Hind Leg Weakness- when is it time to say goodbye?

[Dee]

Hi All,
Strange that I posted just yesterday about possible getting a mate for my young rabbit, Lukie, because my 8yr old girl Nelli seems too old and cranky to tolerate another husbun. Everything had been going fine with her, in fact I had seen some improvement in her hopping since starting Panacur. Then last night she suddenly was having an awful time. For over a year, she has hopped with her hind legs very close together, and as a result doesn’t have great balance. I also notice her hopping a bit crooked, so I think one leg is weaker than the other. She sometimes had trouble cleaning her ears or standing on her hinds, but in general did fine. She hopped up on things up to about 15 inches high and really only had trouble on our slippery hardwood floors. I did notice that I could hear her hocks hit the floor as she hopped, like she didn’t have enough ‘spring’ to stay off of them.

She was fine yesterday, spent lots of time in the living room on the hardwood floors. Even though she can’t hop very well in them, she loves the living room because it’s off limits except with supervision. Then last night, at about 8PM, I notice that she was nearly falling over when she tried to turn around. One of her legs (pretty sure it was her right but sometimes I could swear it was her left!) would kind of splay out to the side. She would pull it back again, but it was obviously am effort. Whenever she wasn’t moving, she would have her hind end completely resting on the floor. However, she would not settle down- she kept following me around the kitchen begging for food! I removed her litter box and put a flat plastic Tupperware lid on the floor for her to,use as a litter box. Other than that, there is nothing that requires jumping in the kitchen.

It was really hard to watch her like that. Today she seems a bit better- I’m.going on what my hubby reported though, since she’s in her box right now. The only thing I can think of is that perhaps she injured herself on the hardwood floor yesterday. At one point I walked by her and she startled and tried to scrabble away, legs going in all directions. Nell is a very skittish rabbit and hates to be picked up. I really don’t think she would be happy if she was unable to run away from us- I think she would be frightened. She is also showing signs of kidney failure- increased water consumption and excessive, watery urine. I would rather put her to sleep before she reaches the point where she is miserable, but also don’t want to be hasty and underestimate her ability to adapt. My thoughts at this point are to put her to sleep if she becomes unable to hop around without constant falling, or if she seems to be unhappy or in pain. I’ve seen carts for paralyzed rabbits and think theyre wonderful, but not for an older rabbit with other health issues who shies away from being handled.

I know some of you have had rabbits with hind end paralysis. How did you deal with it, and how did you decide whether/when to help your bunny over the bridge? Thanks for any responses!

[Dee]

Update- Nell is just as bad as yesterday. Her left leg just sticks out to the side. She can pull it under enough to get herself around, but it’s a struggle. Plus she didn’t finish her bananas or raisins ?. I’m going to give her some Metacam and see if that helps. I’m really wondering if she injured her leg, since this seems so sudden and extreme. Just yesterday she was bouncing all around the house! I hope she hasn’t broken her hip or anything. My vet isn’t open on Saturdays so I’ll have to wait until Monday. Don’t know how I’ll get through the weekend, I’m afraid to leave her in case she gets stuck or something.

[Bam]

They can break their femur (big thigh bone). That can happen without much of a trauma esp in bunnies that are getting on in years. I’m glad you have Metacam, pain often manifests itself as inappetance in rabbits. The femur can heal, but there is pain at first.

Do you think it’s one leg that’s bad or the whole rear end (hips and legs)? Paralysis of the whole rear end is typical of e cuniculi, but can of course be caused by traumatic injury too. 

I don’t suppose you have access to an ER vet you could call for advice? Try to make her not move around so much. Give her Metacam and see if that improves her appetite and general demeanour. Keep her warm (unwell buns tend to get cold, Metacam further lowers body temp), but not too warm of course. If she doesn’t eat in 8-12 hours you need to syringe her pellet mash (pellets soaked in water) and some water.

Many hugs to you and vibes for your girl.

[LBJ10]

Hmm, this is a tough one. Poor thing. It sounds like she’s a trooper. It could be pain-related. My dog has weakness in her hind end and if she isn’t getting pain meds then she won’t be able to get her rear off the floor. She will often have one leg slide out, but sometimes she does the splits too. Her balance will be worse too and she can fall over simply because she’s trying to turn around. I know she isn’t a bunny, but I thought perhaps this would help since she does seem to do better when on pain meds.

For now, it would probably be best to confine her to a small area where she can’t get into trouble whenever you’re not around to watch her.

[Dee]

Bam and LBJ10- Thank you for your kindness and advice!

