell bun, but it abounds like you have a good relationship with your vet.

Glad she is enjoying life. Good work!

Thank you all, I really appreciate your kind words

Illy had another check up today (she's having them weekly atm) and her eye pressures have gone down a bit, but still well above normal range. We're increasing her eye drop dose to three times a day now to see if that helps make an improvement faster.

The good news is that the extra pain relief (gabapentin) along with her usual meloxicam has made a noticeable difference to her comfort levels. She's loafing again and laying more straight.

The bad news is, we think she's having seizures. We suspected this before as the morning after Chinook passed away, it appeared that she had a seizure (she couldn't get up and was thrashing her back legs) and she had a CT scan that showed an enlarged heart. We couldn't confirm if it was a seizure or not at the time, but it was suspected/assumed. I showed my vet today the video I got of Illy when we had that last scare that I originally posted about, and she said she's pretty sure it's a seizure or mild stroke. Apparently rabbits have no memory of the events, so once it's passed it's out of their mind, which is reassuring.

She's still munching and pottering about, so we'll keep fighting the good fight and monitor her to see if she has any other seizure activity. We also agreed we're not in PTS territory just yet, but to start mentally preparing as she's an old lady now.

Boots said:

Thank you all, I really appreciate your kind words

Illy had another check up today (she's having them weekly atm) and her eye pressures have gone down a bit, but still well above normal range. We're increasing her eye drop dose to three times a day now to see if that helps make an improvement faster.

The good news is that the extra pain relief (gabapentin) along with her usual meloxicam has made a noticeable difference to her comfort levels. She's loafing again and laying more straight.

The bad news is, we think she's having seizures. We suspected this before as the morning after Chinook passed away, it appeared that she had a seizure (she couldn't get up and was thrashing her back legs) and she had a CT scan that showed an enlarged heart. We couldn't confirm if it was a seizure or not at the time, but it was suspected/assumed. I showed my vet today the video I got of Illy when we had that last scare that I originally posted about, and she said she's pretty sure it's a seizure or mild stroke. Apparently rabbits have no memory of the events, so once it's passed it's out of their mind, which is reassuring.

She's still munching and pottering about, so we'll keep fighting the good fight and monitor her to see if she has any other seizure activity. We also agreed we're not in PTS territory just yet, but to start mentally preparing as she's an old lady now.

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Oh bless her, she sure sounds like a litte fighter, and sounds like you have a good understanding vet too. Sending lots of keep well for your girl xx

Aww thank you Pets mum! Honestly our vet is a total Angel, she really cares and has a deep understanding of rabbits. It makes such a difference. Xx

It seems like Illy actually had another seizure about an hour ago. She was in her cardboard tunnel and we suddenly heard thrashing and sure enough, she was on her side unable to get up. It’s such a painful sight as she’s just thrashing on her side, like she’s running :’( The vet mentioned after an episode they sometimes will eat ravenously as their sugars dip, and sure enough she was straight into her hay and forage afterwards. You wouldn’t know anything had happened! Seizure, then eating, then loafed on her bed.

Edited to add: My vet said to keep a log of the seizures and we’ll keep an eye on frequency and to bring her in if they suddenly increase before Friday or if the seizure doesn’t stop or she becomes unresponsive etc. My first instinct is to rush her back in to the vets, but for now we’re okay to keep her at home.

What a special rabbit she sounds, and so well cared for. I only have one experience of letting a rabbit go, but I found that one day I just looked at him and 'knew'. This sense of him 'telling' me it was time has always been a comfort.

Sending best wishes from me and my current bunny companion, Bertie.

I'm so sorry Illy is having so many issues lately
What a wonderful age she is though. Sending lots of good wishes your way

Sometimes Bunnies with severe arthritis can have trouble getting up and will appear to thrash about to get to their feet. This can look like a seizure. Cardboard has little traction, so getting to her feet might have been more difficult than on a surface like carpet.

Gabepentin is a drug used to control some types of Epilepsy, so *if* she is having true seizures that medication might help reduce the severity/ frequency.

Lily sounds like a lovely bunny and she sounds like she was not as phased by her episode as you. She is lucky to have you giving her wonderful care.
A log sounds like a great idea. Also, do they only happen when she is in the tunnel?
I had twin brothers who developed similar issues in their old age though one had milder episodes which looked like he could not find his footing.
Sending vibes you and your vet will find a way to best manage her condition.

Thank you all, it really means the world to have your good vibes and kindness I am quite emotional at the moment, I really don't want to lose her and it's just so hard. I so appreciate that I can share things with you all.

Illy was back at the vets today and sadly her eyes are still the same pressures as the last 3 weeks They should be <20 and she's consistently ~40.

So, the next steps are an additional eye drop twice a day, on top of her other drops and other meds. We are hoping she responds to these new eyedrops well, but if not then we're considering another CT scan (she last had one in Nov 2020) to see if there's some other underlying issue. An option they've asked me to consider is to have her eyes injected with an antibiotic that will reduce the pressures, but will certainly remove the last of her remaining vision. It will stop her eye pain, but choosing to blind her feels tough. I can't remember what the injection/medication/procedure is called, but I can find out if it's useful for anyone. If we choose to do the CT, they'll do both the CT and the injections at the same time, so she's under just one light sedation. We're seeing the vets again next Friday, so we'll reassess then if the new drops are working.

Thanks JJ/IM for mentioning that the Gabapentin helps with seizure activity too, that's reassuring. Honestly, I don't know if she's having seizures or if it's her arthritis making it hard for her to get up. Her whole area is covered in absorbent mats (the reusable ones that are designed for incontinence) so she has pretty good grip on those, but to be honest I think it's that she can't rotate her lower body enough to actually get up.

Twice in the last few hours she's rolled onto her side (can't tell if it's a fall or a bad flop or roll) and she's not been able to get up by herself as she just can't twist enough. She's then not been interested in her dinner or treats and had flopped twice, which as of recently isn't normal for her. I've then been freaking out thinking she's belly pressing from some pain. I've given her her pain meds and got her on her feet and have laid out lots of tasty things for her. She's eaten a TINY bit of forage, so I'm going to keep an eye on her for the next hour or two and then will decide whether to take her in to the emergency vets again. Hopefully she starts eating normally again asap. My poor little love, I wish I could make it all better for her.

Just a quick update: she’s eaten a fenugreek, a dried dandelion head and is starting to munch dinner. Thank goodness. Hopefully she just had a funny turn earlier from the falls and is feeling brighter overnight and in the morning.

Sending vibes.

Sending lots of vibes xx

I'm glad she was starting to eat some again. I hope she's doing better this morning. Sending her many, many vibes.

Thank you all for the vibes!!

Illy is eating normally and enjoying lots of sleep on her snuggly bed. I honestly thought I was going to lose her at the weekend, so I'm relieved to have some normality for her again.

The procedure the vets are proposing is below, I found the description online:

"Another option for a blind glaucoma eye is an injection of gentamicin antibiotic into the eye. This is called a chemical ablation. A chemical ablation “kills” the eye’s ability to produce fluid. Without fluid production, the intraocular pressure (IOP) drops permanently. The goal with a blind glaucoma eye is to keep the eye comfortable."

Illy's eyesight is minimal currently, but she can detect light and dark. Has anyone done this procedure before? I'm concerned about her QoL if she's suddenly blinded, but of course it may be our only option other than PTS if her eye pressures remain high. Fingers crossed her new drops reduce her pressures enough we don't need to go ahead with the procedure, but I'm trying to be as informed as possible so I don't get too upset on Thursday when I take her in for her recheck.