Help! My disabled rabbits quality of life

Love your rabbit
Shop deals on ebay
shop deals on amazon
Advertise with us
Rabbits Online Forum

Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
**SRonchi1

**SRonchi1

Shaan Ronchi
Joined
Aug 17, 2013
Messages
150
Reaction score
93
Location
Wellington, New Zealand
Hi everyone,

I need some advice. I have a 8month old mini lop called CoCo Puff, She has a dislocated hip which has already formed a false joint, a fractured pelvis & now her spine is curving & she is falling over more & also has little fits if she is touched near a certain part of her spine. She has been disabled since 3months old.

She is a happy girl, loves her food, always grooms me & her favourite part of the day is at night when she gets to snuggle with her brother & dad to sleep as they are off exploring our backyard during the day.. She fell off some boxes she was climbing on at about 2months & recieved her injury then fully disabled at 3months. She has feeling in her legs so they scoot abit with her but she is still legs out sideways

She has been to the vet & they said there just isnt anything they can do & just make her short life comfortable. I waz also told by another to euthanize her but I vowed to let her tell me when she is ready!

Twice daily I Equissage her whole body - this helps blood flow, stiffness & muscle tone & control, because of this she doeznt dribble wee all over herself & had more musle freedom . I also scrat h her all over, clean ears & scratc her feet, groom her whole body both side & was her genitals if needed- she appreciates it all and grooms me in return.

My only fear is her quality of life? She fallz over alot more now when scooting around & will she be happy just sitting in one spot most of the time. I love this little girl & also have to young childrento look after so caring for her and them I never get time to myself but I dont care one but, I just want whats right for her & to have a happy life.

Can any one give me their stories or advice, it would be greatly appreciated

Shaan & coco puff
 
You could try acupuncture?
..when my Caramel had his injury (which we thought was a spinal injury) we were going to treat him that way as it didn't seem limiting his mobility was making it better. Only found then that his pelvic fracture healed after 8 weeks of immobility.

He also had a genetic deformity called lordosis which was an extreme curvature of the spine near his neck area, although it was uncomfortable giving him some willow relieved it some what, even started hopping about outside (occasionally). Not sure how much it will help but this is a thread I had for him http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f27/bunny-spinal-injury-care-73909/


He was quite happy to keep on living with all the attention he was getting :), the problem for him was that we didn't notice he had some nerve damage left, he couldn't get up on his own and the vets weren't keen on giving him more metacam as he was a very little bunny. I usually work from home (for now) so was fine with it...was definitely keen on getting him up and about though...
 
I also forgot to mention during the day she hangs out in my bunny play world. I have converted half our shed and it has little hidy places, box tunnels, play toys & sleeping decks. She has a special carpeted area she hangs out that has a big hidy box near it, her hay, special weight feed mix & water right near her. She use to use her training pad to go to the toilet but doesnt seem to make it there these days but prefers to wee on her carpet. She also gets a homeopathic combined remedy twice a week in her water & a few days in a row if she has a muscle fit & I give that orally. Her homepathic mix it 6 & 12c combined of Arnica, symphytum, ruta grav. rhus tox & rescue remedy. She also gets Hypericum for nerve damage. This combination has worked wonders for her & a remedy I recommended to anyone with a rabnit injury or disability. I also finished making her a cart today to.
 
Last edited:
Thanks anabelle00 my dog has accupuncture so I might get her to do it the only prob is Coco hates the car :( How is your boy getting along now?
 
I use the homeopathic confrey called symphytum & it works wonders. They dont call it knit bone for nothing :) The only problem is her bones have already healed but I still give symphytum combined remedyb ouple of times a week. Thanks for your recommendations anabelle00
 
He passed away... I was too late in noticing he stopped eating ;( ...he had this weird thing about having hay near his nose...so he would push it away and only nibble a bit...I used to hand feed him so maybe he got used to it...? And I used to have him a bed of hay but later changed it to fleece as the hay irritated his eyes >.< pretty mad at myself for that...used to be so paranoid about it...but things got busy later on.

I hope the best for your little bun :)
 
Just because a rabbit is disabled doesn't mean it can't have a good quality of life and needs to be pts. Is she happy? Is she in pain? From your description it sounds like she is happy, and if she is in some pain, this can sometimes be managed with daily pain meds, like metacam. Another thing to look into is a cart for her to get around. I don't know if this is something that could help with her mobility, but thought I would mention it in case it might be helpful(ETA: just noticed you made a cart) Has amputation ever been discussed, or do her spinal problems eliminate that as a viable possibility?

