My 10 year old bunny has a 2cm bladder stone... :(

[ValK]

As the title says, my 10 year old rabbit has a 2cm bladder stone. He is still able to urinate but must stretch his body when using the bathroom. He is also urinating all over the house, and on his back legs. Seeing him in this state is heartbreaking. His vet gave him some meds to help dissolve the stone but she said this will only make his life a little more comfortable. She suggested surgery but also stressed that he may not survive it at his age. I can't imagine having him put down because I love him so much. However, I don't want to be selfish either if he's in pain. The vet actually told me, he's probably not in pain but is experiencing extreme discomfort. I don't know what to do. Any advice?

 

[MiniLopHop]

I am so sorry he is having problems. If he were my bun I think I would risk the procedure to give a better quality of life, but you know him best. I will be praying for you both ray:

 

[LakeCondo]

Extreme discomfort sounds like pain to me.

What does help dissolve it mean? Just keep it from getting bigger, make it a little smaller, what?

Is this a kidney stone that's passed into the bladder? So is it relatively easy to remove, or is it in the ureter?

I'm misplaced by copy of Lucile Moore's Rabbit Nutrition & Nutritional Healing, but I know it said that a certain type stone could be dissolved by increasing the acidity in the bladder by adding lemon juice to the rabbit's water. But If that's that the pills are supposed to do, you wouldn't want to do it 2 ways at once.

Did the vet say to give more water, less water, or what? If you decided against surgery, you might want to try , as a last resort, increasing the water consumed by sweetening it, then giving a natural diuretic such as dandelion to flush the water out. I'm sure that's not very safe, but might be better than nothing at some point.

 

[ValK]

Thanks for the replies. Sadly, my bun's condition has taken a turn for the very bad. The stone moved and is now blocking his urethra. He can't use the bathroom at all. He's lost 2kg in the last 24 hours. He has developed a bladder infection. He is very weak and the vet is concerned he won't survive surgery. He's been in their care for the last two nights, and is being force fed, as well as hydrated with shots. They're also now draining his bladder. The stone actually moved last night. Now, that the stone has moved, he's scheduled for emergency surgery for later this evening. They're hoping he gets a little strength back before surgery. If not, the surgery will be canceled. If it's canceled, they said I can either put him to sleep or bring him home and continue force feeding him on my own until he passes or gets enough strength for surgery. The surgery is also going to cost $1,500. I've already spent $800 since Monday on just vet visits, meds & x-rays. I honestly can't afford this either, and am borrowing the money. I am heartbroken and at a complete loss at what to do next. He's very sick and in a lot pain at this point. He was perfectly fine last week. I just don't understand how I missed this as the stone was growing. No matter what I decide next, I feel like I'm being selfish. If I put him down, then I feel like I'm not giving him a chance. If I put him through surgery or take him home, then I feel like I'll be prolonging his agony. T.T

 

[ValK]

My bunny in happier times:
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S475kxmzCU4[/ame]
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1susRf5IN50&feature=channel&list=UL[/ame]

Please send prayers this way. The hospital is refusing to do surgery now but I am demanding it.

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

~I'm praying for you and your bunny. I can't imagine what I'd do.

 

[Bunnylova4eva]

I don't think considering putting the bunny down is unfair to the bunny. I'm not saying you should, however, he is 10 and if the vets think there is very little chance of him surviving, maybe you need to consider if that's really worth it for him. I know its a tough decision-maybe you wouldn't feel right yourself not trying it, in which case go ahead. When one of my buns was sick, they gave almost no chance of her recovery but I wasn't going to feel right until I at least had the bloodwork done. We had to have her put down before even getting results, but at least I had the peace of mind of knowing I tried. (And $300.00 gone too...)

Also, before the surgery if you do go through with it, I'd be sure to take lots of pictures with your bunny if you haven't already. When mine get sick {with anything} , the camera comes right out so I have at least a few really recent pictures in case something were to happen.

I'm praying for you--these decisions are never easy or fun but I guess that's what comes with truely loving and caring for a pet. ray:

 

[LakeCondo]

I know it's difficult, but he's suffering now & his quality of life can't be good from now on. If he were younger it would be harder to decide. Is he on pain meds now?

I don't think it's a condition you really could have noticed sooner. The stones don't do any damage until one gets lodged somewhere. I assume from what I've heard people with them say, that they're terribly painful & the pain comes on fairly suddenly.

 

[ValK]

Thank you for the replies. He is on pain meds right now. I just visited him at the vet. He was a totally different rabbit, but in a good way. I'm very confused now. He was so happy to see me. He tried to climb up my chest and cling to me when they put him on the table. He then started licking my hand. My rabbit doesn't lick humans -- EVER. He was a rescue and his prior owners had taught him not to lick. I think they were mean to him because he has bizarre complexes and used to be very timid around us. He still pants and shakes around people he doesn't know. However, he was comfortable around the vet today and very loving towards me. Perhaps, the meds are so good that he's feeling great right now. I am not sure what to do now. I've decided to leave him at the vet for a couple more nights while I decide. I kind of wish he was as sick as they had warned me yesterday. As of now, the vet says if his spirit continues to improve over the next two days, then he may survive surgery. This is such a hard decision!

I appreciate your replies. It helps to get this off my chest. My friends & family do not understand why I'm struggling so much with this.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

The hardest thing I've had to do lately was make the decision to put my little bug, Coal, down. She was 13 1/2 and had been in decline for months, with me helping her out as much as possible. You're both in our prayers.

 

[ValK]

Thank you, Nancy.

 

[LakeCondo]

I'm pretty sure it's the meds. That's why people get hooked on pain killers. In one of her last hospitalizations, my mother was doing unexpected things, like talking about doing wheelies in her wheelchair. Then they must of changed the medication & she suddenly was crying & otherwise depressed.

 

[ValK]

I was ready to let him go but my husband was against it. We went ahead with surgery almost 3 days ago. He survived surgery and is doing well so far. He comes home tomorrow. I understand the next two weeks will be critical, so I plan to spend every waking moment with him during his recovery. I sure hope we made the right decision.

 

[LakeCondo]

I'm glad he made it through surgery & hope he'll continue to improve.

 

[ValK]

Thank you LakeCondo. He's officially 10 days post-op and is doing really well. He found my pear popsicle interesting today. I only let him lick it a couple times, but it brought me so much joy to see him excited again.

I am so happy we didn't put him down.

 

[HEM]

This is such good news
We hope that he continues to improve and has a lot more healthy years in front of him.