Running out of ideas...

[lopeared_rabbit]

I have a flemish giant who is a little over 5 years old now. I got her when she was a baby and she's been fixed since she was old enough to have it done.

She was great with a litter box.

A few months ago I noticed she was having a some trouble with her hind legs.

About 3 months ago we moved to a new house. This is when everything started going drastically downhill.

We have her in the exact same set up as the old house. She's in a 4x4 pen with a large litter tray that has her food dish in it.

She'd been having problems with her back legs, swollen nipples, was using her litter tray less and had poopy butt, so we brought her to the vet.

He said her legs felt normal but she could have mastitis. We were given antibiotics and told to soak her messy area with a warm, wet towel to help clean her up.

After antibiotics for 2 weeks she started doing better, she was using her litter tray more, she was cleaner, she was perking up.

But now about a month after that it's even worse then before. She's pooping/urinating everywhere in her pen now. When ever I walk over to see her she has to struggle to to get. I try to keep her clean but even when I clean her pen every morning, by the time I get back from work it's filthy again and she's lying in her own filth. If she has full blown mastitis it would be an expensive, risky surgery and it seems like she has other problems on top of it as well. She's still eating and drinking fine and even though she struggles she still comes to say hello and get pets. But she doesn't want to run around the house house anymore and I'm sure living in her own filth isn't comfortable for her.

I don't know what to do anymore. I'm getting ready to give up but if she's not in pain I don't want to put her to sleep. I just want her to be happy and healthy and seem to be failing miserably at it.

 

[JBun]

Where any diagnostics done? Any xrays, blood tests?

5 is in the older range for Flemish. That breed is also prone to back problems. I would be concerned about arthritis and spondylosis, in which case your rabbit would benefit from daily anti inflammatories. And with the swollen nipples I would be concerned with some sort of cancer or hormonal problem even though she is spayed. The parasite e. cuniculi is also a possibility.
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=490
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/urinary.html
http://www.sawneeanimalclinic.com/downloads/uterine_cancer_in_rabbits.pdf
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Bone_diseases/Osteo/arthritis.htm

Either of these could be a cause of all of the current problems your rabbit is having, so if xrays haven't been done, that should probably be the next step in diagnosing the problem. If these diagnostics haven't been suggested by your vet, I would find that somewhat concerning, as these are basic tests that should be done with a rabbit exhibiting these symptoms, especially the xrays. You may want to seek a second opinion and try and find a more experienced rabbit vet. You can look at these lists to see if there is one near you.
http://rabbit.org/vet-listings/
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/forumdisplay.php?f=21

If you haven't already, you will need to make some adjustments to her living area to help her stay clean. A good flooring to use is a faux sheepskin, commonly called vetbed. This doesn't absorb pee and allows it to drain through to an absorbent layer underneath it, which using puppy pee pads works well for.
http://www.disabledrabbits.com/
http://www.mohrs.org/hrswebpg19.html
http://www.specialbunny.org/special-needs-housing/
http://www.catsandrabbitsandmore.com/disabled_rabbits

With the mushy poop, her hind limb problems can be a cause for this, as it will make it difficult for her to reach down there to eat her cecotropes. Other things that can contribute to a rabbit having mushy poop is a diet too rich in sugars/starches and/or not getting enough fiber from hay. Have you noticed what the mushy poop looks like before it is smooshed. Does it look like fully formed cecotropes or is it coming out pasty or semi pasty?
http://www.therabbithouse.com/diet/rabbit-droppings.asp

With good vet care and the appropriate diagnosis and treatment, you may be able to resolve these issues for her, or in the least be able to improve her condition so it isn't such a struggle.

It may also be these symptoms are related to some sort of infection and she just needed to be on a longer course of antibiotics(until the symptoms are gone), since she seemed to respond to the first antibiotic course.

 

[MikeScone]

It does sound like arthritis or spondylosis to me - my first rabbit, Scone MacBunny, suffered from spondylosis of the spine after he turned six or so, and the first symptom was a lessening of his litter habits because it was starting to hurt him jumping into the litter box.

I'd ask the vet about the possibility of treatment with Adequan (polysulfated glycosaminoglycan). It's similar to the glucosamine/chondroitin pills I take for my knees, which supports joint health. Scone reacted quickly to the shots, and within a week or two he regained a lot of his mobility. It's well worth trying.

 

[squidpop]

Since she did get somewhat better after the antibiotic, but then got worse again- if the vet still has her on the same antibiotic you should ask to switch to a different one. If she had a bug and it came back that usually means that antibiotic didn't quite work, and the bug came back so its resistant.