Senior Buns

user 28242 · Jan 8, 2020

Anyone else have a senior rabbit? Pretty much every resource I've ever seen has put the lifespan of domestic rabbit breeds around 10-12 years old.

My Kenna is turning 12 in July of 2020 and has developed arthritis/joint fusion starting about six to seven months ago. I've definitely seen it increase and affect her mobility - she struggles more to get her feet underneath her after laying down and prefer the loaf position very much over flopping or stretching out. She stopped flopping much in the past several years but will still stretch out a bit! I got her a low-front litterbox about a year ago and in the late summer/early fall I took apart her 2x4' plastic bottom cage so that she no longer had to hop into it. Now it's just half of the tray so that she can nearly just walk onto it. I've also been using pee pads for at least six months - she has always been VERY good about urinating in her litterbox but started also going right next to it. I certainly don't mind helping her out with pee pads since she is still trying to be such a good girl! She actually has two areas - each with a litterbox (both low front), pee pad, food, and water bowls.

I still hear her fumble a bit sometimes and I know it's going to just get worse, and that is such an ache in my heart! I've had her since she was little and the thought of NOT hearing her tiny little thunderpaws chasing after me and my cocoa puffs is just horrible. Doesn't help that her eyesight's always been a little questionable - she seemed unaffected by the vet dropping a cottonball next to her eye, but she sees enough to follow my pointing finger to her treats. I rearranged something (took away a small barrier where there used to be one) but then still had a bowl there - she managed to bonk right into it, the poor thing. After that I was very mindful of not placing objects unexpectedly in clear space. She's always been an excited little nut..

I'm curious to hear what the vet says at her next check up. We'll be doing the full bloodwork again this time, and I'll be scheduling it in the spring once I balance my finances from the hectic holiday season (and those darn sales that come after it!).

I'm curious to hear from others with senior buns - what have you noticed your rabbit struggle with? What advice have you received from the vet? What adjustments and accommodations have you made to help your bun? Any dietary changes to meet the needs of a senior?

Nancy McClelland · Jan 8, 2020

We give ours a glucosamine supplement.

JBun · Jan 8, 2020

Is she on any medication for her arthritis? I know RO member Mick Scone, had an elder bun with arthritis that was getting Adequan injections for it, and he said he noticed a significant improvement with his bun. I tried it with my old rabbit, but I think I didn't start the treatment soon enough and her condition had already deteriorated too much.
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Bone_diseases/Osteo/arthritis.htm (adequan dosage info)
http://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Arthritis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polysulfated_glycosaminoglycan

So my old bun was about 9 when she started showing basically the same symptoms as you describe with your rabbit. Was wobbly hopping, difficulty getting up from laying down, stiffness. I cut the side down in their litter box, and for a while that helped. Then she started having accidents outside of it so I had to put down disposable puppy pee pads covering the floor in their area. Eventually she lost use of her hind limbs and had to scoot herself around with her front legs. Eventually she could only scoot around in a two foot area. The area where she primarily remained around the food and water bowl, I padded with cotton towels for additional absorption for the urine, covered with vet bed type fleece to drain the urine away from her fur so she stayed dry and help prevent sores from developing. In the last months of her life, it did take a lot more of my time to check on her and make sure she was getting to her food and water ok, as she would sometimes get stuck. At the end I was having to check on her at least every 4 hours.

I took her to the vet early when she started showing symptoms, and started her on daily meloxicam for the arthritis. And it definitely helped. There was a noticeable improvement in her comfort and movement when she was taking it. Though she did have to have a dose at the higher recommended range, as a low dose wasn't effective. So that is something that has to be worked out, to find the best dosage for each rabbit. And it's sometimes something the owner has to ensure is happening, as some vets are less experienced with the current dosage recommendations for rabbits, which is significantly higher and more frequent than what dogs get, due to rabbits metabolizing meloxicam so quickly. Contraindication for meloxicam would be impaired kidney function.
https://www.vgr1.com/metacam/

My bun coped really well with her increased disability. She was old and slept most of the time anyways, but she did stay happy and would get excited at feeding time and getting treats, and she loved snuggling with her bunny friend. So because she still had a good quality of life and was happy being with her bunny companion, I just managed her condition best I could, to let her live out her old age in comfort.

My bun did have eyesight problems, but she was a red eyed white rabbit, so that was the normal for her. She did start having problems keeping weight on her, so I started feeding her black oil sunflower seeds to add extra fat and calories in her diet. I did try a little alfalfa too as it's high in protein, but the problem with alfalfa is the high calcium content that it has can cause problems for some rabbits, so rabbits with bladder and kidney problems shouldn't have it. I primarily stuck with the sunflower seeds to put on weight because of this potential risk.
http://www.disabledrabbits.com/seniors.html
https://rabbit.org/elderbuns/
https://rabbit.org/care/elderbun.html
https://www.charlottestreetanimalhospital.com/sites/default/files/senior-rabbit-client-handout.pdf
https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-care-advice/caring-senior-rabbits/

user 28242 · Jan 9, 2020

No medication presently. The vet gave her a shot and gave me some liquid meds to try for a week or so last time we went but I didn't really see any noticeable difference in her - she may need a higher dose or something. Granted, it's hard since I'm also gone from 6:30 am til 5 pm during the week. I did talk to someone who switched from daily meds to weekly injections for their senior bun to get an idea of a couple pros and cons.

She did have a UTI from high calcium greens already a couple years ago and gets some cranberry juice occasionally, per the vet's suggestion.

I love the idea of the sunflower seeds; I may look into that. She LOVES food and especially treats, though hasn't had an issue with weight yet - I've noticed she is able to self regulate pellets and not get chubby (this wasn't always the case lol) so she has food always available to her in addition to her hay and water at this point. I've been keeping my eye out for about the past year now just to make sure she doesn't start losing weight.

I definitely hope to discuss meds with the vet again this time. The vet was from a list of known rabbit-knowledgeable vets from the rabbit.org website and they've seemed fine so far from what I can tell; we've been to them a few times so far as she got fully into being a senior. She's going to be seeing the vet more frequently at this point as well - closer to every 6 months if possible.

I've perused the rabbit.org articles in the past, but the other links are new to me and I'll check them out!

Augustus&HazelGrace · Jan 9, 2020

I have used calf manna pellets for getting weight on buns. It really helped if you ever need it.

JBun · Jan 9, 2020

The thing I don't like about calf manna is that it's loaded with carbohydrates and has corn as one of the ingredients, which I don't feel is good to be feeding to rabbits. Too many carbs in the diet always poses the risk of upsetting the delicate microflora balance in the gut. That's why I prefer BOSS if adding calories to the diet is needed. It provides the extra calories through the fat it contains.