Bam, I am wondering if it’s an injury of some sort. She was great yesterday, right up until the nighttime. Even then she was begging for treats and all over the place even though she could barely get around. Today I noticed it is definitely her left leg. She does seem to be a bit better- in fact when I went to catch her to give her meds she took off across our 25 foot long tiled kitchen and squeezed under the Hoosier to hide from me! So apparently she can get around quickly if she needs to, but I also understand the adrenaline that prey animals get when pursued. I don’t think the leg is broken because when I picked her up, she showed no sign of pain. However, she isn’t eating much at all. She refused raisins and didn’t finish her bananas, which is unheard of. Come to think of it, she hasn’t been finishing her greens the past few days, and she’s been sneezing more frequently than usual. Her breathing sounds fine though. Maybe it’s her time to go ?. I’ve been a crying mess all day thinking of it. I wish I had an ER vet I could call- the ones from Tuft just say to bring them in. I would rather not bring Nell to the vet at all if possible- it stresses her terribly If she doesn’t rally and improve by Monday, I’m going to call my regular vet and ask if he can make a house call to put her to sleep. My beloved BunBun was put to sleep in the ICU at Angell Memorial and there was a dog yelping the whole time- it was awful but I had no choice. To bring him home would have caused him suffering.

LBJ10, your dog’s behavior sounds just like Nelli’s. I’m hoping that pain meds will help Nelli if she makes it through this. I’m glad your dog gets relief from the meds! It’s so hard to watch our pets in pain. I gave Nelli Metacam for pain, Baytril in case the sneezing is a respiratory infection, and her Panacur. She got her Benebac on the bananas she ate, but I skipped her glucosamine supplement. It just seems like I’m giving her so much stuff, I worry about her losing what little appetite she has left.

The only thing I’m wondering now is if Monday is too long to let her go on like this, if she doesn’t improve. I guess if she seems to be in pain and the Metacam isn’t helping, I’ll bring her to the nearest emergency vet. I knew with the way she is drinking and seeing that her kidneys were failing, but somehow I kept hoping I was wrong.

[BinkyBunny]

I am sorry that I do not know the full history so forgive me if some of this has been posted before — but does she have arthritis? I have also had a bunny who had a spine issue (and ecuniculi that caused hind leg weakness) that made things worse as she got older. She always had a funny hop, but it seemed she was prone to painful back bouts here and there. We actually did physical therapy with her, along with pain meds and that helped. But she could topple over easily. Another time, another one of my bunny’s back legs went out, and the vet checked –nothing broken, but she suspected a torn ligament. She said this is very common. There isn’t a great way to treat it, (there are surgeries if very severe), so we opted for pain meds and limiting her run access. She got better, but I was warned that it could be re-injured, so we just took precautions to prevent her from jumping up on things) .

Each situation is different and I completely understand trying to make the most impossible decisions about quality of life. It’s so hard and it is very individual. I can’t help in that area, but just offer my understanding and support.

[jerseygirl]

{{{Vibes}}}for Nelli !! It certainly sounds like she may have a strain or ligament tear perhaps. I hope the metacam has helped some. Do you have the dog strength one?

She may need to go on a couple of analgesic/anti-inflammatory meds to help with her gait. Hopefully she’ll recover soon from this setback.

ETA: Sorry Dee, I didn’t fully read your last post and hadn’t understood how distressed you are about this. I know it is hard to watch out bunnies age and know if we’re doing the right things for them. My friend went through something similar with her elderly bun. He was already losing weight then eventually lost use of his back legs and became incontinent. She did get a cart but he could only be in it for short length of time. He needed to be put near the water bowl several times a day and she held him upright while he drank.  I saw him when like this but he actually seemed quite perky. It was really a day-by-day situation. He went along like this for a little while and then she just knew when it was time. 

(((Hugs))) for you. We’re here if you need.

[Dee]

Thanks so much for the support and advice, BB and JerseyGirl!

BB, Nell hasn’t had Xrays but I’ve assumed she has arthritis because of her strange hopping. That could be from EC too though. She does have mild cataracts, which could also been from EC, as could the probable kidney problems. The fact that pain meds and physical therapy helped your bunny is great! I hate taking Nell to the vet because it scares her so much, but I think I might have to take her. Find out what’s what, if possible. I just don’t want to put her through Xrays and blood work only to be told she should be put to sleep.

Jersey, thank you for telling me about your friends experience. She sounds like a wonderful bunny parent! I guess it really is about whether the rabbit still has quality of life or not. It’s such a hard call.

Nelli seemed much better after her Metacam last night. She ate and hopped almost normally! But this morning she was bad again, and wouldn’t eat. I gave her Metacam, Panacur, and her ear drops. Then I cuddled her for a long time, which reminded me even more how much I’ll miss her.

So, her hopping seems better, she has her if the left leg again, but now we have a new issue with the lack of appetite. She also has messy poops ?. Thinking back, it seems that she has had less apppetite for a few days now and I wonder if it is the Panacur? Im considering slipping it tomorrow to see if she improves. Its just so frustrating, all these problems. And tonight I have to work overnight, which is the last think I want to do. The thought of leaving Nelli is so stressful.

