Should I put my baby down or not?

[jsityo]

He's 12 years old - or older and has a hole in his cornea and eye tumour/cancer. Its about a pea size growth in the corner of his eye.

He's still eating okay, pooing good and still likes to groom me after I give him cuddles. Very skinny though which may be just old age. Is he in a lot of pain? I am thinking surgery would be too risky, am I right?

He's a dwarf netherland rabbit. :happybunny:

 

[zombiesue]

What did the vet say about it?

 

[Nancy McClelland]

It's such a hard decision to make, but comes down to quality of life and how much time would really be left--no surgery is inexpensive and his age makes it more dangerous. With my little girl Coal, I kept her longer than I probably should have but when she couldn't get around anymore, I knew it was time even though I didn't really want to go there with her, I had to. ray:

 

[JBun]

Surgery would be risky and the recovery could be hard on him. I agree that it's the quality of life that matters. If he still seems pretty happy and the health concerns can be managed so that he isn't in pain and things aren't too difficult for him, then I don't see any reason why he still can't have a good life. Many people have rabbits that have ongoing health problems that can't be resolved, but are able to manage them so that their rabbit still has a good life.

With the weight loss, could you add some higher calorie foods into his diet? If there aren't any urinary concerns, alfalfa hay is good for weight gain. You do want to slowly add it into the diet, to minimize digestive upset. Sometimes you can increase pellet amounts, but you have to be careful that it doesn't lead to GI slowdown and risk stasis.

 

[ladysown]

i wouldn't be doing surgery on a rabbit of that age.
you need to weigh out his quality of life.
Be careful not to leave it too long, but weigh it out. If he's eating good, doesn't appear to be bothered by his eye, and isn't showing signs of depression/not wanting to move etc... he should be good for a bit. You know your bunny best though.