My rabbit ain't doing so well.

[Smelly]

Soooo...

My rabbit (who is better then all your rabbits) is like almost 11 years old. He's lived about twice his expected life for an outdoors rabbit of his kind.


He's been doing pretty well for a rabbit his age. But I've been noticing some stuff and really have like $1 in my wallet, no job and go to college so going to the vet would be a stretch (though I'll probably end up going tomorrow anyways).

For the past week or so he's been resting his head in his food dish for some reason instead of laying down normally and his right ear goes down really far while his left ear seems normal. His head is tilted to the right a bit too.
He's also lost a good amount of weight. Seems sick with something..

However when I poke him and play with him he appears normal and as energetic. His ears go up all the way and runs around blindly running around. He seems fine dispite being skinnier when he's not laying down.

He's eating just as much as normal and doesn't seem to be in pain. Still he's obviously got something whether it be a sickness or just old age. I can't find anything externally at all. Everything seems healthy enough besides his resting position, weight and eyes.

In his old age he developed cateracts (over like 3 years) and is mostly blind which isn't really a threatening problem so it's low on the list problem.

Any diagnosis? lol... yes, over the internet! :shock:

Smelly!
Well and old picture of him anyways from like 6 months ago.

My rabbit >>> Your rabbit. Had him since I was like 11 (I'm now 21).

 

[NZminilops]

temporarily relocated by Pipp

 

[Smelly]

temporarily relocated by Pipp

 

[Pipp]

If he's tilting his head, he could have an ear infection, parasite, neuological issues or any number of things.I'm sure there's age-related issues as well, it won't be easy to tell.

It's hard to see ear infections, the vet probably won't be able to be absolutely sure, and would just prescribe antibiotics as a regular course of treatment). Most bunnies with head tilt will get either the antibiotics (usually Baytril) and/or maybe an anti-parasite treatment like Ivermectin.

There's no way around a vet trip to make the diagnosis or get the proper drugs, but what you can do for the immediate future is to get some Nutri-Cal to keep his strength up and improve his weight and his appetite. (As bunnies get older, there's a natural 'wasting' process, they often lose weight like that).

Nutri-Cal is designed for cats and dogs, but it's been known to work wonders for rabbits.

Good luck with Smelly! He looks like a very cool rabbit!

sas

 

[NZminilops]

Well actually, I am 24, and an old sick rabbit is no joke so why try to stir? A serious post will get serious answers.

Anyway it sounds like your bunny is just getting old, it is common for them to lose condition at that age. A vet visit wouldn't hurt. And I don't 'spam' the boards, I have been here long enough for others to realise this.

 

[Pipp]

I think Smelly loves his/her rabbit very much, and the opening line just reiterates that!



sas

 

[funinthesunwithbun]

temporarily relocated by Pipp

 

[ilovetegocalderon]

your rabbit definitly needs to see a vet. if you can't pay for it now ask to arrange for a payment plan. but like pipp said, there is no way around it if you want your rabbit to get better. good luck!!

 

[Pipp]

Can westay focussed on the rabbit? We all want to do the best we can for little Smelly. Thanks all!

I'm moving this post to the infirmary.

If anybody wants to repost their missing posts, please PM me and we'll work something out with the wording. I didn't delete them, just stashed them in our super secret (oops), rarelyusedPulled Threads section.

sas

 

[Spring]

Hi, and welcome to the forum! Your bun sounds great, what a lucky guy to live to 11! Looks very well taken care of

Really can't say for sure, so if you want a for sure diagnosis I would probably look into seeing a vet.

What do you feed him? If he's loosing some weight (common for elderly rabbits) you could start to feed him some alfalfa hay. It's very rich and will help him put on some weight and maintain it.

Does he seem to have any balance issues or anything.

Keep us posted

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

11 years old is great, but not double the average life span! The average rabbits lifespan(even for a well cared for outside rabbit) is still 7-10 years. Just thought I'd point that out, but at any rate, an 11 year old bunny is obviously well cared for.

I agree with the vet visit, it may be as simple as his diet and a vet can help devise a suitable diet for him and suggest what you can do. Just make sure it's a rabbit savvy vet!