Here are a few links about disabled buns.

http://www.disabledrabbits.com/
http://rabbit.org/category/care/elderly-and-special-needs/

If you aren't happy with your current vet, you can look on these lists to see if there might be a better rabbit vet near you.

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f21/rabbit-savvy-vets-new-zealand-13830/
http://members.shaw.ca/cocoasun/AustralianRabbitVets.htm
 
Last edited:
Aaww I think I remember that post was it caramel? Had a urinRy tract infection aswell? Poor little man but you know what atleast they have owners like us that do the best we can to give them a good life! People here in Nz just leave their buns in tiny cages & the average bun dies before 2! I have free ranging house bunnies that cruise around outside too & I had an accidental littler (coco was one of the babes & the boys are neutered now!) & I sold my babes as free ranging house bunnies that didnt go to new homes till 10-12weeks so they were house trained & loved & cared for & stayed with their mum till 6weeks! The amount of peopel wanting one of my buns & not realizing they live till 8-10yrs was rediculous! Thats why I only rehomed 4 in pairs & kept 2 because finding them perfect forever homes was getting to stressful! I still keep in regular contaxt with the new owners of my babes which is lovely :) So dont feel bad or be mad at yourself because of how your bun died because you loved him & did everything you could for him! Im a trained homeopath & Coco got a UTI & I treated her every 30mins 4x then once every 4 hours for the next two days with Apis 30c & Cantharis 30c mixed with colloidal silver & it went away nicely!
 
Thanks Jbun, one of my vets Tara Rana is on that list so you have inspired me to go see her again. My other vet is a rabbit savvy vet but said she wouldn't perform any bone surgerymas she said its just to risky but said she would refer me to our specialist university but thats nearly 2hours away and my biggest concern is Puff Ball doesnt do great on car rides & being away from her brother and dad would stress her out heaps too! But I guess if it for her own good and quality & longevity of life I will just have to organize something that wont stress her too much. She is a very happy bun & is very affectionate & completly trusting of me- her and I have such a strong special bond thats something I havnt experienced in one of my buns (although they do love me :) ) She doesnt seem to be in any pain at all. She doesnt have any spinal trauma as such so amputation shouldnt be out of the picture. I will arrange an appointment and maybe Taravwould be happy with the surgery. Thanks Jbun you have been a great help :) x
 
Glad to be of help, and please keep us updated on how your bun is doing and how the vet visit goes.

I do have one suggestion. Because car rides seem to stress your bun, it would probably be a good idea for her brother or dad to accompany her. Just whichever one(or even both) is calmest in the car and in new situations. That way they will be calming to her as well and help her feel more secure. I really hope this other vet will be able to help your bun.

Would love to see pics of your little bun as well, if you want to post any :)
 
Aww bless :(

I've had two rabbits that have become disabled- the first was an eight year old with spondylosis (sort of like arthritis of the spine?) and after a couple of years she was fully paralysed and in such bad distress I had to let her go. The second was in November last year, my six year old had a malformed vertebra that suddenly caused a neural deficit in his back leg and he couldn't move at all and was in so much pain even on serious painkillers that I couldn't do anything for him either. I would have looked after either of them if they'd been prepared to live like that. I guess only you know what quality of life she's got and that's a horrible thing to judge, I know. Good luck to you both.
 
**SRonchi1 said:
Thanks Jbun, one of my vets Tara Rana is on that list so you have inspired me to go see her again. My other vet is a rabbit savvy vet but said she wouldn't perform any bone surgerymas she said its just to risky but said she would refer me to our specialist university but thats nearly 2hours away and my biggest concern is Puff Ball doesnt do great on car rides & being away from her brother and dad would stress her out heaps too! But I guess if it for her own good and quality & longevity of life I will just have to organize something that wont stress her too much. She is a very happy bun & is very affectionate & completly trusting of me- her and I have such a strong special bond thats something I havnt experienced in one of my buns (although they do love me :) ) She doesnt seem to be in any pain at all. She doesnt have any spinal trauma as such so amputation shouldnt be out of the picture. I will arrange an appointment and maybe Taravwould be happy with the surgery. Thanks Jbun you have been a great help :) x
Click to expand...

I've had animals that were paralyzed and also later in life my mother was paralyzed. I know from personal experience it's possible to have a good quality of life and have a disability. My job for the government is a SME
to test applications for access for individuals with disabilities (section 508) for example blind, motor function disability etc including people who cannot walk with spinal problems and have to use speech recognition software.

