When do you decide it is time to euthanize your rabbit?

[tom neils]

We have a 13-year-old mini rex. He has an inner ear infection that we have treated with three different antibiotics, but he can't seem to shake the infection. Because of the infection, he keeps trying to itch his ear, but when he does that, he falls over and he cannot get back up. If someone is home, they can set back upright, but if no one is around, he is stuck on his side. He sometimes just spins in circles trying to get up (we can tell because of the way the bedding is spread out all around him.) My question is, "When is his quality of life bad enough that we euthanize him?" In the summer, someone is usually in the house all day, so we can set him back up when he falls. And he falls about every 30 minutes or so. Once September comes, we will all be gone for over 8 hours every day. That means he could fall over early in the morning and be on his side all day. Most mornings we find him on his side, so It is already possible that he spends several hours on his side during the night. Any advice?

 

[Blue eyes]

Such decisions are inherently unique & personal. You're weighing quality of life. Some rabbits with severe physical issues may still be full of spunk & seem to have a zest for life. Others, not so much.

It's a subjective assessment of your rabbit & you are in the most knowledgeable position to make that assessment. I realize all this does not directly answer your question but each situation is unique.

I'd say do your best to consider your rabbit's daily life & your estimation of his current attitude & then go with your gut instinct & what seems best for him.

 

[JBun]

Has the antibiotic azithromycin been tried?

 

[tom neils]

Has the antibiotic azithromycin been tried?

Yes. We went through three different antibiotics, with azithromycin being the latest one.

 

[tom neils]

Such decisions are inherently unique & personal. You're weighing quality of life. Some rabbits with severe physical issues may still be full of spunk & seem to have a zest for life. Others, not so much.

It's a subjective assessment of your rabbit & you are in the most knowledgeable position to make that assessment. I realize all this does not directly answer your question but each situation is unique.

I'd say do your best to consider your rabbit's daily life & your estimation of his current attitude & then go with your gut instinct & what seems best for him.

Thank you so much. You have helped a great deal. That has been our way of thinking about this - what is his quality of life. Sometimes when we find him on his side, he seems "content". Other times, he is very agitated. It could be that he goes through stages as he is lying on his side and we just happen to come by at different stages.

 

[JBun]

Did it seem the be effective in making any improvement? Do you know what dose, and for how long was it given?

I ask because I had a rabbit with a retrobulbar abscess that was successfully treated with azithromycin, and I saw pretty immediate improvement on it, within a couple of days. But the infection came back when she was first tried on the lower dose (30mg/kg) and a shorter 2 week treatment period. But after she was put on the higher 50mg/kg dose for 4 weeks, that cleared it up. She lived another year symptom free, until she passed from old age. If you did have improvement on it and a lower dose and short treatment period was only tried, it may be worth, asking your vet about one last try on a higher dose and longer course of treatment.

But if not, for quality of life, it's balancing how well you can manage a rabbits discomfort and pain, as well as how the individual rabbit is reacting to these things. With my rabbits, if they were still eating well, got excited about getting their daily treat/veg, continued to enjoy being with their bun companion, and I could manage the health issues well enough, then I considered their quality of life to still be good.

I had an older bun that developed hind limb paralysis and could only move around in a 2 ft space, but she learned to cope with the reduced mobility and still got excited for food and treats, and loved snuggling with her bun companion. She did need regular checking, at least every 4 hours, to make sure she didn't get stuck and could get to her food and water. Because she stayed relatively interested in food and interaction, and I could provide the necessary care, I considered her quality of life to be good so she could live out her life until she passed.

If your bun isn't seeming overly upset a majority of the time, then maybe continue to monitor how he's doing overall. There will always be a few bad moments, but if he seems to be relatively happy and coping most of the time, I would give it more time. Maybe you could set up a camera to help better monitor how he's doing. It's definitely a difficult decision though.

 

[lovedbunny]

Could he have e cunicculi?
If so panacur could help

 

[TreasuredFriend]

Appetite, attitude, and affection. Look in their eyes as monitored over an extended period of time.

Our gal with the fx'd femur managed well and had a zest for life and exercise for a year and a half after a callous formed over the fracture area. Her kidney function was declining toward the end, and CBC/BMP values were monitored., I did not diligently offer her Vitamin K packs of cecotropes to reingest every time a pile was emitted. She was getting butt baths for quite a while.

Her appetite declined, and the look in her eyes brought me to accept that she was no longer happy. Our DVM is excellent and allows us to make the calls, as we are with our family members 24/7. OTOH, a DVM may candidly advise, but wisely leave the PTS to you. Proceeding with the final act of kindness was rough. Immense sadness although Peace of mind after I kissed her still body. A butterfly catheter, and drowsy drug admin'd prior to the heart-stopping injection.

Lordy, I wish I could still cuddle her and feel her velvet kisses. It is a difficult time leading up to when you know "it's time".

With one agouti boy, I cancelled the appt. 2x -- and we had a bit more time and each day I knew his hospice care was extended, hence, much LOVE was doled out each day! Yup, not ready yet... When the final appt. was made, I knew we gave him the best possible time to overcome his conditions.

Hope this helps,

 

[TreasuredFriend]

wrt falling over and laying on one's side:

This may be non-applicable but worth a mention. Our 7 y.o. mini rex cannot use her back legs. For a time she would fall over on her side, unable to upright herself from 11pm to 5 am. Or throughout daytime hours when I ran errands.

We started doing "wheelbarrow" sling therapy with a long towel. Allowing her to scamper around on carpeted areas for a duration of time, 2-3x a day. Since we began doing this, she doesn't fall on her side (nearly as much or at all) during the night hours.