My Little Man Bam Bam

[Bam Bam]

Hello all,
I need your opinion.
My 12 year old Holland Lop Bam Bam is having health issues.
He has had for the past 5 years nasal issues and cannot hop around anymore. He falls over and poops and pees in his area on pads. He is still eating but continues to lose weight. He is almost blind.
He had really goopy eyes for a year but finally that has cleared up.
At bedtime I bring him on the bed and he sleeps next to me every night. I haven’t slept under the covers since in fear of knocking him off the bed.
My vet wants to put him to sleep and I can’t do it. Even though he has lost a lot of weight,he still eats and I know he knows he is on the bed next to me.
I am hoping he passes when he is on the bed sleeping next to me.
Can I ask what you would do.

 

[Luigi]

If it were my bunny, I would ask myself how much pain he's in. He has a bunch of health issues, sure, but is he in any pain at all? Having nasal issues and being blind doesn't necessarily mean he can't enjoy the remainder of his life. Only when they are suffering a lot should a pet be euthanized, in my opinion. It's such a difficult decision and I can totally understand why you wouldn't want to go through with it.

 

[Bam Bam]

Thank you Luigi
Your bunny is gorgeous
He is not in pain. He can’t stand anymore and starting today I am feedin him his Selective pellets by hand plus critical care. I have to hold him over his water dish.
. He is very special and well known here. He has survived 5 abscesses, a kidney problem, and sinus problems for close to 5 years.
When we rescued him we had to treat him for head tilt and thank god it stopped with a very slight tilt. It gives him character. He is my gangster bunny and my Love bunny. He slept with me every night until he met his bride Pebbles. She passed a few months ago from bloat and we were both incredibly sad. He went back to being my love bunny.
He’s my Little Man and I have him for 12 years
I can’t let him go laying down on an exam room table while they put him to sleep. I am hoping he goes peacefully next to me on the bed.

 

[JBun]

If he's not in pain, not suffering, and still seems to derive some joy from life, I would be inclined to let him live out his life and pass from old age. That's what I did for my old bun. She couldn't use her hind limbs anymore, didn't scoot around very far anymore, had lost some weight, but she wasn't in pain or suffering, and still seemed to be happy to eat, have treats, and spend time with her bunny companion when she wasn't sleeping(which was most of the time). So I let her pass from old age.

It's really an ongoing evaluation when they get old. You have to keep weighing their progressing health issues with their quality of life. But just because they have health issues doesn't mean they can't still be happy and have a good quality of life.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

I've had several that I helped for 6 months or longer til they had no quality to their life--it's just so hard to make that last trip to the Vet's, but sometimes it's necessary. Still, it's a judgement call only you can make. Our Avatar Nikki was blind and deaf for more than 4 years but still ran around the room as everything never was moved and as long as she was eating and getting along, I didn't think anything about it. When she lost weight and wasn't eating or able to get around anymore, we had to bite the bullet and make our "last" trip together--it was a great 11 years and we do miss her.

 

[Luigi]

It might sound weird to say, but you guys are blessed to have had a bunny that lived that long. I've read about so many sudden rabbit deaths and bunnies getting randomly sick that I'm always a little worried for the life of mine, and he's still such a young teenager (7 months). How Bam Bam lives out the rest of his life is ultimately up to you. In this case, I would be inclined to disregard the vet's opinion on putting him to sleep, but that's just me. You'll know what's best for your precious bunny.

 

[otto001]

My rabbit Valium is 11 years old now, and since last year he started to have some big health issues. Now he's almost blind (he always had eye problems) and doesn't go around so much anymore cause he's not able to move his limbs properly, but stays in a fluffy corner in the kitchen, over some reusable pads (as he cannot go into the cage). Just in case this wasn't enough, he has a sort of abscess under his foreleg, that we are currently medicating everyday. Despite all these problems, he eats a lot, loves treats, and he's very happy to stay in the garden eating grass, spending time with "his" kitten and being pampered by us. He's not in pain, and we are trying to get him the best possible time.
His wife Toffee died at 12 years old, after being paralyzed almost an year. She wasn't in pain, and we let her stay as long as she could with us and with her loved companion. I know it's a difficult situation, but I think our pets will let us know when the time comes. Until then, it's up to us to make them live at the best, remembering that they are much less overwhelmed by physical issues than we are
Lots of love to Bam Bam