Tomorrow, if she’s not improving, I’m going to call the vet. I will not let her go days suffering. If she was younger and in great health, of course. But at this point I just need to think of her comfort.

I’ll keep you all updated. Thanks again for being so kind and helpful ☺.

[jerseygirl]

Panacur can make them feel a bit off. How long has she been on it? Did she do an initial course of 28 days?

Rabbits metabolise metacam faster then cats and dogs. You might be able to give her a dose every 12 hours instead of once a day.

[Dee]

Thanks for the info, Jersey! I tried to find side effect info for Panacur but only came up with bone marrow suppression, which is quite rare. She has been on it for 12 days now. I’m probably grasping at straws here but now I’m thinking, she hasn’t been finishing her greens for several days so maybe it’s the Panacur. I guess I’ll slip tomorrow’s dose and see how she does.
Good to know about the Metacam! I actually have her .2 ml before so left for work tonight (overnight shift). I’d given her .3 at about 1 PM. Hopefully that will help her. This is so hard. I find myself wishing she would just die peacefully in her sleep rather than being sick like this. If I thought she could make a full recovery I would be much more determined to go to any measures necessary… But with the kidney thing, it’s only gonna get worse ?. I’ve never know any animal to have weight loss, increased thirst and excessive, diluted urine and not have kidney failure. Of you have heard of anything else with these symptoms, please let me know!

Thanks again for always being here to help me out- it means a lot.

[jerseygirl]

I read an older thread of yours and she had been on panacur then. July last year? I’m not certain on repeat dosing with panacur. There’s so much conflicting info around.

But with the kidney thing, it’s only gonna get worse ?. I’ve never know any animal to have weight loss, increased thirst and excessive, diluted urine and not have kidney failure. Of you have heard of anything else with these symptoms, please let me know!

There are other things:
-E.C.
-Dental pain
-Possibly kidney or bladder stones (the latter leading to some cystitis).
But I can certainly see why you’d be most suspicious or renal failure with an older rabbit.
{{{{{ Nelli }}}}}

[Dee]

I’m just heartbroken- I had Nelli put to sleep this morning. I worked an overnight shift last night, and my husband reported that she had not eaten, was dragging her leg again, and was laying under a cabinet and wouldn’t come out. I checked her when I got home and knew that it was time. So I took her to the vet (they don’t do housecalls) and the vet examined her. She said that Nelli’s ears were inflamed and I feel so guilty. I had taken her in before for a smelly ear and they said it was external and gave me drops. Now I wish that I’d taken her back and pushed for antibiotics, but its too late. I just hope she wasn’t in pain for long. The vet said that we could try antibiotics and blood work, but with the weight loss and other symptoms, there was a lot going on and deciding to relieve Nelli of her suffering was understandable. So that’s what I did. I’m just so sad, Nelli had been with me for nearly 8 years. She didn’t like to be handled very much and was very suspicious of me because I was the terrible person that clipped her nails,but I still loved her.

I’ll post on the Rainbow Bridge in a few days, but I’m too upset right now. Thanks to everything who responded and given their support and advice.

[Vienna Blue in France]

Oh Dee – I’m so sorry – there are no words right now which will make you feel better, but you loved her so much, and she did know that – she did !
In time your pain will get less – but for now big bear hugs to comfort you. (((( Binky Free Nelli ))))

[Gina.Jenny]

Binkie free (((Nelli))) I think you made the kind choice for Nelli, and I’m sure, in spite of the dreaded claw clipping, she knew that you loved her xxx

[tobyluv]

I am sorry about the loss of your sweet Nelli. I have had 3 rabbits that developed weakness in their hindquarters, which got progressively worse, and I had to make the decision to end their pain and frustration at some point.

I’m sure that Nelli loved you back, even if she didn’t show it.

[jerseygirl]

I’m so sorry Dee. I know you’ll miss her a lot, especially after having been together 8 years.
***Binky Free Nelli *** She can binky about with BunBun now.

[Bam]

I’m sorry to hear that you had to make this tough choice. I hope she’s binkying in the rainbow meadows with BunBun now.

Binky Free Nelli

[Dee]

Thank you all so much. It does help reading your kind words. I keep wondering if I should have let her die at home- it was so stressful for her at the vet, not at all the peaceful death I wanted for her when the time came. But I was afraid that she would just linger on and suffer, so I brought her in and I can’t change that now. I know I need to stop dwelling on what I could’ve done differently. I’ve done that with every pet that I’ve had and it doesn’t make anything better, it’s just torture.

I am glad that Nelli acted fine up until a few days before her death. Hopefully she didn’t suffer more than she let on.

Thanks again for your condolences.

[Author]

Messages