 

[Pipp]

Spring wrote:

... If he's loosing some weight (common for elderly rabbits) you could start to feed him some alfalfa hay. It's very rich and will help him put on some weight and maintain it.

:yeahthattoo...

 

[Smelly]

He hates Alfalfa hay unfortunitly. He eats mostly regular rabbit pellets, grassand carrots at the moment. I could give him 10 huge carrots and he wouldn't stop eating them until his stomach exploded (I wouldn't give him that much of course lol). When I try to give him alfalfa hay he pretty much ignores it and just turns it into bedding lol.

 

[Pipp]

Well, the Nutri-Cal is still by far the best thing. Really can build up his strength and weight to fight whatever's wrong with him.

It comes in a tube. You just squeeze a ribbon of it on his foot, 1/2 inch or so I think, and mush it in so he has to lick it off.

Really try and get some. It should be in most pet stores.

Please let us know how he's doing!



sas

 

[Pipp]

Oops, should have given you the Head Tilt link from our Resource Center...

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11840&forum_id=10

(I guess we should add one for care of seniors).

Also, keep checking this thread, some people with more experience re: senior buns will likely chime in -- although they'll still recommend a vet check. But it's good to know the possibles and the options in order to discuss them with a vet. (And not all that many vets are 'rabbit savvy').

sas

 

[pamnock]

I agree with giving the old man some Nutri-Cal for dogs/cats. Great for older rabbits that can no longer metabolize their food well.

He's probably succumbing to old age at this point. I would keep him comfortable. If he appears to be in pain, give him 1/2 a baby aspirin per day.

If you are in a cold climate, he probably won't survive this year's cold winter, so bring him inside.

Pam

 

[naturestee]

It could be an E. cuniculi problem. E. cuniculi is a single-celled parasite that can cause a lot of different symptoms, especially neurological problems like head tilt, paralysis, etc. It's also known to cause cataracts. You can find more info in the link Pipp gave you and also here:
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=14471&forum_id=10

I'd recommend asking the vet about it. A blood test can be done but it's not always worth it because a large percentage of rabbits test positive even though they don't have any symptoms. E. cuniculi can be treated with prescription medications. There are no over-the-counter solutions to this.

Having said that, I am not a professional and even then no self-respecting professional would diagnose anything over the internet. It could simply be old age. I agree with Pam on giving pain meds. Rabbits rarely show you how much pain they are in because they are prey animals. If they show pain, they're more likely to be singled out by a predator. Pain meds might perk him up a bit (because it won't hurt as much to move) and might improve his quality of life.

 

[JimD]

Smelly wrote:

Soooo...

My rabbit (who is better then all your rabbits)

WRONGO!!!
Myyyyyy bunnies are the best!!

:humour(seriously kidding !!)



Welcome to the forum!!


The best advice so far:
#1) A vet visit just to make sure there are no underlying issues at hand.
#2) Some Nutrical to boost his system and help his appetite.
#3) Increase alfalfa in his diet.
Are his pellets alfalfa based? If so, increase his daily amount. If not, slowly switch him over to alfalfa-based pellets.
You can try some alfalfa cubes, too.
Parsley is good for prompting a bunnie's appetite, too.
Rolled oats (Old Fashioned Quaker Oats), given in moderation,can help to put on some healthy weight as well.

 

[Spring]

Smelly wrote:

He hates Alfalfa hay unfortunitly. He eats mostly regular rabbit pellets, grassand carrots at the moment. I could give him 10 huge carrots and he wouldn't stop eating them until his stomach exploded (I wouldn't give him that much of course lol). When I try to give him alfalfa hay he pretty much ignores it and just turns it into bedding lol.

Wow! Never met a rabbit who didn't love alfalfa hay, my girl goes crazy over it! I give it as a treat! Fussy little guy .

Keep us posted about him! Hopefully you can get to the bottem of why he has health issues.

 

[Smelly]

Well... he died before I could takehim to the vent... Yesterday he was running around in my roomeating carrots... I'm gunna go like cry or something rightnow... he was a good rabbit. Lived almost 11years. Just wish I was there when it happened but it happenedovernight when I was asleep...