 

[Popsicles]

Like the others have said, it really is your own decision, and you know your bunny best. If he can’t eat and enjoy doing normal bunny things, you need to consider if he has a good quality of life or whether he is just surviving. Sometimes when we spend every day with a pet that is gradually deteriorating it is difficult to recognise when that line has been crossed, but can often seem clearer to objective outsiders such as vets. Your vet made an oath to protect the welfare of animals, so that advice is given with bambam’s best interests in mind. It is always better to put to sleep a day early rather than a day too late and prolong suffering. If you have the money you can arrange a home visit so that the vet can come to where bambam is most comfortable, which might be preferable for you. I’m so sorry for what you’re going through, it is never an easy decision <3

 

[Bam Bam]

Thank you all for your opinions and kind thoughts.
The last couple of days I have had to feed Bam Bam by hand. He takes the big selective pellets from my hand and I am giving him Critical Care. Besides that he lsys down next to me and does not look in any distress.
While I am out I put him under his favorite table and twice he has been able to move locations. I wish I could have seen how he got there. Each move was about 6 or 7 feet away.
I truly and sadly believe the end is near and has not shown any signs of pain. I had a bunny Daisy who turned 12 a year ago who had a heart condition. She started going into convulsions and I did have to put her to sleep. Bam Bam is not showing any signs of that. I work from home so I am only out of the house for an hour or two so I constantly monitor him. It figures the 2 times he moved spots was the only time I wasn’t watching lol.
I truly believe he will leave this world when he is ready.
I will keep you updated.

 

[Bam Bam]

Sadly Bam Bam passed exactly how I wanted him to pass, lying next to me on the bed
Eerily I was petting him and taking a video. I said to him it is ok to go, Pebbles his bonded mate is waiting for him. 1 minute later he was gone
If I could briefly tell you how we met, my first bunny had passed it was time for me to get another bunny. I went to a local rescue group and played with a few bunnies when one of the heads of the group put this incredibly cute black Lop named Bam Bam on the floor and he ran to me and put his face into mine. It was fate. I worked for Warner Bros and we owned Cartoon Network who produced the Flintstones. He was a baby rescued from a park in the freezing cold and had developed a head tilt which thankfully they were able to stop it and I called him my Gangster bunny with a slight head tilt.
As soon as I got home I put him down and the first place he went was the litter box. I couldn't believe he came litter trained so I made him free roam.
I woke up the next morning he was staring at me on the bed. My bed is over 3 feet from the ground but he could fly. He became my love bunny sleeping with me every night until I bonded him with a baby Harlequin Lop and I named her Pebbles. That was a no brained. They were inseparable and he dumped me for a girl.
Pebbles passed in January and Bam Bam became my love bunny again, sleeping with me every night.
He was a tough bunny fighting off 5 abscesses a kidney scare, nasal issues for the last 5 years and goopy eyes which I finally got control of a few weeks ago.
I want to thank you all of for your kind words and extremely helpful advice.
My Bam Bam is over the Rainbow Bridge running with Pebbles, Dixie and Horace.
Thank you
Michael

 

[Popsicles]

what a lovely story, and what lucky bunnies you had that you lavished them with so much love! I know it’s really hard when we lose them, but he is at peace now, and he was lucky to have you
All my love xxx

 

[Liz Talley]

Oh, I am so sorry to hear your sweet furbaby has passed. Thanks for sharing your story though--really made me teary eyed.
Your rabbits are so lucky to have had you in their lives to love and cherish them.

 

[otto001]

I'm so sorry that Bam Bam passed away, but he's been loved until the very last minute. Now he's free from pain, but I know it's hard for those who stay... Your story says you were really meant to be together, and you both were blessed by this pure love!

 

[Bam Bam]

Thank you again for your kind words

 

[Luigi]

@Bam Bam I'm very sad that he passed, and usually I'm in tears when I read these rainbow bridge announcements, but I also feel comforted that he lived to such a good age. That's what we all want for our bunnies. Bam Bam was loved and now he'll binky free. I also love the Flintstones and think you chose great names for them. B.I.P. Bam Bam and Pebbles!

 

[JBun]

I'm so sorry for the loss of your sweet bun, but I'm glad that he got to spend his last days where he was happy, by your side.