There is no reason to feel that animals or people for that matter cannot have a good life or enjoy life with a disability. I know it sucks and every one would like to think the best situation is for everyone to be 100% and that would be in a perfect world however, it's possible and I have seen it. It's been part of my job now for close to 15 years..

If you can find a good doctor to do surgery I would go for it. I was unable to have surgery on my mother due to doctors being too scare of malpractice lawsuits. wussies... Most doctors WILL try to bow out of surgery and will always say this or that is risky to implement CYA. I had to go to Medical teaching universities when my animal that was paralyzed had a medical problem to get help and they were great. I emailed them , send pictures, explained the situation and every single vet that was also a professor wrote back.

Do what you can if you can get surgery for her to have a 'normal life' but if they cannot, keep doing what you are so she can enjoy the life that she currently has and remember, by the time Americans hit 50 over half will have a disability.

Keep us posted and keep on loving Puff Ball! :)

Vanessa
 
**SRonchi1 said:
I also forgot to mention during the day she hangs out in my bunny play world. I have converted half our shed and it has little hidy places, box tunnels, play toys & sleeping decks. She has a special carpeted area she hangs out that has a big hidy box near it, her hay, special weight feed mix & water right near her. She use to use her training pad to go to the toilet but doesnt seem to make it there these days but prefers to wee on her carpet. She also gets a homeopathic combined remedy twice a week in her water & a few days in a row if she has a muscle fit & I give that orally. Her homepathic mix it 6 & 12c combined of Arnica, symphytum, ruta grav. rhus tox & rescue remedy. She also gets Hypericum for nerve damage. This combination has worked wonders for her & a remedy I recommended to anyone with a rabnit injury or disability. I also finished making her a cart today to.
Click to expand...

I think you are doing a great job with her bunny play world and think it's great..it sounds like you are really taking care of her and doing a great job of it. Please see if you can find a good surgeon to help this little girl in the areas that surgery can help but if not, keep on doing what you are doing. you are giving her a great quality of life.:happyrabbit:

Vanessa
 
Thank you Vanessa, you words were truly inspiring! Last night when I tucked Puff ball up in bed she rolled over and cleaned her paws and belly as usual and I sat and gave her a loving pat and she was in absolute bliss teeth purring away :) And this happens every night before I pop the boys in with her to go to bed for the night. This always reminds me that she is happy and having a gear life. I always think the good thing with her disability is it happened when she was so young so she doesn't really know better? It still breaks my heart she isn't out with her boys during the day binkying around and raiding my vege patch but she feels comfortable and safe & I think that's very important for her to enjoy life. I also take her out in the garden & pop her on her pad while I garden & thingsike that & I like her to have a fun interesting routine & that's why she doesn't just live in her bed all day but hangs in the bunny world for some fun & exploring too. Thankyou once again for your words Vanessa, I go through stages of being paranoid but at the end of the day Puff ball will let me know if she isn't happy & I will endevour to give her the best care possible 24/7 xx
 
I will post some photos of my gorgeous girl too- she is a sooty fawn mini lop & was the cutest little button nose baby :) And yes I will keep you all updated on her, I was thinking of starting a blog on her incase Coco Puffs disability & life maybe able to help another bun & owner but I just have to find some time!
 
**SRonchi1 said:
Thank you Vanessa, you words were truly inspiring! Last night when I tucked Puff ball up in bed she rolled over and cleaned her paws and belly as usual and I sat and gave her a loving pat and she was in absolute bliss teeth purring away :) And this happens every night before I pop the boys in with her to go to bed for the night. This always reminds me that she is happy and having a good life.


Not a problem and I really mean it... And the time you spend with her
shows that she is living life to the fullest with you and loves to be with you and loves you...
:blushan:

She truly is happy and living a good life.

You are right, she was young and unlike my mother or my other animals
this is what she knows. Maybe if the surgery can be done it will be a huge surprise if she regains some mobility... but if not, she sounds like she is living well and enjoying the good life that you are giving her! So keep on doing that!

Please keep us posted on what the doctors say and we will keep our fingers crossed just in case they can do something.. :pink iris:

I would love to see a blog and if you have time post it.. if not keep us posted when you can!:popcorn2

All the best!
Vanessa
Click to expand...
 
What a wonderful story and inspiring to all. All bunnies may not be the same but they all deserve the same chance in life. She sounds wonderful and you have given so much to her but looks like she gets it back from you. What a wonderful bond you have, I hope we hear lots more about your sweet little girl.
 
I really do mean it and I think a blog is a wonderful idea. Experiences like yours can only inspire others and it stands as a record for you to look back on. I would definitely be following you :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top